I am living a MIRACLE! And it is all Praise to God Almighty, for bringing me to Weigh Down in 1996. I remember being an over-eater as early as age 9; when going off to summer camp, my greatest highlight was the food. How sad to remember that! This desire to over-eat only grew. As I reached my teen years, I was on my way to being an expert in the diet pill industry. During my college years and early marriage, I spent any extra income on a variety of popular weight loss clinics. Can you imagine the money I spent always trying to lose weight...permanently? My poor husband could! The result of these diets: NOTHING worked permanently. I always gained my weight back. All of my obsessive dieting eventually took a toll on my marriage and children. Then in my "11th hour," a time when no diet was working, God, in His great mercy, sent Weigh Down into my life. Weigh Down was where I learned to stop blaming others or my circumstances for my being overweight. It was in my very first Weigh Down class that I started looking inward at my own heart and my own actions/choices. I learned I was responsible, not my mother or my husband, not the bad day full of frustrations or whatever excuses I had at the time to eat more than my body needed. I learned to tell myself the truth. My heart was greedy for food. I learned God really does care about my actions, and He truly has set up boundaries regarding how He wants me to live. My miracle has been the Permanent Changes in my heart! These heart changes resulted in permanent weight loss and attitude changes. I changed from being an over-eater, very self focused, angry and depressed person, to now an appreciative person who Truly loves God and the life He has given me! I was taught through Weigh Down how God loves a repentant heart, and by choosing to do His will daily, the result is I haven't dieted in years. So many areas of my life have improved- more than I could have ever imagined could since letting go of the love for food. I have a beautiful relationship with my husband and children. I love learning to live daily in God's boundaries! My children have not known an overweight mother who is always dieting, but a mother who loves God and loves caring for their needs. There is no more depression and anger, yo-yo dieting, or the pain of a selfish life. I will forever Praise God for this MIRACLE He has shown me through Gwen Shamblin's teachings in Weigh Down!
Mary Mornout