Scott Freeman

One year ago today I began a diet. Little did I know at the time it was the beginning of a new life.
For two years I had been unable to get health insurance in the great state of Michigan.
My triglycerides were the only thing rising faster than my weight and it’s rate of increase was startling.
I was a sedentary individual whose idea of exercise was climbing the stairs to go to bed.
I eschewed vegetables at all costs.
I easily consumed 1000 calories a day in Mountain Dew and Coca-Cola alone.
The example I was setting to my two girls was an abysmal one.
I was heading full-throttle toward cardiac arrest.
Something had to change.
Through force of will and a desire to live long enough to see my girls grow up I committed to changing my life.
I said good-bye to Mountain Dew and Coke. It has now been a year and one day since I had a sugar-filled drink.
I embraced vegetables. Some I like better than others–spinach leaves, onions, peppers, and celery being at the top of my list.
In the next few months I lost 60 pounds. 8 inches of waist size.
And I began to run–toward a healthy future, away from a destructive past.
Yesterday during lunch to commemorate the one year anniversary of my last free food day before the diet I ran 4 miles.
One mile for Tracy.
One mile for Chloe
One mile for Cassidy
One mile for Shayla.
They were the motivation to change my life.
I thank God for them. I thank God for June 1st.
It’s a big day for me.

Okay, so I was asked to blog about my special breakfast. I have recently begun the Abs Diet.
It is a great way to trim the gut.
The main focus of the diet is to concentrate on eating certain power foods along with exercise.
The power foods are as follows:
Almonds and other nuts
Beans and other legumes
Spinach and other leafy greens

Dairy Items
Instant Oatmeal
Eggs
Turkey and other lean meats

Peanut Butter
Olive Oil
Whole Grains
Extra Protein Whey Powder
Raspberries and other berries

At each meal the idea is to eat as many of the power foods as possible. One of the recommended recipes is one I whipped up the breakfast the other day.
I recommend it:
In microwave bowl mix one egg well, then add:
1 cup milk
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup mixed berries
1 tablespoon chopped pecans or sliced almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla why protein powder
1 teaspoon ground flax seed
Nuke for 2 minutes
Then top with 1/2 sliced banana and 1 tablespoon plain yogurt

I added a dash of splenda and cinnamon.
A high fiber, high protein breakfast with 8 power-foods.
It sounds disgusting but it really isn’t. It’s pretty good.
I’m trying to decide if a little peanut butter thrown in would be any good.
That would make 9 power foods.
Give it a shot.
Feedback?

Last Sunday I sat out to conquer a new distance and overcome the aforementioned mental hurdle of five miles. I had finally worked up to that milestone that I had been preparing for.
I failed.
I had to quit less than two miles into my run. I felt horrible.
It seemed that every bone and muscle in my legs had organized and staged a walk-out.
For the first time since I began running I was unable to fulfill my intended goal for the day.
Needless to say I was pretty down for the rest of the day. I didn’t know if I had sustained an injury that would sideline me for a while or whether or not it was just a blip on the training radar.
I had to wait until last Tuesday to find out.
Hesitantly, I sat out to do 3.5 miles on Tuesday.
Slowly.
Luckily, I finished with no problems.
I made it through the week and this past Sunday I attempted 5 miles again.
This time I did it. Fairly easily I might add.
Today, however, was a different story. 3.5 miles seemed an almost insurmountable goal.
My legs weren’t cooperating again. Yet somehow I lumbered my way through it.
My pace was snail-like. But I did it.
One thing I am learning is that I feel better on the bad days.
I love the feeling that results when my body is rebelling but I still manage to complete the task.
I feel that I have truly achieved something.
Pleasure in pain?
Go figure.

Check out my recommendations of the week below.

