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This is a stream of consciousness video…but maybe there is something here that can encourage you. Obviously, I have my work cut out for me this week! Do you? LOL!
Carelessly grazing as we walk through the kitchen, dipping into the candy dish on the office-mate’s desk, or sucking on mints just because they are there…these are little examples of Careless Eating. Careless eating is what often leads to that sudden panic… OH MY GOODNESS! I have been eating TOO much and I must GET SKINNY NOW!
All those moments when we said, “It’s just one bite” haunt us when we reach for a pair of pants hanging in our closet that we haven’t tried on in a couple of months. As we go to slip into them we wonder if our “just one bite(s)” will have cost us anything.
How does God feel about “just one bite?”
Is it possible that “Just one bite” is how we got in trouble in the first place? Either God has called us to the boundary of 0 and 5 or he hasn’t. If he has, does “just one bite” have a place?
How might those “just one bite” moments affect your appearance? Will this matter to you?
Monday
1. I haven’t asked you to do this in a while, so it is time. Are you committed to 0 to 5 eating? Do you believe it is from God for you? Why do you feel convinced in your heart that this is so? Write in your journal your thoughts about this and the statement “I know 0 to 5 eating is a boundary from God for my life” (or something similar). Date it and sign it if it will help. We want to recommit to this!
2. Visit Barb Raveling’s Careless Eating Study at her blog. Can you relate to her illustration about the alcoholic at all? Barb says: We can learn a lot from the life of an alcoholic. Although we can’t say not even one bite, we can say, not even one bite outside our boundaries. What do you think about that? Journal your feeling about that. What do you think of her statement, “The minute we think it’s just one bite, we are in danger.”
3. Do all the Bible Study questions that Barb has for us on that page, including looking up the bible verses. Journal what you discover.
4. Add any truths you have come up with to your Truth Cards.
5 Are you willing to take the challenge? TELL US! 🙂 Get an Accountability Partner. It isn’t too late!
Tuesday
1. Return to Barb’s Careless Eating Study at her blog for part 2.
2. Barb challenges us to incorporate the “Careless Eating Questions” into our lives so that when we are tempted to eat outside of our 0 and 5 boundaries we evaluate by using those questions. You can do these now, even if you aren’t experiencing temptation. I recommend going through these questions today and journaling your response.
3. Jot down any truths you have come up with for your Truth Cards.
4. Share with us here in the comments any thoughts that God has laid on your heart, truths you have added to your cards, or new insights (or old ones) that you got from the questions or the bible study.
Wednesday
1. Visit Barb Ravelings “Appearance Eating Bible Study”. How important is it to you to lose weight? Ask God to show you just how fixed your heart is on the physical results you want. What if you could have God in all his fullness and beauty, but not be the size/shape you want? What then? Would he be enough?
2. Can you relate at all to my confession in the video? How so?
3. To what source are you looking for your happiness?
4. Is there any living you are waiting to do until you look a certain way? What would God have you do…today?
Thursday
1. Visit Barb Raveling’s Appearance Eating Bible Study again. Complete Questions for your Journal numbers 1 through 5 and journal your answers.
2. Share here anything that God impresses upon your heart. What you share may encourage another person who visits and reads the comments–even if they don’t post. Consider it a ministry to others that you do in faith! (It ministers to ME! LOL!)
3. As you consider a person in your life that you feel requires you to be a different size or shape, it might be helpful to do some forgiveness work. When I do forgiveness work, it includes “telling on them to God.” Think of being a colossal tattle tale…you are God’s precious little child running to him to tattle on whoever it is. Pour it all out. What did they do to you? How do you feel about it? Tell your Heavenly Abba (Daddy) and then leave it with him. Ask him to help you to forgive…to choose to trust it all to His care.
Friday
1. Visit Barb Raveling’s Appearance Eating Bible Study yet one more time. 🙂 Complete questions 6 through 10 and journal your responses as time allows.
2. What truths can you add to your truth cards…or, if you aren’t yet creating a deck of truth cards, what truths is God speaking over you?
3. Share with us here how you feel God leading you to approach your desire for weight loss (Barb’s question 10).
4. If you haven’t done so as a part of any of the other questions in today’s assignment, you may want to reaffirm your confidence that God is calling you to 0 to 5 as your primary boundary. What are the secondary boundaries he is calling you to? Write these down to affirm them and date it.
5. How are you doing with your summer study?
6. How are YOU? 🙂 I care!
Heidi – first of all, I have to say that you must see yourself through different eyes than I do. You look wonderful! I’ve seen the tennis photos and all of the videos that you have done since March – you are not a big girl, in fact quite trim I think. And beautiful! And that’s on the outside and the inside.
I do relate to the “uh, oh, it’s a change of season and I hope my pants fit….”.
When I did today’s study, I was again blown away by how much the questions and answers reveal to me about myself.
My first reaction to the thought of “not even one bite outside 0-5” was to balk – as one who is recovery from the dieting mentality I thought “wait, just one minute – I don’t want all of these rules and restrictions.” But as I journaled I realized that THIS boundary if from God, it’s not a diet. If I want to (among other things)
1) live in His freedom, peace, path for me, boundary lines
2) know what my God given size is
3) have my body feels its best, sleep my best
4) not gain weight
5) release weight if that is what God intends
then I do need to strictly follow boundaries. My life is better that way.
