Hi,
I found a group of others who are in the same boat that I am in at diabeticconnect.com
As I read through the posts I began to see a picture of what I myself have been dealing with. Mostly doing everything you can to lose weight and getting nowhere. I think I am overstating a little -- out of frustration with not only not seeing success but sometimes losing heart and eating like I really don't care -- even though I do care.
There are a few successful people among the crowd, too. Some newbies. Some very experienced.
Today I need to go grocery shopping to fill up the veggie larder again. I have been toying with the idea of repeating to a small degree a program that I did a few years ago. It was a vegetarian diet. A vegan diet actually and on that program I did lose weight. I think that is the one my doctor actually wants me to try. If I look, I might even have the books around -- or I might have thrown them out. I will have to look and see.
That was a very low fat vegan diet and I was very diligent to not eat a drop of oil and my hair got really dry. I was diligent and took being a vegan very seriously. I would, again, have to be very careful with the whole grains, but I need to do something. It was on this program that my feet and ankles first began to swell up. But I think I was just eating too many starches and not enough green stuff. I am not sure. I know more about the beans this time. I'm thinking that I might try it for a few days just to see if I can really do it. I lost quite a bit of weight on that program, and even got below the 300 mark by a few pounds, but even that finally came to a standstill. I stayed there for a long time and finally jumped off the wagon and tried something else. I ended up with weight gained back (plus some) and have never really lost a significant amount of weight since then and that was 15 years ago.
Even though, I do "wander" from time to time, I am still eating salads and beans. The only whole grain I allow is popcorn in large doses, and once every two or three weeks I have a chicken salad sandwich from Arby's. You'd think I'd be losing weight. I think I am actually but it is so slow that it is almost imperceptible.
After reading at diabeticconnect.com what was being said in response to "Frustrated by no weight loss" and all the comments that were generated, I do at least feel that I am not alone with all this. This seems to be an epidemic.
So. That said. I shall get on my Aerofit and do my 15 minutes.
Be back soon,
--Marcia
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Be of Good Courage
Hello!!
God is Good!!! I ended my last post with the hymn that was going through my head -- I Need Thee Every Hour -- and the line: temptations lose their power when thou art nigh. Last night as I was driving home (I seem to get my temptations when I am driving home. Odd.) A frosty from Wendy's popped into my head. I immediately prayed and asked the Lord to remove that temptation. Praise the Lord -- it disappeared! No struggle. No fighting. It just left. Thank God! Temptations do lose their power when the Lord is close at hand. So that is the answer to two prayers. First I have been shown the way of escape: actually turning it over to the Lord, for real. And Second, the temptation had no power over me, because He was near at hand.
At Sweet Fellowship we are studying "The Attributes of God" by A.W. Tozer and last Friday night we read about God's omnipresence (His being everywhere present) and something changed for me. I have just been having a feeling of knowing that no matter where I am, God is all around me, and even in me. He is closer than my breath, and everywhere present. It is more than these words can express but a wonderful thing for which I am grateful. That temptation lost its power because God was so near. Praise the Lord.
It is funny. He was always there. I just did not know it. Like it says in the Bible:
Ge 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
And David said in the Psalms:
Ps 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 ¶ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
There is no place I can conceive of in which God is not already present. So He is right here with me.
Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
There is a prayer that I learned a few years ago by James Dillet Freeman, that is used in the Unity Church of Christianity. Although I later left that particular church behind because I found other things there that did not seem to match what I was reading in the Bible, I never forgot the prayer because it touched my heart so deeply. I was often in a state of fear at the time and I would pray that prayer before I went to sleep. I had been having bad dreams and was under attack and that prayer led me closer and closer to Jesus and freedom. Here it is:
"The light of God surrounds me, the love of God enfolds me, the power of God protects me, and the presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is." Thank you Lord.
At the time, I deeply focused on what the words were really saying and imagined each part of it in my mind as I said the prayer, night after night. Soon I was no longer afraid. Soon the bad dreams went away. Soon I was finding Jesus Christ and trusting in Him in ways I had never imagined.
So odd that we compartmentalize things and find freedom in one area but do not find that freedom in another area... until we do -- Lord willing.
My trust is increasing. That is, my trust in Jesus, is increasing. Praise the Lord. As I looked for a particular verse, I did not find the verse I was looking for, but I found this one that just really touched my heart:
2Co 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
I don't want to get too far afield, but I do love to be reminded in the scripture of God and to find one standing out among the others as completely amazing.
Anyway. All that from one victory. I trust there are many more to come in Christ.
Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray, as I will for you, also, that we have the faith to do what is best for the bodies that God has given us.
Ezr 10:4 "Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it."
Ps 27:14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
Ps 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
Isa 41:6 Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, "Be of good courage!"
God is Good!!! I ended my last post with the hymn that was going through my head -- I Need Thee Every Hour -- and the line: temptations lose their power when thou art nigh. Last night as I was driving home (I seem to get my temptations when I am driving home. Odd.) A frosty from Wendy's popped into my head. I immediately prayed and asked the Lord to remove that temptation. Praise the Lord -- it disappeared! No struggle. No fighting. It just left. Thank God! Temptations do lose their power when the Lord is close at hand. So that is the answer to two prayers. First I have been shown the way of escape: actually turning it over to the Lord, for real. And Second, the temptation had no power over me, because He was near at hand.
At Sweet Fellowship we are studying "The Attributes of God" by A.W. Tozer and last Friday night we read about God's omnipresence (His being everywhere present) and something changed for me. I have just been having a feeling of knowing that no matter where I am, God is all around me, and even in me. He is closer than my breath, and everywhere present. It is more than these words can express but a wonderful thing for which I am grateful. That temptation lost its power because God was so near. Praise the Lord.
It is funny. He was always there. I just did not know it. Like it says in the Bible:
Ge 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
And David said in the Psalms:
Ps 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 ¶ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
There is no place I can conceive of in which God is not already present. So He is right here with me.
Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
There is a prayer that I learned a few years ago by James Dillet Freeman, that is used in the Unity Church of Christianity. Although I later left that particular church behind because I found other things there that did not seem to match what I was reading in the Bible, I never forgot the prayer because it touched my heart so deeply. I was often in a state of fear at the time and I would pray that prayer before I went to sleep. I had been having bad dreams and was under attack and that prayer led me closer and closer to Jesus and freedom. Here it is:
"The light of God surrounds me, the love of God enfolds me, the power of God protects me, and the presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is." Thank you Lord.
At the time, I deeply focused on what the words were really saying and imagined each part of it in my mind as I said the prayer, night after night. Soon I was no longer afraid. Soon the bad dreams went away. Soon I was finding Jesus Christ and trusting in Him in ways I had never imagined.
So odd that we compartmentalize things and find freedom in one area but do not find that freedom in another area... until we do -- Lord willing.
My trust is increasing. That is, my trust in Jesus, is increasing. Praise the Lord. As I looked for a particular verse, I did not find the verse I was looking for, but I found this one that just really touched my heart:
2Co 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
I don't want to get too far afield, but I do love to be reminded in the scripture of God and to find one standing out among the others as completely amazing.
Anyway. All that from one victory. I trust there are many more to come in Christ.
Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray, as I will for you, also, that we have the faith to do what is best for the bodies that God has given us.
Ezr 10:4 "Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it."
Ps 27:14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
Ps 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
Isa 41:6 Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, "Be of good courage!"
Monday, August 23, 2010
Every Day
Hi,
Every day is a new day. Every day the decision has to be made. Will I exercise properly today? Will I eat right for every meal and snack? Will I succumb to the addiction/temptation that shows up as pictures in my imagination? The realistic answer is, "No." So what is the best way around this?
Frankly I am not sure my methods are the best ones, but they are the only ones I have right now. Again, it appears that all I have to do is go "off" on a side track on one day, and the next day or two it might happen again. And the next. By the fourth day, things can get really out of hand. Today is the fourth day of side tracking. Not in large ways. Nothing totally unacceptable on the first three days. It is just that on the fourth day I really went overboard. Perhaps they are unrelated. I don't know.
I remember an old friend once telling me that if I was going to go off the program, I should keep to one occasion, go really bonkers, and get back on board the health train right after that. Perhaps I really need to take that advice as it was meant. I think I have been relating to every time I wanted to go off as "the one acceptable time" and that is not the spirit of the advice.
On Friday night, at Sweet Fellowship, I did not share that I had about three corn chips with my beans and sausage (I did not eat the rice). I also ate about four dried apricots from a bowl sitting in front of me. That was all. Not too bad. I could see the whole grains in the chips. I knew the apricots, while high in sugar, also have some good ingredients that my body can use well and I was only going to eat one, but actually ate three more.
Saturday I had the beans and sausage and ate "on track" (I don't think I went off -- or at least do not remember doing so.) Sunday during church, especially in the evening service I kept yawning and falling asleep. The speaker was good and even at one point called out that we needed to wake up! I knew he (my friend) had seen me sleeping and actually woke me up from the pulpit! I tried to straighten up and fly right, but kept yawning and nodding. Then when I got home from church, I could not go to sleep and started eating. I chose good things but there was no end to my "wanting." I remember being alarmed about it, but also not knowing what else to do with it, but to continue. Finally I made me go to bed, fell asleep for about 30 minutes and woke up with a bad dream. I was too agitated from the dream to simply lay back down and go to sleep and I wondered if the carb chemicals in my brain were getting low so I ravenously ate a batch of pop corn and finally fell into bed at about 5 a.m. I slept until noon today and got up. I was glad for the sleep.
I really did not feel too bad physically. I got on the Aerofit and did 15 minutes and also had done the stretchy cords using the new strength training methods. Then I sat down and had a large salad of cucumber, Romaine and avocado. I could not fit anything more in the bowl so I ate that without any protein -- except for a few mixed nuts. Then the phone rang and my friend John invited me to go to lunch. I told him I had just finished a big salad, but agreed to get out of the house with him. (It was not like pulling teeth or anything -- I like our outings.) We talked about getting him something to eat because he was hungry and I would get something later. We drove around a while and he wanted to stop at "Steak and Shake" at the Stonecrest Mall, which I had never been to before. I could not remember having gone to that restaurant and agreed to the choice he was excited about. After I walked in, I remembered that I had been to one of these restaurants before and it was not good.
As we sat down I related how I had tried their chili and found it to be the worst chili on the planet. The friend I had previously gone with loves the chili, but it just seemed to me like they opened a can and poured it into a bowl and served it to the peasants. I had only one bite and asked to exchange it for a salad. Well this time, as I looked at the menu of burgers and fries and milk shakes I realized the pickings were pretty slim in the healthy department. John kept saying we could leave and go somewhere else, but I had started to be tempted by the photos and had started to think I could do a burger without the fries and get away with it. I also did not want him to sacrifice what he wanted because I was so picky -- even though he was willing to go somewhere else.
In the end we both ordered the guacamole burger. I asked if they had cole slaw and if I could substitute that for the fries. There was an additional fifty-nine cent charge but that did not seem to be too extreme. The next thing that happened was that the waiter brought me a small side of cole slaw and no other food was on the table. I thought that was odd, but tasted the cole slaw. Yuck! It was sloppy and sugary and tasteless. John asked the guy who had brought him his milk shake if we could exchange it for another side and asked what they had. He listed cottage cheese among the items and I chose that because it was the only thing that was acceptable on my program.
When they brought the burgers I took the bun off mine and ate it like an entree with a knife and fork. It was an excellent burger and the guacamole was very good. I took the onion off because it was too hot for my tastes but was very pleased that I ended up with items that were both acceptable and tasty. John ate his burger and fries and milkshake and I ate the burger innards and the cottage cheese and drank a glass of water as we talked.
On the way home a mysterious craving for candy began to overtake me. I said nothing to John because I thought it was too bizarre that I had been so persnickety at the restaurant and was now planning on going to Walgreens and getting some of their bridge mix after I dropped him off at his house. It was my sneaky little secret. I wrestled and prayed about it as I drove towards home and Walgreens. It was as if once the idea was in my mind there was nothing I could do but to satisfy it and comply. I prayed and got the idea to just go home and pray about it, as I recalled having done that in the past and been up all night with it. I decided it was easier to comply with the craving than to fight with it at home and make me crazy and lose another night's sleep. I see now that I thought the craving was going to win and not the prayer. Wow. That was when the choice was made and the battle was lost.
I could see I was making a decision that I would regret but just could not keep me from doing it. I wanted it more than anything. Even after I bought a small bag (I considered the large one, but chose the small one) along with some licorice and dark chocolate and opened the bridge mix and ate it as I drove. It was sickening sweet and obnoxious, but I kept right on eating as if it was manna from heaven. I wondered about that. What was making me shove this overly sweet manufactured item into my mouth when I would not even eat cole slaw with sugar in it, just an hour earlier. Am I insane? What is the deal?
I did not let the Lord help me. I went my own way. It makes me wonder just how serious I am about this. Or just how addicted am I? Where do I want to end up? I spoke with my friend Susan about this (she called while I was writing) and she said that she once lost fifty pounds by "substituting." What she meant was that if she had a candy craving she would eat one Hershey's kiss and then have a salad and protein to fill her up. I mentioned that my craving did not come before or during a meal but that I was eating the candy in the car. She said that then she would eat something or do something to make up for it at the next meal. Seems like sound advice. I could see myself on the Aerofit for another 15 minutes to make up for it.
A hymn is going through my mind. "I Need Thee Every Hour" -- and the line "temptations lose their power when thou art nigh." I must pray to find the way to escape this. Forgive me Lord for not clinging to you when I was struggling and praying. Please show me the way.
He is my only hope. My hope He is. Praise the Lord!!
Please pray for me to find the way of escape. I do know the way to escape this temptation exists and I do want to find it.
Thanks,
Be back soon
--Marcia
Every day is a new day. Every day the decision has to be made. Will I exercise properly today? Will I eat right for every meal and snack? Will I succumb to the addiction/temptation that shows up as pictures in my imagination? The realistic answer is, "No." So what is the best way around this?
Frankly I am not sure my methods are the best ones, but they are the only ones I have right now. Again, it appears that all I have to do is go "off" on a side track on one day, and the next day or two it might happen again. And the next. By the fourth day, things can get really out of hand. Today is the fourth day of side tracking. Not in large ways. Nothing totally unacceptable on the first three days. It is just that on the fourth day I really went overboard. Perhaps they are unrelated. I don't know.
I remember an old friend once telling me that if I was going to go off the program, I should keep to one occasion, go really bonkers, and get back on board the health train right after that. Perhaps I really need to take that advice as it was meant. I think I have been relating to every time I wanted to go off as "the one acceptable time" and that is not the spirit of the advice.
On Friday night, at Sweet Fellowship, I did not share that I had about three corn chips with my beans and sausage (I did not eat the rice). I also ate about four dried apricots from a bowl sitting in front of me. That was all. Not too bad. I could see the whole grains in the chips. I knew the apricots, while high in sugar, also have some good ingredients that my body can use well and I was only going to eat one, but actually ate three more.
Saturday I had the beans and sausage and ate "on track" (I don't think I went off -- or at least do not remember doing so.) Sunday during church, especially in the evening service I kept yawning and falling asleep. The speaker was good and even at one point called out that we needed to wake up! I knew he (my friend) had seen me sleeping and actually woke me up from the pulpit! I tried to straighten up and fly right, but kept yawning and nodding. Then when I got home from church, I could not go to sleep and started eating. I chose good things but there was no end to my "wanting." I remember being alarmed about it, but also not knowing what else to do with it, but to continue. Finally I made me go to bed, fell asleep for about 30 minutes and woke up with a bad dream. I was too agitated from the dream to simply lay back down and go to sleep and I wondered if the carb chemicals in my brain were getting low so I ravenously ate a batch of pop corn and finally fell into bed at about 5 a.m. I slept until noon today and got up. I was glad for the sleep.
I really did not feel too bad physically. I got on the Aerofit and did 15 minutes and also had done the stretchy cords using the new strength training methods. Then I sat down and had a large salad of cucumber, Romaine and avocado. I could not fit anything more in the bowl so I ate that without any protein -- except for a few mixed nuts. Then the phone rang and my friend John invited me to go to lunch. I told him I had just finished a big salad, but agreed to get out of the house with him. (It was not like pulling teeth or anything -- I like our outings.) We talked about getting him something to eat because he was hungry and I would get something later. We drove around a while and he wanted to stop at "Steak and Shake" at the Stonecrest Mall, which I had never been to before. I could not remember having gone to that restaurant and agreed to the choice he was excited about. After I walked in, I remembered that I had been to one of these restaurants before and it was not good.
As we sat down I related how I had tried their chili and found it to be the worst chili on the planet. The friend I had previously gone with loves the chili, but it just seemed to me like they opened a can and poured it into a bowl and served it to the peasants. I had only one bite and asked to exchange it for a salad. Well this time, as I looked at the menu of burgers and fries and milk shakes I realized the pickings were pretty slim in the healthy department. John kept saying we could leave and go somewhere else, but I had started to be tempted by the photos and had started to think I could do a burger without the fries and get away with it. I also did not want him to sacrifice what he wanted because I was so picky -- even though he was willing to go somewhere else.
In the end we both ordered the guacamole burger. I asked if they had cole slaw and if I could substitute that for the fries. There was an additional fifty-nine cent charge but that did not seem to be too extreme. The next thing that happened was that the waiter brought me a small side of cole slaw and no other food was on the table. I thought that was odd, but tasted the cole slaw. Yuck! It was sloppy and sugary and tasteless. John asked the guy who had brought him his milk shake if we could exchange it for another side and asked what they had. He listed cottage cheese among the items and I chose that because it was the only thing that was acceptable on my program.
When they brought the burgers I took the bun off mine and ate it like an entree with a knife and fork. It was an excellent burger and the guacamole was very good. I took the onion off because it was too hot for my tastes but was very pleased that I ended up with items that were both acceptable and tasty. John ate his burger and fries and milkshake and I ate the burger innards and the cottage cheese and drank a glass of water as we talked.
