Dieting and the Liahona

I wonder how many diets I have started over the past nearly 57 years. At least one for each of the past 30 years...but most of those years I started a diet many times in a year! That means that I could easily have started over 1,000 diets in my lifetime! LOL

It seems that I have a genetic propensity for weight gain. My grandmother was obese, my mother was obese, and I, of course, am obese. I sure would like to throw my hands in the air and say that there is no use - but I know that I can't do that - and so I start this year - like every other year in recent memory - vowing to lose weight, get healthy, and exercise.

This year is similar - but the urgency has dramatically increased.

In October of 2008 I tore the miniscus in my right knee. As my othopedic dr has tried to help it I have learned that there is no cartilege left in either knee...it is bone on bone. The only true solution is total knee replacements. However, he believes that I am too young to undergo that pr0cedure if at all possible, for at least 5 years. It may get to the point that there is no option - but the real hope in lasting that long is for me to lose my excess poundage and to increase my strength and stamina. For every pound of excess weight one carries it is an estimated 4 additional pounds of pressure on the joint. I need to get serious about this. And - since the only exercise that he recommends is swimming - I will need to do what I can through these winter months primarily by diet. A possible alternative to swimming is the recumbant bike - perhaps that will be one of the purchases we make in the near future - or perhaps a gym membership - but the bike seems a better option - we'll have to see,

Then, fast forward to last week. Rich went to see his cardiologist. I really like the guy and I think Rich does too. He is pleased with the progress that Rich is making. He says the heart is in good shape, it is strong. But while he is pleased with everything else - he says he wants some weight loss to happen - and he is mindful of how difficult that will be without exercise and on the steroids. Rich also saw his pulmonologist last week...he says that weight loss will help but that he cannot be cleared to exercise at the moment...except for tv exercise...he wants him to have the tv on for 4 hours a day and get up and walk around during each of the commercials. I am wondering how many minutes of exercise that will equate to but I think it could be surprising. I am reminded of Alma 37:41 when Alma is reminding his son, Helaman, of the miracle of the liahona and that by small means miracles were worked, but that because of the slothfulness of Nephi's brothers and because they didn't exercise their faith and diligence the marvelous works ceased and so did their progress in the journey. Isn't this just like a diet?

So - taking Alma's counsel to heart - Nephi's brethren were not successful because of (1) slothfulness, apathy, and laziness, (2)they forgot to exercise faith, (3)and they forgot to exercise diligence. It is obvious that if we don't get off the couch between commercials then we cannot have the benefit of the exercise - the added strength, energy, stamina, and renewal. But the last two seem to correspond with the revelation that was given to them in direct proportion to their faith and diligence. Perhaps that is key for me and weight loss. How often (like - always?) have I tried to do this alone? Perhaps I need to give up some of my pride and let the Lord help me. I am going to do this differently this time - I am going to remember to exercise my faith and diligence in prayer, fasting, temple attendance, scripture study, and following the counsel from Elder Scott this last conference - to write down the things that are revealed to me from time to time and then act upon them.... I am hoping that this very big ship will become so much smaller by working with the Lord, rather than trying to go it alone!