Tracy asked me the other night what it was that possessed me to start running. Her question is one I have received numerous times in the last 9 months. It seems that people want to know my secret for having lost 60+ pounds and how I moved from a sedentary individual to one who prizes activity, especially long-distance running.
As I have reflected on the answer to these questions I have discovered that it is much more deep-seated than I realized.
The main reasons are simple: I couldn’t get health insurance while I lived in Michigan because of high triglycerides; I was setting horrible examples for my girls; the reality that I might not see them grow up was unthinkable; I was tired of being tired all the time; and I felt that I was being a poor steward of the body that God has given me.
But it goes farther than that. When I was in 11th grade my school hosted a jog-a-thon. For this fund-raiser you were to solicit people to sponsor you for how far you jogged and/or walked. In the previous years that I had participated in the annual jog-a-thon it was held on the track around the football field. People pledged money for how many laps you went.
This particular year, however, was different. We would be dropped off different distances from the school and jog our way back.
Of course, I opted to be dropped off at the 5 mile mark. Although, I had never covered the full five mile distance around the track I was sure that I would be able to do it this year.
I was a football player after all. The fact that I was a very bad football player did not diminish my confidence in the least.
I started out strong, keeping up with the more athletic and fit. But about 10 yards into it I began to lag a little.
Then I began to lag a lot.
Then I started to walk.
Slowly.
And slower.
And slower still.
Eventually I began to realize that I would not make it back to the school in the allotted time. The confidence that I had at the outset of the race rapidly diminished.
Before long a school van came and picked up the stragglers and drove us back to the school.
There I was: with the underclassmen and the unathletic, the disinterested and the frail.
I was embarrased. And ashamed.
I had thought that I was better than that. But I was wrong.
I had thought that I could do more than my ability. But I failed.
Over the years I have learned a lot from that experience:

1. When I think that I am better than I am, I am always wrong.
2. When I rely on my ability rather than God’s, I will fail.
3. If I rely on His strength I can do more than I can imagine.
4. There is no shame in running the race at whatever speed I can maintain.
5. Starting the race is enough. Jesus will carry me to the Ultimate Goal.

I had allowed a part of my life to defeat me. I was unhealthy. And lazy.
I thought I could make it through on my own strength and ability.
The truth is: I wasn’t making it very far. I needed to rely on His strength to change a part of my life that I had kept from Him for far too long.
Why the change? Because I will not be a slave to food, only to Christ.
I will not be content to sit idly by, but will rise up and work for Him.
I will not depend on my own power but will run with Him.
Someday soon, I will travel back to Arkansas. I will have Tracy drop me off five miles from my old high school.
And I will run. . .all the way back.
Not on my strength.
But through His.

Well, I went back out there and did the two miles. It was a lot better. My heart rate was back down to a decent level but I was still a little dead-legged. Here is hoping for a good 3.5 miler today.

Yesterday was the worst run of my life. I was increasing my Tuesday/Thursday base from 3 miles to 3.5 miles in anticipation of moving from 4 to 5 miles on Sunday for my weekly long run.
For some reason I barely finished. My heart rate was high the whole way through. My legs felt dead and I could never seem to establish a rhythm.
I’ve read repeatedly that this happens. That there will be days that you just can’t do what you intend. Still, it was very disheartening. I had never come this close to quitting.
Today I am supposed to do 2 miles. I don’t know if I can.
But I will try.
Christian, you might have a bad day. Discouragement may set in and you feel like you cannot take the next step.
The good news is . . . you don’t have to. Fall in His embrace and He will carry you.

Back on November 20 I decided to run a mile after dinner.

My thought process was simple: I’ve lost 60 pounds in the last 6 months. I’ve bought a bike and done a considerable amount of bike riding.
I feel good so running a mile should be simple, right?
I could not have been more wrong.
I could not run a quarter of a mile without stopping.
It was eye-opening how out of shape I truly was.
So I sat out on this program to work up to three miles in 9 weeks.
In the process I fell in love with running.
I’m not very fast.
I don’t have the best form or technique.
But I keep running.
The question I have wrestled with is when I transition to being someone who runs to being a runner?
When does the transformation take place from wannabe to actual runner?
I think I got the answer last Thursday night.
After dinner I sat out for my regular run. The downside was that I had just eaten and felt somewhat bloated.
But I kept running.
In the pouring rain.
But I kept running:
…Through an encounter with a man-eater of a dog. THE MONGREL SLAMMED INTO MY THIGH! THE CUR NEEDS TO BE PUT DOWN.
…Through Chest cracking and bleeding
…Through shoelace coming untied
…Through blister on my foot
…Through waterlogged shoes
For 4 miles I continued to run unimpeded by my surroundings.
And it felt great.
Knowing that I could run through all that and continue with a smile on my face I know that now I am a runner.
Knowing that two nights later I can go out and set a personal record for two miles I know that now I am a runner.
Knowing that I am excited to begin a half-marathon training program this week I know that now I am a runner.
I run, not because I have to, but because I get to.
One thing that I have learned is that running does not get easier, I just learn to love it more.

