Day 26

Hi,

I was so amazed last night. At VBS they served nachos for the meal and I went through the line and got lettuce, tomato, meat and bean chili, cheese sauce, black olives, and salsa. Had to ask the ladies (twice) to not give me any chips or white rice. When I sat down with my cup of water to eat with some people that I was just meeting I began to partake of the food on my plate and had no trouble, whatsoever, stopping way before the plate was clean! In fact, this blows me away, I only ate one fourth of it. When my stomach's full bell went off, I paused in dismay, but recognized what it was, looked at the plate, and inside myself, and said, "Let it go uneaten and return to the Earth."  I put the fork down and never desired another bite. The desire was gone! I am thrilled and praising God for this miracle!!

It was easy, there was no battle inside me, no more decisions to make and then remake -- I was just finished -- and I threw the rest of it out so it could return to the earth. Thank You Lord!!

I just don't even have anything more to say about that, except to share that I had a nice big salad for breakfast, ate a few nuts afterward, and moved on. I have done my 15 minutes on the Aerofit, done the upper body exercises with the stretchy cord and then rested a little. I read a couple of chapters in The Book of Acts, prayed for those people the Lord put on my mind and am ready to move on to day 26. Will do a job search when I am done here and tonight will attend the last session of VBS. God is so GOOD!!

On to Day 26:  Adding Strength Training. Whoo-hooo!! I am actually excited to find out that the exercises that I have been already doing with my stretchy cords are considered strength training. It appears to me, after reading this chapter (starting on pg 330) that strength training may be even more important than the food changes that heal diabetes. I am completely enthralled to find out that strength training is what will change my metabolism and start to process sugars better in my body. Increasing muscle size will aid in healing the insulin resistance, too, because it will burn off the excess sugar in the muscles. Even muscles at rest burn more calories than fat -- so bring on the muscles.

Although I have known about exercise before, (just like everyone) this specific information about how it helps to heal diabetes is new and exciting to me. I was also glad to read about keeping lifting weights to two or three times a week and letting the muscles rest in between. The cardio can be done every day, but the strength training needs to be done slowly and deliberately to allow the muscles to rebuild in between and to grow at their own rate of speed. Dr Rip gives complete details on the benefits and how to go about incorporating strength training into your own program in the book.

I already have a good set of free weights (I got them out) that I bought in 2007 and have left to gather dust after a few trys to follow the videos that came with it. Again, the video workouts were simply too much for me -- I could not get past the instruction part, let alone onto the full sessions. But now, I get to start here in this little place and begin to do the little that I can do, and let the growth happen as it happens. I don't have to be perfect and fit today, I just have to follow through with the daily stuff I know I can do today, and let tomorrow have its own results.  I am excited about it. I am going to look online for the video they recommend in order to get the form right for the free weights.

Dr Ripich talks about strength being the thing that keeps seniors healthier and able to take care of themselves. It is frailty that makes it necessary for the elderly to have someone to look after them. So the longer you do strength training, the longer you remain able to live your life on your own. (Of course, illness and disease can bring anyone down, but there is no reason to let something like diabetes bring you down, when you don't have to let that happen.)

I have been greatly encouraged by this chapter and also by the small successes I have under my belt. The stretchy cords are a perfect way to begin for someone like me who has been a super obese couch potato for long enough. I have been one of the truly unfit -- but that is changing. I am on my way to becoming one of the fit some day. I don't know where this will end up -- and I don't care how long it takes -- it has got to be better than where it would have been, had I not made these changes. Let go of the past, do what you need to do today, and tomorrow will take care of itself.

I assume I'll lose some weight, but I am not worried about that. I am looking forward to feeling good. Making the right daily choices, following the daily routine that I know will work, eating what I need to eat, listening for the "full bell" and letting excess go back to the Earth. Doing my exercises today, will make my tomorrow better. I look forward to folks at church starting to say, "You look different." "Are you losing weight?" But that is not the goal -- that is just a marker that I am moving down the right path. The one to my own success.


Hope you are coming along with me. A journey is always better with a friend.

Be back soon, if the Lord is Willing!!

--Marcia