Guestbook

Dr. Hancock

Hi Diane,
As I said in my private response to you, yes, I most certainly believe in the equality of the Trinity. Three-in-one. I'm sorry if that's not clear. Regarding whether my program is similar to Weighdown, it appears to be similar ONLY in terms of the premise that we should eat according to hunger (not emotions) and we should eat food we enjoy, but in small portions. However, that eating plan did not originate with Weighdown, just as my plan is not based on Weighdown. The notion of eating according to internal signals and without guilt (IMO) originated with God when He programmed us with hunger pangs in the beginning.

Diane

Hi,
I would like to know if anyone has ever asked you if your program is similiar to the Weighdown Workshop. I loved that program and lost weight on it. However, her beliefs back fired on her (not believing in the Trinity (and skirting around the issue) made several Christian Organizations drop Gwen Shamblin, including Women of Faith. My most important issue is do you believe in the Trinity. Guest responses welcome.

Amanda

Dr Hancock, I plan to buy your book in the next month or so. I know your plan works. Thank you for writing the books.
God bless you!

Liz Bray

I am, and have been, looking so forward to starting this workshop and helping the ladies of our church free ourselves from the bondage of diets and unhealthy lifestyles!

Dr. Rita

Christie,

Yes, you get it. The Eden Diet is not just about weight loss, it's about freedom from bondage to what we do or don't weigh, and it's about rejecting the guilt and shame that come with having extra weight. It's about freedom from that self-imposed burden that we have to lose still MORE weight to finally be good enough. And it's about weight loss for the right reason: so we can be healthier, feel better, and serve God with more stamina. Thank you for your wonderful story.

Christie

Thank you for writing this book. I am new to it with going by hunger pangs for two weeks now but they have been a good two weeks. Using a combination of recovery programs and diets, I lost 165 pounds but never got to my dream goal weight. But that wasn't what bothered me. It was the yo yoing and switching from diet to diet and losing and gaining 10 pounds and never being at peace. I cried out to God, Lord isn't there a better way? I am learning (mercifully) there is. I believe I wasn't ready when I was 330 pounds but now I am ready to finally give up the food and my ways to him. God bless you for the book, workbook and CDs. I love them all. I'm in my first 30 block and not weighing for 30 days (big for me!)

Dr. Hancock

Dear Chrysti,

Thank you for your kind words about my book and for your excellent questions.

In regard to your question about when to drink fluids... Yes, of course, it's fine to drink your beverages in between meals. The idea is to drink when you're thirsty, eat when you're hungry, etc. However, if the drinks have food energy (calories), then those drinks count as food. In other words, your drink is like a mini-meal. How does that affect your hunger pangs? My guess is that you probably won't get hungry as quickly after you consume one of those drinks as you might otherwise have. Put still another way, if you drink a large glass of milk at 5pm before your 5:45pm dinner, you probably won't be quite as hungry at dinnertime.

On the nursing issue, I'm simply going to have to refer you to your own physician. Ask your obstetrician about how hungry you're "allowed" to get while pregnant or nursing.
I promise...you're not the first lady who has asked him or her about weight loss while nursing. You're probably the 500 billionth!

On the gallbladder issue: you're right that overweight people get gallbladder disease. When I was in med school, I learned that the most likely person to get gallbladder disease was one with all the F's: fat, fertile, female, and forty (years old). Gallbladder surgery doesn't cause obesity. Obesity causes gallbladder surgery.

Though I can't advise you regarding whether you should have your gallbladder out, I'll tell you my personal experience. I had mine out laparoscopically (with the scope)after I had my first kid, and it was a breeze. Seriously, all I had was a moderately sore stomach for a couple days and that's it. IMO, the surgery was way better than the gut-wrenching pain of the actual gallbladder attack. Of course, I don't know your unique situation, so you should talk with your physician and find out all the risks and benefits of gallbladder surgery before deciding.

Chrysti, I pray that God blesses you with excellent health and a full measure of joy. Total Shalom peace and wholeness.

