Temptation...

"Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell." - Author Unknown



This is a photo I took of a candy bar that has been sitting in my freezer for the past 5 months. I won it at a Christmas party held by my brother-in-law and his wife from a Scattergories game. There's a reason it has sat in the freezer all this time. It's a reminder, a reminder of who I was and of who I am now. The me from 2 years ago would have devoured that candy bar before we even got home that night. The temptation was there, believe it. But I had maxed out the calories for that day and could not consume it for fear of going over.

Temptation is all around us. Advertisers feed on using imagery to tempt us into buying or consuming their product. The luscious colors, textures, smells, feels, emotions, all combine to urge us into action. Reminds me of a line from a Survivor song that became popular in the movie, Rocky IV:

"In the warrior's code, there's no surrender
Though his body says stop, his spirit cries never
Deep in our soul a quiet ember
Knows it's you against you the paradox that drives us on
It's a battle of wills, in the heat of attack
It's the passion that kills
The victory is yours alone" - Survivor, "Burning Heart"

Our spirit may be strong at times, but it's the weakness of the flesh that succumbs to temptation. In the back of my mind I know that candy bar is sitting in the freezer, and honestly I think about consuming it when there doesn't seem to be anything in the house to eat. But, I also reflect on that and remind myself of the reason it is there.

I know it's hard to resist temptation sometimes and you need to learn what tempts you and do what you can to avoid those situations. In the beginning of my journey I could not eat at an all-u-can-eat buffet. I was very undisciplined and afraid of falling into a spiral of packing away the amount of food I used to. Now I am able to control my portioning and allow a little extra for those times that I do visit buffets. Maybe it's fast food for you or that cappucino in the morning. Maybe it's chocolate or some other food that makes you weak. You need to avoid these things for a short time, until you have been into a routine and feel you can control yourself. Some situations you may not be able to avoid, especially in a social setting. If you do succumb to temptation and fail, DON'T GIVE UP! Pick yourself up and get back on track right away. Do not let this side-track you into a spiral of self-pity and failure. I have fallen many times, the difference being I chose to press on and not wallow in the self-pity.

Temptation is a part of life (unfortuanately) but it is something we can do our best to conquer. We may not win all the time, but we can choose to deny it continued power over our lives.

"A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.... A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in." - C.S. Lewis

Matty

Simplicity...

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein


Came back today from Indiana, went to Middlebury - home of the Essenhaus restaurant - a "family-style" restaurant and gift shop. It's been a tradition for my wife's family for ages to travel at least once a year to enjoy the fried chicken & roast beef dinner with all the fixings.

Middlebury is in "Amish country", not unusual to find buggies parked outside stores or traveling down roadways. My father-in-law and I had a little conversation about being a little envious with the Amish. Life seems so simple for the from the outside. No dealing with cars, television, newspapers, no stresses that us "English" deal with on a daily basis. We admired how they are able to keep outside culture from interfering or encroaching on their belief system.

But they have their pressures as well - dealing with crops, animals, farms, etc. Our lives aren't much different in the general sense, both have their share of problems and joys.

Interesting thing I read about the Amish, they do not hate modern conveniences. If it serves a purpose to benefit them in a positive way without causing their minds and bodies to become lazy, then they will adopt it. Many Amish-run dairy farms have electric generators to run pasteurizing and milking equipment. Some use tractors and other simple machines to help them in their daily work. But they shun things like telephones, automobiles and other "frivolous" things that serve no real purpose.

When it comes to things like lifestyle changes, simple changes can make a huge difference. Weighing food and cataloging calories are simple things that over time become habit. Walking stairs instead of using the elevator, we can all find little things to simplify our lives and make changes for the better.

Sometimes we even try to over-simplify which may not get us the answer we want. Reminds me of the story I read a long time ago about a semi-truck that had become stuck under and overpass. Many adults tried and tried to come up with a solution to release it. It took a 5 year old boy to solve the problem - let the air out of the tires to lower the truck & trailer.

Is there some clutter in your life? What can you do to simplify your life?

"Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter." - D.H. Mondfleur

Matty

Rock Bottom...

"I don't care what you say
Oh no, you got to pay
When you hit rock bottom
And you're there to stay..." - Kiss, "Rock Bottom"


One of the things that I have realized over the course of my weightloss journey is that my previous attempts failed for one reason - I did not hit rock bottom. That's the point where there is no where to go but up. The point where you actually break down and say, "enough is enough and I am not going to live like this anymore". Many people make valiant efforts to change, but they fail because they have not come to that realization.

I hit that realization a little over 2 years ago. My doctor pretty much gave me the grim outlook that surgery was my last and only hope. I struggled with that for the longest time, searching the web for the pros/cons and not liking the information I was finding. I signed up for the orientation to find out more information on how the whole procedure worked and also to talk to the team of doctors and nurses about the downsides.

My mother-in-law went with me so that someone else was there to listen to the information and come up with questions that I might not have thought of. I was surprised at what awaited us at the orientation. There was a buffet. Not a cookies and teacakes buffet, but a full-blown buffet with sliced meats, salads, chips, pop, & all sorts of desserts. All this at a weight loss surgery seminar. The images from looking around the room will haunt me for the rest of my life. Extra wide wheelchairs, people with extra-strength walkers & canes, people larger than I was.

One image I will never forget was that of an older woman balancing a tray of food and drinks on her walker trying to waddle back to her seat. I still think of that from time to time.

One by one, the doctors and nurses came forward to explain their part in the procedure from the psychological examination to fitness training and exit consultations. Then they paraded several successful candidates of the surgery who told their stories, the last being a gentleman that seemed to have every conceivable complication both during and following the surgery. This did not help my fears at all.

But a seed was planted at that meeting by the doctors and nurses. Every one of them that came forward seemed to pound home the point that the surgery is not an end-all be-all. It is a tool to be used in conjunction with diet and exercise to lose and maintain weightloss. I began to think, "If I have to change my eating habits and exercise, why go through the expense and uncertainty of surgery?"

It was while cleaning my office that the scales were finally removed from my eyes and I saw clearly. I had finally (thank the Lord!) hit rock bottom. I began to do research on the internet about making lifestyle changes and hooked up with the wonderful and supportive people on the alt.support.diet newsgroup. Through their suggestions and support, I was able to develop a plan to change my life for the good.

As with everything else, it takes time. The key is you have to hit rock bottom before you are able to make any changes to last the rest of your life. So whether it's losing weight, stopping smoking or drinking, viewing pornography, whatever it might be - you need to hit rock bottom so the Lord can start with a clean foundation.


"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." - Bill Cosby

Matty

**I am not for or against the weightloss surgery. I do not condemn anyone that has chosen that option for their lives. I simply found that the surgery was no longer an option that I wanted to pursue. **