Is Over-eating Sin? If So, then God Can Help

 

  If you use your lives to do what your sinful selves want, you will die spiritually. But if you use the Spirit’s help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, you will have true life. Romans 8:13

Hi friends, It's been a long time I know. :)  I have been through such a journey this year with the Lord after a year of struggling and  failing in so many ways.  I have been writing about my journey back from there daily on a devotional blog, At Home With God.

One thing that has amazed me, as I've been seeking the Lord with all my heart, is the self-discipline and self-control that have resulted in so many areas of my life!

Whether it was procrastination, anger, fear, worry, envy, laziness, needy-ness,  pride, over the last eight months, the Lord has given me so much freedom from the power of the flesh. It is ALL the Holy Spirit's doing as I can assure you, I have not a single ounce of self-discipline.

Day by day, week by week, the Lord has freed me from bad habits and besetting sins.  One area (just to show you what I mean) was procrastination and laziness. My bad habits of putting things off and just not being able to make myself do what I 'ought' was just misery to me.

I remember thinking, "Wow, If I could just make myself work--and stop putting things off--how different life would be."  So knowing what a mess I was, I simply offered that need up to the Lord, and kept my focus on Jesus.. leaving the 'fruit of the Spirit' up to Him to produce.

As I began to seek the Lord, that was one of the first things the Lord gave me strength to do--work.  There are so many emotional reasons, needs and struggles that contribute to not being able to do something now.. or to do something we aren't in the mood for. Yet I can now work all day long.. I mean.. all day.. till I can't walk another step, and be happy.  This is another miracle--only one in a long train of miracles.

Food is just like so many other 'ammoral activities.'  When we use food for the wrong reasons, it becomes an idol in our lives.

The reason I'm telling you this is that I want you to know that the power to stop overeating is there... if we recognize overeating as 'sin' and repent. It is sin of course, and our conscience knows it doesn't it?  The guilt is legitimate and the shame is real. Yes God loves us anyway, but He doesn't approve of sin.. however minor it seems to our eyes.

And the way to stop over-eating permanently (the bible word for that is gluttony), is to get the Lord's strength to say no. 

But that comes from the Lord.. and abiding in Him.  We will never have enough self-control to say no to our flesh apart from Him.

 For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever. Romans 8:13

Isn't our flesh just like a spoiled child.. dictating to us what it wants.. and oh boy-- if we say No--it throws a fit!  But if we keep giving in, how miserable we will be! 

If we seek the Lord, spending time with Him in the word and prayer, and ask for his help, he will help us. As we stay close to Him and agree with Him about our sin and repent, his Holy Spirit will give us the power to choose to eat right instead of doing what our flesh wants.

 When the Holy Spirit prompts you to not eat that, or that you are done and should push away the plate--we need to obey! If we know a food is especially tempting, and we feel it's bad for our health or too dangerous to eat, then we need to not eat it. Our conscience is  the best guide we can have to what we should eat.. much better than a list of rules.

I'm not saying a diet, counting calories, waiting on hunger and stopping when full, or any other weight-loss method will not help.

Any weight loss method that's healthy can be incredibly helpful. But they are all useless unless you follow them and don't cheat.  Therein lies the real heart of our problem. 

We cheat, lie, steal, and indulge... about food and our weight and our problem. This is the proof that our weight and our eating are a spiritual issue.

We eat for all the wrong reasons. We turn to food for something only God can give us.. comfort, love, happiness, peace.  

We often diet for all the wrong reasons too--pride being the biggest one.  Then too, diets are a fast way to 'fix' the evidence of our late night forays into the fridge, or the sneaky bites we take all throughout the day. I think diets often set us up to fail.
 
So for some reason, after all the struggles and sin habits the Lord has freed me from, over-eating is still an issue for me. It's the last hold out of my flesh I guess. One reason I believe the Lord has not just wiped this away, besides my own selfish love of food, is that he wants to help others.

This is one area where I'd like to experience victory.. with others, who are also trying to obey the Lord in the area of eating and lose weight too. It's better to do this sort of thing together isn't it? I want our success to be all to God's glory and I know He does too.

For a couple of weeks now, or maybe longer, I've been feeling a conviction that I should publicly challenge myself and anyone else who wants to try it to lose weight with the Lord's power and help as we seek Him and give our love to Him not to food.

 I want to try to lose weight a new way--by simply obeying my conscience.. and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

I have a feeling the weight loss will be slow. But I think that's a good thing. Everything I've read says that when you lose weight over a period of a year or more, the weight loss tends to be permanent.