Dr. H

Chrysti

Your book is wonderful and full of grace. That was missing from WDW. I have known the right way to eat, following hunger pangs for about 10 years now, but haven't practiced the self control to do it all the time. I heard about your book from a Creation Seminar DVD I watched. I ordered it right away with the workbook and it has exceeded my hopes. Thank you so much! I do have a few questions for you. The first involves beverages. I don't drink pop or sweet drinks, just milk, juice and herbal tea with sugar. Must these only be consumed during a meal, or other time that there are hunger pangs?
My second question is about nursing while doing the eden diet. I was told on WDW that I could still do the diet, but could not go past hunger pangs if nursing or pregnant. Is this true? I still sometimes go past the first rumble to make sure it is my stomach asking for food instead of my intestines processing the food I ate.
My third question needs a little explanation first. Shortly after my baby was born last July, I had an episode that we thougth was a gallbladder, called the paramedics, and then the pain subsided. I knew it was tied to the greasy fries and fish I had eaten earlier. I also had a suspision it was due to overeating and if I was thin and eating right I wouldn't be overburdening my body with food so that it doesn't function right. I started loosing weight after than, then regressed. Around November I was really sick and had similar problems, but different and the Dr. said it was "reflux" or heartburn. That was when I got your book. I was good again for a while and again lost weight. I had now lost 40 lb since before having the baby, at least 15 being baby and placenta. I still have 40 to go, but there is a new problem, the gall bladder pain came back and ultrasound revealed stones. I don't want to have surgery and am wondering if I really get connected with the Eden Diet and loose weight and avoid all fat for a while can I avoid the surgery? The ultrasound technician said that people live with gallstones and get along just fine. I am assuming that most people that have gall bladder problems and have them removed are not thin. The two people I know of are not, and have had numermerous other digestive tract problems as a result. I would like to keep my gall bladder if I can. I have haerd that people won't change unless the pain NOT TO change is greater than the pain to stay the same. The pain is great enough now that I am ready to change. Thank you for your merciful weight loss approach through The Eden Diet.

Dr. Hancock

Interesting question, Sherrie. There is a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus that has two parts: a hunger center and a satiety center. But then, there are about fifty other physical factors that modulate hunger and satiety, as well, including hormones, so I can't say that the physical part of the brain is truly "in charge." It might be in rats and other lab animals, but in the case of humans, who have higher thinking, things are WAY more complex. In humans, binge behavior is almost exclusively psychological and not physical. In other words, you're not a slave to your body, and there is hope---LOTS of hope---for you to overcome this binge behavior. All you need is to allow God to repattern your thoughts and attitudes about food into a healthy pattern. That's what my book is about. Instead of over-controlling and eating in a binge-starve or all-or-nothing way, you'll need to learn how to eat in response to how your body feels. I hope that helps.

Sherrie

How does the brain work to turn off the appetite? I think mine works backward because when I feel full, especially very full, I want to binge eat.That's why it scares me to death to consider bariatric surgery - that and the very real fear of failure. Just recieved your books and am looking forward to letting go and letting God.

Donna Finger

I am grateful to find this web site and
I look forward to participating in the Eden Diet.

Sholly

I have just found your website and will be ordering your book and workshop. God has been speaking to me and I strongly felt his presence as i typed in the words "A Christian devotional weight loss program for women" on Google to search for something that will help me under His guidance. You see - I just left another popular, commercial weight loss program right in the middle of the session with about 9 weeks left because i became so fraustrated, hopeless and was in deep despair. My husband and I prayed fervently about the situation yesterday morning and asked for the Lord to help me overcome my incessant yo-yo dieting and weight gain over the past 20 years. I am now the heaviest I have ever weighed in my life. I need to lose at least 60ilbs to get within a healthy weight range for my height. Yes, I am only 5'1" too!! I live in Katy, Texas so i will probably be going it alone with support from your website, because I did not see any groups listed in Texas.

Thanks you so much for sharing your gift with others, and for being obedient to God's call for you to do this.

I will take a before picture and will keep you posted from time to time.

Thank you Lord!!

LS

I have just found your wed site. I am so excited to get started with this new journey with the Lord. Thank You for doing this. I believe I will be set free from the bondage of over eating. WOW! I already feel like weight has lifted off me.

Dr. Hancock

Fasting may lower your metabolic rate so that you gain weight while eating the same number of calories as before the fast. Consider this interesting example: many years ago, I had a middle-eastern hairdresser, and she told me that during the month of Ramadan, in which Muslims fast during daylight hours, they typically GAIN weight. In my case, I get crazy when I fast. I want what I think I shouldn't have even more and may end up over-eating. So, I simply don't fast anymore. I show God I love Him in other ways. I hope that helps.