On the way home a mysterious craving for candy began to overtake me. I said nothing to John because I thought it was too bizarre that I had been so persnickety at the restaurant and was now planning on going to Walgreens and getting some of their bridge mix after I dropped him off at his house. It was my sneaky little secret. I wrestled and prayed about it as I drove towards home and Walgreens. It was as if once the idea was in my mind there was nothing I could do but to satisfy it and comply. I prayed and got the idea to just go home and pray about it, as I recalled having done that in the past and been up all night with it. I decided it was easier to comply with the craving than to fight with it at home and make me crazy and lose another night's sleep. I see now that I thought the craving was going to win and not the prayer. Wow. That was when the choice was made and the battle was lost.
I could see I was making a decision that I would regret but just could not keep me from doing it. I wanted it more than anything. Even after I bought a small bag (I considered the large one, but chose the small one) along with some licorice and dark chocolate and opened the bridge mix and ate it as I drove. It was sickening sweet and obnoxious, but I kept right on eating as if it was manna from heaven. I wondered about that. What was making me shove this overly sweet manufactured item into my mouth when I would not even eat cole slaw with sugar in it, just an hour earlier. Am I insane? What is the deal?
I did not let the Lord help me. I went my own way. It makes me wonder just how serious I am about this. Or just how addicted am I? Where do I want to end up? I spoke with my friend Susan about this (she called while I was writing) and she said that she once lost fifty pounds by "substituting." What she meant was that if she had a candy craving she would eat one Hershey's kiss and then have a salad and protein to fill her up. I mentioned that my craving did not come before or during a meal but that I was eating the candy in the car. She said that then she would eat something or do something to make up for it at the next meal. Seems like sound advice. I could see myself on the Aerofit for another 15 minutes to make up for it.
A hymn is going through my mind. "I Need Thee Every Hour" -- and the line "temptations lose their power when thou art nigh." I must pray to find the way to escape this. Forgive me Lord for not clinging to you when I was struggling and praying. Please show me the way.
He is my only hope. My hope He is. Praise the Lord!!
Please pray for me to find the way of escape. I do know the way to escape this temptation exists and I do want to find it.
Thanks,
Be back soon
--Marcia
Saturday, August 21, 2010
God is Good
Hi,
I am feeling much better today. I have been exercising on my Aerofit for the last few days and intend to do that when I get done here today. I have been eating the right things and am grateful to the Lord.
In the letter/Bible study yesterday I mentioned the letter that my friend had written to me. She and I talked about it on the phone and in person and she gave me another piece of very good advice and that is to call someone every day to see how they are doing. That will keep you in touch with people. She told me that her mentor had told her to do that and I recalled how she would call me from time to time in the past and how much our friendship grew because of it. So I did that today.
I just got off the phone with an old friend I had not spoken to for a long time. She said it was a nice surprise and I am glad I called. We need to keep in touch a little better because she has been going through a lot of struggles with illness. I have prayed for her from time to time, but will do more of that for her now. She is a wonderful woman and a very good friend.
Last night at Sweet Fellowship the leader asked me if I would like to teach there again, and I jumped at the chance so I shall resume my old teaching position, which I had missed very much, and we shall continue the fellowship and supporting one another. We had been facing whether we wanted to continue the fellowship or not. We have gotten smaller, only about 5 active members after I stopped teaching. Life happens. One lady had bought a new house and it was too far to travel so she found a fellowship closer to home. Another lady has a very full life taking care of her elderly mother and cannot get out of the house so much any more. Others just got busy. But we talked and no one wants to entirely abandon what we have been doing. I am glad we are going to continue. We may begin meeting once a month instead of twice but even so, we will stay in contact. We love the get together for a small meal and a lesson about God and praying for one another. We have had many many answered prayers.
As to the healthy eating and exercise. One of the ladies in the fellowship is going to borrow my book. She is a diabetic and I think this will give her a good "food education." She is an intelligent lady, a school teacher with a doctorate, so she just needs to have what the book offers, I think, to make better choices and give her body healing style. If we continue to eat in the Standard American Style we will continue to have the Standard American Diabetes. But if we change the style of eating we can do better for our bodies. She is a slender person so does not need to lose weight, but her blood sugars are very high and I think changing what she eats will really bring those down.
I think she has read a few of my blog entries and wants more information but does not want to buy the book. But the book is the place that has all the information. I am loaning her mine because she is a good friend and has been very good to me. I love her deeply and hope that she takes it to heart. I will miss having the book a little because I still need to refer to it for a few items. Especially the supplements and additional things that help stabilize blood sugar.
I am continuing to eat healthy and went shopping last night to replenish the veggie larder. Eating a lot of fresh raw vegetables seems to be cheaper than buying a lot of high priced processed food, too. My grocery check out bills have come down from what they used to be.
I had the odd sensation yesterday when I was making some chicken soup that I did not like the smell of the cooking chicken. I think the vegetarian smeller is kicking in even more now. For a few days I ate my salads without any chicken and used only cheese and tuna and nuts for my protein and now the chicken cooking has started to smell bad to me. Just like walking past the meat department still smells bad. But I believe I need to eat some good animal protein so continue to, but in much smaller amounts. The vegetables are taking the larger section of the plate or bowl, now.
And I am eating beans again. I had not had any for about a week, but made a batch a day or so ago. I like my beans to be cooked with some kind of animal protein because without it, they taste pretty bland to me. I put lots of herbs and spices in but the chicken or hamburger really adds a good flavor. The cooked meats don't smell bad to me only the uncooked ones smell bad. But I have not actually bought hamburger for a couple of months now and don't really miss it, except in the beans, but I have found that chicken in the beans is a good substitute.
Last night at Sweet Fellowship one of the ladies brought some red beans and rice made with smoked sausage. I did not partake of the rice but the beans and sausage where spicy hot and very good. I was allowed to take some home to add to my beans and it really pumped up the flavor. But I got to thinking about that sausage and wondered what it was made with. Perhaps there is some healthy sausage that I can find. I hope it does not cost an arm and a leg. (ha)
God really is good to me. He is helping me. His word (yesterday's post) is helping me to look at things a little different. If I begin to dwell on my "not losing weight" all I have to do is remember that I am still doing what I am supposed to be doing and I can ask myself the question that God asked Adam and Eve: "Who told thee that thou wast naked?" -- and be reminded that it is not important what the world, or even I, think about fat people or me being fat among them, what matters is am I hearing God's love for me? Am I remembering how completely good He is? It does not say in the Bible that he does not love fat people, or does not love skinny people, or rich people, or that His love is reserved only for the physically beautiful. No. His word says this:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And it also says:
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Amen!! It does not matter what you look like -- God loves you. God loves fat people, too. We cannot make Him love us any more than He already does! We can never make Him love us any less than he has ever loved us! He never changes. His love is not based on who we are or what we do. His love is based on WHO HE IS!! He is the God of love and therefore, we are loved.
You do not have to clean yourself up to come to Christ. You cannot fix yourself until you are good enough to talk to Him. Ain't none of us good enough. But Jesus Christ will change all that. When we put our faith in Jesus we are made whole. That is what He does. He cleans us up and fills us up with His own Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
My faith is in Jesus Christ, my Savior! Even about my obesity, and my diet, and my exercise, and in all things. I trust that He will heal me and guide me and make me as He wants me to be. I no longer need to concern myself about how I look. I shall just remember that I am loved and I am worthwhile because He said so.
Keep the faith, my friend. You are not alone. Give someone a call today. Encourage someone else. Ask after how they are doing. Pray for them and with them. Connect. It will do you as much good as them.
Be back soon
--Marcia
I am feeling much better today. I have been exercising on my Aerofit for the last few days and intend to do that when I get done here today. I have been eating the right things and am grateful to the Lord.
In the letter/Bible study yesterday I mentioned the letter that my friend had written to me. She and I talked about it on the phone and in person and she gave me another piece of very good advice and that is to call someone every day to see how they are doing. That will keep you in touch with people. She told me that her mentor had told her to do that and I recalled how she would call me from time to time in the past and how much our friendship grew because of it. So I did that today.
I just got off the phone with an old friend I had not spoken to for a long time. She said it was a nice surprise and I am glad I called. We need to keep in touch a little better because she has been going through a lot of struggles with illness. I have prayed for her from time to time, but will do more of that for her now. She is a wonderful woman and a very good friend.
Last night at Sweet Fellowship the leader asked me if I would like to teach there again, and I jumped at the chance so I shall resume my old teaching position, which I had missed very much, and we shall continue the fellowship and supporting one another. We had been facing whether we wanted to continue the fellowship or not. We have gotten smaller, only about 5 active members after I stopped teaching. Life happens. One lady had bought a new house and it was too far to travel so she found a fellowship closer to home. Another lady has a very full life taking care of her elderly mother and cannot get out of the house so much any more. Others just got busy. But we talked and no one wants to entirely abandon what we have been doing. I am glad we are going to continue. We may begin meeting once a month instead of twice but even so, we will stay in contact. We love the get together for a small meal and a lesson about God and praying for one another. We have had many many answered prayers.
As to the healthy eating and exercise. One of the ladies in the fellowship is going to borrow my book. She is a diabetic and I think this will give her a good "food education." She is an intelligent lady, a school teacher with a doctorate, so she just needs to have what the book offers, I think, to make better choices and give her body healing style. If we continue to eat in the Standard American Style we will continue to have the Standard American Diabetes. But if we change the style of eating we can do better for our bodies. She is a slender person so does not need to lose weight, but her blood sugars are very high and I think changing what she eats will really bring those down.
I think she has read a few of my blog entries and wants more information but does not want to buy the book. But the book is the place that has all the information. I am loaning her mine because she is a good friend and has been very good to me. I love her deeply and hope that she takes it to heart. I will miss having the book a little because I still need to refer to it for a few items. Especially the supplements and additional things that help stabilize blood sugar.
I am continuing to eat healthy and went shopping last night to replenish the veggie larder. Eating a lot of fresh raw vegetables seems to be cheaper than buying a lot of high priced processed food, too. My grocery check out bills have come down from what they used to be.
I had the odd sensation yesterday when I was making some chicken soup that I did not like the smell of the cooking chicken. I think the vegetarian smeller is kicking in even more now. For a few days I ate my salads without any chicken and used only cheese and tuna and nuts for my protein and now the chicken cooking has started to smell bad to me. Just like walking past the meat department still smells bad. But I believe I need to eat some good animal protein so continue to, but in much smaller amounts. The vegetables are taking the larger section of the plate or bowl, now.
And I am eating beans again. I had not had any for about a week, but made a batch a day or so ago. I like my beans to be cooked with some kind of animal protein because without it, they taste pretty bland to me. I put lots of herbs and spices in but the chicken or hamburger really adds a good flavor. The cooked meats don't smell bad to me only the uncooked ones smell bad. But I have not actually bought hamburger for a couple of months now and don't really miss it, except in the beans, but I have found that chicken in the beans is a good substitute.
Last night at Sweet Fellowship one of the ladies brought some red beans and rice made with smoked sausage. I did not partake of the rice but the beans and sausage where spicy hot and very good. I was allowed to take some home to add to my beans and it really pumped up the flavor. But I got to thinking about that sausage and wondered what it was made with. Perhaps there is some healthy sausage that I can find. I hope it does not cost an arm and a leg. (ha)
God really is good to me. He is helping me. His word (yesterday's post) is helping me to look at things a little different. If I begin to dwell on my "not losing weight" all I have to do is remember that I am still doing what I am supposed to be doing and I can ask myself the question that God asked Adam and Eve: "Who told thee that thou wast naked?" -- and be reminded that it is not important what the world, or even I, think about fat people or me being fat among them, what matters is am I hearing God's love for me? Am I remembering how completely good He is? It does not say in the Bible that he does not love fat people, or does not love skinny people, or rich people, or that His love is reserved only for the physically beautiful. No. His word says this:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And it also says:
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Amen!! It does not matter what you look like -- God loves you. God loves fat people, too. We cannot make Him love us any more than He already does! We can never make Him love us any less than he has ever loved us! He never changes. His love is not based on who we are or what we do. His love is based on WHO HE IS!! He is the God of love and therefore, we are loved.
You do not have to clean yourself up to come to Christ. You cannot fix yourself until you are good enough to talk to Him. Ain't none of us good enough. But Jesus Christ will change all that. When we put our faith in Jesus we are made whole. That is what He does. He cleans us up and fills us up with His own Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
My faith is in Jesus Christ, my Savior! Even about my obesity, and my diet, and my exercise, and in all things. I trust that He will heal me and guide me and make me as He wants me to be. I no longer need to concern myself about how I look. I shall just remember that I am loved and I am worthwhile because He said so.
Keep the faith, my friend. You are not alone. Give someone a call today. Encourage someone else. Ask after how they are doing. Pray for them and with them. Connect. It will do you as much good as them.
Be back soon
--Marcia
Friday, August 20, 2010
Turning it over to God
Hi,
I posted this on my Bible Study blog but it really came from my struggle to lose weight and how I was feeling about myself. I feel as though I needed to turn this one over to the Lord fully because I am not able, on my own, to overcome. I had received a letter from a friend in response to a post I had made on facebook and she was, again, telling me I needed to join Overeaters Anonymous. I know I have tried that before and had a really uneventful disappointing experience with that... and I don't wish to go secular when I trust in Jesus. She did say a few things that I thought were notable, though, in her letter to me. And here they are:
"It is not what we know, it is what we do." -- That one is simple, succinct, and really what I needed to hear. Just do the exercise. Just choose the right foods and eat them. Just do it. Of course, you do need to know what to do -- and The 30 Day Diabetes Cure provides the basic knowledge and support. But the down to the nitty gritty doing it, is up to us. Just do it. Just make the time to exercise. Just choose the whole and healthy foods to eat and leave the rest alone.
The other notable thing she mentioned was "romance food." I had not heard of this concept before but it seems to make sense and touch me. I am relating to the word "romance" in the "fictional fascination" kind of way. It is like there is a fictional dream world -- not based on fact -- which leads a person to focus so strongly on food that they are addicted. It seems to be a way of describing the addiction. It kind of like means to try to get some "fulfillment" from food that it is not possible to get. It is like having a crush on certain foods. It does not come from the food, it comes from the mind -- or the desires of the flesh. If I begin to recognize this, then I can put the stop hand up when it shows up and not go down the wrong path.
A lot of what I have been feeling recently is about my own self worth. And I had been looking in all the wrong places which is why the following study that the Lord gave me to do was so valuable to me. Here it is, in it's entirety. I thank God for it and hope you derive some value from it. -- Marcia
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your love. I am grateful for all you have been teaching me this day. From the question in Genesis “Who told thee that thou wast naked?
Thank you for hemming me in Lord so that the only place I have left to look is to you. None of the programs that I have tried have worked. I prayed to You and asked You to deliver me from obesity, and then I went about to help you do it by following a program. Like Sarah I did not wait for you to do your work in the perfect time. I sought the knowledge of how to correct my problem INSTEAD of seeking first the Kingdom of God and Your righteousness. INSTEAD of waiting on You.
What I ran into was frustration. I tried hard and saw some little success but the thing I really wanted, to be delivered from obesity, did not happen because of anything I tried. I was unable to make it happen and continually fought the battle against my self and ended up thinking this was just one more way to show how inadequate I am. How foolish I am. How hampered and helpless I really am. Then after I prayed for your help today, I heard a preacher talking to men in prison and he pointed out that statement that you had made to Adam and Eve: “Who told thee that thou wast naked?”
As I began to think about that statement/question I realized the answer was Satan. Satan is the one who tells us we are naked. It is the “knowing good AND evil” that gets us into trouble with God. In God’s eyes our nakedness was not a problem. God did not tell them this. Satan is the one who tells us we lack something, or are not good enough, or not pretty enough, or we are inadequate in some way, lacking some “important” thing.
Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
It is when we listen to the serpent -- in any form at all -- that we sin by not turning away and remembering/listening to God’s words. We got into trouble and brought trouble on us all by ignoring what God said. Here is the evidence:
Gen 3: 1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
The serpent did not introduce himself. He just started talking. And when he spoke he asked a question, as if he was ignorant and wanted information from Eve. Then he couched his question in a false hood. He make it look like he thought that they were not allowed to eat of ANY tree in the garden. Eve attempted to correct his information.
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
The first wrong step was in having a conversation with a serpent. So lesson one for us is: don’t talk to serpents. Even though what Eve said was perfectly innocent and she was quoting God, and correcting a misstatement, she was talking to the serpent. Bad Idea! By her reply she gave the serpent a chance to speak to her again – that was the second wrong step, politely letting him speak again as if he was a neighbor or a friend. This was the first instance of “political correctness” – some how, gentle and innocent Eve, thought giving Satan a moment to speak was “the right thing to do:”
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
The next step in the evil plan takes place: the serpent, flat out, denies that what God had directly spoken was true. He contradicted God. Then, not giving Eve a chance to speak he arrogantly gives all the reasons and justifications for denying God:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
He pretends to know the mind of God. He pretends that God is withholding something from her and makes God look selfish. In doing this, he supplants himself into God’s place. Meaning he just put himself on the throne. And then he reaches an entirely different conclusion: He skirts the issue of death and talks about knowledge. He took a life and death matter and trivialized it. He made God small. (We are to magnify God, not reduce Him.)
