Oh, the things I do to try to get my weight under control. This morning might have been one of the healthier attempts, but it was even more different than ever. My weight has yo-yoed since I was 13 years old. I'm within months of 60 years of that kind of foolishness. Unfortunately, the "experts" tell me it will never stop. According to most, it will never get better, so at the age of 72+++, I'm supposed to be stronger to fight those urges than I was at 13? Get serious.I will, however, never give up. Why bother you ask? I Corinthians 6 tells us why sexual immorality is wrong. The same principle needs to be applied to food. "You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." I'm overcome with a sense of guilt when I overeat because I know I'm not honoring God with my body. I'm denigrating what I cost Him to save me from my sins.
The second reason is that my poor old body is wearing out. I've been on cholesterol medicine for almost 10 years now and I have a sneaking suspicion the doctor is going to strongly recommend blood pressure meds as well. My numbers are beginning to climb a little. When I finally caved on the cholesterol meds, the nurse said if I got my numbers under control, I could always go off them. And, she's right. Those times I'm exercising and watching what I eat, my numbers go down. Trouble is, I don't discipline myself to the point where they stay down. My Romans 7 mode creeps up on me all too easily and too quickly. Next thing you know, I'm a runaway freight train. Long story short, age isn't the only thing ruining my body. I'm trashing my temple.Reason three, of course, is appearance. A church bulletin once said, "Never judge someone by the way they look, but always remember that's how you are being judged. It's not so much vanity as sit is practicality. For some reason, obesity is always associated with stupidity. It's also a matter of respecting others. We need to show we care about them by looking like they're worth the effort.
I don't think there's a diet on the market I haven't tried and I say again, all programs work, as long as I work the program. My problem is that I'm too much of a free spirit to stick with any program for any length of time. Recently, an ad began on TV, urging people to lose weight through the "GOLO." program. Desperate, I called and ordered a month's supply of the supplement. With it came a new food program, which is different from anything else I've ever tried.
It calls for a cup of vegetables at breakfast! Eggs and vegetables, fine, but oatmeal and vegetables? A friend suggested carrots, but I couldn't see me eating a cup of carrots with my oatmeal, so I continued to eat the egg and cheese with peppers,onions, and mushrooms. I'd been eating oatmeal for years and got really tired of it. This morning, the wild idea to add spinach and mushrooms to my oatmeal struck a chord, so I thought I'd try it. In the first place, I'm a cranberry nut and always put them in my oatmeal. I've eaten spinach and cranberries in my salads, so I thought, "Why not?" Nothing ventured, nothing gained. My recipe for my vegetable oatmeal is as follows: 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms, 3/4 cup chopped spinach, 1 tsp. coconut oil, 1 tsp. light agave, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tbs. chopped walnuts, 2 tbs. dried cranberries, 1 tbs. PURE cranberry juice, diluted with water to 1/2 cup liquid, 1/4 cup oatmeal. Microwave at 1/2 power for 5 minutes. Enjoy with 1/2 cup of milk. I know I did.
I have to say this program does more to help me RESTRAIN sensual indulgence (Colossians 2:23) than any other program I've tried. but then I've said that at the start of every program that's ever succeeded for a short period. Lunch also calls for a very large amount of food and I'm still not hungry by then. Here's where the personalizing comes in. Instead of eating everything I'm entitled to at the prescribed meal times, I've begun to eat lunch about 2:30 or 3:00. when I actually am hungry. For supper, I have 1/2 cup or cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of fruit-if I feel the need. Don't feel sorry for Bob. He's thrilled. He's a grazer and getting him to a table for a meal is a battle.
Lest I give the impression I'm touting another program that I believe answers my needs and start pushing it off on anyone else, let me hasten to add that it's not the program .It's Who's in control. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I have ALL I need to discipline myself in the area of food. Like a clerk at Wal-Mart said last week, "It's a matter of surrender."
You're right that an eating plan is just a tool, but I'm glad you've found good tool that helps you.
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