For my fellow overweight friends

In posting this picture, I am not looking for "likes" or pats on the back or anything like that. I'm also not trying to sell you anything or trying to get you to join anything. What I am hoping to achieve by posting this is to give incentive to all of those that are struggling with being overweight. Yes, that is the same guy in the picture. The first one was on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 307 lbs, the second one is me today, August 30, 2013 at 257 lbs. I didn't start trying to lose weight until May 7, 2013, so I have dropped 50-lbs in 116 days. I am nowhere near being ideal weight and I've not yet reached my goal but I am overwhelmed at how the Lord has helped me with this.

I am fully convinced that a person will never be able to have success with weight control until they realize that  there is no easy way out. Except for those rare cases where folks have a legitimate medical reason for being overweight, the fact is YOU are responsible for what you put in your mouth. You didn't get fat overnight, it is the result of a lot of hours of continuous bad eating habits. We can use all the excuses and blame everyone in the world but no one is forcing you to over eat or to eat foods that are bad for you.

If you are serious about losing it, let me give you the first step, 1. Lay it down at the feet of Jesus. I'm not saying that to be all "spiritual," I'm saying that because you can't do it on your own. That doesn't mean that you pray "Lord help me lose weight" and then continue eating the same old way, it means you pray for Him to give you strength. Pray for Him to take away your desire and craving for food. Pray to him in those times when you are tempted to stop by Burger King and order 2 Sausage Egg and Cheese CROISSAN’WICH’s® (900 calories) or 2 Hardee’s Sausage Biscuits (1,080 calories). Ask him to help you be satisfied with a 200 calorie breakfast instead. When you are tempted to go to Bonjangles at lunch and order a 3-pc meal (1,725 calories), pray and ask the Lord to satisfy you with a 350 calorie lunch instead.

Sign up on www.myfitnesspal.com and keep up with your weight. They have a mobile app for your phone you can download and keep up with it when you are on the go. Keep up with it daily and see how many calories you are consuming. Eat less and less calories and you have no choice but to lose weight.

Listen, it’s not easy for me to post this for the whole world to see, it’s not really anybody’s business but mine, but I know how many years of my life I wasted by being overweight. How many opportunities I've missed out on or skipped because of not feeling good or being ashamed of how I looked. I tried all of the get skinny quick schemes and all that did was make me gain more weight in the end. The way I am eating now, I still eat all the foods I want I just don’t eat as much of it. I don’t even call it a diet, I call it a new attitude toward food. I want you to know that if I can do this that you can too.

If you want me to give you an example of my weekly menu, just email me at (pastor@hbcknox.org) and I’d be glad to share it with you.