Discussion Board

To Luv, Tex gal, KC and all other friends here:

Thanks for your good posts. In regard to my post about Martha and Mary, my concern is especially for those who are engaged in food battles. If you are not engaged in food battles (and it seems that Tex gal and others here are not), congratulations! This means you have made great progress in regard to developing good habits that are helping you to achieve your goals and that your behavior related to food is not distracting you from the kingdom. If you are being distracted by the battles, perhaps keeping your diet very simple will help you to win the battles.

I will tell you about a couple in the USA. They are great examples in so many ways. I am not aware that they ever had any problems with weight management. It seemed to me that food was never very important to them.

While this may not be relevant to anyone here, it seems to me that many are obsessed with food. They have many cookbooks. They are constantly looking for new recipes and ways to make the foods more delicious. They watch cooking programs on TV. Food is a major topic of their conversations and they devote much of their time, energy and thinking to it.

Once one gets beyond thinking about the nutrition/healthfulness of the food and continues to think about how to make it more appealing, it seems to me that at some point this is excessive and counter productive. If you work to provide nutritious, palatable meals for yourself and others, this probably requires much of your time and energy. How can you keep the proper balance?

I am not in that situation and would probably not do a very good job with that. However, here is one idea I have for McDougallers who cook for non-McDougallers. Tell your family and friends you will prepare and cook only McDougall meals for yourself. Then you will add one non-McDougall dish to the meal for them. Let them pick the dish. Have you tried this? How do you think this would work for you and those who eat with you?

"17For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14, NRSV)

Thank you pinkrose, kc, and texgal for each of your posts. They are really making me think about things and challenging me to be the best that I can be for the Lord.

I love this forum because we all are unique individuals from varied backgrounds, regions, and what have you, but yet, our love for the Lord and our desire to live and eat healthfully brings us together here to help one another and learn from one another.

I don't feel that I have really contributed anything of great value, but you all have been a tremendous help and blessing to me. THANK YOU!!

KC - your posts are such a special blessing to me, and I'm sure that you are a lovely person both inside and out. The next time you look in the mirror, smile

Tex gal - I enjoyed your post very much and I think that it's so neat that you and your husband work side by side in the kitchen.

Pinkrose - thanks for the clarification of some things. I think I better understand now what you were getting at. I agree, sometimes people can be obsessed with food. Your point is well taken.

Blessings to you all and have a great day!

Greetings everyone. I was out of town for a week visiting an elderly relative, and then very busy helping our church with a week-long teen outreach that was a huge blessing. Our little church with less than 20 teens in the youth group, had 120 teens from the community attend, and each one heard powerful Gospel messages. At least 28 were saved, and today 12 of them were in Sunday School for the first time! Praise GOD!

Traveling, and then eating with teens at church all week, though a blessing, wasn't too good for my eating. I notice that the more tired I am (which is much of the time) the worse I do. Hopefully as I regain strength since the surgery, I won't be so tired all the time. One more week and I'll be free to start exercising again.

I've been reading with interest your thoughts about obsession with food and diet. I have certainly noticed that we are much more focused on diet as a culture than ever before. In general there is so much more food available, and so much more variety, unhealthy as it is. And, yes, it does distract us from that which is truly important.

For myself, I spend much time focusing on diet, worrying about weight and health (with some recent difficulties to spur that on), etc. Trouble is, that my eating is a great source of weakness. I know that I am to do all that I do, including eating and drinking, to the glory of God. Eating unhealthily is not glorifying to Him, nor is it taking care of the body He has given me. And yet, even knowing this, it's a constant struggle. I don't know why, but it is. I'm just being honest here. When I don't continually "fight" my desires in this area, they get much worse. Letting go is equivalent to letting my appetite control me.

If you can't tell, I'm having trouble eating healthy. I have lots of "good excuses" but bottom line, I can't seem to get consistent with this. And, for me, it's sin.

This doesn't mean that I've given up. God is still on His throne and His mercies are new every morning, thankfully. And, it's in our weakness that His strength is made perfect. I'm trusting in Him to give me what's missing if that's His will. In the meantime, this struggle keeps me well aware that I cannot do anything without Him. I'm sure that even this struggle is a tool that He will use to conform me to the image of His dear Son (Rom. 8:28). I have so far to go...

