Hi,
I have started my food journal to help me get in touch with my reactions to foods. The first three things that I am supposed to be doing is the journal, eating protein with each meal, and eating breakfast. I also had my first sweet potato with butter, cinnamon and nutmeg tonight because I was having a huge craving. Well... the instructions say cinnamon and nutmeg, I actually used my homemade curry powder because it has cinnamon and nutmeg in it -- plus some other spices.
As I sat in front of my computer I again noticed the nagging craving which had been hanging around for a couple of hours and getting worse. Knowing I did not have any complex carbs in the house to satisfy it, I kept thinking about pizza, but I needed a complex carb with no protein. Then I thought of chili cheese fries, but that would of course be a stretch in the wrong direction. It then dawned on me that if I am to do this program I need to get the right supplies so I drove to Kroger and got some sweet potatoes, butter, tuna fish, some broccoli, mushrooms, and a couple of hard green organic avocados -- the regular ones were so old they looked like they had snake skin.
It's been a long time since I have had a sweet potato at home, so I thought I remembered that it should cook for six minutes in the microwave wrapped in parchment paper, but it was over cooked and dry when I took it out. It was a little like eating peanut butter because it kept sticking to the roof of my mouth. A little more butter and 2 cups of already prepared chamomile tea helped unglue it. It still tasted good, though. I'll try four minutes with the next one tomorrow, then if it needs more I can do one more minute.
I'm not up to perfect at doing the food journal, yet. For one thing I have to remember to take it with me where ever I go, in case I eat something or have a reaction that I need to record. I keep forgetting it, or forgetting to write in it, but I think I will get better with time and practice. I can see that it is a good idea, I just have not gotten the habit worked up to autopilot, yet.
Remembering to eat breakfast is a lot easier. I am actually kind of surprised at how quickly I'm adjusting to that. I've been doing mostly protein for breakfast, eggs today and yesterday, peanut butter and banana with sunflower seed and almonds one day. Sometimes I seem to want it immediately, but today I waited about 1.5 hours before having breakfast... I guess that is not wrong -- at least I did not wait until lunch time.
I'm also juggling with having protein with every meal. When I think of a meal I think, "salad." I had been adding feta cheese but I don't think that is enough protein and I'm beginning to realize that feta cheese is a touch salty. The newly recognized saltiness might be because I accidentally bought "fat free" which I usually don't do. I bought the tuna to bring me up to speed in the protein department and the broccoli to add a little "special" to the salad.
I've finished reading the book "Potatoes Not Prozac" and have been looking at the author's web site: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/index.html. I found a print out of the directions for diabetics and printed that out. I think the only difference is that it takes into consideration that diabetics and prediabetics usually have a blood sugar monitor so they can be very accurate with their blood sugar levels. It says the journal should be a blood sugar journal to which you add what you ate and how you felt. I actually already have one in Excel that I worked up when I first discovered that I am pre-diabetic so I'll get that out and see what I can do with it.
That's about all I have for tonight. Just wanted to check in and keep in touch.
Hope all is well with you,
Be back soon
--Marcia
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Step One: Food Journal
Hi,
The first thing I noticed this morning upon rising is that I seem to have gotten swallowed up in trying to "change me" again.
The Lord put it on my heart to remember that He is the one who changes me if any changing needs to be done and when I am trusting Him, all I need is Him!! All I want is Him!! I don't want to forget that. When I place my burden on the Lord, it is then in Good Hands. I need only to be a good steward of what He has given me. One of the things He has given me is my body, so while I cannot exchange it for a body that is freckle free and thin and young, and athletic and strong, I can feed my body what it needs right now and learn -- or attempt to learn -- some new habits that will, hopefully, keep me on track for the rest of my life.
Practicing a new habit is like the cast on the little calf's broken leg which supports him until he does not need the cast any more and his leg is healed. It is not easy to walk in a new cast on a broken leg. You have to be patient and allow the broken part to heal over time. So practice and patience are very useful when installing a new habit and who cares how long it takes?
For me the new habit is keeping a journal of what I eat. I started doing that today and since it is day one it is rather awkward for me, but not unreasonably so. I don't have to worry as in times past that a doctor is going to look at it, shake her finger at me, and say, "Shame on you." The journal is not going to even be read by any one else if I don't share it with them.
The purpose of the journal, as I have learned in the book "Potatoes Not Prozac" by Kathleen DesMaisons, is to provide a record for me to begin to be aware of how different foods affect me both physically and emotionally so that I can use that record as my own personal guide to my own better health and happiness. I will be creating my own personal program based on what I see in the record. (Rather scientific, don't you think?)
I checked out the comments that some others have made (at another blog) about the book and program and was a little discouraged to hear that a couple of people did not put much "store" in the plan because it allowed more carbohydrates than it took for them to lose weight. So I was pleasantly surprised to find out that those people must not have really read the whole book and paid attention because I have found the small sections on weight loss and exercise to be just the right size for me.
I loved her advise for exercise: Just start. If it is hard to start and you need to begin with 20 minutes of exercise then go out in the morning and walk out for five minutes and then walk back. If you do it again in the evening, walk out for five minutes and walk back, you will have exercised for 20 minutes. Sounds pretty easy to me -- you just have to do it.
