Prisoners of Our Appetite?

I recently read an incredibly interesting story that I wanted to share with you:

Raynald III, was a fourteenth-century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means “fat.”

After a violent quarrel, Raynald’s younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald, but decided to not kill him. Instead, he built a room around Raynald in the Nieuwkerk castle and promised him he could regain his title and property as soon as he was able to leave the room.

This would not have been difficult for most people since the room had several windows and a door of near-normal size, and none was locked or barred. The problem was Raynald’s size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent a variety of delicious foods. Instead of dieting his way out of prison, Raynald grew fatter.

Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year—a prisoner of his own appetite.

My first thought when I read this story was, "What a fool he was - he spent 10 years in prison when he could have been free!" Then I realized that Raynald III was very much like I was for a very long time . . . a prisoner of my own appetite. There were so many things I wanted to do but didn't because of my weight, activities I missed out on, years of feeling miserable about how I looked, two decades of hating it every time I had to go shopping for clothes . . . I literally felt trapped inside a morbidly obese body. The key to being released from my prison was in reach, but I chose to pick up a fork instead, continuing to build my prison one calorie at a time. Ironically, as I ate the very food that kept me imprisoned, I often had moments of clarity when I realized I was making incredibly poor choices, but driven by my appetite (including emotional hunger), I kept on eating.

So many of us have felt trapped by our own bodies, unable to live the lives we really want to live because of our weight. But the prison we've been in has a key that's right in our hands!

Take Shape for Life/Medifast was the key that finally unlocked my self-imposed prison and enabled me to be released from the misery of morbid obesity. Almost 5-1/2 years after reaching my goal, I am still incredibly thankful! To be sure, maintaining a healthy weight is an ongoing challenge, but I am resolved to never, NEVER re-enter that prison of obesity again.  Being set free - and staying free - happens one day, one meal, and one choice at a time . . . choose wisely :-)