Do you diet?

So, I have mentioned once (or maybe twice), that I have been dieting.  I have been doing it for a total of three weeks and have lost ten pounds.  It is a hard struggle.  But there are some very important concepts that I am learning along the way. 
The first, is the importance of water.  This cool, refreshing beverage is essential to me in my desire to lose weight.  I have to drink 64 oz of water every day, whether I want to or not.  I have found that to be more of a struggle than nearly anything else that I am currently doing.  I thought it would be easy.  I thought that I was already drinking that much.  Well, I thought wrong and it continues to be an ongoing struggle. 
The second concept is that you do not have to be hungry to diet!  Yep, that is completely true.  No matter what type of diet you go on, you should not be hungry.  If you are hungry, you are going to eat the things that you shouldn't just so that you can feel full.  The problem for me is that I eat for other reasons than simply hunger.  I am learning how often and when and what I should be eating.
The third, and most important concept of all is simply that I have been eating all the wrong foods in the wrong amounts for nearly my entire life.  That can be just a little bit depressing.  But it can also be very eye opening.  I am hoping, as I learn more and more about what is healthy and what is not, that I will develop strategies to keep the weight off permanently. 

We live in a world of instant gratification.  If we want food, we drive through the window and pick it up.  There is no mess and no fuss.  We get whatever we want to, no matter how healthy or unhealthy it might be.  We drink Soda pop like it was water, even though it isn't.  We have turned aside from the things that are healthy to chase after the things that are "good". 
We live in a world where we can buy nearly anything we want on credit.  You can have it all now.  Never mind the payments or the paybacks.  You can order it and use your credit card and never, ever, want for anything.  We have forgotten that Christ is the bread and the water in our lives.  We are supposed to live by His words and teachings.  We are supposed to recognize the importance of His blood in our lives. 
We are, very simply, eating all the wrong things in this world.  We are pursuing those things which will not bring us lasting happiness. 
I have tried to diet before, but I have failed because I kept looking at it as something I had to do.  Not something that I wanted to do.  I looked at a diet like it was depriving me of my life.  Does that sound familiar? 

Don't we sometimes look at living the Gospel of Jesus Christ as something that prevents or keeps us from doing the things we want to do?  Don't we sometimes look at it as a "diet" from life, instead of as a way to live a fuller and more enjoyable life?  Don't we sometimes view obeying our religious beliefs as something that ties us down instead of as the one thing that really lifts us up? 
I have learned that the things that are most important in life today, will be the same things that are most important tomorrow.  Our Heavenly Father does not change His teachings or His principles.  Instead, He softens our hearts and teaches us how to improve our spiritual health.  He is there to guide us on our journey.  All we have to do is be willing to "diet" from the influences of the world, and follow Him.