He told Eve three things (good justifications always come in threes):
a. your eyes shall be opened
b. ye shall be as gods
c. you will know good and evil
a. YOUR EYES SHALL BE OPENED: with this statement he implied that her eyes were closed – but they could be opened up if she listened to him. Eve was living in the light of God, but the serpent called that light: ignorance. Eve believed him. She was inexperienced, had never spoken with a shyster before, HAD ONLY HEARD GOOD (GOD) BEFORE, and did not understand what the serpent was really saying. She was too small to see the big picture and so was trapped. She also did not turn away and run to God and ask Him. She assumed that she understood and let her “self” begin to rise up.
b. YE SHALL BE AS GODS: Note, the serpent is now speaking, not only to Eve, but to Adam, too. He is making them a promise, predicting the future, and telling them how to elevate themselves, as he has done. He just planted a thought that they had not had before. They suddenly wanted to be like God. The serpents words were so similar – they must be trustworthy.
c. YOU WILL KNOW GOOD AND EVIL: They obviously did not know good and evil at this point. God is only good and God was all they knew, so they only knew good. But in this itty bitty conversation they were being lead down the garden path and out into the world. This is the one thing that gets in our way: knowing both good and evil. Knowing means to be intimate with. They had previously been intimate only with good. But now they were being taught there is something else that they are “missing.” Lesson: not everything you don’t have is worth having.
So in essence the serpent told Adam and Eve that they would have understanding that they did not now have, they would be similar to God, and they would know both sides of the story after they ate the forbidden fruit. Not only the cloistered little garden they had been living in where the good was, but now they could know evil as well. He did not explain evil, he simply dangled it in front of them like a carrot, enticing them. They had no idea.
Evil: 07489. עער ra‘a‘ raw-ah’; a primitive root; properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally):— afflict, associate selves [by mistake for 07462], break (down, in pieces), + displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat, man), show self friendly [by mistake for 07462], do harm, (do) hurt, (behave self, deal) ill, X indeed, do mischief, punish, still, vex, (do) wicked (doer, ly), be (deal, do) worse.
Why would we be attracted to broken pieces? Why would we want the “good for nothing?” That is what evil is. There is no good in it – it is only darkness and no light.
1John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Here is the final step toward sin that Eve took. She began to picture or imagine what the serpent had been talking about in her own mind.
6 ¶ And when the woman saw
She felt she now had clarity. She now understood. Everything looked different to her now that she had listened to the serpent/teacher. And what did she see?
that the tree was good for food,
The lust of the flesh. How did she know it was good for food? She looked at it and thought it was. She leaned on her own understanding.
and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
The lust of the eyes. Wow. She could see how pretty it was. Her eyes were pleased and she was drawn to it, to have it as her own. (The first shopping spree.)
and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
The boastful pride of life. What she had previously not desired and paid no attention to, suddenly became desirable because it would make her better. She would now be wise. Wow, she could become the teacher. She would prosper and be rich. She would have the understanding and the skill herself. She would be on top.
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
She put out her hand, plucked the fruit and took a bite and shared it with her husband who also ate. It was easy, it was right there within reach, and she grabbed it.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
And their eyes were opened. They now saw what they had not seen before. And what did they see first? The knew that they were naked. The first evil thing they saw was themselves and what they lacked. So they went immediately to work to try to fix it. They saw the problem as “being naked” and tried to fix themselves by making “aprons.”
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Did you notice that they fixed themselves -- but still hid from God? They hid their nakedness with leaves but still hid themselves from God. Guilt was now a part of their lives. That is what happens when you are intimate with evil – you become guilty.
They began to hide themselves from the sound of God’s voice – and the words He spoke. They hid amongst the trees. They were afraid of God and hid themselves from His presence. The first place a person leaves behind when they begin to live in sin is Church. They do not want to hear the voice of God and be reminded of their guilt. It hurts their pride and their sense of self and makes them feel icky when they continue to sin. They can’t pretend to be god in God’s presence. The truth of God is way too strong for that.
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
The LORD knew where Adam was, he wanted to give Adam the chance to say where he was and admit it himself. God was very patient.
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Adam was not only naked, he was now afraid. This is where fear comes from. From being intimate with evil. And what is he afraid of? He heard the voice of God in the garden and was afraid. He became afraid of God.
11 ¶ And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
When God asked them “Who told thee that thou was naked?” it was like asking, “Did I tell you that? Who are you listening to?” Just like looking at a child with chocolate on his face and asking him if he has been eating the forbidden chocolate, God was testing Adam and Eve. This question is important. It is one we can ask ourselves. Fill in the blank.
WHO TOLD YOU, YOU WERE_____________________
We can fill in that blank with whatever we are ashamed of or whatever we are “lacking”. And the answer is always the same: Satan is the one who told us that lie. So what question should we ask ourselves after that?
John 20:15-17 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Ask ourselves “Why am I weeping, and whom am I seeking?” Stop and listen for the voice of Jesus saying your name. Then start saying to yourself the things that Jesus says about you.
Did you ever stop to think that Jesus appeared to Mary M at the tomb because she was looking for Him? The Apostles were not looking for Him, they were in their rooms crying. So the Lord appeared to the one who was seeking Him and listening for Him and wanting Him. In just this way, if we seek Him, He will draw near to us.
The Lord then gave her a duty to perform for Him and she became the first person to carry the message of the resurrection. She was, in fact, the first evangelist!!
What does Jesus say to you? What do you read in His Word? Listen to Him because His message is life -- and more abundantly! You cannot fix yourself with fig leaves or other man made inventions, you need the Lord.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD And rely upon his God.
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
1John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
I posted this on my Bible Study blog but it really came from my struggle to lose weight and how I was feeling about myself. I feel as though I needed to turn this one over to the Lord fully because I am not able, on my own, to overcome. I had received a letter from a friend in response to a post I had made on facebook and she was, again, telling me I needed to join Overeaters Anonymous. I know I have tried that before and had a really uneventful disappointing experience with that... and I don't wish to go secular when I trust in Jesus. She did say a few things that I thought were notable, though, in her letter to me. And here they are:
"It is not what we know, it is what we do." -- That one is simple, succinct, and really what I needed to hear. Just do the exercise. Just choose the right foods and eat them. Just do it. Of course, you do need to know what to do -- and The 30 Day Diabetes Cure provides the basic knowledge and support. But the down to the nitty gritty doing it, is up to us. Just do it. Just make the time to exercise. Just choose the whole and healthy foods to eat and leave the rest alone.
The other notable thing she mentioned was "romance food." I had not heard of this concept before but it seems to make sense and touch me. I am relating to the word "romance" in the "fictional fascination" kind of way. It is like there is a fictional dream world -- not based on fact -- which leads a person to focus so strongly on food that they are addicted. It seems to be a way of describing the addiction. It kind of like means to try to get some "fulfillment" from food that it is not possible to get. It is like having a crush on certain foods. It does not come from the food, it comes from the mind -- or the desires of the flesh. If I begin to recognize this, then I can put the stop hand up when it shows up and not go down the wrong path.
A lot of what I have been feeling recently is about my own self worth. And I had been looking in all the wrong places which is why the following study that the Lord gave me to do was so valuable to me. Here it is, in it's entirety. I thank God for it and hope you derive some value from it. -- Marcia
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your love. I am grateful for all you have been teaching me this day. From the question in Genesis “Who told thee that thou wast naked?
Thank you for hemming me in Lord so that the only place I have left to look is to you. None of the programs that I have tried have worked. I prayed to You and asked You to deliver me from obesity, and then I went about to help you do it by following a program. Like Sarah I did not wait for you to do your work in the perfect time. I sought the knowledge of how to correct my problem INSTEAD of seeking first the Kingdom of God and Your righteousness. INSTEAD of waiting on You.
What I ran into was frustration. I tried hard and saw some little success but the thing I really wanted, to be delivered from obesity, did not happen because of anything I tried. I was unable to make it happen and continually fought the battle against my self and ended up thinking this was just one more way to show how inadequate I am. How foolish I am. How hampered and helpless I really am. Then after I prayed for your help today, I heard a preacher talking to men in prison and he pointed out that statement that you had made to Adam and Eve: “Who told thee that thou wast naked?”
As I began to think about that statement/question I realized the answer was Satan. Satan is the one who tells us we are naked. It is the “knowing good AND evil” that gets us into trouble with God. In God’s eyes our nakedness was not a problem. God did not tell them this. Satan is the one who tells us we lack something, or are not good enough, or not pretty enough, or we are inadequate in some way, lacking some “important” thing.
Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
It is when we listen to the serpent -- in any form at all -- that we sin by not turning away and remembering/listening to God’s words. We got into trouble and brought trouble on us all by ignoring what God said. Here is the evidence:
Gen 3: 1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
The serpent did not introduce himself. He just started talking. And when he spoke he asked a question, as if he was ignorant and wanted information from Eve. Then he couched his question in a false hood. He make it look like he thought that they were not allowed to eat of ANY tree in the garden. Eve attempted to correct his information.
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
The first wrong step was in having a conversation with a serpent. So lesson one for us is: don’t talk to serpents. Even though what Eve said was perfectly innocent and she was quoting God, and correcting a misstatement, she was talking to the serpent. Bad Idea! By her reply she gave the serpent a chance to speak to her again – that was the second wrong step, politely letting him speak again as if he was a neighbor or a friend. This was the first instance of “political correctness” – some how, gentle and innocent Eve, thought giving Satan a moment to speak was “the right thing to do:”
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
The next step in the evil plan takes place: the serpent, flat out, denies that what God had directly spoken was true. He contradicted God. Then, not giving Eve a chance to speak he arrogantly gives all the reasons and justifications for denying God:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
He pretends to know the mind of God. He pretends that God is withholding something from her and makes God look selfish. In doing this, he supplants himself into God’s place. Meaning he just put himself on the throne. And then he reaches an entirely different conclusion: He skirts the issue of death and talks about knowledge. He took a life and death matter and trivialized it. He made God small. (We are to magnify God, not reduce Him.)
He told Eve three things (good justifications always come in threes):
a. your eyes shall be opened
b. ye shall be as gods
c. you will know good and evil
a. YOUR EYES SHALL BE OPENED: with this statement he implied that her eyes were closed – but they could be opened up if she listened to him. Eve was living in the light of God, but the serpent called that light: ignorance. Eve believed him. She was inexperienced, had never spoken with a shyster before, HAD ONLY HEARD GOOD (GOD) BEFORE, and did not understand what the serpent was really saying. She was too small to see the big picture and so was trapped. She also did not turn away and run to God and ask Him. She assumed that she understood and let her “self” begin to rise up.
b. YE SHALL BE AS GODS: Note, the serpent is now speaking, not only to Eve, but to Adam, too. He is making them a promise, predicting the future, and telling them how to elevate themselves, as he has done. He just planted a thought that they had not had before. They suddenly wanted to be like God. The serpents words were so similar – they must be trustworthy.
c. YOU WILL KNOW GOOD AND EVIL: They obviously did not know good and evil at this point. God is only good and God was all they knew, so they only knew good. But in this itty bitty conversation they were being lead down the garden path and out into the world. This is the one thing that gets in our way: knowing both good and evil. Knowing means to be intimate with. They had previously been intimate only with good. But now they were being taught there is something else that they are “missing.” Lesson: not everything you don’t have is worth having.
So in essence the serpent told Adam and Eve that they would have understanding that they did not now have, they would be similar to God, and they would know both sides of the story after they ate the forbidden fruit. Not only the cloistered little garden they had been living in where the good was, but now they could know evil as well. He did not explain evil, he simply dangled it in front of them like a carrot, enticing them. They had no idea.
Evil: 07489. עער ra‘a‘ raw-ah’; a primitive root; properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally):— afflict, associate selves [by mistake for 07462], break (down, in pieces), + displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat, man), show self friendly [by mistake for 07462], do harm, (do) hurt, (behave self, deal) ill, X indeed, do mischief, punish, still, vex, (do) wicked (doer, ly), be (deal, do) worse.
Why would we be attracted to broken pieces? Why would we want the “good for nothing?” That is what evil is. There is no good in it – it is only darkness and no light.
1John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Here is the final step toward sin that Eve took. She began to picture or imagine what the serpent had been talking about in her own mind.
6 ¶ And when the woman saw
She felt she now had clarity. She now understood. Everything looked different to her now that she had listened to the serpent/teacher. And what did she see?
that the tree was good for food,
The lust of the flesh. How did she know it was good for food? She looked at it and thought it was. She leaned on her own understanding.
and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
The lust of the eyes. Wow. She could see how pretty it was. Her eyes were pleased and she was drawn to it, to have it as her own. (The first shopping spree.)
and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
The boastful pride of life. What she had previously not desired and paid no attention to, suddenly became desirable because it would make her better. She would now be wise. Wow, she could become the teacher. She would prosper and be rich. She would have the understanding and the skill herself. She would be on top.
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
She put out her hand, plucked the fruit and took a bite and shared it with her husband who also ate. It was easy, it was right there within reach, and she grabbed it.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
And their eyes were opened. They now saw what they had not seen before. And what did they see first? The knew that they were naked. The first evil thing they saw was themselves and what they lacked. So they went immediately to work to try to fix it. They saw the problem as “being naked” and tried to fix themselves by making “aprons.”
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Did you notice that they fixed themselves -- but still hid from God? They hid their nakedness with leaves but still hid themselves from God. Guilt was now a part of their lives. That is what happens when you are intimate with evil – you become guilty.
They began to hide themselves from the sound of God’s voice – and the words He spoke. They hid amongst the trees. They were afraid of God and hid themselves from His presence. The first place a person leaves behind when they begin to live in sin is Church. They do not want to hear the voice of God and be reminded of their guilt. It hurts their pride and their sense of self and makes them feel icky when they continue to sin. They can’t pretend to be god in God’s presence. The truth of God is way too strong for that.
9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
The LORD knew where Adam was, he wanted to give Adam the chance to say where he was and admit it himself. God was very patient.
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Adam was not only naked, he was now afraid. This is where fear comes from. From being intimate with evil. And what is he afraid of? He heard the voice of God in the garden and was afraid. He became afraid of God.
11 ¶ And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
When God asked them “Who told thee that thou was naked?” it was like asking, “Did I tell you that? Who are you listening to?” Just like looking at a child with chocolate on his face and asking him if he has been eating the forbidden chocolate, God was testing Adam and Eve. This question is important. It is one we can ask ourselves. Fill in the blank.
WHO TOLD YOU, YOU WERE_____________________
We can fill in that blank with whatever we are ashamed of or whatever we are “lacking”. And the answer is always the same: Satan is the one who told us that lie. So what question should we ask ourselves after that?
John 20:15-17 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Ask ourselves “Why am I weeping, and whom am I seeking?” Stop and listen for the voice of Jesus saying your name. Then start saying to yourself the things that Jesus says about you.
Did you ever stop to think that Jesus appeared to Mary M at the tomb because she was looking for Him? The Apostles were not looking for Him, they were in their rooms crying. So the Lord appeared to the one who was seeking Him and listening for Him and wanting Him. In just this way, if we seek Him, He will draw near to us.
The Lord then gave her a duty to perform for Him and she became the first person to carry the message of the resurrection. She was, in fact, the first evangelist!!
What does Jesus say to you? What do you read in His Word? Listen to Him because His message is life -- and more abundantly! You cannot fix yourself with fig leaves or other man made inventions, you need the Lord.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD And rely upon his God.
Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
1John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Continually Dusting Me Off
Hi,
I feel the need to dust me off again. I just keep falling in the dirt, but I will not let that hinder me as I once would have. I have not been open in stating that I have not exercised since the day my computer went kaput. I focused so much on that that I let everything else go by the wayside. I have gotten the eating back on track but not the exercise. So. Tomorrow is the day. I will begin again. Thank you, Lord. Confession truly is good for the soul.
You know, I was hoping that the blogging would help to keep me on track but what it does is help me get up and go again. That is a big improvement for me. I struggle with making the changes every day. I have given up on the calorie counting but I need to at least continue to keep track of what I am eating. If I simply write it down, it keeps me on track because it forces me to be truthful and aware about what I am eating. It gives me a picture that I don't see in any other way. So I will begin again to journal what I eat, tomorrow morning. I have quit calorie counting but not the journey. Mostly because calorie counting makes me crazy and I'm also taking Dr Ripich's promise to heart -- that I don't have to do that to reverse my pre-diabetes and ultimately to reduce my weight. If I am truly eating the right things, I well get to the destination that right eating produces.
Odd how I still think of them as "changes." The Lord has been showing me something about my mind also. He's been showing me the pathway that I use to make wrong decisions and also showing me that I don't have to follow that way anymore. There is a better way. A better thought pathway -- one that promotes healing.
I think the best way to describe me is as a "sprinter." I can sprint and go hard for good short bursts and then I trip over myself and fall in the dirt. If I want to be a long distance runner I will have to change which thought paths I choose to follow. The rules for the long haul of good health are different than for the short haul of self indulgence. You have to plan better, you have to think more appropriately about consequences. You have to decide again what you really want and focus on what you believe in. You have to live up to the light you have. You have to consciously choose the better path. I am trusting the Lord to show me the better path -- the way of escape that He declares in His word:
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
I am focusing on "but will with the temptation also make a way to escape" -- I have asked Him to show me the way of escaping obesity and He is little bit by little bit making things more clear to me. I am not sure I can even put it into words yet, but will try to. I see that there is a certain way of thinking that kind of leads me to making wrong choices. It is almost a kind of "atmosphere of the brain" which He pointed out to me one day as I was driving down the road thinking about going to the grocery store and buying something out of bounds. But I do not have to nurture that atmosphere. I can choose to recognize it for what it is and ask the Lord to show me the better way and help me to take it -- which He has been doing.
I must remember that babies learn to walk by taking a few steps and falling down, over and over again -- perhaps hundreds of times if you count them. But one day they walk and no longer fall down because they have learned how to balance themselves naturally. They don't beat themselves up for falling down. They just get up and go again. Thank you very much! I am really experiencing that falling down part. I take a few steps and then fall down -- over and over again. Part of me is embarrassed and wants to think "why can't I just do what others do" -- "why must I continually repeat my mistakes" but that kind of thinking will not get me where I want to go. If I start to "dwell" there -- I might get stuck there sitting in the dirt, as in the past. But I now know I don't have to be stuck there!! Just get up, brush off the dirt and go again. Praise the Lord. I am grateful for forgiveness and the seventy times seven.
