What do Emotions have to do with it?

For those of you who know me well, let me just tell you that today I got up at 6:00 and made it to my 9:00 Bender/Yoga class. Yes, I feel great.... and it's nothing short of a miracle! For 25 years I have had a hard time getting out of bed before 10 AM unless I'm running on adrenalin for a class or conference. CFS took it's toll on my body and I lived with the effects of it but the past 3 weeks on the vegan diet have really made a difference in my life.

Although being a vegan seems to be working well for me, there are other eating plans that may work for you. Do whatever works... you are the master of your body and life force. If you choose health it will pay you great dividends which far outweigh the quick moments of pleasure from the poor food choices.

Sometimes our weight problems can be a result of habit and too much fast food, while other times its a bit more sinister than that. Eating things that don't benefit our body over a steady course is actually an act of self-violence. We don't think of the fact that we are acting out against ourselves when we indulge in a slice of chocolate pie, but we ARE unless it's a rare treat. I noticed in the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" when large people were interviewed they very calmly stated that they knew they would have a short life expectancy and it didn't seem to bother them. Why? I'm thinking most of them aren't too fond of life as it is and they were numbing their pain as a drug and waiting for the day they wouldn't have to deal with their problems anymore. Overeating is slow and intentional suicide. I get it... but what a shame. This is your ONE life...  This is your chance to have a voice, make a difference in the lives of others. Help others along. Life has so many great aspects to it! Laying down to die, while it may be an option, really serves no one.

This leads me to the crux of the situation. People check out because they can't deal with their lives. A diet isn't going to change the root of the problem that gets you fat in the first place - emotional healing will.  Marianne Williamson addresses emotional pain in her book called A Course in Weight Loss.  Changing our diets is a great first start but unless we address the reasons that we eat we will just be another one of those pathetic "took is all off and put it all back on" stories that are so common. In this book, Williamson tells us to picture our excess weight as bricks insulating our body from pain. One by one, we are taught to dismantle the bricks and give them to God to destroy. It's a book of surrender and release. It's a course that will transform your life if you give it the time and energy.

If you have struggled to stay at a healthy weight through out your life, check out this book. It's good for the soul!

 A Course in Weight Loss.