Schemes and Changes

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how diets and money making schemes are so much alike. Both industries have one main thing on their mind and that is to make money. And what is sad is that they both prey on people that really have a need, whether that be the need of money or the need/want to lose weight. But it still boils down to one thing - MONEY.

In just the last couple of months, I have been asked by 5 different people if I want to get into money making schemes. I would call them pyramid type things. Well long ago my husband and I made the choice that we would not get involved in those type things. Someone always loses in them - if it isn't us, it would be someone we cared about by getting them involved in the scheme. I understand that times are tough and people want to make extra money but these companies are making so much money by getting that initial money from someone that gets caught up in the moment thinking of ALL the money that they could make. Then they find out that it is not as "easy" as it was stated to make all that money.

The diet industry is in the same boat - as they are usually driven to make money at peoples expense. Well I am sure that there are some of the people that have written the books that really want to help people but over all a lot of the diet plans do not work - long term. You might lose weight at first but then gain it all back. I know that I have experienced this. And it is so discouraging. It was so discouraging to me that it took me a couple of years to even come to the point of thinking that I might be ready to make some changes in order to get into better health and shape.

This past week-end, while we were in Granbury we ran into one of my husband's cousins that had gastric bypass surgery about a year ago. As we talked, she told about how she had to take classes for 4 - 6 months before they would do the surgery in order to get her mind healthy before they even did the surgery. Seriously there are reasons why a person is over weight and if the inside stuff is not taken care of it will be very hard to make permanent changes. Well, as I listened to her, I thought that I would love to go to the class. Don't think I would want the surgery but I would love to learn the information and be inspired. Well yesterday a friend stopped by and as we visited she told me of a Dr. that had come to her church this last week-end and told about a seminar that he will be putting on starting the 10th of September. It will last for 3 weeks. I am so tempted to do this seminar. I am thinking it might be something that God orchestrated for me to find out about.

Then today I watched an episode of "Doctors" that I had recorded. And guess what? They talked about some things to have in your kitchen to be healthier and 5 things not to have in the kitchen- or at least to limit in order to have better health. And they talked about sodas and a lot of bad information about them. Well this is something that I have struggled with for a long time. When I was growing up we did not drink sodas and so when I started drinking them - then I just loved them and have tried a couple of times to give them up - each time to go back to drinking them. Well yesterday as I began to realize that I was ready to make changes to get healthier - I realized that this was something I was going to have to give up. I have a 12 pack of sodas - and I decided I will limit myself to one a day until they are gone. That way I can slowly go off of caffeine. There a many other changes that I plan to implement but with a family I will just slowly make the changes that are needed.

On more thing that I did - on Facebook there is a 21-Day Vegan Kickstart that is being done. Well I signed up for it - NOT that I am going Vegan - uhm.. no. I signed up because they will be sending out recipes and I thought that it would be great to get lots of recipes and actually see menus and see how people eat that are vegan. I can try recipes and see if we like them. And if we like them - I will add them to our recipes. If God calls me to that way of eating some day - I will do it but he would need to call my husband as well because I need to make sure that I make foods that my husband likes.

I know that these two topics did not really go together but I had thought that I wanted to be honest and share with you all that I have decided that I need to lose weight and how God was leading me to what I needed and I also was thinking of the other topic - and once I was writing it just seemed to flow to the decision that I have made.

I also wanted to share with you that the book that this Dr. will be basing his seminar on is the "Eat More, Weigh Less" book by Dr. Dean Ornish. And if you go to Amazon - you can actually read the introduction and it looks like maybe even the first chapter (I am only a couple of pages into the 1st chapter.) So if you are interested in checking the book out -that would be a good way to do it.

Oh and one more thing - as I drove to town to run some errands yesterday- I heard a preacher say - "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13
And as soon as I heard it - I thought I can lose weight and get healthier with God's strength. In the past - I have tried in my own strength and I may have succeeded at first but it did not last. Well this time - I will be doing my best to keep God in the driver's seat with this and everything in my life. :o)