Greetings! I am a family nurse practitioner with a doctorate degree in nursing. I first embarked on this journey of living and being healthy to be the best I could be in loving myself. I felt that by loving me, I was getting connected and closer to God. I no longer wanted to go through the motion of losing weight, but to reach for something more that will last a life time-physically as well as spiritually. My strength came by putting God first in my daily life. I wanted to teach others that they too can be healthier, have peace of mind and joy in their lives. I am educating my patients and others that one can lose the weight by living a healthy lifestyle. I am living proof as a diabetic, that it can be done. I have lost fifty-eight lbs. It was not easy. As we all know, nothing in life worth doing is easy. I still go back and forth, but the frequency is lesser. When I do get off track, I am aware and have the discipline in getting back on track. It takes consistency and daily discipline where your old habits are replaced by new ones. I educate my patients and others that when you change how you think, you change your direction on how you live. My patients would give me feedback that it was a continual struggle for them in keeping the pounds off. As soon as problems would surface, the weight they had lost would be erase when old eating habits (usual for comfort) would return. Many patients just gave up, feeling that this is their norm. I am teaching my patients that caring for themselves is to be proactive in the daily decisions they make in promoting their health and well-being. The journey of health is not about taking just the weight off but embarking on a life long journey in being the best they can be-mind, body, and spirit. By bringing all these three elements together, they become the complete healthy vibrant version of self. In conclusion, I realized the battle was not between myself and food but what was in my mind. I accepted the fact that how I felt about myself was a reflection of what I ate-that it begins in the mind. To change this direction, I had to change my thinking. This is where the book entitled, "Food for Thought," was written-to reach out to others on this life long journey of getting back to healthy living. As a practitioner in internal medicine, I have seen by helping others that thinking and eating healthy has turned their lives around not only in losing weight but also in feeling good about themselves. I have patients who are losing the weight, getting their diabetes, blood pressures, and cholesterol under control. In addition, these same patients are using less medications, having more energy, and having happier moods. So, let us start by doing this journey together, in reading the book, entitled "Food for Thought." Thank you. Dr. Deborah Hollimon DNP-FNP-C
