The Mind Diet

The experience was humiliating – to say the least. I sunk down in the chair – deflated; discouraged; depressed. It was my annual performance review with my supervisor and his feedback was far from flattering.  In my position at the firm, I was frequently in the public eye. I represented the company at numerous business and social functions, events and meetings and maintaining a ‘professional’ image was essential.  Due to the pressures in my personal and work-life, I had let myself go and in the process had gained a lot of weight on top of the additional weight I was already carrying. It had become obvious and so I wasn’t surprised when my supervisor alluded to it in my review, respectfully saying that I needed to improve my ‘professional’ image.  The truth is, in my weight gain I had become sloppy in how I presented myself, a reflection of how I was truly feeling on the inside.

I had tried so many times in the past to successfully lose weight. I tried numerous diets and exercise regimens and while I achieved success, it was always short-lived.  Now 100+ pounds overweight, I had become disillusioned. I was at an impasse but I wanted to change – I needed to change.  As a woman with strong faith, I unburdened myself to the Lord, something I had not done in the past regarding this matter.

It was in prayer that the Lord revealed to me, that my undisciplined mindset regarding my health had led me to this juncture.   I made a decision to let go and let God fully control my life, asking Him to renew and reprogram my mindset toward food, fitness and my general wellbeing.

Romans 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

I prayed for a Godly perspective regarding my health and I received it!  I changed my “live to eat” to an “eat to live” mentality, integrated discipline in my eating habits and became physically active. It wasn’t just a diet; it had become a lifestyle due to a changed mindset that bore permanent results. I found myself enjoying a new lifestyle and reaping the benefits of new attitudes that were sown in my transformed mind.

Two and a half years later and 56 pounds lighter, I have gained a whole new lease on life thanks to the mind diet that resulted in positive physical and emotional changes for me. To coin a phrase from Joyce Meyer (www.joycemeyer.org) “I’m not where I need to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be”