Day 9 - At the Beginning - At Long Last

I've covered the past, now I'm moving into the present. It took me longer than I originally thought, and I feel good about what I shared, but the point of this blog -- and of this journey -- is to move FORWARD. The past was presented for a reference point, not a dwelling place. There will surely be "flashback moments" and segues into memories and previous experiences, especially if they are relevant to what's going on right now. But enough of the wilderness -- let's get back to the originally intended beginning!

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." Matthew 9: 16-17

March 17, 2011

This was a day of importance, the day I made a commitment to physical healing. One of my New Year's resolutions for 2011 was to make healthy decisions this year, and I was following through on that pledge. I met with a metabolic weight loss specialist, to begin an intensive three-month program of rectifying whatever damage I had done to my internal physiology through the years.

I had heard of Dr. Ryan Ford through a friend of mine, and attended a free workshop he had held a month or so earlier. It had been many years since I'd even seen a doctor, and wasn't out-and-out sick -- that I knew of, anyway. But I just didn't feel "right," and I hadn't for a very long time. This stands to reason, with all the stresses and traumas that had come into my life. But it actually had started years earlier, and I found all manner of justifications -- low iron, female problems, lack of energy -- unaware that these were, most likely, symptoms instead of validities.

So after much prayer and forethought, I attended the workshop, and heard what Dr. Ford had to say. What struck me first was the question, "Are you sick because you're overweight, or are you overweight because you're sick?" He then explained how an impaired metabolism affects our body's systems, which then compensate and are strained, leading to further illness, until finally an all-out breakdown occurs. This is often in the form of an auto-immune disease, such as diabetes, lupus and fibromyalgia.

What next got my attention was that these symptoms, and these diseases, could be treated and likely overcome with proper individualized diet. But it would also take commitment to the treatment, and the lifestyle changes necessary to maintain the regained health.

Why did this strike such a chord with me? There are several reasons.

• First, I have been trying for years, as have many others, to find "the" diet for me, which only resulted in regained weight and further systemic damage. I was literally sick and tired of playing "diet roulette."
• Second, the diet plan is individually established for each person's physical needs. This is not a "one size fits all" diet, but a healing process that allows the metabolism to be reset so it can properly process the food it's given.
• Third, the program is based upon proper nutrition, not chemical alternatives and appetite suppressors. Heavy emphasis is placed upon the patient's commitment to the program, and to the needed lifestyle changes, holding the patient accountable for his own healing -- and his own health. 

After a few consultations, an intensive questionnaire, and much more thought and prayer, I realized that this was something I didn't just want to do, it was something I needed to do.

I committed to this new beginning. I was unafraid, trusting God and His healing powers, to be enacted through Dr. Ford. And so the diet began.

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."