Matthew 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
I am grateful the Lord has given me the courage to keep getting up and brushing myself off and going again. With His kindness He has taken the burden out of the falling down. I don't blame myself anymore, I just get up and go again, knowing that one of these days I will be balanced and able to go on without so much falling. I will have learned the new path and be walking it. That, alone, is such a blessing. I was a sprinter because I kept quitting before. If I stop quitting when I fall, then I'll become a long distance runner. It is as simple as that. Don't quit when you fall. Just get up and go again and soon you will have covered a lot of ground and be in a different and new place. Praise the Lord!
God bless your efforts. Be encouraged to get up and go again. You can take advantage of the seventy times seven, too -- just go at it again.
Be back soon,
--Marcia
I feel the need to dust me off again. I just keep falling in the dirt, but I will not let that hinder me as I once would have. I have not been open in stating that I have not exercised since the day my computer went kaput. I focused so much on that that I let everything else go by the wayside. I have gotten the eating back on track but not the exercise. So. Tomorrow is the day. I will begin again. Thank you, Lord. Confession truly is good for the soul.
You know, I was hoping that the blogging would help to keep me on track but what it does is help me get up and go again. That is a big improvement for me. I struggle with making the changes every day. I have given up on the calorie counting but I need to at least continue to keep track of what I am eating. If I simply write it down, it keeps me on track because it forces me to be truthful and aware about what I am eating. It gives me a picture that I don't see in any other way. So I will begin again to journal what I eat, tomorrow morning. I have quit calorie counting but not the journey. Mostly because calorie counting makes me crazy and I'm also taking Dr Ripich's promise to heart -- that I don't have to do that to reverse my pre-diabetes and ultimately to reduce my weight. If I am truly eating the right things, I well get to the destination that right eating produces.
Odd how I still think of them as "changes." The Lord has been showing me something about my mind also. He's been showing me the pathway that I use to make wrong decisions and also showing me that I don't have to follow that way anymore. There is a better way. A better thought pathway -- one that promotes healing.
I think the best way to describe me is as a "sprinter." I can sprint and go hard for good short bursts and then I trip over myself and fall in the dirt. If I want to be a long distance runner I will have to change which thought paths I choose to follow. The rules for the long haul of good health are different than for the short haul of self indulgence. You have to plan better, you have to think more appropriately about consequences. You have to decide again what you really want and focus on what you believe in. You have to live up to the light you have. You have to consciously choose the better path. I am trusting the Lord to show me the better path -- the way of escape that He declares in His word:
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
I am focusing on "but will with the temptation also make a way to escape" -- I have asked Him to show me the way of escaping obesity and He is little bit by little bit making things more clear to me. I am not sure I can even put it into words yet, but will try to. I see that there is a certain way of thinking that kind of leads me to making wrong choices. It is almost a kind of "atmosphere of the brain" which He pointed out to me one day as I was driving down the road thinking about going to the grocery store and buying something out of bounds. But I do not have to nurture that atmosphere. I can choose to recognize it for what it is and ask the Lord to show me the better way and help me to take it -- which He has been doing.
I must remember that babies learn to walk by taking a few steps and falling down, over and over again -- perhaps hundreds of times if you count them. But one day they walk and no longer fall down because they have learned how to balance themselves naturally. They don't beat themselves up for falling down. They just get up and go again. Thank you very much! I am really experiencing that falling down part. I take a few steps and then fall down -- over and over again. Part of me is embarrassed and wants to think "why can't I just do what others do" -- "why must I continually repeat my mistakes" but that kind of thinking will not get me where I want to go. If I start to "dwell" there -- I might get stuck there sitting in the dirt, as in the past. But I now know I don't have to be stuck there!! Just get up, brush off the dirt and go again. Praise the Lord. I am grateful for forgiveness and the seventy times seven.
Matthew 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
I am grateful the Lord has given me the courage to keep getting up and brushing myself off and going again. With His kindness He has taken the burden out of the falling down. I don't blame myself anymore, I just get up and go again, knowing that one of these days I will be balanced and able to go on without so much falling. I will have learned the new path and be walking it. That, alone, is such a blessing. I was a sprinter because I kept quitting before. If I stop quitting when I fall, then I'll become a long distance runner. It is as simple as that. Don't quit when you fall. Just get up and go again and soon you will have covered a lot of ground and be in a different and new place. Praise the Lord!
God bless your efforts. Be encouraged to get up and go again. You can take advantage of the seventy times seven, too -- just go at it again.
Be back soon,
--Marcia
What is the big deal about HFCS?
Hello,
I've been reading about HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and watching some of the videos on Youtube that people have been making about the subject. I was first alerted to this danger by Dr Ripich in The 30 Day Diabetes Cure book, but, you know how life is, you read something and it is important one day and the next day you don't really think about it and it fades into the background. For that reason I am attempting to stay in touch with why I need to not only make the changes in my eating and exercise habits but to maintain the changes and stick to what is best for my personal health. What good would it do me to go back to eating those things that harm me by causing diabetes? No good that I can see. So stick to the plan.
Dr Rip says some amazing things in his book, on page 98, about HFCS. Our bodies process or metabolize HFCS differently than regular table sugar and it is more easily absorbed into the body. HFCS actually puts extra fat on the body at a much faster rate. Yikes! It also raises the triglycerides (fats) and cholesterol that float around in our blood becoming a main cause of heart attacks and strokes. And, as if that is not bad enough, our bodies do not "read" HFCS calories in the same way so it does not set off the leptin response meaning it does not provide that feeling of satisfaction that we use to stop eating. We never get the "I'm full" response so you just keep right on eating more and more. Sounds like it may actually be one of the causes of the eating machine.
Some of the other things I have found on the internet say that fructose is what pancreatic cancer feeds on (http://all247news.com/have-you-heard-what-they-say-about-hfcs-fructose-promotes-pancreatic-cancer/3290/). I think that means it makes this cancer worse by keeping it alive and growing. I have heard in the past that cancer feeds on sugar so this rang a bell for me.
I also read that Dr Richard K Berstein, the diabetes doctor from New England says that the fibers that grow on the eyes that cause cataracts are fructose molecules. So eliminating fruit juice and especially HFCS should slow that process down -- although that last part is only my own opinion. But does it not make sense that if we eliminate the fructose from our diet, the body will have less of it to deposit into the making of cataracts? I'm just saying.
"Bart Hoebel who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction said, 'When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight.'"
Half as much HFCS as regular table sugar will produce twice as much fat in the body!! That is what it said at: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/ -- which is a report on a study done at Princeton University where I found the quote from Bart Hoebel -- but they don't really know why, yet.
It appears that in the forty years since HFCS was introduced to the American food supply (in everything from sodas to ketchup) the number of truly obese individuals skyrocketed from fifteen percent to thirty percent of our society. That is exactly double the number of super fat people. And you know that it has affected more than just the really big ones like me -- the average sized are being affected also with more diabetes, cancer, and weight in general. Ding, ding, ding. Wake up and start reading those food labels and buying better food for our selves -- and more than that let others know of this problem. If we stop buying that junk, they will stop selling it. The "bottom line" is the only one they pay attention to and the only way to affect it is to make it start to decline by avoiding those HFCS laden products. We really do need to start reading the labels and actively avoiding HFCS. Our health and the health of our children really does depend on us forcing this stuff out of our food supply.
What about the fructose in fruit? Well what I am reading is that the fructose in HFCS is not attached to other molecules which makes them more readily absorbed by the body. It is like they are freely available without needing extra processing to add more fat to your body. If you are eating whole fruit then the fructose is attached to other healthy molecules, plus fiber, which reduces the absorption rates and amounts. So, while eating a lot of fruit is not good for the diabetic because it is still sugar and still raises the blood sugar, for the normal person who does not have this metabolic disorder, whole fruit (not juice) is a healthy alternative to sugary sodas and other food items that contain HFCS. Eating fresh whole fruit that is uncooked -- meaning it is raw and fresh and pesticide free -- makes you fat at a much slower rate than eating processed foods that have been manufactured with HFCS.
Part of the problem with HFCS is that it is a highly processed food additive. So, although, it comes from corn, it is no longer a "natural" item, it has been turned into a manufactured item. Eat the corn, skip the HFCS. And be careful of buying "fruit juice." Read the label and if it has HFCS added, then do not buy it. And PLEASE do not give it to your children or grandchildren. We are making them fat and unhealthy far sooner than ever before because of the foods we let them eat and especially from the sugary drinks we teach them to drink. Do you know that children are now becoming type 2 diabetics? This is a disease that used to ONLY affect older people but now it runs the age gamut of our entire society showing up in younger and younger age groups. I read of an eight year old who was on daily insulin shots from type 2 diabetes (which used to be called "adult onset") -- so there are others out there. Start getting your kids blood sugar checked -- especially if they are obese or have fat little tummies and crave sugar all the time.
Encouragement: If you eliminate HFCS from your diet, it can no longer harm your body. Read the labels on the food before you buy anything. Keep any item with HFCS on the label out of your grocery cart. Your whole family will live a healthier life as a result of making this one change.
Be back soon -- Lord willing.
--Marcia
I've been reading about HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and watching some of the videos on Youtube that people have been making about the subject. I was first alerted to this danger by Dr Ripich in The 30 Day Diabetes Cure book, but, you know how life is, you read something and it is important one day and the next day you don't really think about it and it fades into the background. For that reason I am attempting to stay in touch with why I need to not only make the changes in my eating and exercise habits but to maintain the changes and stick to what is best for my personal health. What good would it do me to go back to eating those things that harm me by causing diabetes? No good that I can see. So stick to the plan.
Dr Rip says some amazing things in his book, on page 98, about HFCS. Our bodies process or metabolize HFCS differently than regular table sugar and it is more easily absorbed into the body. HFCS actually puts extra fat on the body at a much faster rate. Yikes! It also raises the triglycerides (fats) and cholesterol that float around in our blood becoming a main cause of heart attacks and strokes. And, as if that is not bad enough, our bodies do not "read" HFCS calories in the same way so it does not set off the leptin response meaning it does not provide that feeling of satisfaction that we use to stop eating. We never get the "I'm full" response so you just keep right on eating more and more. Sounds like it may actually be one of the causes of the eating machine.
Some of the other things I have found on the internet say that fructose is what pancreatic cancer feeds on (http://all247news.com/have-you-heard-what-they-say-about-hfcs-fructose-promotes-pancreatic-cancer/3290/). I think that means it makes this cancer worse by keeping it alive and growing. I have heard in the past that cancer feeds on sugar so this rang a bell for me.
I also read that Dr Richard K Berstein, the diabetes doctor from New England says that the fibers that grow on the eyes that cause cataracts are fructose molecules. So eliminating fruit juice and especially HFCS should slow that process down -- although that last part is only my own opinion. But does it not make sense that if we eliminate the fructose from our diet, the body will have less of it to deposit into the making of cataracts? I'm just saying.
"Bart Hoebel who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction said, 'When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight.'"
Half as much HFCS as regular table sugar will produce twice as much fat in the body!! That is what it said at: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/ -- which is a report on a study done at Princeton University where I found the quote from Bart Hoebel -- but they don't really know why, yet.
It appears that in the forty years since HFCS was introduced to the American food supply (in everything from sodas to ketchup) the number of truly obese individuals skyrocketed from fifteen percent to thirty percent of our society. That is exactly double the number of super fat people. And you know that it has affected more than just the really big ones like me -- the average sized are being affected also with more diabetes, cancer, and weight in general. Ding, ding, ding. Wake up and start reading those food labels and buying better food for our selves -- and more than that let others know of this problem. If we stop buying that junk, they will stop selling it. The "bottom line" is the only one they pay attention to and the only way to affect it is to make it start to decline by avoiding those HFCS laden products. We really do need to start reading the labels and actively avoiding HFCS. Our health and the health of our children really does depend on us forcing this stuff out of our food supply.
What about the fructose in fruit? Well what I am reading is that the fructose in HFCS is not attached to other molecules which makes them more readily absorbed by the body. It is like they are freely available without needing extra processing to add more fat to your body. If you are eating whole fruit then the fructose is attached to other healthy molecules, plus fiber, which reduces the absorption rates and amounts. So, while eating a lot of fruit is not good for the diabetic because it is still sugar and still raises the blood sugar, for the normal person who does not have this metabolic disorder, whole fruit (not juice) is a healthy alternative to sugary sodas and other food items that contain HFCS. Eating fresh whole fruit that is uncooked -- meaning it is raw and fresh and pesticide free -- makes you fat at a much slower rate than eating processed foods that have been manufactured with HFCS.
Part of the problem with HFCS is that it is a highly processed food additive. So, although, it comes from corn, it is no longer a "natural" item, it has been turned into a manufactured item. Eat the corn, skip the HFCS. And be careful of buying "fruit juice." Read the label and if it has HFCS added, then do not buy it. And PLEASE do not give it to your children or grandchildren. We are making them fat and unhealthy far sooner than ever before because of the foods we let them eat and especially from the sugary drinks we teach them to drink. Do you know that children are now becoming type 2 diabetics? This is a disease that used to ONLY affect older people but now it runs the age gamut of our entire society showing up in younger and younger age groups. I read of an eight year old who was on daily insulin shots from type 2 diabetes (which used to be called "adult onset") -- so there are others out there. Start getting your kids blood sugar checked -- especially if they are obese or have fat little tummies and crave sugar all the time.
Encouragement: If you eliminate HFCS from your diet, it can no longer harm your body. Read the labels on the food before you buy anything. Keep any item with HFCS on the label out of your grocery cart. Your whole family will live a healthier life as a result of making this one change.
Be back soon -- Lord willing.
--Marcia
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Day 55 Blue Willow Inn
Hi
This will be the last day that I number the blog entries. Since I am no longer blogging daily, and the 30-day part is finished I will just begin to give it the title that seems appropriate for that day.
I shall continue to blog about my diabetic and food or eating related "adventures" because it still keeps me more on track than anything else. Going over them gives me a more clear perspective on my own habits. I have learned that I have at least three supporters who actively read it -- because they are making similar changes in their lives -- I am encouraged that this may be helpful to them and will continue because that makes it even more worthwhile. Thanks Friends and I pray for your success!!
Today is the day that my Sunday School class went to the popular Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Georgia. It was a lovely old building with a beautiful garden atmosphere and plenty of people waiting in line for parties. I most often feel a bit awkward in a restaurant that I am unfamiliar with and with that many people (I believe it may have been in the neighborhood of 50 or so) crowded around five long tables and squeezed in like sardines I felt kind of out of my element.
Being a big person I hate sitting at a table that backs another table so that every time someone wants to get up everybody has to scoot in and try to crunch up close to the table to allow room for the person behind them to maneuver. Or when I get up, I bang into their chairs and cannot make it out without pushing against them which I loathe to do.
It turned out, surprisingly, to be an all-you-can-eat buffet so everybody was getting up periodically to go get more food. I always feel somewhat ashamed that I take up more than the allotted amount of space per person and do not like to impose my big self on their space because it makes me uncomfortable, let alone them. I chose to sit in the extra seat at the end of the table so people could get in and out easier, but then, of course, the servers have to squeeze by, so it was sixes. While it was not awful and I did have a good time visiting, and the service was pretty good, I have not marked that restaurant as one that I will return to often.
The food was mediocre. It was "country cooking" at it's carb laden worst and everyone else was insulted when I later called it mediocre. Of course, they are Southerners who love their cooking and they said nothing offensive to me. But when they turned their backs to me after I said that, I knew I had overstepped my bounds, again. I think they were trying to include me into the group, but my odd Northern behavior really keeps me on the outskirts. Looking back, I wish I had not made the comment and had the presence of mind to say something more kind than that, without telling a bold faced lie. At least the "mediocre" evaluation was honest, if not very kind.
The buffet had plenty of sweet whip-creamy and pudding-type items on the salad bar which left room only for a large bowl of ice berg lettuce, some cherry tomatoes, a few large onion slices, cucumber and some dressing as the only fresh raw salad fixings. I was so bored I skipped the salad and wandered past the warming oven full of bread and the circular round table of sugar and food color laden desserts which were no temptation at all. (Thank God.)
When I got to the U-shaped table with the entrees and side dishes I bypassed the lima beans (they might have been good for me but I don't really care for lima beans), corn souffle, macaroni and cheese, sugared sweet potatoes, butter covered new potatoes and choose some over-cooked green Italian beans and pan fried yellow squash. The only other real vegetable was collard greens, which, again, may have been a good choice, but they are not on my list of favorites.
Then I turned to the meat and ignored the tough little bits of beef in a pan of gravy and the fried chicken which is hard to eat when you are wearing nice clothes. It makes your hands dirty, so I don't like to eat that stuff in a restaurant -- and there is, of course, the "fried" issue, and the "covered-with-flour" issue, too. I probably should have chosen the baked tilapia, but don't really like the texture of tilapia because it is kind of "mushy" and unpalatable.
I ended up with a small plate of green beans, pan fried squash, and chicken tenders covered with grated white cheese (Parmesan) and a minimal amount of breading that was rather dry because it did not have any seasoned tomato sauce on it. I knew I could eat the chicken with a knife and fork and not get food and grease all over me so that guided my choice. I also got a small bowl of what they called "vegetable beef soup" rather than the whatever-it-was white-crusted-creamed soup next to it. There were a few tomatoes, peas, carrots and potatoes in the pot and I did find one small bit of beef and fished that into my bowl of warm and tasty tomato juice feeling satisfied that I had tried to make the circumstances work for me and then started to walk back to my table.