Isn’t that the way it is with faith? The Christian life is not easy.
The way is difficult.
The cross that we are called to bear is overwhelming.
People may despise us for our faith.
They may criticize our commitment.
Our steps may falter on the road.

It’s not so much that the Christian life gets easier the longer we run.
It’s just that we learn to love Jesus more.
And so we can run through the rain…
Through the hurts and pains…
Through the obstacles that slam into us on the way…

In the process we become true disciples, true runners in the Race.

That is the distance I ran last night. The most I have ever run.
I have logged over 30 miles already this year.
Allow me to extol the virtue of running.
If you have never tried it I encourage you to give it a shot.
It is one of the best things I have ever done.
A great way to start is by doing something called the Couch to 5K program.
You can find it here:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

It is designed to get you from a sedentary lifestyle to running 3 miles in 9 weeks.
Trust me, it works.

I’m 75% of the man I used to be.

I start 2005 weighing 60+ pounds less than I began
2004. A somewhat rigid combination of
diet and exercise were the keys to my extreme makeover.

That is quite an accomplishment for the guy in the past
whose idea of a healthy meal were extra onions on a hamburger and whose
exercise regimen consisted of running to the refrigerator between commercial
breaks. (I wanted a house where the
living room television was viewable from the kitchen. That would have eliminated the rash decisions of choosing what to
eat before the game resumes. But, alas,
it was not to be.)

One problem that arose due to my weight loss was the fact
that none of my clothes fit me anymore. (That may be a good thing when you consider I was still harboring shirts
from the late 80′s.)

Well, this past week I decided to do something about
it: I cleaned out my closet and
dresser.

When I was done, there was a tremendous pile of clothes that
no longer fit. Left behind were a
handful of clothes that I could wear without feeling I was wearing a potato
sack.

I decided to donate my wardrobe to the Clothes Garden.

“But wait,” I thought, “what if I gain all that weight
back? Then I will have nothing to
wear. Maybe I should keep a few pieces
just in case.”

Then I began looking closer at the donated pieces and
realized that some of those articles of clothing were incredibly
comfortable. “Maybe I’ll keep a few of
the T-shirts for around the house.”

Then I thought about the cost. It’s going to be expensive to replace all those clothes. Especially my “going to meeting”
clothes. Maybe I should keep the dress
pants.

Before long, I wasn’t getting rid of much at all. A few worn-out pieces that I had needed to
get rid of anyway.

Isn’t that the way many of us live our spiritual lives. Instead of fully embracing the new person
that Christ has called us to be, we hedge our bets. We give only our castoffs: sins long overcome, token church attendance,
half-hearted devotion.

We fail to give all of the old so God can recreate us.

We hold on to the past and refuse eternity.

We look back instead of moving forward.

And to justify our unwillingness to be transformed we use
the same old excuses:

1) Uncertainty-what
if I gain the weight back?

It will do me no good to live in
fear of the old life. I need to
celebrate the new life, the new outlook and approach that God has given
me.

2) Comfort-but
what if my new clothes don’t fit as well?

Let’s face it, just like old
clothes, the sinful life can be pretty enjoyable. We enjoy the allure, the seduction, of vice and sinful
habit. It is what we know and to leave
that behind for something new can be overwhelming.

3) Cost-But
how can I afford a new wardrobe?

I need to go buy some new shirts
this week. It is going to cost some
money. But a new life costs. So does the Christian life. There is no crown without a cross. There is no new life without a death before
it.

When I came to my senses I loaded up the van and got rid of
those old clothes. Now I have an almost
empty closet but I am filled with the hope of a better life. Free of the weight that has held me back for
so long.

When we give God all of our old clothes then He is able to
clothe us in something far better: the very essence and person of Jesus.

Let’s be sacrificial this new year. Clean out the closet. Allow Him to remake you and transform you.

Quote of the Week:

The cross is
laid on every Christian. It begins with the call to abandon the attachments of
this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his
encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to
Christ in union with His death — we give over our lives to death. Since this
happens at the beginning of the Christian life, the cross can never be merely a
tragic ending to an otherwise happy religious life. When Christ calls a man, He
bids him come and die . . .In fact, every command of Jesus is a call to die,
with all our affections and lusts. But we do not want to die, and therefore
Jesus Christ and His call are necessarily our death and our life.

Dietrich
Bonhoffer