Weight Loss...Totally An Algebra Problem ; )

I feel like I am in such a different place in this journey than I have ever been before during different times that I have lost weight.  I am really trying to focusing more on the getting healthy part of the journey more than I am a number on a scale or a clothing size.  I really feel like changing my focus has been so helpful for me to stick to this.  I think sometimes we are just focused on a number so much that when we hit that number, or even just get close to it, we let go of the habits that helped us to lose the weight and go back to doing what we did before.  I know that is what happened to me.  When I graduated high school I lost quite a bit of weight before going to college.  I managed to keep it off for the entire time I was in college, however, once I graduated I was traveling a lot in my new job and bad decisions and lack of exercise took over.  I went back to bad habits that had gotten me in the situation where I needed to lose weight in the first place.  I am trying to remember that this is a lifestyle change, not just a quick fix.
In one of my very first blog posts I mentioned that one of my favorite books on the spiritual aspects of how we treat our body is a book called "Made To Crave" by Lysa Terkheurst.  About a week ago I decided to start at the beginning and read through it again.  I am so glad I am going back through it.  I am really getting a whole lot more out of it than I did the first time through.
I had to laugh when I was reading last night because the chapter I was on was a perfect fit for this math teacher.  She talked about how one pound of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories.  Therefore, losing weight is really just a simple math equations, burn more than you consume.  However, she made such a good point when she said that rather than it being a simple math equation, she looked at as more of an algebraic equation.  In algebra you don't only use numbers, you also use letters that are called variables.  There are variables in losing weight and, for women especially, some of those variables can be emotional.  We need to be able to identify those variables to really be able to get the most of our weight loss journey.  Whether you are an emotional eater because you have hurts in your past or present and are trying to fill a void, or maybe you just like to snack when your bored (I fit in that category), it is so important to identify that so that you can change it.
I really hope that if you are serious about getting healthy that you are seeking God on your journey.  You cannot separate the physical from the spiritual, as I am learning.  I also challenge you to take a look at the book that I have been talking about for yourself.