She also says that once you start exercising, you will desire to do more on your own -- or you won't. If you don't, then do it anyway and be patient. Over time if you keep at it you will really enjoy the beta-endorphine shot that exercise gives you along with the good feelings and you will, most likely, eventually exercise more. I love that there are no "exercise chains."
Kathleen says if you want to lose weight you need to slide farther over to the right side of her carbohydrate chart, drop out the "brown things" (whole grains and fruit) and take up eating more "green things" which is vegetables of all colors (she calls them "green things" for the convenience). So eating more vegetables allows a person to lose weight. Perhaps the people who complained about the "too many carbs" did not notice what was really being said.
Eating more vegetables is just exactly what I've been doing already. I've been being better this week with my eating (no carb carvings and no situations where I was tempted) and I am again within two pounds of my maximum weight loss since I started this blog. I had gained about half of the 20 pounds back but have since lost 8 pounds again. I feel a little embarrassed about the weight gain but I think that is just a habit of mine, too. I am not perfect -- that's why I am reading her book, I want better control.
Once I finish reading the book I will go back to step one and make real sure I get it right and then move on to each successive step. That will probably be what I blog about, too, my practicing to get it right.
The other day I saw a video clip of a guy on YouTube who was learning to juggle. He filmed himself from day one and every day until he could keep three balls in the air at one time for a short period of time. It only took him six days to perfect his talent and look like a juggler. I guess it will take a similar amount of time for me to begin to juggle my journal and my food and my observations. He did not become a professional juggler in that amount of time, but he did become a juggler. There are more things that he would need to master in order to take it up as a profession. There will be other things I need to learn also, but this is where I am starting: Step 1. Food Journal.
I don't have to worry about dropping a ball. I can just pick it up again and start over -- just like the juggler did. "Practice makes perfect." Picking up and starting again has been my philosophy all along and I am where I am because of it -- still on the road. I prepare a large salad in the morning and eat on it a couple of times throughout the day. In between I eat sunflower seeds, almonds, and the occasional spoonful of peanut butter (no sugar). But I eat when my body says, "I'm hungry."
Part of the new program is to make sure I eat three times a day at regular intervals. Through writing the journal I should be able to determine the best times for me. I do not live on the regular schedule that most working people do. Since I became unemployed and soon to be retired, I began staying up late and getting up late, so my first meal is around 11 a.m. I'll find out from the journal when my three meals should be and begin to stick to a "schedule."
I really admire my cousin Julianna who has gotten her weight down by using Weight Watchers and exercise. She hit a plateau recently but did a self exam and got back in the saddle again. She was so pleased recently when she did not have to shop at the big clothing store, but found a couple of nice dresses at a regular store. It was fun to listen to her sharing about her adventure in down sizing and finding a dress in a size 10 that fit her! I applaud her success and hope she gets to where she wants to be.
You'd think I would want to do the same thing she did, but that is not my plan. I have a history of dieting and exercising that, in the end, got me no where because I always gained it all back. I did not change my habits. Since then, I've learned to believe in eating whole foods, not manufactured or processed foods, and I am more concerned that what I eat is healthy and organic and does not make me gain weight. I am trying to learn how to manage my cravings and stay on the road to weight loss and healing of my prediabetic state. So my progress is slow, and sometimes does not look like progress, but I am still on the road and it will not be over until it is over.
One of the things I discovered today as I read is that there really is no "once and for all".... That was discouraging. But it was discouraging because it was not the right goal in the first place. There is no "once and for all" with doing the dishes, or cleaning the house -- it just keeps needing to be cleaned every day. And there is no "once and for all" with eating. You have to eat every day, several times a day, so the sugar sensitive person, which is what I am, has to learn to manage the food intake for optimum performance. I think the book is heading in the right direction for me and I will eventually get the right habits ingrained in me so that I will manage my health almost as second nature. I look forward to it becoming my habit -- my life style.
Weight loss is not my goal. My goal is to everyday eat in such a way that I create health with each and every bite I put in my mouth. That is the habit set I am trying to upgrade and learn to manage. I want something permanent that will not disappear at some point. I am so glad I don't have to make me into a thin person. All I have to pay attention to is my own daily obedience to what I actually believe in... the other results will show up on their own, when they do.
Moving right along.
--Marcia
The first thing I noticed this morning upon rising is that I seem to have gotten swallowed up in trying to "change me" again.
The Lord put it on my heart to remember that He is the one who changes me if any changing needs to be done and when I am trusting Him, all I need is Him!! All I want is Him!! I don't want to forget that. When I place my burden on the Lord, it is then in Good Hands. I need only to be a good steward of what He has given me. One of the things He has given me is my body, so while I cannot exchange it for a body that is freckle free and thin and young, and athletic and strong, I can feed my body what it needs right now and learn -- or attempt to learn -- some new habits that will, hopefully, keep me on track for the rest of my life.
Practicing a new habit is like the cast on the little calf's broken leg which supports him until he does not need the cast any more and his leg is healed. It is not easy to walk in a new cast on a broken leg. You have to be patient and allow the broken part to heal over time. So practice and patience are very useful when installing a new habit and who cares how long it takes?
For me the new habit is keeping a journal of what I eat. I started doing that today and since it is day one it is rather awkward for me, but not unreasonably so. I don't have to worry as in times past that a doctor is going to look at it, shake her finger at me, and say, "Shame on you." The journal is not going to even be read by any one else if I don't share it with them.
