Can I Climb Your Mountain With You?

Do you ever feel like the amount of weight you have to lose is almost out of reach? Like it seems impossible? Like climbing straight up the side of a mountain without any preparation? I know there have to be some of you out there because I know I used to be one of those very someones. The good news is, it really wasn't as bad as it looked, especially because I had planned out my route, my course of action. 

You see, I never started my journey with the idea that this was going to be some type of diet or eating plan to get me to the top of the mountain and that when I got there, I would celebrate and forget all that went into the planning. I wanted it to become something I enjoyed, was excited about, and had a passion for. (Healthy eating and exercise that is.)  I wanted to succeed to the point that it made me want to reach out and not only share my story with others but inspire myself to keep learning and trying new things that my body wasn't capable of doing before. That alone, excited me.

When I first set off on my journey I think the important thing to remember was that I had my pack ready to climb that mountain. It was already full of everything I was going to need to get to the top. My eating plan, my course of exercise, motivation, determination, and of course my water bottle. Nothing was going to stop me and once I got headed up the trail, there was no turning back. My thought was often, "I've come this far....onward I must go." 

Often times I think it's easy to set out on a weight loss journey and not have the tools we need in our pack to make it up the mountain without failing or deciding it's too hard, and we give up and turn back. Don't be one of those people. I once was, and it did nothing for me other than make me feel as if I'd failed. Just the thought of another attempt at some point then became daunting. 

I've seemed to have developed a passion for hiking since taking my weight off and I think it honestly stems from what I went through to climb my own mountain to weight loss. God being a huge part of that. Most hard things in life can't be done alone. Well, I guess they can but it's only adding what I would call boulders to your pack when climbing up that mountain. Making Him part of who I was becoming each and every day was taking weight off my shoulders as I climbed. He believed in me. Often times more than I believed in myself. Climbing and hiking is hard work. It takes time and planning, but in the end the reward is spectacular.  Whether it's to see the top of the world or a beautiful new you.

I did a lot of hiking this summer. Some hikes were harder than others, but I'd have to say Mt. Rainier was probably my favorite. Not only because of the satisfaction it gave me to climb it and to say I can do hard things, but just the awesomeness of how huge and massive that mountain is.I couldn't hike very far without stopping in my tracks and staring in awe at its beauty. What a testimony it was to remind me of just how big our God is and what He is capable of.

(Me and my best friend, Tam, on Mt. Rainier a few weeks ago. Pure awesomeness!)

So, whether you have 50 pounds to lose or 150 pounds to lose, you can do it! In fact, I love hiking so much I'd love to climb your mountain with you. What do you say? I can't wait to see the picture from the top, can you?  The view will be spectacular!