I have been on a diet since April 1st. I went from 230 pounds to 199 on August 14th when I left for Alaska for three weeks of fishing. The food cooked and prepared by George Coulter for those at fish camp is the best, so I decided I would go off my diet while I was there. I still didn’t eat anything with gluten, though George found some gluten-free pasta and pancake mix for me. I ate two small bowls of ice cream while there, but nothing else with sugar in it, and I gained six pounds in the 21 days I was there. I am now back on my diet, and my goal is to weigh 180 pounds and lose 26 pounds by my birthday on October 27th. I plan on celebrating with a big bowl of ice cream. All I need to reach my goal is self-control. I need self-control to eat what is on my diet plan and follow my exercise schedule. I plan to eat lots of fish and very few carbs. All I need is self-control to read my Bible daily and spend time with God in prayer every day. All I need is self-control to talk nicely to everyone in my life. All I need is self-control so as not to spend any money not within our budget. All I need is self-control to rejoice always and grumble about nothing. Self-control grows as muscle strength does; work at it, exercise, and it grows. Self-control grows only if you recognize the need for it, the deficiency of it in your life, the strong desire to grow stronger in it, the exercise and effort to grow in it, and constantly asking God for His strength. Remember, God will not honor our request for His strength if we are lazy and half-hearted in our desire and effort. Very few people will say they have strong self-control, but it is certainly possible for those who want it and work at growing it.