I had mixed feelings as I noticed the plates of my friends all mounded high with food that is not good for humans and compared it to my little plate with two veggies and one protein, and my little bowl of out of bounds soup. I felt glad that I had made choices that were right for me but did not feel comfortable as I walked back to my chair in the aisle. I put on my "I can do this with a smile" hat and sat down to eat. When I was done, I wanted a little more, and had been told that they had brought out some fried green tomatoes after I had left the scene, so got a plate and went to find them. It turned out that they were a boundary pushing item, too, because thin slices of green tomato had been dipped in batter and deep fried -- I chose three slices, simply because I wanted to experience them but only ate two with the batter and scrapped the tasteless batter off of the third one before I ate it. I also got a little more chicken and green beans at the time.
Looking back, I really do see how mediocre it was and am no longer embarrassed that I said so. I also see that my choices were not as perfect as they could have been. If I had chosen the boring salad rather than the mediocre soup that would have been an improvement. The fried green tomatoes could have been left alone, too, but I just had to try them because they are not available in other places. Oddly, I did not want to go back to my table with nothing on my plate so I allowed the "buffet mentality" to kick in and ate two small plates of food. On the plus side, I drank water and ate no dessert. So I consider that, a slightly below average experience, and will attempt to make better choices in the future. You just have to keep getting tighter on the reins. It is a process.
The salad bar at the Golden Corral has many more fresh veggie choices and they have much better side dish choices like steamed broccoli and cauliflower and many more protein choices and cost about half as much. I am glad I finally got to eat at the Blue Willow and to see for myself what it was like. I can mark that one off the list, now. And I think I recall my friend Terri telling me the food was not all that good, anyway, so my experience confirmed her observations, too.
Today is also the day I had the slow-growing skin cancer removed from my left calf. I was surprised to see that my doctor used a looped tool to scrap it off, rather than the razor blade to slice it off, like the biopsy. It is a little painful but nothing unbearable and the wound is dark red, but I am putting anti-biotic/pain killing salve on it and keeping it covered. Doc said to keep it covered for a few days and then to let it breathe but keep putting another salve that he recommended on it. He seemed very upset that the biopsy site had gotten infected and mentioned it two or three times during the visit and procedure and once again as I left. I pointed out that I had one more day to go on the antibiotic in the hope that would ease his mind a little. I will ask for prayer and healing on the wound and for the Lord to ease his conscience, too. It seems that he thinks he caused it. God is good and able to handle both problems, his and mine. I still think he is a good doctor, very kind, and will take any other skin problems to him in the future. I liked him. And he is good looking too, so that adds. ;)
I've been investigating HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and wanted to blog about that, so perhaps tomorrow or Monday, that will be the subject matter. Going to get a cobb salad and then do a little pantry shopping. Be back soon. Lord willing.
--Marcia
This will be the last day that I number the blog entries. Since I am no longer blogging daily, and the 30-day part is finished I will just begin to give it the title that seems appropriate for that day.
I shall continue to blog about my diabetic and food or eating related "adventures" because it still keeps me more on track than anything else. Going over them gives me a more clear perspective on my own habits. I have learned that I have at least three supporters who actively read it -- because they are making similar changes in their lives -- I am encouraged that this may be helpful to them and will continue because that makes it even more worthwhile. Thanks Friends and I pray for your success!!
Today is the day that my Sunday School class went to the popular Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Georgia. It was a lovely old building with a beautiful garden atmosphere and plenty of people waiting in line for parties. I most often feel a bit awkward in a restaurant that I am unfamiliar with and with that many people (I believe it may have been in the neighborhood of 50 or so) crowded around five long tables and squeezed in like sardines I felt kind of out of my element.
Being a big person I hate sitting at a table that backs another table so that every time someone wants to get up everybody has to scoot in and try to crunch up close to the table to allow room for the person behind them to maneuver. Or when I get up, I bang into their chairs and cannot make it out without pushing against them which I loathe to do.
It turned out, surprisingly, to be an all-you-can-eat buffet so everybody was getting up periodically to go get more food. I always feel somewhat ashamed that I take up more than the allotted amount of space per person and do not like to impose my big self on their space because it makes me uncomfortable, let alone them. I chose to sit in the extra seat at the end of the table so people could get in and out easier, but then, of course, the servers have to squeeze by, so it was sixes. While it was not awful and I did have a good time visiting, and the service was pretty good, I have not marked that restaurant as one that I will return to often.
The food was mediocre. It was "country cooking" at it's carb laden worst and everyone else was insulted when I later called it mediocre. Of course, they are Southerners who love their cooking and they said nothing offensive to me. But when they turned their backs to me after I said that, I knew I had overstepped my bounds, again. I think they were trying to include me into the group, but my odd Northern behavior really keeps me on the outskirts. Looking back, I wish I had not made the comment and had the presence of mind to say something more kind than that, without telling a bold faced lie. At least the "mediocre" evaluation was honest, if not very kind.
The buffet had plenty of sweet whip-creamy and pudding-type items on the salad bar which left room only for a large bowl of ice berg lettuce, some cherry tomatoes, a few large onion slices, cucumber and some dressing as the only fresh raw salad fixings. I was so bored I skipped the salad and wandered past the warming oven full of bread and the circular round table of sugar and food color laden desserts which were no temptation at all. (Thank God.)
When I got to the U-shaped table with the entrees and side dishes I bypassed the lima beans (they might have been good for me but I don't really care for lima beans), corn souffle, macaroni and cheese, sugared sweet potatoes, butter covered new potatoes and choose some over-cooked green Italian beans and pan fried yellow squash. The only other real vegetable was collard greens, which, again, may have been a good choice, but they are not on my list of favorites.
Then I turned to the meat and ignored the tough little bits of beef in a pan of gravy and the fried chicken which is hard to eat when you are wearing nice clothes. It makes your hands dirty, so I don't like to eat that stuff in a restaurant -- and there is, of course, the "fried" issue, and the "covered-with-flour" issue, too. I probably should have chosen the baked tilapia, but don't really like the texture of tilapia because it is kind of "mushy" and unpalatable.
I ended up with a small plate of green beans, pan fried squash, and chicken tenders covered with grated white cheese (Parmesan) and a minimal amount of breading that was rather dry because it did not have any seasoned tomato sauce on it. I knew I could eat the chicken with a knife and fork and not get food and grease all over me so that guided my choice. I also got a small bowl of what they called "vegetable beef soup" rather than the whatever-it-was white-crusted-creamed soup next to it. There were a few tomatoes, peas, carrots and potatoes in the pot and I did find one small bit of beef and fished that into my bowl of warm and tasty tomato juice feeling satisfied that I had tried to make the circumstances work for me and then started to walk back to my table.
I had mixed feelings as I noticed the plates of my friends all mounded high with food that is not good for humans and compared it to my little plate with two veggies and one protein, and my little bowl of out of bounds soup. I felt glad that I had made choices that were right for me but did not feel comfortable as I walked back to my chair in the aisle. I put on my "I can do this with a smile" hat and sat down to eat. When I was done, I wanted a little more, and had been told that they had brought out some fried green tomatoes after I had left the scene, so got a plate and went to find them. It turned out that they were a boundary pushing item, too, because thin slices of green tomato had been dipped in batter and deep fried -- I chose three slices, simply because I wanted to experience them but only ate two with the batter and scrapped the tasteless batter off of the third one before I ate it. I also got a little more chicken and green beans at the time.
Looking back, I really do see how mediocre it was and am no longer embarrassed that I said so. I also see that my choices were not as perfect as they could have been. If I had chosen the boring salad rather than the mediocre soup that would have been an improvement. The fried green tomatoes could have been left alone, too, but I just had to try them because they are not available in other places. Oddly, I did not want to go back to my table with nothing on my plate so I allowed the "buffet mentality" to kick in and ate two small plates of food. On the plus side, I drank water and ate no dessert. So I consider that, a slightly below average experience, and will attempt to make better choices in the future. You just have to keep getting tighter on the reins. It is a process.
The salad bar at the Golden Corral has many more fresh veggie choices and they have much better side dish choices like steamed broccoli and cauliflower and many more protein choices and cost about half as much. I am glad I finally got to eat at the Blue Willow and to see for myself what it was like. I can mark that one off the list, now. And I think I recall my friend Terri telling me the food was not all that good, anyway, so my experience confirmed her observations, too.
Today is also the day I had the slow-growing skin cancer removed from my left calf. I was surprised to see that my doctor used a looped tool to scrap it off, rather than the razor blade to slice it off, like the biopsy. It is a little painful but nothing unbearable and the wound is dark red, but I am putting anti-biotic/pain killing salve on it and keeping it covered. Doc said to keep it covered for a few days and then to let it breathe but keep putting another salve that he recommended on it. He seemed very upset that the biopsy site had gotten infected and mentioned it two or three times during the visit and procedure and once again as I left. I pointed out that I had one more day to go on the antibiotic in the hope that would ease his mind a little. I will ask for prayer and healing on the wound and for the Lord to ease his conscience, too. It seems that he thinks he caused it. God is good and able to handle both problems, his and mine. I still think he is a good doctor, very kind, and will take any other skin problems to him in the future. I liked him. And he is good looking too, so that adds. ;)
I've been investigating HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and wanted to blog about that, so perhaps tomorrow or Monday, that will be the subject matter. Going to get a cobb salad and then do a little pantry shopping. Be back soon. Lord willing.
--Marcia
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Day 53
Hi,
It has been a while. I've been having trouble with my computer. After struggling and rebuilding my system (twice) I finally just decided to trash it and get a new one. I cannot afford an expensive one so I went to my neighborhood computer store (where I take mine when things go wrong) and traded my broken one in for one that they built at the store. The cost was not too bad. I would have liked to have gotten "7" but I got XP Professional instead -- it was cheaper. I had Vista on my old one.
As I am working with XP I can see why people liked it better than Vista -- it seems to be much more intuitive. When I moved from Mac to Vista I did not know any better and simply used it. I had purchased it when Vista was new and the complaints were not so loud yet. Anyway, I am now set up and running again. (I still think Mac is better -- but cannot afford it anymore and the programs for Windows seem to be cheaper and are available everywhere -- and so are viruses and spyware, so you really have to be diligent with Windows. Mac you don't much have to worry about in the viruses area because most of them don't run on Mac.)
As far as the eating program, I still need to make the schedule which I talked about in my last post -- that is when the computer went kaput -- but now that I have a new "MS Office" suite I will try out "Outlook" to see if that is the kind of thing that will work in that program. I don't yet know anything about it, but see it as a requirement in a lot of job posts, so would like to become at least familiar with what it does and how it works.
For the most part I have continued to eat fresh raw veggies and protein with only a couple of "episodes." One where I ate ice cream and another when I had pop corn two days in a row. But other than that, I've been eating pretty clean. I did check and have gone down a couple of pounds but don't want to give out any numbers until I see something solid and sustained in that area.
I don't have any new "insights" for today, yet, but am glad to be able to blog freely again. I let the exercise collapse while facing the computer problems so have to get myself motivated to start that again. It should not take much because I have been noticing some pains in my neck area that I know come from lack of exercise. I did my 12 minutes on the Aerofit yesterday and did a bunch of crunches but got sidetracked and did not do the cervical traction, so that is on the agenda for today.
I think I must have gotten a little depressed through this last time period because my living room needs to be cleaned up and the dishes are nearly all in a state of waiting to be cleaned -- again. I have some clean towels that need to be folded and that will clear up one area of the living room. I need to spend my time in the Word and pray a little more. I went to church last night and sat with a new friend, Margaret, whom I met last Sunday at "Home Coming" (which I found out is a birthday celebration of the founding of the church). She was interesting to talk to and we seem to have a lot in common. I was glad to see she came to church again on Wednesday.
My church is very special. At the end of every service the Pastor chooses someone to stand next to him and his wife and the speaker, and shake the hands of the people as they leave; and last night he chose Margaret. You should have seen her face. She seemed afraid and pleased and excited all at once, and as she hugged everyone she teared up again. I am so glad they chose her, I think she may have needed the validating experience. It is a wonderful feeling to shake everyone's hand or hug them or speak to them, it just does something good for the soul to receive that much acknowledgment -- which we single older women don't get much of.
I was glad to hear that the Lord opened Dallas' ears on Monday, too. He had been dealing with that for a long time -- perhaps more than a month and I have been praying for him. I am concerned for my friend Mrs Wanda, too, she has been told she has breast cancer and it is a fast growing variety, so we have all been praying for her to help her make right decisions about treatment and to be healed. You know, when you start to pray for people you really get to be acquainted with all the pain and suffering in the world that goes on. If you try to carry the burden yourself, it is a heavy one. But nothing is too heavy for the Lord. Reminds me of a scripture:
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Sometimes when I hear the stories of the stuff that people are going through my life does not seem so bad. I am just glad that God is able to take care of any and everything. He is the Great Healer and all a person has to do is turn to Him in faith -- and the prayers of other Christians really do make a difference. We share the miracles at our church, too. Like how two times in one week God protected two of our men from imminent harm -- one (our Pastor) was struck by lightening and came away unharmed in any way -- and the other one had been helped in a Walmart parking lot late at night. As he approached his car, a friend hollared, "Hey, hey, hey," and a man dressed all in black who had been crouching on the other side of his car stood up and ran away. God is so good!!
At Sweet Fellowship I used to be a teacher and when we did prayer requests I would write them down on the back of my lesson. I will never forget the day that I was scanning through the notebook and began to read the prayer requests over a many month time period and was amazed to see that each and every one had been answered, including children who had been gone for years finally contacting parents, major illnesses healed, jobs found and a myriad of other blessings that God had poured out on our group as we prayed. A verse that just came to mind:
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
If you are a Bible believing Christian you know that a "righteous" man or woman is one who believes in Jesus Christ and who has been clothed in His righteousness. So if you want healing, seek out a person whom you know is a true believer and ask them to pray for you.
I have asked for prayer to be delivered from obesity and the more I cling to the Lord, the more able I am to walk the higher path. I slip, but I do not let that discourage me from going on.
For inspiration today, read Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" for this date -- the morning one especially. I will paste it below for those who do not have access:
"August 13-Morning {Daily Reading: #Isa 64:1-66:24} {Quick Study: #Isa 63:1-66:24}
"The cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted. {#Ps 104:16}
"Lebanon’s cedars are emblematic of the Christian, in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. He is not man planted, nor self-planted, but God planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart which he had himself prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven owns the great Husbandman as his planter.
"Moreover, the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their watering; they stand on the lofty rock, unmoistened by human irrigation; and yet our heavenly Father supplieth them. Thus it is with the Christian who has learned to live by faith. He is independent of man, even in temporal things; for his continued maintenance he looks to the Lord his God, and to him alone. The dew of heaven is his portion, and the God of heaven is his fountain.
"Again, the cedars of Lebanon are not protected by any mortal power. They owe nothing to man for their preservation from stormy wind and tempest. They are God’s trees, kept and preserved by him, and by him alone. It is precisely the same with the Christian. He is not a hot house plant, sheltered from temptation; he stands in the most exposed position; he has no shelter, no protection, except this, that the broad wings of the eternal God always cover the cedars which he himself has planted. Like cedars, believers are full of sap, having vitality enough to be ever green, even amid winter’s snows.
"Lastly, the flourishing and majestic condition of the cedar is to the praise of God only. The Lord, even the Lord alone hath been everything unto the cedars, and, therefore David very sweetly puts it in one of the psalms, ‘Praise ye the Lord, fruitful trees and all cedars.’ In the believer there is nothing that can magnify man; he is planted, nourished, and protected by the Lord’s own hand, and to him let all the glory be ascribed."
Amen! Be back soon -- Lord willing
--Marcia
It has been a while. I've been having trouble with my computer. After struggling and rebuilding my system (twice) I finally just decided to trash it and get a new one. I cannot afford an expensive one so I went to my neighborhood computer store (where I take mine when things go wrong) and traded my broken one in for one that they built at the store. The cost was not too bad. I would have liked to have gotten "7" but I got XP Professional instead -- it was cheaper. I had Vista on my old one.
As I am working with XP I can see why people liked it better than Vista -- it seems to be much more intuitive. When I moved from Mac to Vista I did not know any better and simply used it. I had purchased it when Vista was new and the complaints were not so loud yet. Anyway, I am now set up and running again. (I still think Mac is better -- but cannot afford it anymore and the programs for Windows seem to be cheaper and are available everywhere -- and so are viruses and spyware, so you really have to be diligent with Windows. Mac you don't much have to worry about in the viruses area because most of them don't run on Mac.)
As far as the eating program, I still need to make the schedule which I talked about in my last post -- that is when the computer went kaput -- but now that I have a new "MS Office" suite I will try out "Outlook" to see if that is the kind of thing that will work in that program. I don't yet know anything about it, but see it as a requirement in a lot of job posts, so would like to become at least familiar with what it does and how it works.
For the most part I have continued to eat fresh raw veggies and protein with only a couple of "episodes." One where I ate ice cream and another when I had pop corn two days in a row. But other than that, I've been eating pretty clean. I did check and have gone down a couple of pounds but don't want to give out any numbers until I see something solid and sustained in that area.
I don't have any new "insights" for today, yet, but am glad to be able to blog freely again. I let the exercise collapse while facing the computer problems so have to get myself motivated to start that again. It should not take much because I have been noticing some pains in my neck area that I know come from lack of exercise. I did my 12 minutes on the Aerofit yesterday and did a bunch of crunches but got sidetracked and did not do the cervical traction, so that is on the agenda for today.
I think I must have gotten a little depressed through this last time period because my living room needs to be cleaned up and the dishes are nearly all in a state of waiting to be cleaned -- again. I have some clean towels that need to be folded and that will clear up one area of the living room. I need to spend my time in the Word and pray a little more. I went to church last night and sat with a new friend, Margaret, whom I met last Sunday at "Home Coming" (which I found out is a birthday celebration of the founding of the church). She was interesting to talk to and we seem to have a lot in common. I was glad to see she came to church again on Wednesday.
