The Atkins Diet and how to gain weight by listening to your "friends!

By Rev. Knox Herndon
Pastor

I have always been a people watcher. I am forever amazed at how God made an activity we call human nature. It is a substance that causes us to act in a manner that is somewhat predictable and yet is certainly not an exact science.

As a pastor I feel it necessary to continue to people watch and learn all we can about this human activity. I feel that this people watching should be perfected as to best learn how to share the Love of God with the world during our “watch” here on earth. It is with this backdrop that I make the following observation. My wife, Dee, has lost 15 pounds and I have lost 10. No fudge, just fact.

This human nature activity continues to amaze me as to what people say to you when you have just achieved a great victory, especially about your weight. You can read volumes about dieting. In fact, we hear on the TV about how obese we are as a nation and especially here in the South. Of course many of the Yankee writers will never admit that the Southern cooking is far superior to what you will get anywhere in the nation (no bias here, just fact). If you don't believe this, just go to the Varsity on any given day and stand in the long line to get your (whadda-ya-have, whadda-ya-have) 10W-40, chili dogs, onion rings, a large PC topped off with a fried peach pie with a scoop of your favorite ice-cream. It is extremely hard to continue to type with that diet dancing in my head, but on to the other side of “dieting.”

When you share the victory of how much you have lost on the Atkins diet, people will right away tell you that if you lose the weight quickly or from the Atkins diet, that you will put it back on quickly. Now just think of that for a moment. We certainly don’t need to hear this because we have already been "experts" at putting it on, but we have had trouble getting it off. Unless I am missing something here, what in the world difference does it make how you have taken if off, whether it has been by eight hours a day exercising, Weight Watchers, starvation, or a long prison sentence?

Putting on weight, for most people, is the easy part. Taking it off, in whatever healthy way possible, is the hard part.

I suppose I needed to get that off my chest and I feel a lot lighter for having done so. Bottom line, rejoice when your brother or sister has a victory, and don’t rob the victory with mindless statements that they will be right back in the pit if they are on this diet or that one. Bring it on, sweet victory!

(Dr. Knox Herndon is the pastor of His House Community Church (SBC). Rev. Greg Mausz is Sr. Assoc. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the Sunday School Superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The church has moved to the new location just below Fayetteville, on GA. Highway 85. As you leave Fayetteville going South on Highway 85, you cross Highway 16, at the Senoia intersection. It is a mile on the right just below the fire station. If you are not in a church, come visit us. Church office and Prayer line (770)-719-2365 E-Mail KHERN2365@aol.com. Check out our new Web site at www.hishousecommunitychurch.com.)