A Michigan Conference pastor shares her ongoing journey toward health and wholeness.

REV. MARY McINNES
South Lyon United Methodist Church

In 2010, I hit rock bottom at a weight of 463 pounds. I’m 5’ 1”.

A mantra came to me “Health and wholeness of body, mind and spirit.” I chanted this, and recited it in my head. I wasn’t even sure what it meant at the time, but it became a springboard to taking charge of my life.

At that weight you can’t just jump out of bed and run a 5k. I had to start with baby steps. I began working with a counselor and a trainer. The focus became synchronizing seven areas of life: nutrition, exercise, self-care, spiritual care, finances and career, relationships and self-development.

The first thing I tackled was sleep. When I started sleeping eight hours a night, I lost 20 pounds. The next step was to cut out fast food. I lost 40 more pounds. I then started walking. When I say baby steps, I mean it—two minutes was the best I could do for a start, but it added up. Next I cut out processed food. I lost another 80 pounds.

When I got a new appointment, I gained some of the weight back—change is hard! I decided to have gastric bypass surgery. I lost an additional 200 pounds. While this seems like a magic cure, it wasn’t just the surgery. I worked to discover that I’m addicted to sugar.

Every day I revisit my emotional attachment to food and set exercise goals. Otherwise I will gain the weight back (the surgery effects wear off). I also check on my seven areas of focus. While they are never in perfect harmony, I continually strive for balance, and thank John Wesley for the guidance that I don’t have to be perfect.

I cried recently when riding a bike because I never thought it was something I could do. I kept chanting “Health and wholeness of body, mind and spirit,” and it was finally true for me.

~Published in Center for Health, a publication of Wespath. Click here for the July – September 2018 edition of Wespath’s newsletter, Center for Health

Last Updated on July 9, 2018