Blessings to each of you,
Jubilee

Hi Jubilee,
It's great to hear from you! What good news about all the young people getting saved - praise the Lord!! How is your daughter doing in Mexico?

I appreciate your thoughts on pinkrose's post. It's a struggle for me too, to do all things for His glory. It's because there is always a war between our spirits and our flesh - the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Paul talks about this struggle in Romans, ch. 6-8. I'm reading a good book now called "What's on Your Mind" and it is helping me to learn to renew my thinking by God's Word. We have to put off the "old man" and put on "the new man" which has been created through our Salvation in Christ. We need to replace bad habits, bad thoughts, bad actions, with good thoughts, habits and actions. You are right Jubilee - it is a fight but it is so worth it.

I am praying for you and the others here that we will have victory in Christ one day at a time.

This is a great discussion. I'm glad we can all share our viewpoints and learn from each other.

22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus instructs us not to worry about what we will eat. Does that mean not to think about it? I've been meditating on this ... and I don't think that's what He meant. He tells us not to worry about what we will wear ... but does that mean we should have only one set of clothes and wear that every day for every occasion? Does it mean it is a sin to buy new clothes for our child to wear on the first day of school? I don't think so.

Obviously we can get obsessed about anything and focus on that instead of on God and His kingdom. But I don't think that means we should never think about our earthly needs. Obviously Jesus knew that we have needs: 32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."

So I guess the challenge for all of us is to keep our focus in the proper place - on the proper Person - and for some of us that may mean eating the same menu every day; for others it may mean planning out a week of meals so we don't have to think about it any more during the week; for others it may mean looking for what is fresh at the market that day and trying to create a delicious meal from that bounty.

Jubilee and others - I feel for you in this struggle, and I am FAR from perfect in my eating, though it's a lot better than it used to be. I am trying to eat healthy whole food, but not WORRY overmuch when I can't or don't. Probably worry is a bigger challenge for me than food is - we each have our own battles to fight!

This brings up a much bigger question for me - how do I "seek his kingdom" in my daily life? If that is to be my focus (and not what I eat or what I wear), how do I do that, in the midst of my job and my other responsibilities? As much as I would love to be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus all day, how does that work with our jobs and all the other things we are called to do in our individual lives? It is an important question, and one that I still do not have all the answers to, even after years of being a Christian.

Jubilee, thanks for posting about the youth outreach. What a wonderful blessing! I am so proud of you for doing that, when you could have found an excuse to stay home instead. I pray that you will be blessed for your obedience and service, and that you will be victorious in your food struggles. I know it is difficult when you are traveling and out with other people, but do you at least have your kitchen at home "safe" from things you know you should not eat? That really helps me. As long as I know I have healthy and easy things available, I am less likely to give in to the temptation to eat things I shouldn't or run out to grab fast food.

Speaking of food, I better eat my lunch now before I run out of time on my lunch hour!

So many great comments here! I especially appreciate your words about looking to Jesus and seeking to do His will in all things!

In the lounge I submitted a post about conceiving of your meal as an entree (vegetables) and dessert (starch). This concept helps me. I think many feel deprived. When feeling deprived it is easy to over eat ("I deserve it!"). If you think about what you CAN eat while being faithful to your program/plan, this will help you to succeed. For me that means thinking I can eat a very large entree--eat tasty veggies until I am almost full. Then I can eat dessert. I call starches dessert because the starch is the rich part of the meal, much higher in calories than the veggies. I have found that the way I think about eating--trying to keep it simple--thinking about how MUCH I can eat and enjoy--helps me to be compliant and successful.

KC, in regard to looking better and better in your clothes, congratulations!!! That is great!!! However (HA HA), keep in mind that most adults probably do not look very good naked! I am so grateful for clothes!!! Do not expect miracles but you can expect to look better, feel better and enjoy better health as you follow your good plans. Look up and smile!!!

Hi pinkrose,
I like your approach to eating the veggies first then having your starch "dessert". That's a great way to look at it! And you're right -I'm grateful for clothes too!!

Tex gal - you gave me even more to think about - what a great post. You are right - our focus needs to be in the proper place and on THE proper Person

Evening all,
I guess you're right about not looking good naked. But I was at the graduation and remember in clear back to 1972 when I walked across that stage. I got kinda depressed looking back at my life. Well, you can look at your cup half empty of half full. If I really try to be grateful compared to most people, my cup runneth over.

