Day 3

Sit Down to eat.
This may turn out to be the key change I make in my behavior which will change my thinking about eating.
When I sit down and focus on the food I am more likely to eat to nourish myself and not to meet an emotional need.
When I use food all day long to support me emotionally, comfort me, restore me, I am very likely to overeat if just a little.

DAY 2

Ok, you choose your diet today. Choose any healthy diet. The first time through I did weight watchers. I have now simplified it to calorie counting. I am in the habit of 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day and I eat fairly healthily. I have a little dark chocolate daily, and a glass or two of wine. I am still having a cup of coffee and a few diet sodas a day so not perfect but moderation.
One problem I have is really believing that a diet is the right way to go. I think it should come naturally without any rules! But then I think about my schedule. I fully believe I have to plan a schedule or i won't do what needs to be done. So what's the difference? I am thinking of the diet part as the plumbline i have chosen for God to work on me through and around. I am not serving the diet I am serving Him.

I wrote another Truth card for when I doubt I should be on a diet that reminds me of this. You might do the same if you have sabotaging thoughts about a "plan".

some of my reasons

Reasons I do welcome to your death diet

1. I don’t want to live for myself but for
Him who died and rose on my behalf
2. I will not be controlled by anything
3. I want to live for God’s glory not my own
4. I will live longer
5. I will be healthier, no diabetes, or
heart disease .
6. I will be able to serve my family, and
minister to others more effectively and
for longer
7. I will travel more easily, less pain and
discomfort.
8. My feet will feel better.
9. I want to bless others with beauty
10. I do not want to be depressed, discouraged
or distracted by my weight
12. It’ll be easier to dress every day
14. Less depression so I will be able to get out
and grocery shop, counsel or go to church
15. I will not spend times every day feeling guilty for overeating or
for being a bad person
16. I will not waste time and energy vacillating from plan to plan;
philosophy to philosophy.
19. Outward fruit of God’s help
20. Helps me focus on God many times a day

DAY 1

This first 2 weeks is laying the groundwork. Learning crucial strategies that you’ll need to be successful and maintain the weight loss. (You don’t even have to start the actual diet part for 2 weeks) Today you will make your first Truth Card. Truth cards are index cards with messages that will counter sabotaging thoughts. This first card, to me, is the crux of the diet. Why am I doing this? (my past motives were not powerful enough to carry me) So write down on an index card (or on a few) your reasons for doing this program. I left off all idolatrous reasons like: I must look good to feel good about myself! I will include my sample list. The reasons should line up with God’s purposes for your life. You will be taking a minute twice a day to read through this list. I set my phone to remind me at 8 and at 3pm. Dr Beck kicks you in the butt a little bit to MAKE you do this…I have decided I am going to do every single thing she says. She has convinced me it’ll work if I take it seriously.

I'm Back

I took a little detour and "forgot" I had a commitment to a good plan here. So now
I have returned to The Beck diet solution by using a workbook that I ordered earlier. I got busy this fall traveling and just got off track.
So Back to day 1 I go! I don't even remember where or when I quit doing the "welcome to your death diet". But I do know that I gained 3 of the 5 lbs i had lost back. I'm sure it will
come off quickly and my goal this time is to be serious about sticking to my plan
and to get my wt down lower than my earlier goal. My first goal was the high end of my healthy range.(150) Now I want to get down to the middle of my healthy range, that would be 137.
My wt today is 154.

A 3rd Way

At the CCEF conference I ran into an old friend Barbara Aills (CCEF Board member and excellent biblical counselor. www.biblicalcounselingministries.com). We were talking about the right way to be motivated to eat or to not eat.
(So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:30-32)
She drew a line horizontally across a paper. On one end she wrote restriction. On the other end she wrote licentiousness. And then she said something shocking. The 3rd way is not even on this continuum. It is up at the top of the page (triangle) and that is God's way. It is surprising and utterly different. It is motivated by love, gratefulness, forgiveness and God's glory.
This illustration can be applied to the other areas in which one wants to overcome and please God with the only motivation that will bring about change that glorifies God.

Hurry Up

"Isn't God powerful enough to change me immediately? Yes God is and sometimes does...
but I don't think that is typical. Indeed the New Testament affirms that the most common method
for sanctification (change) is a process that has to be practiced as you struggle against sin."
Love to Eat Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick

I have been struggling against overeating for 30 years. But that does not mean I have been struggling against sin using His methods. I usually (almost always) use my own methods.
His methods are utterly different than getting motivated by restriction.