Friends and neighbors
Yesterday’s post on Nutrition was pretty good I believe. No, I am not saying that because I wrote, but because it is a very important issue that we all should look to when it comes to improving our nutrition for better health. One of the biggest problems I see with this is that most people that have a problem in this area is that Fear sometimes enters in when the thought of taking control comes into play. Why? Well, for most people “taking control” of their nutrition usually means “not getting to eat the foods I want.” And this for most literally brings on fear. I see it all the time. But you have to remember this is not the right way to approach this issue. To approach it with a mindset of “restriction” and or “law” is wrong. You have to approach it all with a mindset of “freedom.” Like we discussed yesterday, “I can eat anything I want, but i realize that not everything is beneficial for me. And I refuse to let food put me under its power.” Even though your actions may be pretty much the same as far as what you do nutritionally with your new program, with this type of “freedom” mindset, you are much more likely to see true and lasting changes.
One of our clients wrote a great testimony for some nutritional changes he made. It is a very good one and ties in pretty good with this whole subject. So check this out:
Back at the beginning of the year I, with a little prodding, finally decided it was time to transition from rehab to getting in shape. Through a friend’s testimony on the impact God Built can have on your life my wife and I decided to reconnect my friendship with KJ. After a phone conversation we set up a time to meet with KJ to see what he could do to help me follow through with my doctor’s orders to increase my strength and stay fit to protect my body battered by my car wreck. On the phone KJ indicated that this wasn’t just a workout program but a life program which included nutrition. That sounded great. Before my initial meeting I started a food diary at KJ’s request. This wasn’t a big deal because through my wife’s diligence my diet was pretty good, or so I thought. After our initial meeting I started to work. After one of our first sessions KJ stopped me to talk about my food diary. He agreed it wasn’t all that bad, except for all the soda I drank. I’ll admit I’m a 25 year member of the Coke generation. No coffee for me in the morning. I got my caffeine fix from Cokes. During my college years I realized my quickly expanding waistline wasn’t being helped by regular Cokes so I made the switch to diet drinks. Not only did I make the switch I preached how much weight you can loose simply by switching to diet drinks. I mean, why drink an extra 400 to 600 calories per day, it just didn’t make sense. For years I thought I was doing right by my body having made this switch. When KJ stopped me and that was the first thing that he pointed out, it took me back a bit. He told me about all the proven problems with soft drinks, especially diet soft drinks. Basically the chemicals used to make them zero calorie and taste close to the much more expensive soft drinks made with sugar was greatly altering my body chemistry. There were links to the rash of type II diabetes that has affected this country and my family among other issues. Basically the only thing good about them is the taste. The hard part was I didn’t know if I could make that change. A lifetime of doing something was hard to give up. We’ve all heard from KJ that believing you can make a change is crucial to making the change. This was a tough one. I spent about two weeks looking for that perfect soft drink substitute, you know make the change without really making the change. Low/no calorie, sweet, and bubbly, there had to be something out there that fit the bill. I tried everything carbonated on the market and nothing passed my taste test. Finally, after about the 5th time my wife said give it up, I did. 8 months later I’m proud to say soft drinks are not part of my diet. I have had 1 soft drink in that time. I limit myself to water mostly, un-sweetened tea (maybe half & half on occasion), and the occasional juice. My one slip back to a soft drink really wasn’t a slip. On a trip I found an ice cold coke, in a glass bottle, imported from Mexico. The store owner told me how good it was because they make it in Mexico the old fashioned way with real cane sugar as opposed to the corn syrups used in the US. He was right, it was fantastic. Full of calories, but fantastic! The good thing was I wasn’t harming my body with a bunch of chemicals and I got to have that little treat I had been avoiding for so long. Better than that, as good as it was I didn’t fall off the wagon and go crazy for soft drinks again. I was happy with the one and would have another in the future. I know I’m not bound by this choice but I know it’s the right choice. If I have an opportunity for a healthily indulgence I know it’s no big deal so the pressure isn’t there on a daily basis. Do I occasionally have cravings, sure? But I know I’m in control and that is comforting. I know in the grand scheme of life this is pretty trivial but it’s the culmination of all the little things that overtime will get you to your goals. Change is difficult, believe me I know. I’ve been forced to make a lot of changes in my life over the past couple of years. It can be very overwhelming but I’ve learned with a little prayer and taking these changes one step at the time you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish. You just have to believe.
YOUR HEALTH, YOUR LIFE, YOUR CHOICE Godbless u kj