Julie's Journal and Individual Interview

Hi Everybody! Thank you so much for asking where the blog post was last week. It encourages me that some folks are actually expecting it each week. That rocks! I had a busy week with some medical things last week and did not spend much time in the office, so I am combining the posts this week. That means you get another two for one post. I just want to spend a minute talking about something that is most important on this journey. . . attitude. Oh what a difference an attitude can make, whether it is positive or negative. Most of us now know what the research confirms about someone who has had a negative attitude through the years. It has a negative impact physically. Another confirmation of how it's all connected. Spirit, mind, body and emotions. Research also confirms that a positive attitude can make a world of difference when someone is going through a life challenge. Are you a optimist, or a pessimist? How does your attitude impact your journey of lasting lifestyle change? Can you choose your attitude?

I was blessed richly by reading the following Individual Interview by Kindra. Hope you ladies enjoy it as much as I did. Have a great week!

H.O.P.E. Individual Interview

What is your name?
Kindra Savage

Who is your family and additional support system outside of H.O.P.E.?
I have been married to my husband, Bob, for 24 years and I have a son, Eric, a Senior at Ardrey Kell High School and a daughter, Shelby, a Junior at Ardrey Kell High School.

How long have you been a H.O.P.E Participant?
I have been blessed to be a H.O.P.E participant for a year and a half.

What is the most useful tool you have received in H.O.P.E. and why?
Wow—the most useful tool? Every single tool has been useful for me, but I guess the key tool and turning point for me was to tie my unhealthy eating/binges with what I was feeling. Whenever I started bingeing, I began to write what was going on at the time. Sometimes I wouldn’t write until after I binged, but nevertheless, I was shocked to see the connection. I was eating unhealthy so I wouldn’t have to feel!

What has been your greatest accomplishment through the H.O.P.E. program?
To keep working at it and not make it another “all or nothing” effort. I come every single week as a gift to myself. In the past, when I didn’t eat healthy and gained weight, I would just give up and isolate. HOPE has taught me it is a journey of ups and downs and I can keep at it. I no longer have long seasons of eating unhealthy or “perfect diet and exercise” only to go back to one or the other. I go with the ups and downs of my life, being gentle and realizing I am still of value and worth~ no matter where I am in this journey! Yay!

What has been your greatest challenge on your journey of lifestyle change?
To not wallow in the years of regret and waste of my life. To accept this is for the rest of my life and I can grow up, be an adult and learn to meet my own needs. Yes, I wish I’d gotten this sooner, but thank God for HOPE—I get it NOW!

What does the H.O.P.E. program mean to you personally?
Ahhh…the name HOPE says it all. It is my lifeline to ME focusing on ME and taking care of myself. It is my safe support group of women who speak my language and accept me just as I am. I learn so much from what others share. It is Jesus gifting me with a place I can tell my secrets with no shame and be taught the Truth about who I was always meant to be.

Can you share some words of wisdom with others who are just beginning their journey of lifestyle change?
When I first came to HOPE I was tentative because I had tried every diet and read every self help book I could imagine and I was so burnt out on becoming hopeful something would work only to find it never did for long. I couldn’t take one more yo-yo disappointment and wanted to give up. So when I came I was still looking for the “magic diet/answer” that would cure me once and for all from this life of struggle. For the first nine months I kept gaining more weight because I just hated becoming AWARE of what was behind my unhealthy eating. I didn’t want to deal with it, but I just kept coming to the meetings. I have much more to lose, but I have lost 44 pounds so far, and AMAZINGLY it’s NO LONGER THE SCALE that determines my success or value! I learned there is no magic diet or pill! The answer for me lies in pulling back the layers, seeing what is behind it all, believing His Truth for me and about me and learning with His help I can relearn how to live my life and even meet my own needs. I LOVE H.O.P.E, MY H.O.P.E SISTERS and remain ever grateful to God for the gift He has given me to live my life in abundance as He talks about. It has infected and affected me and everyone I have contact with in a positive way. Keep coming~we need each other!