Oddly enough, if we ate only the calories we needed to support our ideal body weight, we'd guaranteed lose weight.. eventually.

The feeling of deprivation would be eliminated to a great degree.  Counting calories might help tremendously,  so we at least know how much food is proper and how much is not 'ok'. But waiting on hunger and stopping when full is also a great plan.

A better way to lose weight--in the long run- may be  to simply eat right and stop over-eating.

Any plan, again, is useless without the Lord's help. Self-determination just doesn't work does it? How many of us have tried again and again to lose weight?  We need to quit being the 'Lord' of what we eat, and let Him decide what is ok and what isn't.  When He says stop.. we need to stop.

Really, if you'd like to try this approach to weight loss, then I would challenge you to just go with what you have always felt in your heart was the right one, but this time, listen when your conscience says no. If you think you need to eat 1400 calories and stop. Then ask the Lord--is that what he's saying? And follow through from that point. If you think you need to avoid junk food--I sure do--then do so.

If and when you fail, just repent, tell the Lord you're sorry, and keep going.  It doesn't matter how many times a day--don't give up. Keep praying, reading the word, and repenting. He will help.

Remember, the Lord does not condemn us for being prone to sin and if we fail, he will forgive us if we ask him to.   If you don't think overeating is sin, then you're on your own. Me--I need help. lol

So I'm gonna try to lose weight on God's time table.. by nothing more than not indulging in the sin of gluttony.  He is the only one that can help.  My plan is to post my weight and challenges and even failures daily.

I've not been doing great yet.. but I know for a fact that because I have repented and am not going to argue about this any more, the Lord will help me. I can't lose weight and keep it off.. but the Lord can help me and you too.

Praying this was not too hard to read and that the Lord will help you in your weight-loss journey as I am fully expecting him to help me in mine.

Blessings,
Donna

Things I Didn't Eat this week and why it was so easy to say, "No!"

Hi Friends, I just had to tell you about an incredible change that has taken place for me since we started this weight loss group! I have lost nine pounds since we started and three of those were over the last week and a half. I have not ever had to go hungry or have felt any cravings of any kind!! I never knew that my battle was caused by the ups and down caused by our body craving bad sources of carbohydrates and the sugar and insulin rush that results.  Except for the first day, I have not had to fight this battle anymore. The only battle I fight now is the battle of the 'mind'. The mental desire for foods that don't help my body be healthy but actually harm me.  I never wanted to admit to myself that junk food hurts us, just like alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes.  If I hadn't eaten tons of it, I could probably 'indulge' now and then without hurting me, but after years of junk, my body just can't handle it any more without knocking my body's systems out of whack.

I almost entitled this post...thing I didn't eat this last two weeks, but didn't mind!  We had Mother's Day dinner, Pizza night with friends, dinner at SaltGrass Steakhouse with hubby's boss, a four day tournament with almost nothing healthy to eat, went to Chick-fil-A with friends, and a church potluck all in the space of a week and half. My daughter, who knows how much I have struggled with food and that I have never stuck out any kind of diet since she was old enough to remember told me, "I keep pinching myself, thinking I'm going to wake up and Mom will be back to her old comfortable ways."  She's so happy to finally have a partner in her efforts to stay thin and healthy! Together, I'm we are going to help the whole family get on a better track before it is too late for the guys!



Here is what I didn't eat in the last week and a half...Lasagna, Icecream bars, shakes, Starbucks' Vanilla coffee in a bottle, Sausage Pizza, IceCream, Cookies, Deep dish brownies (warm), Chili Frito Pie, Baked potato with the works, Chicken Fried Steak, and Chick-filet's Famous Chicken Sandwich with fries, Chicken Quesadillas, refried beans and mexican rice, Fajitas with cheese and sourcream.....should I go on?I never in my whole life could have imagined being able to turn down these opportunities to treat myself and I never thought I'd by a bottle of water as long as I live, but I've done so three times now!

This is basically a list of all my favorite foods!  It was as if the Lord was trying to show me, that nothing was going to derail me as long as I was willing to give these yummy things up for as long as it takes. I've not only lost three more pounds (nine total since we started), but at least three inches in my stomach, the lumps on my hips are gone, my extra chin is goneand even my back is as thin as it can be!

