April 25, 2012

Ephesians 3:17-19 WEB 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. I like the way that reads - "that I may be filled with the fullness of God." I don't know about you, but I am a big eater. I hate to admit that - I used to joke and say, "I can eat with the best of the men." While I was laughing on the outside, I was dying on the inside. I was taught in Weight Watchers to eat slowly, eat small bites, put your fork down, eat only until I was full - all the good stuff, you know. The only problem is that I only had 20 minutes for lunch at school (once i arrived and got the kids through the line) and all I did was cram as much food as I could into my mouth, as fast as I could, and hardly breathe. I learned some bad habits. However, there REALLY is something to be said for eating smaller portions and eating slowly. Most studies say that it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to notify your brain it's full. Really? I can consume a lot in 20 minutes. :( SOOO.......I have to portion my food out and make myself eat and not inhale. I am still practicing that. I find when I do that, I really am less hungry and I do consume less food. The moral of this story - stay away from all you can eat buffets. :) I LIVED for those trips because I knew I PLANNED to overeat. I knew that I would stuff myself until I was miserable, feel bad about myself, stare at myself in the mirror and shake my head at my fat and then promise myself, "I'll fast tomorrow." The problem was by 10 am after 3 cups of coffee with Italian Cream and whipped cream on the top I was starving and couldn't wait to find the crackers in my drawer. What a vicious cycle. I had to make some changes. The more I denied my flesh, the more I filled myself with the knowledge that God had a better plan and that he provided a journey out of prison, but I had to keep walking. I couldn't cheat, look back or dwell on the past. I had to fill HIS TEMPLE with good things that give life and keep walking. Some days I do battle being more hungry than others but cheating is not an option. (it used to be however - I would declare, "I've had a good week, I've exercised and eaten okay, tonight I will eat ALL I WANT and start again tomorrow." Have you ever said or done that? I was nuts! All that did was put me on the yo-yo of obesity and poor health. Now, if I "cheat," I have a 3rd piece of fruit, or an extra 2 oz of protein, or a handful of lightly salted or raw nuts. I am not perfect, but I cannot allow ONE cheat to drag me off the course. Momentum is what momentum is. While you're moving - keep moving! Stopping for a cheat session only means TWICE the energy to move again and sometimes the journey seems too difficult and defeat is all we know. Absolutely not! If you're reading this there's still HOPE! Fill yourself with the fullness of God, eat on plan, drink your fluids, SLOW down, stay within your portion size and don't allow yourself to cheat. NO CHEATING. Delete that option from your vocabulary. You can do this. I believe in you! PK