Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. – Proverbs 4:25 ESV

I was obsessed with food.  I ate all the time.  I ate without limits.  I ate to fill a deep, dark void.

When I began my journey to lose over 260 pounds, I started with a single goal; I wanted to lose weight without starving myself.  I knew my obsession with food was going to kill me.

I decided that I was going to be obsessed with food no matter what.  So, I chose to obsess about eating smarter.  I focused on nothing but finding a way to get through each day without going hungry while at the same time consuming fewer and fewer calories.  I still ate all the time.  But I ate foods that would not jack up my calorie count.

I ate large salads instead of pizza.  I ate bananas and yogurt instead of ice cream.  I ate tuna and boneless, skinless chicken instead of burgers and fries.  And the weight came off every week.

I was obsessed.  I turned my obsession into focus.

Before, my focus was on how I would feel in the next hour.  Where would my next meal come from?  I still focus on that. But I also look at how I will feel five and ten years from now when my youngest daughter is in middle and high school.

When a body builder wants to build muscles, they focus on one muscle group at a time.  They follow a game plan, a strategy that will result in the desired muscles.

When someone wants to get out of debt, they do not do it by accident, but by intentional actions and focus.  They write a balanced budget and focus on every dollar.

You can wander into debt, but you cannot wander out. – Dave Ramsey

You can wander into weight gain.  But you cannot wander into weight loss.  You must plan your meals every day.  You must surround yourself with foods that are better for weight loss and abandon the old ways of eating.  This requires dedication.  It requires discipline.  It requires focus.