Items of interest

with contributions from Justin Cord Hayes, Karen Patterson, Khanh T. L. Tran

"MANY OF US [HAVE DIETING] among our New Year's resolutions. But you've tried, year after year, and no diet has worked. Here's something new: Thin Connection. . . . It's not a diet, per se. Instead, it's a 12-week 'weight-release' program that uses Scripture to fill the void inside that most of the time gets filled with Cheese Doodles and Slim Jims. 'The program uses Scriptures to show that God loves you,' said Summerfield resident Roxanne Gilgallon, 44, who will lead the course. 'By feeling God loves you, you'll feel better about yourself. So food will cease being the focus of your life.'

"Participants learn to eat only when they are legitimately hungry—not when they're depressed or anxious or stressed. When they feel the urge to reach for a Twinkie, they will become mindful of whether their hunger is physical or spiritual. If spiritual, then the program offers a series of meditations culled from Scripture to help give strength to participants, so that they may resist the urge to rely on food to fill a spiritual void. Meditations will include those that focus on nourishment, such as Luke 12:23: 'For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.' Other meditations will focus on God's love, such as Proverbs 8:17: 'I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.'....

"[Gilgallon says,] 'We're not all born to be size 6's. If a person feels good about himor herself and their spirit feels good, they're eating healthy and exercising, then you may be a size 16 and be happy. But if your spirit is crushed, and your choices aren't healthy, then a size 16 will feel very uncomfortable. It's all about perspective.' "

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