I took my own food to marine World yesterday and did pretty well. I can't believe how much better my life is compared to before McDougalling. I was up and down those hills with two little ones. Before, I would not really have considered it much less happily. Now I look forward to going if not for the exercise. Gotta run, God Bless. We can do all things through Christ whom strengthens us.

So...your high school had a clothing optional graduation? Ha ha!

Seriously, I think we all struggle with trying to focus on what we have. It seems that you have made much progress in regard to this, KC! Yes, our cups are running over!!!

"28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; 29for indeed our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12, NRSV)

"6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4, NRSV)

These verses tell me that I should consider myself full because of what God has done. That is part of walking by faith. I may not feel full (or look thin) but if God says I am richly blessed, I am!

Hi all,

No posts since last Wed? I haven't either. I have been up nights with a very sick 6 year old. Jacob got a bacteria in his tummy. We think at Marine World last week. Possibly the ice cream?

Anyways, he had such bad diarrhea that he had bleeding. Had to take him in thurs for an IV for mild dehydration. I finally got a good night's sleep last night. I have not been exercising or really eating right. Everything went South. But Jacob is feeling so much better. I prayed and He answered my prayers. Well, Jacob made oatmeal cookies out of a story book and I ate like six. They were pretty basic but had one egg in it so not good. next week will be better. Hopefully, I will get to the Y or out to the park. Keep him in your prayers. God Bless each ofyou. kc

Hello friends,

I hope you all are enjoying your week. I wanted to say HI! and let you all know that I'm thinking of you.

I hope you all have a Happy Father's day tomorrow - and for pinkrose - today! The weather here has been beautiful so we've been doing a lot of outside chores such as weeding, re-varnishing our front door, waxing the cars, and I'm having fun pulling apricots and apples off of our trees. The figs and almonds should be ready for picking soon too.

My eating has been compliant but I still eat a little too much at times and get that overly stuffed feeling. This only happens when not too much is going on. If I'm busy and running around I have no problems at all. So I guess I need to keep real busy.

How are you all doing? God Bless and have a great day!
luvoatmeal

P.S. I forgot to mention I tried a new recipe for oatmeal pancakes for breakfast this morning and they were delicious. If anyone wants the recipe I'll post it later.

Hi KC,

We must have been typing at the same time! Your post just appeared. I will sure pray for Jacob. Poor little guy. I'm glad he's doing better.

Take care of yourself and let's pray for one another that we will make wise choices and treat our temples kindly.

praying for Jacob

In regard to Father's Day, this one is special. I confessed my faith in Christ and was baptized 45 years ago today, also on Father's Day. My dad died in 2007 and of course I think of him today. My stepson has sent me a nice text message and a lovely cake...and yes, I will eat some cake! Then I will probably have a long walk to try to burn up some of those extra calories! The cakes here are rich, beautiful and delicious but I rarely eat cake...but if somebody gives you a cake...I think you should eat a little! Ha ha!

May Father bless all of the dads, sons and daughters today!

Enjoying soooooo much reading all the posts here! We are all one in Christ and I'm thankful for all of you. I've just been peeking in for awhile but decided it was time to post something. Our area of Illinois has had lots of rain. I've been a bit worried about our crops of corn and soybeans. Has there been enough water that they aren't putting down strong roots that will sustain them when the hot, terribly dry times come? Then I felt God speaking to me about this. Are my roots deep enough in Him to sustain me when adversity and stress hit me between the eyes or do I have shallow roots that just skim nourishment off the top when the rains come and become sick and weak in the process? Praying that all of you join me in reaching deeper so that our hold on God is so strong that nothing and no one can shake us loose. When one of us is having a problem hanging on, reach out to help. That's what your posts have done for me. I receive so much help from all of you. Thanks!!!!

Shirley

What a great post Shirley! I think it is so true that many people have a very "shallow" faith because they have everything they think they need, and don't feel a need to depend on God. We certainly don't ever want those times of testing to come for ourselves or our loved ones, but they are sometimes what it takes to bring us closer to the real source of everything we truly need. Thanks for the reminder.