Having tried many diets and weight loss products over the years, with not many long-lasting results, I began to search for the deeper mystery of why I was overweight. I had a powerful craving to know why I often felt empty and unsatisfied. These life questions led me on a mission to truly understand myself, and at the same time to find something more in my life.

Above all else, I longed to know why God created me, and to truly unite with God (or my Higher Power) to be my best.

In my early days of recovery, I discovered some tools that helped me to lose 150 pounds and keep it off. I want to share them with you, in hopes that you, too, will continue your own mission of self-discovery and spiritual awakening. A powerful practice toward this kind of discovery is journaling. Taking the time to record aspects of your life, behaviors, feelings and spiritual insights can be truly helpful and fulfilling. Even life-changing.

Daily spiritual journaling with the specific goal of losing weight and improving your overall health allows you to see patterns of behaviors and thoughts that you might not be consciously aware of. The daily ritual of writing down your thoughts and feelings around food and your weight can assist you in establishing discipline in the form of positive routines, aiding you in breaking habits of self-destructive behavior. Identifying areas of concern, spotting problem patterns and realizing connections between emotions and actions can help you to discover true freedom in self-awareness. Over the next three months, I encourage you to share photos of yourself and the food you eat right here in your journal on the Beliefnet Community so that you can better accept what is (or was) and help you in your effort to change that.

Someone once said “God is in the details,” and I have found that’s true.

Accept this invitation to understand the mystery of your weight problem. Come along with me – let’s write a book of life–your life–together. Twice a week, I will offer you a thought and a question that will inspire you to delve deeper into the you that God created; the you that so beautifully wants to be seen and heard – thinner, healthier and happier.

Let’s begin to discover that person.
–Norris Chumley