The purpose of the journal, as I have learned in the book "Potatoes Not Prozac" by Kathleen DesMaisons, is to provide a record for me to begin to be aware of how different foods affect me both physically and emotionally so that I can use that record as my own personal guide to my own better health and happiness. I will be creating my own personal program based on what I see in the record. (Rather scientific, don't you think?)
I checked out the comments that some others have made (at another blog) about the book and program and was a little discouraged to hear that a couple of people did not put much "store" in the plan because it allowed more carbohydrates than it took for them to lose weight. So I was pleasantly surprised to find out that those people must not have really read the whole book and paid attention because I have found the small sections on weight loss and exercise to be just the right size for me.
I loved her advise for exercise: Just start. If it is hard to start and you need to begin with 20 minutes of exercise then go out in the morning and walk out for five minutes and then walk back. If you do it again in the evening, walk out for five minutes and walk back, you will have exercised for 20 minutes. Sounds pretty easy to me -- you just have to do it.
She also says that once you start exercising, you will desire to do more on your own -- or you won't. If you don't, then do it anyway and be patient. Over time if you keep at it you will really enjoy the beta-endorphine shot that exercise gives you along with the good feelings and you will, most likely, eventually exercise more. I love that there are no "exercise chains."
Kathleen says if you want to lose weight you need to slide farther over to the right side of her carbohydrate chart, drop out the "brown things" (whole grains and fruit) and take up eating more "green things" which is vegetables of all colors (she calls them "green things" for the convenience). So eating more vegetables allows a person to lose weight. Perhaps the people who complained about the "too many carbs" did not notice what was really being said.
Eating more vegetables is just exactly what I've been doing already. I've been being better this week with my eating (no carb carvings and no situations where I was tempted) and I am again within two pounds of my maximum weight loss since I started this blog. I had gained about half of the 20 pounds back but have since lost 8 pounds again. I feel a little embarrassed about the weight gain but I think that is just a habit of mine, too. I am not perfect -- that's why I am reading her book, I want better control.
Once I finish reading the book I will go back to step one and make real sure I get it right and then move on to each successive step. That will probably be what I blog about, too, my practicing to get it right.
The other day I saw a video clip of a guy on YouTube who was learning to juggle. He filmed himself from day one and every day until he could keep three balls in the air at one time for a short period of time. It only took him six days to perfect his talent and look like a juggler. I guess it will take a similar amount of time for me to begin to juggle my journal and my food and my observations. He did not become a professional juggler in that amount of time, but he did become a juggler. There are more things that he would need to master in order to take it up as a profession. There will be other things I need to learn also, but this is where I am starting: Step 1. Food Journal.
I don't have to worry about dropping a ball. I can just pick it up again and start over -- just like the juggler did. "Practice makes perfect." Picking up and starting again has been my philosophy all along and I am where I am because of it -- still on the road. I prepare a large salad in the morning and eat on it a couple of times throughout the day. In between I eat sunflower seeds, almonds, and the occasional spoonful of peanut butter (no sugar). But I eat when my body says, "I'm hungry."
Part of the new program is to make sure I eat three times a day at regular intervals. Through writing the journal I should be able to determine the best times for me. I do not live on the regular schedule that most working people do. Since I became unemployed and soon to be retired, I began staying up late and getting up late, so my first meal is around 11 a.m. I'll find out from the journal when my three meals should be and begin to stick to a "schedule."
I really admire my cousin Julianna who has gotten her weight down by using Weight Watchers and exercise. She hit a plateau recently but did a self exam and got back in the saddle again. She was so pleased recently when she did not have to shop at the big clothing store, but found a couple of nice dresses at a regular store. It was fun to listen to her sharing about her adventure in down sizing and finding a dress in a size 10 that fit her! I applaud her success and hope she gets to where she wants to be.
You'd think I would want to do the same thing she did, but that is not my plan. I have a history of dieting and exercising that, in the end, got me no where because I always gained it all back. I did not change my habits. Since then, I've learned to believe in eating whole foods, not manufactured or processed foods, and I am more concerned that what I eat is healthy and organic and does not make me gain weight. I am trying to learn how to manage my cravings and stay on the road to weight loss and healing of my prediabetic state. So my progress is slow, and sometimes does not look like progress, but I am still on the road and it will not be over until it is over.
One of the things I discovered today as I read is that there really is no "once and for all".... That was discouraging. But it was discouraging because it was not the right goal in the first place. There is no "once and for all" with doing the dishes, or cleaning the house -- it just keeps needing to be cleaned every day. And there is no "once and for all" with eating. You have to eat every day, several times a day, so the sugar sensitive person, which is what I am, has to learn to manage the food intake for optimum performance. I think the book is heading in the right direction for me and I will eventually get the right habits ingrained in me so that I will manage my health almost as second nature. I look forward to it becoming my habit -- my life style.
Weight loss is not my goal. My goal is to everyday eat in such a way that I create health with each and every bite I put in my mouth. That is the habit set I am trying to upgrade and learn to manage. I want something permanent that will not disappear at some point. I am so glad I don't have to make me into a thin person. All I have to pay attention to is my own daily obedience to what I actually believe in... the other results will show up on their own, when they do.
Moving right along.
--Marcia
Friday, April 22, 2011
Did I Find the Solution to Cravings?