Cristina

i fast a lot and i think it actually causes me to gain weight. any insight?

Dr. Hancock

Dear Tara,

I'm 100% opposed to "emptying" your mind as you relax, so I'm against the traditional Eastern form of meditation. You shouldn't "empty" your mind b/c then you chase out God. You WANT God there. In fact, you WANT to magnify His presence in your mind and chase the other dude OUT. That's the idea behind the tapes. They're meant for relaxation not "meditation."

I believe that hypnosis in it's traditional form is potentially dangerous because the person delivering the messages may not be (and often times is NOT) led by the Spirit. In other words, delivering messages to people when they're in a relaxed state could be EITHER good or bad, depending on the heart and desire and spiritual state of the person delivering the messages.

In my tapes, I help people relax and then I reinforce godly messages. It's like what happens in a sermon on a Sunday morning, when you're particularly relaxed and receptive. By de-stressing, you lose the desire to stress-eat, and you remember God.

I believe God would be very happy with the outcome. The outcome of the tapes is the fruit of the Spirit. People tell me they feel more loving and appreciate toward the people around them, that their relationships improve, and they feel closer to God.

But, you're absolutely right, Tara, you MUST be careful with ANY message that people try to feed you. Whether it's through TV commercials or billboards or recorded tapes, messages bombard you constantly. You must take all thoughts captive and compare them to what God would say about them. Don't blindly accept what you hear.

Dr. H

Tara

Thanks so much for writing The Eden Diet - it's made a dramatic difference in my life - after just a month, I've lost 15 pounds and have so much more peace!

My question is - are the audio CDs a form of hypnosis?

Thanks!

Dr. Hancock

Dear Min,

I'm sorry, but The Eden Diet is not about de-toxifying. This is a weight loss program that teaches you to attune to your hunger signals and avoid eating for emotional and other non-physical reasons. It sounds like you're looking for something that I don't offer. I'm sorry.

min harris

i have been diagnosed with fybromyalsia, chronic spinaltosis, rheumatoid arthritis, degenative disk disease and would like to know about how to detox. i know this is the answer to my body not being able to fight.

Fran Crocetta/ Malvaso

Congratulations on your book. I'm going to pick it up this week. Amanda, just told me about it. You look TERRIFIC daaaaling. Say hello to Ed and the Children. Talk to you soon. Fran

Dr. Hancock

I'm sorry, Lenore, I forgot to address the exercise issue. Yes, encourage each other to exercise. You might even decide to have an exercise group meet on the off-weeks (when you don't have meetings).

Dr. Hancock

Actually, I am very serious about NOT talking about recipes and such in the meetings. I don't want people to even swap them outside the meetings. It keeps you focused on food rather than God.

Lenore Kotsur

I know we are not to be focused on food, but I was wondering if we could add some "good for you" or low calorie makeover recipes to the workshop even possibly have something made for a taste test. Possibly speak alittle about nutrition and light exercises. Maybe these are answered in the book, I haven't finished reading it all yet.

Dr. Hancock

Hi Ladies (Michelle and Marsha).

First, to Marsha, I would like to say, "Your welcome." I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that the book is making people so happy--releasing them from bondage. Nothing could be better than that.

Please let me know if you're opening your group to the public. Many decide against it, but if you want to make it public, I'll post your info. Just contact me with the appropriate info via the website.

And Michelle, thank you for your question. The answer is I don't know if you need both the book and workbook. If you buy only one and money is tight, definitely get the book and wait on the workbook. There will be plenty of material for you to meditate on and pray about in the book.

Mardel Bookstores recently agreed to carry the book, so you can look at the workbook there and decide (if you live in one of the states they're located in).

The workbook definitely helps you dig deeper into the psychology of why you eat when you're not hungry and what your excess weight may mean to you. Being that I grew up morbidly obese, it was important to me to explore those things.... If you suspect you have deeper reasons for why you eat, then YES, definitely get the workbook when you can.

I pray that God blesses you with weight loss and excellent health.

Michelle

I am going to buy the book and am interested in the workbook. Is it really worth it to have both? Money is tight, but I don't want to not get it if it is very helpful. Is there things in the workbook that are NOT in the book? Please advise. Thank you