I have a friend who regularlyupdates me on her progress regarding her weight loss goals.  One of her frequent sayings is: ‘Well, I fell off my bike, but I got on again!’  Thisgot me thinking, in a literal sense, about why it is that people sometimes fall off their bikes.  So here we go – I think you will find the parallels with what can happen to our weight loss goals very interesting!

1)         We fall off our bikes when we haven’t yet learnt to ride.  I remember learning to ride my first two-wheelerin a car park next to the beach.  I didn’t know how to apply the brakes and the only way I could stop was to plough intothe sand dunes!  One of the principles of the Fit For Life Forever course is learning to listen to our satisfaction signals and to stop eating before we feel stuffed.  But if you’re a beginner you may not know when or how to apply the brakes!  Don’t worry; you’ll soon get the hang of it. Just make sure you get back on the bike.

2)         Going too fast.  You are so excited about the programme, but want to see immediate results.  You try to take it too quickly, cutting your food intake too drastically, going overboard on an exercise regime you’re not used to, trying to tackle too many issues at once… You find you can’t keep it up and take a tumble. Learn from your mistakes, get back on the bike and ride on…SLOWLY!

3)         We fall off our bikes when we are distracted.  Easily done…. we aren’t paying enough attention to what we are doing; we lose our focus, and before we know it, we’re wobbling and fall off.  It is when we are tired and stressed that this tends to happen, so be especially vigilant at such times.  For many of us this is somewhere between the hours of 4-9pm. We’ve been on the go for hours; our blood sugarlevels are flagging and there’s still all sorts of jobs that have to be done –wobble! We want a quick shot of something sweet to pick us up and keep us going- more wobbles! Wobbles don’t always go totally out of control, but if they do – just get back on that bike!

4)         You hit something – an immoveable object - and get thrown off.  Maybe it’s a boulder or a brick wall. One thing is sure: it isn’t going to move, so you have to learn to navigate round it, to find another course.  What are your immoveable boulders?  Could it be a mind-set or a deep-rooted habit? Is it a circumstance which you believe will have to change before youcan make any progress?  Listen – you are not a victim! Yes, there are obstacles, but there is always a way round them.  You don’t have to be defeated time and time again. God will make a way where there seems to be no way. Seek His face, trust Him, be obedient  and, yes… get back on your bike!

5)         Something hits you! You’re getting along just fine and then, WHAM! – out of the blue, an unexpected situation has you completely thrown. It could be bad news – a break down in a relationship, a job loss, a financial crisis. Stress levels rise and your heart is in turmoil; you feel a need to comfort eat and before you know it, you’re back on the ground. So now what?  That’s right… get back on and keep peddling!

We have another saying that relates to riding a bike, which is this: ‘once you learn to ride a bike you never forget.’  This is true.  The Fit For Life Forever programme is designed to start you off on a Biblically-based healthy lifestyle which will stand you in good stead ‘all the days of your life.’ It may be difficult foryou right now but in due season you will find that eating in this God-honouring way is second nature – you will never forget it.  

Experts call the process of losing weight on a diet, regaining it, losing it again, then regaining some more ‘weight cycling.’  I think I may have found a whole new meaning for the term!!

No matter how experienced we are, we can all fall off our bikes at times. And when we do, well, we all know what to do, don’t we? ….. That’s right– we get straight back on! Happy ‘weight cycling!’