My church is very special. At the end of every service the Pastor chooses someone to stand next to him and his wife and the speaker, and shake the hands of the people as they leave; and last night he chose Margaret. You should have seen her face. She seemed afraid and pleased and excited all at once, and as she hugged everyone she teared up again. I am so glad they chose her, I think she may have needed the validating experience. It is a wonderful feeling to shake everyone's hand or hug them or speak to them, it just does something good for the soul to receive that much acknowledgment -- which we single older women don't get much of.
I was glad to hear that the Lord opened Dallas' ears on Monday, too. He had been dealing with that for a long time -- perhaps more than a month and I have been praying for him. I am concerned for my friend Mrs Wanda, too, she has been told she has breast cancer and it is a fast growing variety, so we have all been praying for her to help her make right decisions about treatment and to be healed. You know, when you start to pray for people you really get to be acquainted with all the pain and suffering in the world that goes on. If you try to carry the burden yourself, it is a heavy one. But nothing is too heavy for the Lord. Reminds me of a scripture:
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Sometimes when I hear the stories of the stuff that people are going through my life does not seem so bad. I am just glad that God is able to take care of any and everything. He is the Great Healer and all a person has to do is turn to Him in faith -- and the prayers of other Christians really do make a difference. We share the miracles at our church, too. Like how two times in one week God protected two of our men from imminent harm -- one (our Pastor) was struck by lightening and came away unharmed in any way -- and the other one had been helped in a Walmart parking lot late at night. As he approached his car, a friend hollared, "Hey, hey, hey," and a man dressed all in black who had been crouching on the other side of his car stood up and ran away. God is so good!!
At Sweet Fellowship I used to be a teacher and when we did prayer requests I would write them down on the back of my lesson. I will never forget the day that I was scanning through the notebook and began to read the prayer requests over a many month time period and was amazed to see that each and every one had been answered, including children who had been gone for years finally contacting parents, major illnesses healed, jobs found and a myriad of other blessings that God had poured out on our group as we prayed. A verse that just came to mind:
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
If you are a Bible believing Christian you know that a "righteous" man or woman is one who believes in Jesus Christ and who has been clothed in His righteousness. So if you want healing, seek out a person whom you know is a true believer and ask them to pray for you.
I have asked for prayer to be delivered from obesity and the more I cling to the Lord, the more able I am to walk the higher path. I slip, but I do not let that discourage me from going on.
For inspiration today, read Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" for this date -- the morning one especially. I will paste it below for those who do not have access:
"August 13-Morning {Daily Reading: #Isa 64:1-66:24} {Quick Study: #Isa 63:1-66:24}
"The cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted. {#Ps 104:16}
"Lebanon’s cedars are emblematic of the Christian, in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. He is not man planted, nor self-planted, but God planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart which he had himself prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven owns the great Husbandman as his planter.
"Moreover, the cedars of Lebanon are not dependent upon man for their watering; they stand on the lofty rock, unmoistened by human irrigation; and yet our heavenly Father supplieth them. Thus it is with the Christian who has learned to live by faith. He is independent of man, even in temporal things; for his continued maintenance he looks to the Lord his God, and to him alone. The dew of heaven is his portion, and the God of heaven is his fountain.
"Again, the cedars of Lebanon are not protected by any mortal power. They owe nothing to man for their preservation from stormy wind and tempest. They are God’s trees, kept and preserved by him, and by him alone. It is precisely the same with the Christian. He is not a hot house plant, sheltered from temptation; he stands in the most exposed position; he has no shelter, no protection, except this, that the broad wings of the eternal God always cover the cedars which he himself has planted. Like cedars, believers are full of sap, having vitality enough to be ever green, even amid winter’s snows.
"Lastly, the flourishing and majestic condition of the cedar is to the praise of God only. The Lord, even the Lord alone hath been everything unto the cedars, and, therefore David very sweetly puts it in one of the psalms, ‘Praise ye the Lord, fruitful trees and all cedars.’ In the believer there is nothing that can magnify man; he is planted, nourished, and protected by the Lord’s own hand, and to him let all the glory be ascribed."
Amen! Be back soon -- Lord willing
--Marcia
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Day 48 Hannah Episode
Hi,
As I was eating my breakfast salad I watched an old episode of Hannah Montana on TV. I broke into the middle of it and her brother (I can't remember his name) is wigging out on eating chocolate, drinking maple syrup from the container with a straw, and eating more candy. He is portraying the eating machine. As I watched I thought it was a good episode for kids to watch because it was letting them see what candy does to you by making some kids hyperactive, and then there was a dream sequence where he had gotten really really fat and could not get up from his chair to chase after a couple of girls (the worldly teenager's main occupation). Then he suddenly wakes up from his dream, covered with empty candy wrappers, but in his normal sized body again. He realizes he needs to stop this candy binge that he is on and makes a vow not to eat any more as he throws the half eaten candy bar in his hand into the trash. Then he did something that really struck me. As he ran away from the scene of the crime, to make a positive change in his life, he turned back to the trash can, stuck out his hand towards it making a grabbing motion with his hand, and mouthed the words, "I love you" before he caught himself and turned again to run on to a better life style.
What came immediately to my mind was "Remember Lot's wife" -- a line from the Bible where Lot's wife had turned back to see Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by God and she turned into a pillar of salt. Then I thought about my own life style changes and how hard it would be if I was still mooning over eating pornographic food. In fact that is exactly what happened with the quiche episode. I turned to the forbidden food and said "I love you," stuck out my hand, picked it up, put it in my cart, purchased it, unpacked it at home, opened it up, and had a piece. Then another piece. Then later I had two more pieces. By the end of the day it was gone. I guess the point of all this is that it finally struck me that turning back like that to "bad food" is not going to get me to the place I want to end up. It just keeps me stuck in a place I don't really want to be because it is so self destructive.
I am glad that the Lord is guiding me and helping me to see that I can cling to Him for help. Last night, I went to Sweet Fellowship but got there purposefully late. The meal was over and they were singing a song -- which by the way -- had also been on the radio as I pulled up to the house. In my mind I wished we could sing that song at Sweet and when I opened the door, I could hear them singing that song. It was a confirmation from God that He is watching over me.
As I stated in the blog yesterday, I was worried that I might not have the strength to eat right there, so this is what I did. I prayed and asked God to help me to eat right. Even though I was not hungry (it was actually a meal time, though) I made a big salad and ate it before I left as a way to help me avoid the temptation to eat wrong things. I prayed again in the car before I pulled out. I planned to arrive a little late, so it would be easier to avoid the food table. And realized that when it was over, there is another eating session, but Edith served me a bowl of left over curried chicken with a few small hunks of potato which I ate. Then we sat and talked for a while at the table before I took my leave. I am happy to say that the Lord encouraged me with the song, and gave me the strength to eat only what was good for me. I am grateful.
I want to face the good things and say, "I love you" -- not the bad things. I don't want to be the living pillar of salt, frozen in bad habits. Especially in the food and eating arena. It is an arena because there is a lot of activity going on there and I want the activity to be worthwhile in my life. There does not seem to be a lot of sense to eating pornographic food which will harm my body, when there is always plenty of good food to eat that will not only not harm it, but will actually help and heal it. Thank God for His abundance.
That was my daily encouragement. I still plan on making the schedule, which I think will support me to be aware of what I am eating, making sure I take care of what I need to take care of, without making me crazy like counting calories does. I am still re-reading the book and getting reinforcement to support me in following the program and not letting me turn into a pillar of salt.
Be back soon
--Marcia
As I was eating my breakfast salad I watched an old episode of Hannah Montana on TV. I broke into the middle of it and her brother (I can't remember his name) is wigging out on eating chocolate, drinking maple syrup from the container with a straw, and eating more candy. He is portraying the eating machine. As I watched I thought it was a good episode for kids to watch because it was letting them see what candy does to you by making some kids hyperactive, and then there was a dream sequence where he had gotten really really fat and could not get up from his chair to chase after a couple of girls (the worldly teenager's main occupation). Then he suddenly wakes up from his dream, covered with empty candy wrappers, but in his normal sized body again. He realizes he needs to stop this candy binge that he is on and makes a vow not to eat any more as he throws the half eaten candy bar in his hand into the trash. Then he did something that really struck me. As he ran away from the scene of the crime, to make a positive change in his life, he turned back to the trash can, stuck out his hand towards it making a grabbing motion with his hand, and mouthed the words, "I love you" before he caught himself and turned again to run on to a better life style.
What came immediately to my mind was "Remember Lot's wife" -- a line from the Bible where Lot's wife had turned back to see Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by God and she turned into a pillar of salt. Then I thought about my own life style changes and how hard it would be if I was still mooning over eating pornographic food. In fact that is exactly what happened with the quiche episode. I turned to the forbidden food and said "I love you," stuck out my hand, picked it up, put it in my cart, purchased it, unpacked it at home, opened it up, and had a piece. Then another piece. Then later I had two more pieces. By the end of the day it was gone. I guess the point of all this is that it finally struck me that turning back like that to "bad food" is not going to get me to the place I want to end up. It just keeps me stuck in a place I don't really want to be because it is so self destructive.
I am glad that the Lord is guiding me and helping me to see that I can cling to Him for help. Last night, I went to Sweet Fellowship but got there purposefully late. The meal was over and they were singing a song -- which by the way -- had also been on the radio as I pulled up to the house. In my mind I wished we could sing that song at Sweet and when I opened the door, I could hear them singing that song. It was a confirmation from God that He is watching over me.
As I stated in the blog yesterday, I was worried that I might not have the strength to eat right there, so this is what I did. I prayed and asked God to help me to eat right. Even though I was not hungry (it was actually a meal time, though) I made a big salad and ate it before I left as a way to help me avoid the temptation to eat wrong things. I prayed again in the car before I pulled out. I planned to arrive a little late, so it would be easier to avoid the food table. And realized that when it was over, there is another eating session, but Edith served me a bowl of left over curried chicken with a few small hunks of potato which I ate. Then we sat and talked for a while at the table before I took my leave. I am happy to say that the Lord encouraged me with the song, and gave me the strength to eat only what was good for me. I am grateful.
I want to face the good things and say, "I love you" -- not the bad things. I don't want to be the living pillar of salt, frozen in bad habits. Especially in the food and eating arena. It is an arena because there is a lot of activity going on there and I want the activity to be worthwhile in my life. There does not seem to be a lot of sense to eating pornographic food which will harm my body, when there is always plenty of good food to eat that will not only not harm it, but will actually help and heal it. Thank God for His abundance.
That was my daily encouragement. I still plan on making the schedule, which I think will support me to be aware of what I am eating, making sure I take care of what I need to take care of, without making me crazy like counting calories does. I am still re-reading the book and getting reinforcement to support me in following the program and not letting me turn into a pillar of salt.
Be back soon
--Marcia
Friday, August 6, 2010
Day 47
Hi,
I just read through yesterday's post and was encouraged again. It seems odd to me that I need so much encouragement to stay on track. But I think I should cut my self some slack and simply get the encouragement I need. If that is what I need, then, that is what I need. No problem. The only real problem I have is being tempted to go astray and if practicing picturing eating right gives me the courage to do what is right, that is what I should do. I will know by the end of this evening if picturing eating good food really does work as I hope it will -- just like it says in my post yesterday.
I don't know how others are, but I have to work hard to juggle all this new stuff. If I don't pay attention, then I miss a meal or miss an exercise session. It occurred to me last night in bed as I was thinking about all this that I have never made a schedule to follow. I am still trying to juggle everything in my brain and it is not working so very well.
I did not make the menus when Dr Rip and Jim Healthy said that is what I should do. I hate making menus -- but I think in rejecting that, I may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. I do need a way to keep track of meals and exercise if I am to know where I am and what I need to do next. I think that tomorrow that will be my next task. To make a schedule of how many meals I need to eat and when, and when I need to exercise and what kind. I still don't think I need menus, but I do need to keep track of meals and snacks and exercise.
I have about given up on calorie counting because it makes me crazy. Every time I get hungry I get a sinking feeling that I am doing something wrong and am flabbergasted that I am hungry again so quickly. Calorie counting is only an estimate anyway. I did not want to say that I'm giving up on that, because I don't want to lose face, but it is the truth. I feel the pressure and don't want the stress of calorie counting. I am glad I did it so I could get a better picture of what I am eating, but soon felt like the things that make me feel full are the things with the most calories and every time I would try to cut down on those things, I began to feel like I was starving until I would simply let loose and eat what I needed. I don't know if that is the right decision, but I am going to simply try to do better with the actual original program and move on from there. If when I go back to my doctor in about 6 weeks, I've lost a little, then I can justify the decision.
As I am re-reading "The 30 Day diabetes Cure" it is not about calories, but I am now noticing the portion control statements that I had not noticed the last time I read it. The calorie counting did get me in contact with how much I am eating, but as I read the book again, it really is about eating healthy many times throughout the day. I still feel that raw veggies are nearly unlimited and filling up on them is not a crime. But they don't seem to stick with me and sometimes I just need to eat a real meal -- so I up the size of the salad and can feel the full feeling. I don't know if I am doing what will help me to lose weight, but I've got to do what I am able to do and I want to feel at peace about it.
I went shopping today with a friend. We have different food needs. She has celiac disease and needs to eat gluten free -- I need to eat foods that do not affect my blood sugar, and as it turns out, her diet and mine are kind of similar in a few ways. Her's is actually more restricted than mine. But neither one of us can eat grain foods (whole or otherwise) very well. She is allergic to many more food items than I am. I feel for her. It is not easy to have to eliminate much of the food we are used to eating. And your life becomes about what you ate, and how it affected you, and what you will do next time. She is the best label reader I've ever come across and I am encouraged to do the same, since that is part of my program.
When I eliminated the processed foods, the labels got real easy to read. There is no label on broccoli or baby carrots or romaine lettuce. It is fresh whole food and can be eaten freely. I was thinking about buying some breaded fish today, but when I read the labels, I knew that was a bad idea.
As I walked past the "fresh" fish section I could hardly stand the stench. Even when I was looking at the high priced nuts, I could smell that putrid odor and had to leave the area it was so bad. I didn't really want any high priced nuts, anyway. Can you imagine! The average price seemed to be about $6 for a small plastic container of nearly any kind they had -- some as high as $9 for the same sized container because they were slightly more exotic, but as I rushed out of that area because of the stench, I scanned the prices and nothing seemed to be under $4.99. Later when I commented on that with my friend, she said the same thing -- that fish area just really smelled bad.
We were at a Whole Foods market, but the produce I bought was not all organic. At least at Kroger I can tell the organic from the regular -- maybe because I am simply more familiar with Kroger. I liked the store, but was completely unfamiliar with the layout. The people who worked there were extremely helpful and would just pop up and ask if I needed help. That was really nice. I bought one bar of 88% dark chocolate because this nice young man said it was the kind he liked the best -- but when I got it home and tasted it -- it was not what I had in mind at all. Perhaps I can melt it and make hot chocolate that I can sweeten with Stevia. I don't want anyone to know I sparingly use Xylitol -- because that is a "no-no." But after the 30 days was over, I started using it. I had some in plain yogurt today with a little cinnamon.
I've had the Zylitol question in my mind for a long time and the stuff I read on the internet does not seem to match up with what Dr Rip says about it. He does not go into detail about Zylitol as he does some of the other "artificial" sweeteners, but Z says that it comes from a natural source. I'm going to look that up and see what I see. I don't have to have it in my life, I just want to make sure it needs to be kicked out, for sure, before getting rid of it.
Well I am now thinking about Sweet Fellowship tonight and what a table of food will be there when I get there and how to deal with it. I have strong habits for eating at that place so will need to pray for strength and guidance to stay on my program this time and not do what I did last time. Make a pig of myself. It does not seem to matter whether I eat before I go or not -- I usually eat when I get there, no matter what. But that no longer supports my true desire to heal my diabetes and also get rid of some of these extra pounds. I am not looking to be Twiggy, I just want to wear smaller clothes comfortably.
Be back soon with my report on how I did at Sweet Fellowship. I hope the news is good.
--Marcia
SAVE TIME! SAVE ENERGY! SAVE YOUR BACK!
Need an efficient way to move heavy objects by yourself?
Try one of the sturdy steel luggage carts at:
http://www.bestluggagecarts.com/folding_utility_carts.html
I just read through yesterday's post and was encouraged again. It seems odd to me that I need so much encouragement to stay on track. But I think I should cut my self some slack and simply get the encouragement I need. If that is what I need, then, that is what I need. No problem. The only real problem I have is being tempted to go astray and if practicing picturing eating right gives me the courage to do what is right, that is what I should do. I will know by the end of this evening if picturing eating good food really does work as I hope it will -- just like it says in my post yesterday.
I don't know how others are, but I have to work hard to juggle all this new stuff. If I don't pay attention, then I miss a meal or miss an exercise session. It occurred to me last night in bed as I was thinking about all this that I have never made a schedule to follow. I am still trying to juggle everything in my brain and it is not working so very well.
I did not make the menus when Dr Rip and Jim Healthy said that is what I should do. I hate making menus -- but I think in rejecting that, I may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. I do need a way to keep track of meals and exercise if I am to know where I am and what I need to do next. I think that tomorrow that will be my next task. To make a schedule of how many meals I need to eat and when, and when I need to exercise and what kind. I still don't think I need menus, but I do need to keep track of meals and snacks and exercise.
I have about given up on calorie counting because it makes me crazy. Every time I get hungry I get a sinking feeling that I am doing something wrong and am flabbergasted that I am hungry again so quickly. Calorie counting is only an estimate anyway. I did not want to say that I'm giving up on that, because I don't want to lose face, but it is the truth. I feel the pressure and don't want the stress of calorie counting. I am glad I did it so I could get a better picture of what I am eating, but soon felt like the things that make me feel full are the things with the most calories and every time I would try to cut down on those things, I began to feel like I was starving until I would simply let loose and eat what I needed. I don't know if that is the right decision, but I am going to simply try to do better with the actual original program and move on from there. If when I go back to my doctor in about 6 weeks, I've lost a little, then I can justify the decision.