Hi,
I am reading another book. Please don't hang up. This one seems to address my real problem which is the addiction to sugar and starchy carbs. If you have been patient enough to actually read all my blog entries then you (are a glutton for punishment ;) and you also know that I go on, and then go off, and then get back on, again -- basically stumbling my way to healthier eating. Sugar and carb cravings have been the hardest thing for me to deal with, but this book is written by another sugar addicted personality who discovered a way to balance out the body chemistry that goes awry when we eat too much sugar -- and she does it with food, not drugs. I am hoping to accomplish the same.
The book is called, "Potatoes, Not Prozac" with this above the title: "Are You Sugar Sensitive? " It was written by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition -- and I don't think I would be reading it, except that I found this link... you know how that goes. The cover says that it is "A natural seven-step dietary plan to 1, stabilize the level of sugar in your blood, 2, control your cravings and lose weight, and 3, recognize how foods affect the way you feel."
I got my copy at http://www.thriftbooks.com and paid about four dollars for it (free shipping). It was printed in 1998 so you might think it would be "dated" but it seems to be right on accurate for where I am. You will find it if you do a search for "Potatoes Not Prozac." I believe there may be a more recent edition available at her web site: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/
Just reading chapter one, which she calls "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," I felt like we might be cut from similar cloth. I have not finished reading the whole book, yet, but I have gotten to the first step which is to keep a food journal (I read a little farther, hoping I could weasel out of that) but she insists this is a major part of the program.
She definitely says that the food journal needs to be kept or you will not be able to begin to read the signals your body is giving you. She also defines the signals your body will give which are related to blood sugar ups and downs, serotonin levels, and beta-endorphine levels -- specifically so you can begin to understand them and apply her food solution to your individual body. Her book is well written and easy to read, too.
The journal, which I have not started yet, (yes, I know, same old story -- but I've got the note book in mind) is set up not to make you feel guilty about what you eat, but to examine your reaction to whatever you are eating. It is not meant to be a dictator forcing changes upon you, but to be an investigation of how you, personally, react to the foods you are now eating. (This puts an addict's mind to rest.)
She has you set up your journal with columns for the date and time, what was eaten, how you feel physically, and also how you feel emotionally after you've eaten at whatever time you notice a reaction. She helps you to distinguish the difference between physical and emotional feelings by what they are. If you feel a headache or a pain in your tummy, then that is physical. If you feel depressed, crabby, or satisfied that is an emotional reaction.
She formulated her solution based on her own background and having done therapy with alcoholics. Not only has she "been there, done that," but she has helped others get out of the swamp, too. She shares how she got from one to the other, what she discovered along the way, and how she gave up doing therapy for scientific investigation... and then went back to therapy. When she went back, she was armed with information that she applied to a group of alcoholics (who also have sugar sensitive bodies) and finally got success in helping them to recover their well being for real.
It seems the food mechanics are similar for alcohol, drug, and sugar addiction -- so the solution is similar too, although still very individual -- and she uses food to balance both the brain chemistry and the blood chemistry. Once all the chemistry is balanced by using the eating program she devised, then the addict can finally be 1. free of the cravings that are caused by whatever you ingested last, and also be 2. free of the craziness that is also caused by whatever you ingested last. She says you will regain a happy sense of being in control of your life, again.
She says, "If you make some simple food changes, your body chemistry and brain chemistry will come into balance. You will reclaim your birthright and feel energetic, optimistic, grounded, competent, easygoing, and connected to others." The book is about how to do that. Step one is the journal. She says she does not want to give us a "one-size fits all diet" but a way to recognize specifically what your body needs and how to give your body precisely what it needs with the food you eat. At the end of her chapter called "Brain Chemistry 101," she says, "For now, all you need to remember is that there is life after addiction -- and it's a very good life indeed."
She also does not want the addict to make a lot of changes all at once because this is what an impulsive addict "does." That is part of the addiction and will only end in failure. She has seen that people have more success if they do things slowly and master the individual steps one by one -- before going on to the next one. So in the beginning you don't even have to stop doing what you are doing. You just have to journal, begin eating three meals a day at regular intervals, and take three supplements (vitamin C, B-complex vitamin, and zinc).
You can, in the beginning, still eat the ice cream or whatever you've been eating -- you just have to eat it with a meal, keep a record of it, and then list what your own reactions are so you can begin to recognize them. You begin by adding things, not by taking them away. You get to let go, if and when you are ready to let go. That is like music to addicted ears because that is the problem that we find most difficult!! It would not be called an addiction if we could easily let go of the ice cream or bread.
I am ready to try it out. I have already made some major changes to my eating so I'm in a better place than I was, but I want to know, once and for all, how to deal with the cravings and temptations. (By the way, she also says that "once and for all" is also addictive thinking. LOL) This book seems to have the solution I've been looking for, but I won't know if it is real or works until I try it out. So... I am going to try it out.
I will also blog about it for the same reason that I started this blog: to keep me on track, and to share with other interested persons. I am not sure how often I will blog but hopefully it will be at least once a week, or there about. Maybe more, maybe less -- but I want to have the record to read.
The record of my blog helps me to remember where I have been and the break throughs that I have had. It is so odd that you can have a tremendous breakthrough and then a week later cannot remember the details. I think I read in her book that getting the brain chemistry balanced will also help this -- but for now, I sometimes go back and read, just to remind me what the Lord has given me and done for me. It is the remembering that is important, and there is no better way to remember than with a written record.