I look fantastic compared to two weeks ago and feel so much energy that I'm always amazed that I can fall asleep at night! And I do sleep great...like a log!(and that was on a futon in guest housing--hard as a rock bed)  I NEVER got tired at our tournament like I normally do and I drove straight to Austin on Wed. and straight home afterwards on Sunday without any tiredness.I even cooked Mother's day dinner because everyone else was too tired to help...but I felt fine. (Tim did cook the steaks though.)

My husband is so amazed about my energy that as skinny as he is, he wants to follow my diet so he can have my energy. He just can't get over it! I'm quickly getting into old clothes too--thank goodness!. Five friends have started doing what I'm doing just to look and feel as I do right now. I haven't been able to wear this black and white blouse in a year or the culottes either!


Now, before I tell you what I'm eating and not eating, I have to tell you that at 47 I have been on every diet imaginable and every one was either really strange and not good for my health, or very hard to stay on because I was always fighting the urge to eat something yummy. It was a constant battle not to 'cheat' and I was always hungry. For years, I weighed 125lb. (after losing from 185 after my second baby) but although I maintained that weight even through three more pregnancies (minus the normal gain of a pregnancy which I quickly lost), I was still miserable the whole time--I was always hungry! Until seven years ago, I pretty much kept it under 140.   It was worth 'starving' to stay thin but it was never easy. I never felt FREE of the battle between what I wanted to eat and what I ought to eat to maintain my weight. And I never felt good...but rather kind of tired or irritable.

I never knew why I started slowly gaining again unless it was simply that I grew tired of the battle and began giving in to the cravings even as my metabolism slowed down...kind of normal for 40 I guess. But it was so discouraging, because I hated getting bigger and not looking pretty any more. I also had no idea, at the time, that as I ate more junk food and processed foods, that they were the reason I started feeling less energetic and even scatter brained. I thought it was just the normal results of middle age creeping up on me.

Am I the only one who has noticed that almost EVERYONE is overweight?? It wasn't so ten years ago, but it is now. Even teenagers and children are overweight! Well, although it was you guys who inspired me to try ONE LAST TIME....I was still getting absolutely no where. The old ways of losing weight were just not working or I just couldn't bear to try them again.  I couldn't stand the thought of getting on the Linky List the third week and have to tell you that I lost nothing, but I was afraid that is what I was going to have to do. I guess the Lord knew that I was now desperate enough to try something I never had before--stop eating junk food regardless of how many calories it had or didn't have. I wanted diets that allowed me to keep indulging in sweets and salty snacks, processed foods, bread and cheese and diet coke and fake candy bars and especially fried foods. I felt like as long as I kept it under 1300 calories a day, that it didn't matter 'what' I ate.

In no way am I telling you that you can't lose weight eating those things, or that you have to stop eating those things. I'm only telling you why I not only dropped three little pounds but several inches in all the right places!!

  Mike Huckabee who lost over a hundred pounds, wrote a book that describes it in the most simple terms, Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork.

I read the book a year ago, but at the time...

I wasn't desperate enough to give up the foods I loved for the sake of feeling wonderful and looking ten years younger!

I didn't want to give up these things. I didn't want to stop!  I literally wanted to "Have my Cake, and Eat it Too!"  You know what I mean. We want to eat whatever we like, even if it isn't in the quantities and lose weight at the same time. 

Here is what Mike Huckabee suggested and it summarizes perfectly how I've been eating the last week and a half.  He talks about the TEN THINGS HE STOPPED DOING which caused him to lose weight so easily without craving.          

        12 STOPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTHY LIVING

by MIKE HUCKABEE

The first day was the hardest! I was filled with cravings the first day, and couldn't think of anything to eat that wasn't on the 12 stops list.  My nutritionist also told me I needed to eat NO MILK, MILK PRODUCTS OR CHEESE right now due to my allergies. All I could think of was so WHAT WAS LEFT TO EAT? I had never wanted an apple, orange, or raw vege, and only included cooked veges because I ought to. The main part of the meal always had plenty of carbs and the most important part of the meal, was the carb part. Our normal dinner was casserole with pasta or main meat and potatos, pasta, or corn...a starch on the side. The vege was an 'extra'.

Veges and fruit never made it to lunch very often and rarely at breakfast. Certainly my snacks were never healthy and special occasion meals were the worst of all!. It's amazing how many special occasions we have in our lives...or excuses to indulge.

But starting the Thursday before last when several of my friends and I were discussing a yeast free diet designed to help people with candida or thyroid or adrenal problems that was helping several of them lose weight very easily while gaining energy, I have stopped eating all the things on the list.

