Welcome Weight Loss Wednesday gals. Please leave a comment today, even if you are new, letting us know how your week went. I love to see your progress and watch how you encourage each other.

And I love to see you chime in on the topic at hand. Today’s one is near and dear to my heart and goes right along with a giveaway you have a chance to win.

I know many of you get geeked when I give away a $5 Starbucks card. (I love me a skinny latte as much as the next gal) However, this prize is worth over $500!!! (Hang with me….details below.)

But first, our topic…..

What would you have the confidence to do if you weren’t ashamed of your weight?

If you weren’t embarrassed by your “muffin top” (the fluff that spills out over the top of your jeans)? Or if you weren’t so self-conscious about the way you looked in clothes or guilt-ridden about vowing for years to lose weight and then actually gaining instead?

What would you do?

Would you wear jeans with a belt and with your shirt tucked in? Volunteer at your child’s school? Play tennis with your teen? Take a ballroom dancing class with your hubby? Sing in church? Jog down the street like you used to when you were younger?

What would you do?

Nearly 5 years ago when I weighed over 250 pounds, I had a dream. It was something I had wanted to do for a few years, but lacked the confidence to actually follow through on.

I’d been speaking and writing for years, but had never had any formal training, nor been to a writers or speakers conference. I’d written several articles for the Proverbs 31 magazine and was aware that they had a national speaking team.

Several women had expressed to me what a perfect fit that team would be for me since I so believed in P31 and its mission.

However, there was one slight little problem. To be a part of the team, I had to attend the P31 She Speaks Conference in Charlotte, NC. And, as part of the conference, I had to be critiqued on my speaking. By a peer group.

Oh yeah…and since I’d already been speaking for over a decade by then and would fall into the ‘professional’ speaker category, my group leader, who would also evaluate me, was none other than P31′s president and speaker extraordinaire Lysa TerKeurst.

Gulp.

Couple those requirements with the fact that I felt like a failure with my weight, well…..it just sent me to the nearest grocery store to buy and down an entire bag of Coconut Chips Ahoy cookies and chase it down with a pint of some fattening gourmet full-fat ice cream.

I felt fat.

And stuck.

For a few years I stayed fat.

And stuck.

However, once I obeyed God in my eating and made some progress in my weight loss, my confidence level rose.

The next time the conference came around, I signed up. I had no idea how I was going to pay for it, but I signed up anyway.

God saw fit that my flight was covered. I received a voucher for a free airline ticket when I was bumped on a return flight from a speaking engagement. Then, 75% of my conference fee was covered in an unexpected way. It was clear that it was my year to go.

And actually, turns out it was surprisingly relaxed and fun and not threatening at all. My fears had been unfounded!

The rest has been nothing but a huge blessing. P31 is a perfect fit for me and I thank God every day for my connection with my sisters in ministry.

Now—-I ask you again….What would you have the confidence to do if you weren’t ashamed of your weight?

Please tell us (and let us know how your week went)….

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Note: The She Speaks conference is not just for current and want-to-be writers and speakers, but also for any woman in ministry. If you would like a chance to win a scholarship to attend the She Speaks conference……read the short post below.