Big decision...

OK, let me start at the beginning...good place, right? I attended a ladies' retreat through my church last weekend at Carson Springs near Newport. It was a beautiful place, and I had a wonderful time meeting new friends and getting to know old friends even better. The theme was "Think BIG...our GOD is!" Near the end of the sessions, there was a time for open testimony. I spoke about how God brought me through a very dark time in my life when I was deep in depression because of my OCD and contemplating suicide. I then proceeded to break down, asking for prayers in regard to my weight loss journey. I shared with everyone that I have battled this since I was 5 and that I'm now 35. I got lots of big hugs, and Becky (one of our leaders) immediately stopped to lead the group in prayer for me. It was very touching, and I felt encouraged. However, over the weekend, after I got back in town, those thoughts started rising up. "Why do you want to learn more about God? It's not like you're a Christian, anyway. God was done with you years ago. You turned away his salvation too many times when you were younger." (This is a whole 'nother battle besides the weight, folks.) Anyway, I did go to Lifeway today and bought a purse Bible. :) I found another one I want, the Life Application Bible (NIV). I now have a 20% off discount of my next purchase because my punch card is full. :) Thinking of buying that one...

Anyway, on to the "big decision". We have been meeting weekly with a nutritionist. She's holistic, which I know sounds weird to some of you, but she's very educated, conservative about weight loss plans, and a genuinely caring human being. She told us that a particular doctor's name had crossed her desk several times lately, and two people have given her a book by this particular doctor. His name is Joel Fuhrman, and the book is "Eat to Live". We all know I don't like veggies unless they're chopped so fine I can't get that chunky texture. She knows how I feel about veggies. She said she was about to drop a bomb. She reminded us how conservative she really is with weight loss plans and nutrition. She proceeded to tell us that there was a way we could lose a massive amount of weight in a short time by "rebooting" our metabolic system and our body as a whole. The answer? A juicing fast. Basically, we would be juicing fruits and veggies and having only that for anywhere from 10 to 60 days (60 days is the limit). There is a documentary film about this program called "Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead", I believe. We're going to watch it tonight on streaming Netflix. I feel excitement about this like I did when I was trying for and preparing for my gastric bypass surgery. Marie (our nutritionist) wants us to be sure our doctors are on board and indicated we would need bloodwork every 10 to 14 days to ensure we were getting everything we needed. I watched a video on YouTube earlier from "The Doctors" show, and there was a young lady who hated veggies. She tried a juice made with beets, carrots, ginger and lemon and absolutely loved it. I'm thinking even if I DO hate it, I can always chase it with water. She marked a couple of passages for us from the book, and Steven read them outloud last night. One mentioned a girl who was so much like me and lost, like, 300 pounds. The thing is, too, they are keeping it off...for years! The passage also made reference to a "dark pit" of being morbidly obese, and there was mention of a "dark pit" this weekend at the ladies' retreat? Coincidence...or God? Just pray that we will make the right decision. Steven is raring to go, he can make himself do anything. I, on the other hand, have a serious gag reflex when it comes to certain tastes and smells.