As I am re-reading "The 30 Day diabetes Cure" it is not about calories, but I am now noticing the portion control statements that I had not noticed the last time I read it. The calorie counting did get me in contact with how much I am eating, but as I read the book again, it really is about eating healthy many times throughout the day. I still feel that raw veggies are nearly unlimited and filling up on them is not a crime. But they don't seem to stick with me and sometimes I just need to eat a real meal -- so I up the size of the salad and can feel the full feeling. I don't know if I am doing what will help me to lose weight, but I've got to do what I am able to do and I want to feel at peace about it.
I went shopping today with a friend. We have different food needs. She has celiac disease and needs to eat gluten free -- I need to eat foods that do not affect my blood sugar, and as it turns out, her diet and mine are kind of similar in a few ways. Her's is actually more restricted than mine. But neither one of us can eat grain foods (whole or otherwise) very well. She is allergic to many more food items than I am. I feel for her. It is not easy to have to eliminate much of the food we are used to eating. And your life becomes about what you ate, and how it affected you, and what you will do next time. She is the best label reader I've ever come across and I am encouraged to do the same, since that is part of my program.
When I eliminated the processed foods, the labels got real easy to read. There is no label on broccoli or baby carrots or romaine lettuce. It is fresh whole food and can be eaten freely. I was thinking about buying some breaded fish today, but when I read the labels, I knew that was a bad idea.
As I walked past the "fresh" fish section I could hardly stand the stench. Even when I was looking at the high priced nuts, I could smell that putrid odor and had to leave the area it was so bad. I didn't really want any high priced nuts, anyway. Can you imagine! The average price seemed to be about $6 for a small plastic container of nearly any kind they had -- some as high as $9 for the same sized container because they were slightly more exotic, but as I rushed out of that area because of the stench, I scanned the prices and nothing seemed to be under $4.99. Later when I commented on that with my friend, she said the same thing -- that fish area just really smelled bad.
We were at a Whole Foods market, but the produce I bought was not all organic. At least at Kroger I can tell the organic from the regular -- maybe because I am simply more familiar with Kroger. I liked the store, but was completely unfamiliar with the layout. The people who worked there were extremely helpful and would just pop up and ask if I needed help. That was really nice. I bought one bar of 88% dark chocolate because this nice young man said it was the kind he liked the best -- but when I got it home and tasted it -- it was not what I had in mind at all. Perhaps I can melt it and make hot chocolate that I can sweeten with Stevia. I don't want anyone to know I sparingly use Xylitol -- because that is a "no-no." But after the 30 days was over, I started using it. I had some in plain yogurt today with a little cinnamon.
I've had the Zylitol question in my mind for a long time and the stuff I read on the internet does not seem to match up with what Dr Rip says about it. He does not go into detail about Zylitol as he does some of the other "artificial" sweeteners, but Z says that it comes from a natural source. I'm going to look that up and see what I see. I don't have to have it in my life, I just want to make sure it needs to be kicked out, for sure, before getting rid of it.
Well I am now thinking about Sweet Fellowship tonight and what a table of food will be there when I get there and how to deal with it. I have strong habits for eating at that place so will need to pray for strength and guidance to stay on my program this time and not do what I did last time. Make a pig of myself. It does not seem to matter whether I eat before I go or not -- I usually eat when I get there, no matter what. But that no longer supports my true desire to heal my diabetes and also get rid of some of these extra pounds. I am not looking to be Twiggy, I just want to wear smaller clothes comfortably.
Be back soon with my report on how I did at Sweet Fellowship. I hope the news is good.
--Marcia
SAVE TIME! SAVE ENERGY! SAVE YOUR BACK!
Need an efficient way to move heavy objects by yourself?
Try one of the sturdy steel luggage carts at:
http://www.bestluggagecarts.com/folding_utility_carts.html
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Day 46 -- Choosing Right Now
Howdy Pardner!
I lived "out west" for a while, ages ago. Sometimes I miss seeing the mountains. But I am loving my new lifestyle changes. The thing about life style changes is you can't make them all at once. You really do need to make them one day at a time. Even one meal at a time and one exercise session at a time. Or one purchase at a time. That is the most manageable. I can't manage a whole day at time, because at any given time, some of it is past and only a memory, and some of it is still future and only a thought. The only time you can make a change, or decision, or take action is right now. Right now I choose to eat to heal my body. If I cling to the Lord and His truth, and I also cling to the principles that Dr Ripich teaches about curing diabetes, I will see the healthy results in the not too distant future.
And sometimes there are critical moments when you have to make your choices one bite at a time. This happens when you have not turned your head and walked away. You have let your appetite and feelings begin to dictate the pictures in your head and you have already gone the wrong way. Maybe you waited too long to eat and now you are famished. You have gone so far as to take the first or second or third bite and there you are eating pornographic food. You know it is wrong to eat this particular food, but have already chosen to ignore the impending consequences you are creating as you chew.
There are many steps that come before the bite stage and if you come to your senses during any one of them, you can hold up the hand with the stop sign and turn away -- at any step or moment in the process.
First, do not beat yourself up.
Second, admit what you have done in the last moment, and choose to make the right choice right now in this moment.
Third. Throw out the pornographic item. Make sure it is irretrievable -- put it on the coffee grounds in the trash or next to something that is filthy and untouchable in your mind, let alone inedible. Or wash it in the sink and dissolve it away.
Fourth thank God that you noticed it and had the guts to stop it where you did.
Fifth go get something good to eat and eat it with relish -- not the food relish -- the attitude of fun, relish, because you have changed your direction.
Sixth Now be careful because you are still vulnerable. Get out the book that inspired you. Read the book. Get inspired. Pray. (Talk to God and pray as the Spirit leads you. You will know what to say when you pray.)
Remember why you need to eat right.
Remember the benefits of eating clean food.
Remember that you don't want to invent diabetic complications in your life by eating pornographic food.
Remember that you do want to be free of diabetes and the way to do that is with good healthy food in the mouth (picture the good food), and good healthy exercise on the body (picture the good exercise).
Finally make the decision to stick to your plan from this moment on.
Anything in the past, is the past, and can be let go of. Just set it aside and take a correct or corrective action right now. This is the only time an action can be taken, anyway: right now. Praise the Lord!
Of course, I have just finished a wonderful salad with a little protein and my belly is full and I feel good. But I know those times when you are faced with a temptation to eat something that is "not good for" or "not healthy for" your own body. For many years I have regarded my appetite, and feelings of hunger, rather than what is good for my body. I want to be able to look down a table full of food and make right choices -- like I will have to do next Sunday. It will be a church dinner, but I know there will be pornographic food there. Food that is better left untouched and uneaten. I am going to take a salad, I think, or a pot of beans. Anything that I can eat that others may also enjoy. Probably a salad, due to the high temperatures outside. But beans is cheaper. So I will decide when I have to decide about that.
I think I need to prepare myself by picturing me picking only vegetables and protein to eat, and ignoring or refusing any offers of foods that are not meant for human consumption -- or at least, this human's consumption. Play that out in my mind before I get there. I don't want to go into detail about what those pornographic foods will look like, because that would be picturing them and I would have to focus on them to do that. Suffice it to say: starchy, heavy, cheesy, pasta, potato, bread, or sweet dishes including desserts are pornographic and no good for me.
I want to picture myself putting salad, maybe a little fruit, some protein on my plate and ice and filtered water in my glass to drink, then turning away and going to sit with friends, being happy that I have a plate full of good food for me to eat. Plan to enjoy the flavors of the fresh greens and salad fixings. Plan to be satisfied as I talk to my friends. Plan to cut the meat and examine the taste and texture. Plan to swallow fresh, vibrant, clean water and feel it cooling down my throat as it goes towards my own personal holding area. I want to make sure the holding area is only filled with good and healthy food, meant for me. I don't want any food that is meant only for others. I want to eat only the food that is meant for me. I will know it was meant for me because it will fit and match the descriptions in The 30 Day Diabetes Cure, and it will give me only individual bites of good fresh whole foods.
Whoa! That was quite an exercise. I think I need to do that more often. Just picture myself making right choices. Here I pull out the lettuce and make a salad. There I trim off a smallish piece of cheese and add it to the salad. As I picture the things I am going to eat... that seems to be reinforcing making right choices for myself. So rather than picture eating wrong things and taking the wrong path, I shall picture eating right things and taking the right path. That means turning my face away from some commercials. It means putting my head in another direction (the direction of the produce, perhaps) when I walk past the forbidden foods at the grocery.
You know the grocery stores are set up to entice you to buy. They are SELLING food, and they don't care which ones you buy, just as long as you buy something. You do not have an obligation to them, you only have an obligation to your own health. The grocery store executives only continue to sell what we continue to buy. If it ain't selling, it soon disappears and it won't come back without popular demand. They have done studies and noticed that they SELL more cake if the decorated and colorful cakes are on display in a pretty case right at eye level with nice lighting and happy phrases written on them and pretty doilies underneath them. They let you see the food in the deli cases to make your mouth water and help you to buy things that are not on your list or in your intentions. Turn your head away and do not fall victim to their purposes. Keep your purpose in mind.
I fell for their sales tactics, and my own stubborn appetite, when I bought the quiche last Sunday, and then took it home and ate the whole thing before the day was done. I let myself think that since it was made with eggs and cheese and spinach that it was better for me than a German chocolate cake or an apple pie. I suppose in that respect it may have been slightly better -- but only slightly. The crust was still likely to be made with bleached flour which will attack my liver, raise my blood sugar, and clog my arteries. It was pornographic food. It looked good. It was positioned to catch my eye. It was sold. Hmmmm. And I am the fool that bought it. I conveniently forgot all the bad effects in order to let me purchase it. I conveniently remembered only that I like how it tastes and feels to eat it. If I had turned my head, and walked away with good intentions, I would not have ended up eating it. It is as simple as that.
So my good health also depends on my one purchase at a time. Each item I put in the basket must be a perfect fit for my personal program. It can no longer be someone else's program. Sorry Dr Ripich, but I own my program now. I know that is ultimately what you want, because you cannot go everywhere with me and tell me what to do every moment of the day. Or can you? That is what is meant by "abiding" in the teachings. I take Dr Ripich and Jim Healthy with me in my head. And the more I read the book, the more it inspires me. The more I cling to the teachings, the more freedom I get. Freedom from high blood sugar numbers. Freedom from possible future diabetic complications. Freedom to live my life at a higher more self controlled level and love every minute of it. Now that is freedom. Freedom to relax and know that I've done what I needed to do and the rest is up to God, Whom I trust.
Be back soon
--Marcia
SAVE TIME! SAVE ENERGY! SAVE YOUR BACK!
Need an efficient way to move heavy objects by yourself?
Try one of the sturdy steel luggage carts at:
http://www.bestluggagecarts.com/folding_utility_carts.html
I lived "out west" for a while, ages ago. Sometimes I miss seeing the mountains. But I am loving my new lifestyle changes. The thing about life style changes is you can't make them all at once. You really do need to make them one day at a time. Even one meal at a time and one exercise session at a time. Or one purchase at a time. That is the most manageable. I can't manage a whole day at time, because at any given time, some of it is past and only a memory, and some of it is still future and only a thought. The only time you can make a change, or decision, or take action is right now. Right now I choose to eat to heal my body. If I cling to the Lord and His truth, and I also cling to the principles that Dr Ripich teaches about curing diabetes, I will see the healthy results in the not too distant future.
And sometimes there are critical moments when you have to make your choices one bite at a time. This happens when you have not turned your head and walked away. You have let your appetite and feelings begin to dictate the pictures in your head and you have already gone the wrong way. Maybe you waited too long to eat and now you are famished. You have gone so far as to take the first or second or third bite and there you are eating pornographic food. You know it is wrong to eat this particular food, but have already chosen to ignore the impending consequences you are creating as you chew.
There are many steps that come before the bite stage and if you come to your senses during any one of them, you can hold up the hand with the stop sign and turn away -- at any step or moment in the process.
First, do not beat yourself up.
Second, admit what you have done in the last moment, and choose to make the right choice right now in this moment.
Third. Throw out the pornographic item. Make sure it is irretrievable -- put it on the coffee grounds in the trash or next to something that is filthy and untouchable in your mind, let alone inedible. Or wash it in the sink and dissolve it away.
Fourth thank God that you noticed it and had the guts to stop it where you did.
Fifth go get something good to eat and eat it with relish -- not the food relish -- the attitude of fun, relish, because you have changed your direction.
Sixth Now be careful because you are still vulnerable. Get out the book that inspired you. Read the book. Get inspired. Pray. (Talk to God and pray as the Spirit leads you. You will know what to say when you pray.)
Remember why you need to eat right.
Remember the benefits of eating clean food.
Remember that you don't want to invent diabetic complications in your life by eating pornographic food.
Remember that you do want to be free of diabetes and the way to do that is with good healthy food in the mouth (picture the good food), and good healthy exercise on the body (picture the good exercise).
Finally make the decision to stick to your plan from this moment on.
Anything in the past, is the past, and can be let go of. Just set it aside and take a correct or corrective action right now. This is the only time an action can be taken, anyway: right now. Praise the Lord!
Of course, I have just finished a wonderful salad with a little protein and my belly is full and I feel good. But I know those times when you are faced with a temptation to eat something that is "not good for" or "not healthy for" your own body. For many years I have regarded my appetite, and feelings of hunger, rather than what is good for my body. I want to be able to look down a table full of food and make right choices -- like I will have to do next Sunday. It will be a church dinner, but I know there will be pornographic food there. Food that is better left untouched and uneaten. I am going to take a salad, I think, or a pot of beans. Anything that I can eat that others may also enjoy. Probably a salad, due to the high temperatures outside. But beans is cheaper. So I will decide when I have to decide about that.
I think I need to prepare myself by picturing me picking only vegetables and protein to eat, and ignoring or refusing any offers of foods that are not meant for human consumption -- or at least, this human's consumption. Play that out in my mind before I get there. I don't want to go into detail about what those pornographic foods will look like, because that would be picturing them and I would have to focus on them to do that. Suffice it to say: starchy, heavy, cheesy, pasta, potato, bread, or sweet dishes including desserts are pornographic and no good for me.
I want to picture myself putting salad, maybe a little fruit, some protein on my plate and ice and filtered water in my glass to drink, then turning away and going to sit with friends, being happy that I have a plate full of good food for me to eat. Plan to enjoy the flavors of the fresh greens and salad fixings. Plan to be satisfied as I talk to my friends. Plan to cut the meat and examine the taste and texture. Plan to swallow fresh, vibrant, clean water and feel it cooling down my throat as it goes towards my own personal holding area. I want to make sure the holding area is only filled with good and healthy food, meant for me. I don't want any food that is meant only for others. I want to eat only the food that is meant for me. I will know it was meant for me because it will fit and match the descriptions in The 30 Day Diabetes Cure, and it will give me only individual bites of good fresh whole foods.
Whoa! That was quite an exercise. I think I need to do that more often. Just picture myself making right choices. Here I pull out the lettuce and make a salad. There I trim off a smallish piece of cheese and add it to the salad. As I picture the things I am going to eat... that seems to be reinforcing making right choices for myself. So rather than picture eating wrong things and taking the wrong path, I shall picture eating right things and taking the right path. That means turning my face away from some commercials. It means putting my head in another direction (the direction of the produce, perhaps) when I walk past the forbidden foods at the grocery.
You know the grocery stores are set up to entice you to buy. They are SELLING food, and they don't care which ones you buy, just as long as you buy something. You do not have an obligation to them, you only have an obligation to your own health. The grocery store executives only continue to sell what we continue to buy. If it ain't selling, it soon disappears and it won't come back without popular demand. They have done studies and noticed that they SELL more cake if the decorated and colorful cakes are on display in a pretty case right at eye level with nice lighting and happy phrases written on them and pretty doilies underneath them. They let you see the food in the deli cases to make your mouth water and help you to buy things that are not on your list or in your intentions. Turn your head away and do not fall victim to their purposes. Keep your purpose in mind.
I fell for their sales tactics, and my own stubborn appetite, when I bought the quiche last Sunday, and then took it home and ate the whole thing before the day was done. I let myself think that since it was made with eggs and cheese and spinach that it was better for me than a German chocolate cake or an apple pie. I suppose in that respect it may have been slightly better -- but only slightly. The crust was still likely to be made with bleached flour which will attack my liver, raise my blood sugar, and clog my arteries. It was pornographic food. It looked good. It was positioned to catch my eye. It was sold. Hmmmm. And I am the fool that bought it. I conveniently forgot all the bad effects in order to let me purchase it. I conveniently remembered only that I like how it tastes and feels to eat it. If I had turned my head, and walked away with good intentions, I would not have ended up eating it. It is as simple as that.
So my good health also depends on my one purchase at a time. Each item I put in the basket must be a perfect fit for my personal program. It can no longer be someone else's program. Sorry Dr Ripich, but I own my program now. I know that is ultimately what you want, because you cannot go everywhere with me and tell me what to do every moment of the day. Or can you? That is what is meant by "abiding" in the teachings. I take Dr Ripich and Jim Healthy with me in my head. And the more I read the book, the more it inspires me. The more I cling to the teachings, the more freedom I get. Freedom from high blood sugar numbers. Freedom from possible future diabetic complications. Freedom to live my life at a higher more self controlled level and love every minute of it. Now that is freedom. Freedom to relax and know that I've done what I needed to do and the rest is up to God, Whom I trust.
Be back soon
--Marcia
SAVE TIME! SAVE ENERGY! SAVE YOUR BACK!
Need an efficient way to move heavy objects by yourself?