If you are interested in finding out more about this solution you can go to her web site and get involved or purchase the book for yourself. Here is the link: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/
(And "No" -- I am not being paid to do this.... I am a true seeker, looking for solutions, just like you.)
Be back soon,
--Marcia
I am reading another book. Please don't hang up. This one seems to address my real problem which is the addiction to sugar and starchy carbs. If you have been patient enough to actually read all my blog entries then you (are a glutton for punishment ;) and you also know that I go on, and then go off, and then get back on, again -- basically stumbling my way to healthier eating. Sugar and carb cravings have been the hardest thing for me to deal with, but this book is written by another sugar addicted personality who discovered a way to balance out the body chemistry that goes awry when we eat too much sugar -- and she does it with food, not drugs. I am hoping to accomplish the same.
The book is called, "Potatoes, Not Prozac" with this above the title: "Are You Sugar Sensitive? " It was written by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition -- and I don't think I would be reading it, except that I found this link... you know how that goes. The cover says that it is "A natural seven-step dietary plan to 1, stabilize the level of sugar in your blood, 2, control your cravings and lose weight, and 3, recognize how foods affect the way you feel."
I got my copy at http://www.thriftbooks.com and paid about four dollars for it (free shipping). It was printed in 1998 so you might think it would be "dated" but it seems to be right on accurate for where I am. You will find it if you do a search for "Potatoes Not Prozac." I believe there may be a more recent edition available at her web site: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/
Just reading chapter one, which she calls "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," I felt like we might be cut from similar cloth. I have not finished reading the whole book, yet, but I have gotten to the first step which is to keep a food journal (I read a little farther, hoping I could weasel out of that) but she insists this is a major part of the program.
She definitely says that the food journal needs to be kept or you will not be able to begin to read the signals your body is giving you. She also defines the signals your body will give which are related to blood sugar ups and downs, serotonin levels, and beta-endorphine levels -- specifically so you can begin to understand them and apply her food solution to your individual body. Her book is well written and easy to read, too.
The journal, which I have not started yet, (yes, I know, same old story -- but I've got the note book in mind) is set up not to make you feel guilty about what you eat, but to examine your reaction to whatever you are eating. It is not meant to be a dictator forcing changes upon you, but to be an investigation of how you, personally, react to the foods you are now eating. (This puts an addict's mind to rest.)
She has you set up your journal with columns for the date and time, what was eaten, how you feel physically, and also how you feel emotionally after you've eaten at whatever time you notice a reaction. She helps you to distinguish the difference between physical and emotional feelings by what they are. If you feel a headache or a pain in your tummy, then that is physical. If you feel depressed, crabby, or satisfied that is an emotional reaction.
She formulated her solution based on her own background and having done therapy with alcoholics. Not only has she "been there, done that," but she has helped others get out of the swamp, too. She shares how she got from one to the other, what she discovered along the way, and how she gave up doing therapy for scientific investigation... and then went back to therapy. When she went back, she was armed with information that she applied to a group of alcoholics (who also have sugar sensitive bodies) and finally got success in helping them to recover their well being for real.
It seems the food mechanics are similar for alcohol, drug, and sugar addiction -- so the solution is similar too, although still very individual -- and she uses food to balance both the brain chemistry and the blood chemistry. Once all the chemistry is balanced by using the eating program she devised, then the addict can finally be 1. free of the cravings that are caused by whatever you ingested last, and also be 2. free of the craziness that is also caused by whatever you ingested last. She says you will regain a happy sense of being in control of your life, again.
She says, "If you make some simple food changes, your body chemistry and brain chemistry will come into balance. You will reclaim your birthright and feel energetic, optimistic, grounded, competent, easygoing, and connected to others." The book is about how to do that. Step one is the journal. She says she does not want to give us a "one-size fits all diet" but a way to recognize specifically what your body needs and how to give your body precisely what it needs with the food you eat. At the end of her chapter called "Brain Chemistry 101," she says, "For now, all you need to remember is that there is life after addiction -- and it's a very good life indeed."
She also does not want the addict to make a lot of changes all at once because this is what an impulsive addict "does." That is part of the addiction and will only end in failure. She has seen that people have more success if they do things slowly and master the individual steps one by one -- before going on to the next one. So in the beginning you don't even have to stop doing what you are doing. You just have to journal, begin eating three meals a day at regular intervals, and take three supplements (vitamin C, B-complex vitamin, and zinc).
You can, in the beginning, still eat the ice cream or whatever you've been eating -- you just have to eat it with a meal, keep a record of it, and then list what your own reactions are so you can begin to recognize them. You begin by adding things, not by taking them away. You get to let go, if and when you are ready to let go. That is like music to addicted ears because that is the problem that we find most difficult!! It would not be called an addiction if we could easily let go of the ice cream or bread.
I am ready to try it out. I have already made some major changes to my eating so I'm in a better place than I was, but I want to know, once and for all, how to deal with the cravings and temptations. (By the way, she also says that "once and for all" is also addictive thinking. LOL) This book seems to have the solution I've been looking for, but I won't know if it is real or works until I try it out. So... I am going to try it out.
I will also blog about it for the same reason that I started this blog: to keep me on track, and to share with other interested persons. I am not sure how often I will blog but hopefully it will be at least once a week, or there about. Maybe more, maybe less -- but I want to have the record to read.