So what do I eat? The general rule is piece of meat the size of  deck of cards, two fists of veges, and one fist of fruit and small quantity of good fat. (olive oil, coconut oil, real butter), and 1/2 cup whole grain bread (homemade or health food store) oatmeal, or brown rice per day. 

Snacks should be smaller versions of meals with the same balance so you don't get food cravings. You know you have eaten too much of one food group if you find your self hungry before four hours or find yourself craving something or sleepy in the middle of the day.

Dinner made from leftovers on the banquet table at the tournament plus my own nuts and an orange.

WHAT I EAT!
At home:
Breakfast (a good protein shake with greens plus (lots of vitaimins and fiber) or
(1/2 cup oatmeal if no brown rice in the evening)
Protein: Eggs and turkey bacon,
Small fat: butter or coconut oil
Vege: sliced tomatoes or sauteed spinach, or low salt V8 juice
Fruit: apple, orange, strawberries, pineapple or melon (no grapes or bananas--too much sugar)

Lunch:
Canned Tuna or Chicken, or natural (no nitrates added) lunch meat: turkey breast, ham, or roast beef
Salad with lots of fresh broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, bell pepper (no carrots--insulin)
Fruit: same as above
Salad dressing: homemade mayo or salad dressing with no sugar or chemicals added

Dinner:
Lean meat of any kind except (No sausage or hot dogs)
Steamed veges with butter or olive oil (no potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, or starchy stuff)
1/2 cup brown rice (if no oatmeal in the morning)
Fruit salad or frozen fruit with a little Soy or Almond milk poured on top w/ stevia.
sauces like : Salsa, homemade spaghetti sauce, healthy sweet and sour sauce.


Snacks...any time I'm hungry....1/2 a fruit or vege and 1/4 cups nuts or couple slices avacado, and a slice of lunch meat (healthy)
Salsa and Bell Pepper slices, with avocado.

Drink water most of the day and before every meal. Also can have tea or coffee. Use lactose free milk sparingly. Lemon juice, water, and stevia for lemonade.

ON THE ROAD--Eating at SIX RESTAURANTS and Four Day Tournament/Convention...here's what I ate....

I bought a little cooler like Mike Huckabee does. I planned ahead of time what to eat at the tournament and restaurants. I brought my own little bottle of olive oil which I could sprinkle on any veges available. I also sprinkled the veges with lemon juice and salt and pepper.   I didn't touch any salad dressings provided.

 
At Steak HouseSteak or Grilled Chicken Breast
Veges or Salad on the Side
Water or Tea with sweetner I brought myself
No cheese, or dessert, or bread

At the Buffet at tournament :
Meatballs or lunchmeat, fajita meat  (when it was a casserole I ate tuna that I brought from home, straight from the can!)
Veges trays doctored up with lemon juice and olive oil. Ate raw sometimes before I got the olive oil.
Lots of fruit! Ate a lot that I brought myself.
Nuts on occasion.
Drank water and hot tea.


At Mexican Restaurant:  Fajitas with bell pepper and onions without the tortilla. No cheese, rice, beans etc. Taco Salad with salsa on top. No dressing, taco shell, sour cream, or cheese., Fruit from home.

At Whataburger: Grilled chicken sandwich with no bun. Ate apple I had in the car.
At Wendy's: Side salad, and Hamburger with no dressings, cheese, or bun. They put it in a salad container. Fruit from home.
AT Chick Filet-  Banana...ate the rest of my lunch at the tournament (canned tuna, fresh veges, nuts)
At Starbucks -  Iced Caffe Latte with Soy Milk and my own stevia from home.

That's it and three pounds later my friends were shocked at my energy, enthusiasm, lack of sleepiness after 16-18 hours days judging... on the last day from 7:00am to 2:00am!  Woke up at 10:00am the next morning feeling great. Drove all the way home and made Mother's day dinner and watched a movie with hubby.  NO CRASH!! for the first time ever in three years of tournaments! I also lost most of my bulging stomach and my saddlebags and double chin. It was amazing!

If you would like to feel ten years younger...try these 12 Stops. If you want to understand the nutrition and why processed foods are making everyone regardless of age and background gain weight and get some great recipes...read Your Fat is Not Your Fault!

Read about it here:

Be sure to try this at least a week before you decide it isn't for you! I don't think you will ever go back to the way you ate before!   Happy Eating!