Try one of the sturdy steel luggage carts at:
http://www.bestluggagecarts.com/folding_utility_carts.html
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Day 45 -- Encouraged by Ken Bankhead
Hi,
I have been wanting to quote something that a friend of mine sent me a few days ago because it seemed so appropriate to what I am experiencing. His name is Ken Bankhead and he is a missionary to Spain. I met him and his wife and family a few years ago when they were attending Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain and had just barely gotten to know and love them when they left on their mission. We got in touch a few years later through a mutual friend and he put me on his "Weekly Encouragement" e-mail list. Ken has been dealing with some major health issues for the last two years and had a flair up recently, so I did not hear from him for a couple of months. I would pray for Him as the Lord laid him on my heart and then suddenly one day, I got a "Weekly Encouragement" from him. I was so glad to hear from him! I hope he does not mind, I have edited and corrected a couple of things but did not change his thoughts. Here is Ken Bankhead's "Weekly Encouragement" for the week of Aug 1, 2010:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. -- Matthew 7:13-14
"A choice worth your examination:
"Since the beginning of time man has always been given a personal choice. Regardless of one’s situation or surroundings, your choice is your choice. This choice of yours is personal. Now, I will be honest, it may appear that this is the only choice you could make, but if you were to be honest (which I’m asking of you) standing before the Holy God, there would be no argument, because: Was it not your choice?
"Not long ago I was in the hospital noticing that the patient in the bed next to me did not want to remain, regardless of his medical condition. Finally things escalated to the point that the nurses, doctors and the specialist of his medical condition pleaded with him not to self check out of the hospital. They were telling him, “We know what’s wrong and how to help you.” Warning him, "If you do this, the condition will worsen." Finally he insisted on exercising his personal choice, leaving them no choice but to comply.
"Now, in all fairness, we often make choices stemming from fear, greed or pride. However, in faith you also make personal choices everyday. In the bible, Jesus is not ordering you around, but declaring to you what’s best for your condition. He will always respect your personal decision, only warning you, in truth, of what to expect the consequences to be. Because of this, your choice is not really made in fear, pride or greed, but in freedom. This leaves you with no other choice than to do a self examination.
"You decide, is Jesus right about the choice, or wrong?
"Be Encouraged -- KB"
Wow. I had never really seen this perspective before -- that my choices either regard, honor, and agree with, or disregard, dishonor, and disagree with my Savior and His word. This brings up the following verse to my mind:
John 8:31-32 -- So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The word that stands out to me is "abide." And my favorite definition of "abide" is: "to continue to be present," or to "live in." Here Jesus is saying that if you continue to be present in His word, if you live in His word, you will then be a true follower of His, a disciple. The only way for that to happen is, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to keep His word in my heart, to think about Him and His word throughout the day. To recognize and to regard His word and to obey it, or to do what it says. That will affect how a person lives their life. So the question is: "Do you want to be set free?" The only way to do that is to abide in Jesus word.
Aside from the obvious spiritual application, I am also applying this to is my new food and exercise lifestyle changes. I can see that my making foolish decisions often happens because I have forgotten the purpose and benefits. I am paying attention to my appetite, and not to my health. I have forgotten what the effects of my choices are. There are pictures that pop into my mind, or even just a feeling in my chest and throat that are pulling me toward a particular thing which soon pops into my mind as a particular picture.
Every time I make a wrong choice I am choosing to disregard what I know to be the healthy path. Every time I make a right choice, I am being obedient and compliant to what I know will support my health and my hunger pangs. If I have not kept the "word" or teachings that I have just been trying to incorporate, present in my mind and heart, then I am apt to get side tracked and make foolish choices.
So, just as I need to read my Bible every day to stay close to Jesus, I need to also re-read "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" to continue to walk in the healthy path. There may perhaps be a time when I have it so down pat that I am actually always walking the healthy path, but for now, I need to support my new healthy walk. So I am re-reading the book to remind me why I am doing this. I don't want to forget and fall off the wagon. I have been teetering, and I need to bring myself back to the principles that Dr Ripich teaches in order to continue to see progress.
Yesterday I had to visit the Unemployment Office to get an insurance paper signed so I took "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" with me and began to read it from page one. I was there long enough to read 56 pages before I set it aside and visited with a few ladies sitting near me. I was again reminded about what diabetes really is: a disorder of the metabolism that is caused by what we choose to eat. If I make right choices the disorder begins to right itself, because of the wonderful way the Lord created us. If I make wrong choices, each one, makes the metabolism go farther off track. It happens so slowly, almost cell by cell, that if I am not looking, I will not notice it. Bite by bite I am changing my cells for the good, or for the bad. My choices in life matter. What I choose to eat, matters to my health. Freedom comes from abiding in the teachings.
So. Off to read more -- in both books.
Be back soon
--Marcia
SAVE TIME! SAVE ENERGY! SAVE YOUR BACK!
Need an efficient way to move heavy objects by yourself?
Try one of the sturdy steel luggage carts at:
http://www.bestluggagecarts.com/folding_utility_carts.html
I have been wanting to quote something that a friend of mine sent me a few days ago because it seemed so appropriate to what I am experiencing. His name is Ken Bankhead and he is a missionary to Spain. I met him and his wife and family a few years ago when they were attending Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain and had just barely gotten to know and love them when they left on their mission. We got in touch a few years later through a mutual friend and he put me on his "Weekly Encouragement" e-mail list. Ken has been dealing with some major health issues for the last two years and had a flair up recently, so I did not hear from him for a couple of months. I would pray for Him as the Lord laid him on my heart and then suddenly one day, I got a "Weekly Encouragement" from him. I was so glad to hear from him! I hope he does not mind, I have edited and corrected a couple of things but did not change his thoughts. Here is Ken Bankhead's "Weekly Encouragement" for the week of Aug 1, 2010:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. -- Matthew 7:13-14
"A choice worth your examination:
"Since the beginning of time man has always been given a personal choice. Regardless of one’s situation or surroundings, your choice is your choice. This choice of yours is personal. Now, I will be honest, it may appear that this is the only choice you could make, but if you were to be honest (which I’m asking of you) standing before the Holy God, there would be no argument, because: Was it not your choice?
"Not long ago I was in the hospital noticing that the patient in the bed next to me did not want to remain, regardless of his medical condition. Finally things escalated to the point that the nurses, doctors and the specialist of his medical condition pleaded with him not to self check out of the hospital. They were telling him, “We know what’s wrong and how to help you.” Warning him, "If you do this, the condition will worsen." Finally he insisted on exercising his personal choice, leaving them no choice but to comply.
"Now, in all fairness, we often make choices stemming from fear, greed or pride. However, in faith you also make personal choices everyday. In the bible, Jesus is not ordering you around, but declaring to you what’s best for your condition. He will always respect your personal decision, only warning you, in truth, of what to expect the consequences to be. Because of this, your choice is not really made in fear, pride or greed, but in freedom. This leaves you with no other choice than to do a self examination.
"You decide, is Jesus right about the choice, or wrong?
"Be Encouraged -- KB"
Wow. I had never really seen this perspective before -- that my choices either regard, honor, and agree with, or disregard, dishonor, and disagree with my Savior and His word. This brings up the following verse to my mind:
John 8:31-32 -- So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The word that stands out to me is "abide." And my favorite definition of "abide" is: "to continue to be present," or to "live in." Here Jesus is saying that if you continue to be present in His word, if you live in His word, you will then be a true follower of His, a disciple. The only way for that to happen is, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to keep His word in my heart, to think about Him and His word throughout the day. To recognize and to regard His word and to obey it, or to do what it says. That will affect how a person lives their life. So the question is: "Do you want to be set free?" The only way to do that is to abide in Jesus word.
Aside from the obvious spiritual application, I am also applying this to is my new food and exercise lifestyle changes. I can see that my making foolish decisions often happens because I have forgotten the purpose and benefits. I am paying attention to my appetite, and not to my health. I have forgotten what the effects of my choices are. There are pictures that pop into my mind, or even just a feeling in my chest and throat that are pulling me toward a particular thing which soon pops into my mind as a particular picture.
Every time I make a wrong choice I am choosing to disregard what I know to be the healthy path. Every time I make a right choice, I am being obedient and compliant to what I know will support my health and my hunger pangs. If I have not kept the "word" or teachings that I have just been trying to incorporate, present in my mind and heart, then I am apt to get side tracked and make foolish choices.
So, just as I need to read my Bible every day to stay close to Jesus, I need to also re-read "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" to continue to walk in the healthy path. There may perhaps be a time when I have it so down pat that I am actually always walking the healthy path, but for now, I need to support my new healthy walk. So I am re-reading the book to remind me why I am doing this. I don't want to forget and fall off the wagon. I have been teetering, and I need to bring myself back to the principles that Dr Ripich teaches in order to continue to see progress.
Yesterday I had to visit the Unemployment Office to get an insurance paper signed so I took "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" with me and began to read it from page one. I was there long enough to read 56 pages before I set it aside and visited with a few ladies sitting near me. I was again reminded about what diabetes really is: a disorder of the metabolism that is caused by what we choose to eat. If I make right choices the disorder begins to right itself, because of the wonderful way the Lord created us. If I make wrong choices, each one, makes the metabolism go farther off track. It happens so slowly, almost cell by cell, that if I am not looking, I will not notice it. Bite by bite I am changing my cells for the good, or for the bad. My choices in life matter. What I choose to eat, matters to my health. Freedom comes from abiding in the teachings.
So. Off to read more -- in both books.
Be back soon
--Marcia
SAVE TIME! SAVE ENERGY! SAVE YOUR BACK!
Need an efficient way to move heavy objects by yourself?
Try one of the sturdy steel luggage carts at:
http://www.bestluggagecarts.com/folding_utility_carts.html
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Day 44 Tuesday
BP today: 144/80 (Yippee)
Hi,
How I have been handling this calorie counting is making me examine my whole life and style of living. I am having to admit that I usually do things my own way, which is not what the Lord counsels in His word. I am not exactly sure what to do about that, except to pray and ask for the Lord's help. I was going to go into a long explanation but, the truth is, I am run by my appetite. I live to eat and making the switch to eating to live is very hard for me.
I have made the changes recommended in "The 30 Day diabetes Cure." I am not eating very much processed food, at all. I am eating more fresh organic veggies. I have not eaten much red meat. In fact, I was flabbergasted to discover that the "vegetarian smeller" is now operative. The "vegetarian smeller" is what I experienced about 20 years ago when I was a vegan for a span of about 4 years.
When you change what you eat, things begin to smell differently. The main difference is that the meat department in the grocery store now smells putrid and rotten to me as I walk by. I can smell the rotting flesh, because I have not been eating it. It is very bad and makes me walk quickly by because of the stench. But if I am in the habit of eating meat, then it does not even smell at all to me. And since making the change, I have not eaten but a very little red meat, I have not been able to find the grass fed beef so have not been eating much beef at all. I have tried a little "organic" beef, but it was pretty bad stuff. I recently cooked a pot roast that I had in the fridge for a long time, but that is the last of the beef I had on hand. And when I thought that I could just buy some "regular" beef, I could no longer stand the smell and walked away. I'll be going to Whole Foods on Friday with a friend and will see if I can stand the smell of grass fed beef. I kind of doubt it.
I have been eating mostly eggs, cheese, and tuna for my protein, with a little chicken, now and then. I tried a little salmon, which was OK but the bones kind of freak me out. I get cage free eggs, feta cheese, jack/colby mix, and canned tuna for salads, but only eat red meat occasionally and eat pork even less than that. I am eating more beans for filler, some mixed nuts from time to time, and counting calories. The end of the day is the hard part for me. It does not matter whether I start the day with breakfast, or not, when the end of the day comes around, I never seem to have enough calories left on the list, to satisfy my appetite and I pretty consistently go over the count my doctor wants me to meet. But I rarely go over, or even meet, the number that my body burns each day -- according to my doctor's measure.
So, in essence, I am eating less calories than my body burns, but not as less as my doctor wants me to. And there is some "mechanism" in me that goes into high gear eating at the end of the day. It is not exactly the eating machine, but I would be hard pressed to explain the difference while it is happening. This much I know, the eating machine goes on all day long 24 hours a day and is Never Satisfied no matter what I put in my mouth. The thing that is currently happening at night does get satisfied when I feed it. I'm thinking that that could possibly be "normal hunger" -- and maybe I should not worry about it so much. I am still usually (not always) eating less than my body burns and if the theory is correct, I should still lose some weight because of it.
I do sometimes have some whole grain, which I cook myself. Either my mixture of brown rice, wild rice, and flax seeds, or popcorn. But have finally figured out that I really only need to do that on days that I exercise and deplete the carb store in my body and brain. This week I did, one day, eat a whole spinach quiche and then a day or so later bought some Atkins chocolate coconut bars which are supposed to be "low carb", but have enough presence of mind not to do that kind of stuff very often, because I really am not able to control my consumption of them. Once I start, I may pause, but the next meal will be the same thing, until whatever it is gone. So if I just don't buy it, I don't have the problem.
I was glad to see my blood pressure is still improving, despite my calorie counts and flubs. That is kind of amazing to me. And I am seeing that each time I do my strength training, according to "The Fat Burning Machine" program, I am getting a little stronger. I have to modify the squats because of pain in my right knee, but I do them to the point the pain starts and then go back up. It is not very low, indeed, but I do them. The thing that is most amazing to me, because I have always been satisfied with the well defined muscles in my legs, is that the hardest exercise for me to do is the leg extensions. On the FX machine that I use I do my chest pulls and the pull down with my arms on the same settings and device as the leg extensions and have no problems doing them with my arms -- but it is nearly all I can do, to do 10 leg extensions with my legs. But I do them. At least I do not have to consider myself a complete wimp because of that.
I am drinking more water, but leave that to each day, to see how many, and don't really pay too much attention to the numbers for this. I just drink when I think of it without trying to force something artificial on myself.
So... that is where I am. I hope you are doing well.
Be back soon,
--Marcia
Hi,
How I have been handling this calorie counting is making me examine my whole life and style of living. I am having to admit that I usually do things my own way, which is not what the Lord counsels in His word. I am not exactly sure what to do about that, except to pray and ask for the Lord's help. I was going to go into a long explanation but, the truth is, I am run by my appetite. I live to eat and making the switch to eating to live is very hard for me.
I have made the changes recommended in "The 30 Day diabetes Cure." I am not eating very much processed food, at all. I am eating more fresh organic veggies. I have not eaten much red meat. In fact, I was flabbergasted to discover that the "vegetarian smeller" is now operative. The "vegetarian smeller" is what I experienced about 20 years ago when I was a vegan for a span of about 4 years.
When you change what you eat, things begin to smell differently. The main difference is that the meat department in the grocery store now smells putrid and rotten to me as I walk by. I can smell the rotting flesh, because I have not been eating it. It is very bad and makes me walk quickly by because of the stench. But if I am in the habit of eating meat, then it does not even smell at all to me. And since making the change, I have not eaten but a very little red meat, I have not been able to find the grass fed beef so have not been eating much beef at all. I have tried a little "organic" beef, but it was pretty bad stuff. I recently cooked a pot roast that I had in the fridge for a long time, but that is the last of the beef I had on hand. And when I thought that I could just buy some "regular" beef, I could no longer stand the smell and walked away. I'll be going to Whole Foods on Friday with a friend and will see if I can stand the smell of grass fed beef. I kind of doubt it.
I have been eating mostly eggs, cheese, and tuna for my protein, with a little chicken, now and then. I tried a little salmon, which was OK but the bones kind of freak me out. I get cage free eggs, feta cheese, jack/colby mix, and canned tuna for salads, but only eat red meat occasionally and eat pork even less than that. I am eating more beans for filler, some mixed nuts from time to time, and counting calories. The end of the day is the hard part for me. It does not matter whether I start the day with breakfast, or not, when the end of the day comes around, I never seem to have enough calories left on the list, to satisfy my appetite and I pretty consistently go over the count my doctor wants me to meet. But I rarely go over, or even meet, the number that my body burns each day -- according to my doctor's measure.
So, in essence, I am eating less calories than my body burns, but not as less as my doctor wants me to. And there is some "mechanism" in me that goes into high gear eating at the end of the day. It is not exactly the eating machine, but I would be hard pressed to explain the difference while it is happening. This much I know, the eating machine goes on all day long 24 hours a day and is Never Satisfied no matter what I put in my mouth. The thing that is currently happening at night does get satisfied when I feed it. I'm thinking that that could possibly be "normal hunger" -- and maybe I should not worry about it so much. I am still usually (not always) eating less than my body burns and if the theory is correct, I should still lose some weight because of it.
I do sometimes have some whole grain, which I cook myself. Either my mixture of brown rice, wild rice, and flax seeds, or popcorn. But have finally figured out that I really only need to do that on days that I exercise and deplete the carb store in my body and brain. This week I did, one day, eat a whole spinach quiche and then a day or so later bought some Atkins chocolate coconut bars which are supposed to be "low carb", but have enough presence of mind not to do that kind of stuff very often, because I really am not able to control my consumption of them. Once I start, I may pause, but the next meal will be the same thing, until whatever it is gone. So if I just don't buy it, I don't have the problem.
I was glad to see my blood pressure is still improving, despite my calorie counts and flubs. That is kind of amazing to me. And I am seeing that each time I do my strength training, according to "The Fat Burning Machine" program, I am getting a little stronger. I have to modify the squats because of pain in my right knee, but I do them to the point the pain starts and then go back up. It is not very low, indeed, but I do them. The thing that is most amazing to me, because I have always been satisfied with the well defined muscles in my legs, is that the hardest exercise for me to do is the leg extensions. On the FX machine that I use I do my chest pulls and the pull down with my arms on the same settings and device as the leg extensions and have no problems doing them with my arms -- but it is nearly all I can do, to do 10 leg extensions with my legs. But I do them. At least I do not have to consider myself a complete wimp because of that.
I am drinking more water, but leave that to each day, to see how many, and don't really pay too much attention to the numbers for this. I just drink when I think of it without trying to force something artificial on myself.
So... that is where I am. I hope you are doing well.
Be back soon,
--Marcia
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