The record of my blog helps me to remember where I have been and the break throughs that I have had. It is so odd that you can have a tremendous breakthrough and then a week later cannot remember the details. I think I read in her book that getting the brain chemistry balanced will also help this -- but for now, I sometimes go back and read, just to remind me what the Lord has given me and done for me. It is the remembering that is important, and there is no better way to remember than with a written record.
If you are interested in finding out more about this solution you can go to her web site and get involved or purchase the book for yourself. Here is the link: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/
(And "No" -- I am not being paid to do this.... I am a true seeker, looking for solutions, just like you.)
Be back soon,
--Marcia
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Flesh is Weak
There is a Bible scripture that says:
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
If read in context, this is where Jesus is trying to get his disciples to stay awake and be watchful as He prays before He goes to His death on the cross. My Pastor spoke on this scripture yesterday at church.
When I came home I watched a couple of episodes of "All Creatures Great and Small" on Netflix which is an old British sitcom created for TV. It is about a veterinarian's office in the early 1900s.
In one of the episodes I watched, Dr. Herriot is putting a plaster cast on the broken leg of a newly born calf which has stumbled over something and hurt itself. In the scene just following, it shows the calf walking unsteadily towards it's mother with the aid of the cast. As I watched the little animal I thought of those words "the flesh is weak" and suddenly it dawned on me that that is why we need to eat healthy -- precisely because the flesh is weak.
The flesh is susceptible to all sorts of things: from it's own environment, to what we put on or in our bodies. The flesh is weak meaning it needs help to survive successfully in the normal way. The Bible says this is a dead and dying world which is why we needed to be rescued by Christ and given new life in the hereafter -- even philosophers have pointed out that we are born to die. What we generally refer to as "life" is the space in between birth and death.
My position or place is to put my trust in God for all those things over which I have no control -- and to be trustworthy in those things that I influence -- like what I choose to eat.
I think that the reason I've had such a "disconnect" between what I eat and not only how much I weigh but how I feel and the state of my body fitness is... well I'm not sure about that -- but I feel a connection now through the words "the flesh is weak." I fully see now that I need to nurture my weak flesh as well as I can in order to give my flesh as much strength and health as I have influence over. Knowing that my flesh is weak and needs my help is inspiring to me. That may sound funny, but I mean it sincerely. By those words I am inspired to eat my salads with the full understanding that I am helping my body gain strength with each mouthful.
I also feel inspired to not betray my own body with food that will not add to its strength. Some foods will force it into overwork and illness -- things it finds hard to deal with. It is hard for my body to deal with starchy carbs. It is hard for my body to deal with candy and junk food. The food that helps my body to heal and to be in health is fresh raw organic vegetables and a little good protein, plus some nuts and seeds. Each person's body is weak in its own area. Mine is weak in handling sugars and things that turn to sugar after they are eaten.
"The flesh is weak." I never realized how inspiring those words could be. I always focused on the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak as almost an excuse for being weak. But seeing that little calf supported by that cast just let me see that even though the flesh is weak we can do things to strengthen and maintain it. Not like God, but like a steward. God gives the calf healing and the cast keeps it in place until that comes. God gives us what He gives us, and we are to be good stewards of His gifts -- keeping our faith in Him and expecting good things to come from Him.
We do not all have the same spiritual gifts and we do not all have the same physical gifts, either. I am planning on helping my body to deal with its weakness through what I give it to eat. This is a change in perspective from being the victim to being the guardian. From the perspective of living in American, I am the guardian of what goes into my mouth. There are some people who have not much choice and I intend to pray for them -- but I live in a land of abundance. The economy is bad but the grocery stores don't look any different -- they are still burgeoning with boxes and cans of processed foods which do not aid the flesh. The only thing that aids the flesh that God gave us, is the food He also gave us, in its most natural state: fresh, raw, unprocessed. This fresh raw unprocessed food is the cast we can place on our bodies until God's healing comes.
Today this is called "organic" -- but it must also be uncooked, for the most part. I truly believe, because I have experienced the difference, that fresh raw organic vegetables do good things for my body. What we put in our mouths affects our health on many invisible levels. The flesh is weak, so we need to be careful to guard and protect it. How many studies have shown that eating a specific thing will have a specific effect on the human body? It really is important to be on guard and not eat those things that harm the body -- like processed corn syrup and sugars, like food colorings and preservatives that are found in processed foods. Like starchy carbs for the diabetic and prediabetic.
My own sister has told me for years that she believes she now has rheumatoid arthritis because of inhaling paint fumes, and eating chemical preservatives and food colorings. She can see the difference when she does not eat processed foods containing those things. I, myself, had recently gone back to eating fast food and I can tell the difference in how I feel -- and it is not good. I have a friend at church who has commented on how I look when I eat certain foods. She can tell when I am eating right and when I am not, simply by looking at my face. Yesterday she did not ask how I was doing, she just said that I needed to get back on the "diet." She knew what I was eating by looking at my face.
I can see it in the mirror, too. I no long wish to succumb -- I wish to overcome through my eating. The words "the flesh is weak" will be my reason and my inspiration. I shall no longer be the victim of my own weak flesh, but shall be the guardian and steward that protects my flesh as well as I can -- leaving the rest to God. I trust in Him! He is the One in charge and He loves us! I shall pray each day for His help and guidance in this matter and I shall overcome by faith, because He said so. Please help me Lord, to overcome.
Thank you Lord for your gifts!! Praise the Lord.
--Marcia
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
If read in context, this is where Jesus is trying to get his disciples to stay awake and be watchful as He prays before He goes to His death on the cross. My Pastor spoke on this scripture yesterday at church.
When I came home I watched a couple of episodes of "All Creatures Great and Small" on Netflix which is an old British sitcom created for TV. It is about a veterinarian's office in the early 1900s.
In one of the episodes I watched, Dr. Herriot is putting a plaster cast on the broken leg of a newly born calf which has stumbled over something and hurt itself. In the scene just following, it shows the calf walking unsteadily towards it's mother with the aid of the cast. As I watched the little animal I thought of those words "the flesh is weak" and suddenly it dawned on me that that is why we need to eat healthy -- precisely because the flesh is weak.
The flesh is susceptible to all sorts of things: from it's own environment, to what we put on or in our bodies. The flesh is weak meaning it needs help to survive successfully in the normal way. The Bible says this is a dead and dying world which is why we needed to be rescued by Christ and given new life in the hereafter -- even philosophers have pointed out that we are born to die. What we generally refer to as "life" is the space in between birth and death.
My position or place is to put my trust in God for all those things over which I have no control -- and to be trustworthy in those things that I influence -- like what I choose to eat.
I think that the reason I've had such a "disconnect" between what I eat and not only how much I weigh but how I feel and the state of my body fitness is... well I'm not sure about that -- but I feel a connection now through the words "the flesh is weak." I fully see now that I need to nurture my weak flesh as well as I can in order to give my flesh as much strength and health as I have influence over. Knowing that my flesh is weak and needs my help is inspiring to me. That may sound funny, but I mean it sincerely. By those words I am inspired to eat my salads with the full understanding that I am helping my body gain strength with each mouthful.
I also feel inspired to not betray my own body with food that will not add to its strength. Some foods will force it into overwork and illness -- things it finds hard to deal with. It is hard for my body to deal with starchy carbs. It is hard for my body to deal with candy and junk food. The food that helps my body to heal and to be in health is fresh raw organic vegetables and a little good protein, plus some nuts and seeds. Each person's body is weak in its own area. Mine is weak in handling sugars and things that turn to sugar after they are eaten.
"The flesh is weak." I never realized how inspiring those words could be. I always focused on the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak as almost an excuse for being weak. But seeing that little calf supported by that cast just let me see that even though the flesh is weak we can do things to strengthen and maintain it. Not like God, but like a steward. God gives the calf healing and the cast keeps it in place until that comes. God gives us what He gives us, and we are to be good stewards of His gifts -- keeping our faith in Him and expecting good things to come from Him.
We do not all have the same spiritual gifts and we do not all have the same physical gifts, either. I am planning on helping my body to deal with its weakness through what I give it to eat. This is a change in perspective from being the victim to being the guardian. From the perspective of living in American, I am the guardian of what goes into my mouth. There are some people who have not much choice and I intend to pray for them -- but I live in a land of abundance. The economy is bad but the grocery stores don't look any different -- they are still burgeoning with boxes and cans of processed foods which do not aid the flesh. The only thing that aids the flesh that God gave us, is the food He also gave us, in its most natural state: fresh, raw, unprocessed. This fresh raw unprocessed food is the cast we can place on our bodies until God's healing comes.
Today this is called "organic" -- but it must also be uncooked, for the most part. I truly believe, because I have experienced the difference, that fresh raw organic vegetables do good things for my body. What we put in our mouths affects our health on many invisible levels. The flesh is weak, so we need to be careful to guard and protect it. How many studies have shown that eating a specific thing will have a specific effect on the human body? It really is important to be on guard and not eat those things that harm the body -- like processed corn syrup and sugars, like food colorings and preservatives that are found in processed foods. Like starchy carbs for the diabetic and prediabetic.
My own sister has told me for years that she believes she now has rheumatoid arthritis because of inhaling paint fumes, and eating chemical preservatives and food colorings. She can see the difference when she does not eat processed foods containing those things. I, myself, had recently gone back to eating fast food and I can tell the difference in how I feel -- and it is not good. I have a friend at church who has commented on how I look when I eat certain foods. She can tell when I am eating right and when I am not, simply by looking at my face. Yesterday she did not ask how I was doing, she just said that I needed to get back on the "diet." She knew what I was eating by looking at my face.
I can see it in the mirror, too. I no long wish to succumb -- I wish to overcome through my eating. The words "the flesh is weak" will be my reason and my inspiration. I shall no longer be the victim of my own weak flesh, but shall be the guardian and steward that protects my flesh as well as I can -- leaving the rest to God. I trust in Him! He is the One in charge and He loves us! I shall pray each day for His help and guidance in this matter and I shall overcome by faith, because He said so. Please help me Lord, to overcome.
Thank you Lord for your gifts!! Praise the Lord.
--Marcia
Mt 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mr 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
1 John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
I am Not a Water Lily!
I think that sometimes we think of “losing weight” as “changing me.” I don’t know how those who lose weight easily, accomplish it. I have lost weight in the past but just kept putting it back on -- plus some. We, as a culture, have somehow tied our self image to the bathroom scale and there is no way we can be happy with that. The best place I have found for self image repair is the Bible and the love of Jesus Christ who did the work for me to be able to be re-united with God the Father!!
I noticed that when I finally gave up on trying to lose weight, I stopped gaining weight and stayed the same weight for quite a few years — but I forgot to turn it over to the Lord and picked it up again about a year ago with not much weight loss success, again — so I got depressed about that. Feeling inadequate and like a failure, once again.
God is so good. He recently gave me the experience of walking into a new space (see previous post) — one where I no longer had to work hard to try to make me into something other than what I am. That was a real weight lifted off of me. In the end it does not matter whether I am one of the thin people or one of the heavy people. What matters is knowing the Lord and growing in His grace and in knowledge of Him.
I’ve also begun to realize that the only people who are bothered by my weight are those who are bothered by their own — or think that heavy people are somehow “not right” -- like it is a character flaw. The poor things are always comparing to see who is on top. Because they are unsure of who they are, they look down on fat people which gives them the momentary pleasure of feeling superior but they lose out on the friendship, which they avoid because they do not want to be associated with a fat person. They are so shallow, that is all they see. And sometimes we are the one doing the looking at ourselves and we come to the same erroneous conclusions!! Truth is: a fat man or a thin man can have a godly character. Character is not based on physical size, but on spiritual faith.
A pastor once said something to me during a conversation we had. I had told him that at that time there was a young girl in the church who just really reminded me of me when I was her age. She was always taller than the others and always weighed enough to make her a little puffy. I shared a little, then he said this: God wanted a big girl so He made _________ (inserting her name.) That was a revelation to me.
God made us the way we are. We are not all going to fit the current “pictures” of beauty that the world paints — that is not even possible. Once we get that, and move on to the important stuff, we live a more productive and satisfying life — simply by walking with Him every single day. It is a gentle and quiet spirit that God loves. Are there not some heavy people that you treasure because of their loving character? There is the proof.
We do need to eat healthy food, but there are many definitions of healthy food. After much reading, searching, testing, and paying attention… my definition of healthy food is boiled down to its simplest terms in this combination: meat and raw vegetables. The Lord told me this a hundred times, and now, finally, I am ready to do that without worrying about changing who I am!
A caterpillar cannot make herself into a water lily, she can only become a butterfly, and not by working hard towards the goal. God makes the butterfly out of the caterpillar — all the caterpillar does is obey the Lord’s directions by cocooning itself with Him. Thank God!
If the caterpillar were to focus hard on working towards becoming a water lily she has set herself up for a lifetime of struggle and no results. In her own eyes she would be a failure — even though everyone else sees the butterfly she has become, she will be unhappy because she is not a water lily. If we look to Christ he makes us a new creation:
Ga 6:15-16 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Love you,
--Marcia
I noticed that when I finally gave up on trying to lose weight, I stopped gaining weight and stayed the same weight for quite a few years — but I forgot to turn it over to the Lord and picked it up again about a year ago with not much weight loss success, again — so I got depressed about that. Feeling inadequate and like a failure, once again.
God is so good. He recently gave me the experience of walking into a new space (see previous post) — one where I no longer had to work hard to try to make me into something other than what I am. That was a real weight lifted off of me. In the end it does not matter whether I am one of the thin people or one of the heavy people. What matters is knowing the Lord and growing in His grace and in knowledge of Him.
I’ve also begun to realize that the only people who are bothered by my weight are those who are bothered by their own — or think that heavy people are somehow “not right” -- like it is a character flaw. The poor things are always comparing to see who is on top. Because they are unsure of who they are, they look down on fat people which gives them the momentary pleasure of feeling superior but they lose out on the friendship, which they avoid because they do not want to be associated with a fat person. They are so shallow, that is all they see. And sometimes we are the one doing the looking at ourselves and we come to the same erroneous conclusions!! Truth is: a fat man or a thin man can have a godly character. Character is not based on physical size, but on spiritual faith.
A pastor once said something to me during a conversation we had. I had told him that at that time there was a young girl in the church who just really reminded me of me when I was her age. She was always taller than the others and always weighed enough to make her a little puffy. I shared a little, then he said this: God wanted a big girl so He made _________ (inserting her name.) That was a revelation to me.
God made us the way we are. We are not all going to fit the current “pictures” of beauty that the world paints — that is not even possible. Once we get that, and move on to the important stuff, we live a more productive and satisfying life — simply by walking with Him every single day. It is a gentle and quiet spirit that God loves. Are there not some heavy people that you treasure because of their loving character? There is the proof.
We do need to eat healthy food, but there are many definitions of healthy food. After much reading, searching, testing, and paying attention… my definition of healthy food is boiled down to its simplest terms in this combination: meat and raw vegetables. The Lord told me this a hundred times, and now, finally, I am ready to do that without worrying about changing who I am!
A caterpillar cannot make herself into a water lily, she can only become a butterfly, and not by working hard towards the goal. God makes the butterfly out of the caterpillar — all the caterpillar does is obey the Lord’s directions by cocooning itself with Him. Thank God!
If the caterpillar were to focus hard on working towards becoming a water lily she has set herself up for a lifetime of struggle and no results. In her own eyes she would be a failure — even though everyone else sees the butterfly she has become, she will be unhappy because she is not a water lily. If we look to Christ he makes us a new creation:
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Ga 6:15-16 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Love you,
--Marcia
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