I wrote that a drinking alcoholics life must be chaotic, full of lies, destructive, obsessed with the next drink. I can relate to the obsession (food and exercise) and chaos when I am not in my boundaries.
Praying for us all to surrender to the Lord and to let nothing master us but our Lord Jesus!
Amen! 🙂
I forgot to say that I’m on for the challenge!
WOOT!
Hi, Carrie. Thanks for your kind words. It’s true that others see us differently than we see ourselves. I am so glad that today’s study was helpful for you, Carrie. I love that you recognized the balking and spoke truth into your own life! LOVE THAT!
Oh my goodness! You have described me to a T! I would say that I did not so good on the 3 day challenge. I would start the day out great, get through lunch and then the late afternoon and evening meal really hung me up. And I found myself doing the careless eating. I would pop something in my mouth without even thinking about it! It’s like I forgot everything I had learned!! I was so mad at myself that I did want to throw in the towel and quit. But, I can’t–I just can’t. I know God has called me to give my food life over to Him and that’s where the problem lies. I’ve still wanted my way, my food, my amount, my time—-mine, mine, mine!! I go back to work today, but hopefully will have time to go to Barbara’s blog. I keep reading in Scripture about putting my trust in Him–that I will be blessed if I do. I know that if I call out to Him, He will hear and help me. That’s what my prayer is for today, that I will remember to reach out to Him instead of to the food, and that He will put stumbling blocks in my path when I go to reach for something to eat carelessly. Hope everyone has a great day!
Mary Anne, it might be good to evaluate where it is that the choice is before you that you are drawn to the choice to resist a softened heart to the boundary God has for you. When I see those patterns in my life…a certain time of day, a certain event, a certain person…I have often tried to quiet my heart and ask God to show me what is happening that makes me throw out my boundaries and throw caution to the wind. It helps sometimes to dismantle whatever lie is the foundation for my behavior.
I SO understand this! I didn’t do so great either on the 3 day challenge, but I will NOT give up! You are right. God is faithful to rush to help us when we call. I don’t know how many times I was fixing something to eat, that I knew I didn’t need, only to drop it on the floor and my dogs to devour it right up! It does make the dogs happy though. =)
I join my faith with yours and pray that God will rescue us and help us to lean on Him this week.
I love how God sometimes allows/causes those things to happen that remind us “Hello! Is this what you REALLY want?” LOL!
God says,
” My grace is sufficient for you and my strength made perfect in thy weakness.”
” I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me”
0 to 5 is definitely God’s way of releasing weight to my God given SIZE! Whatever that is I will know when I arrive there with my LORD. I am in menopause and know what your talking about Heidi…The Lord has been leading me deeper in His truths. I can’t eat like I use to either. No more fudging out side of the boundary that He has so lovingly put into my life.
Being aware when tempted to eat a piece of food takes the power of the Holy Spirit to help me over come that temptation. No more lying to myself… Oh just one piece wont hurt. Well that one piece of candy adds up to unwanted fat storage on my waist. Our body burns off that fat when it’s hungry and calling for some fuel. I don’t have to worry about starvation, I have plenty of fat to burn off! 😉
One other thing is I don’t have to worry about am I getting enough calories. If I need more my body will let me know with true hunger pains. I do find I’m hungrier when I have had a good work out cleaning the house or praise dancing.
If not hungry then I will wait upon my LORD to give me His strength.
It helps when I go sit myself down in my quiet room and pray and meditate on the word. God is there to deliver me from that moment of false hunger and temptation. He is so faithful and will calm my heart and give me His strength to say no. I need to trust that God has His very best for me in this way of eating 0 to 5. It is so simple.
Thank you God for your blessings and strength that you give us all each new day. Thank you Father God for Heidi sharing her wisdom with us all. Continue to give her your strength and grace to serve you and exhort and encourage the body of Christ. In Jesus name, Amen.
Hi, Jamie. Only the Spirit can do this. Even after all this time I sense that truth. Yes, “just one piece” hurts. I hate most what “just one piece,” or “just one bite” does to my heart. It may or may not matter mathematically “calorically.” But I KNOW what happens when I turn my tail to God’s leading even if “only” for one bite. 🙁
It really IS simple, just like you said. Thank you for your prayer. 🙂
First I have to say that Heidi, you look great! You are such an inspiration, and I really appreciate your honesty.
I can relate to the pressure of what others think about your weight. I’m a nurse and have to discuss weight issues with patients almost on a daily basis (due to diabetes or high cholesterol). I feel that pressure of knowing that they are probably looking at me and thinking, “Whatever!”. I do try really hard to be gentle in the way I approach the subject, because I SO understand the battle.
Also, most of my co-workers have been on extreme low carb diets in the last 6 months. The whole “bread is evil” thing. I tried low carb too for a while, but I really believe that God has been whispering to my heart that He wants me free. I am convinced that eating according to hunger and fullness and listening for His leading is the path for me. When I obey Him, the weight comes off. Also, one day as I was feeling guilty about eating carbs, God just spoke to my heart, “But you aren’t diabetic!”. It dawned on me that it is the EXCESS food that leads to Type 2 diabetes. If I follow God’s plan, I won’t be eating excessive amounts. I always told my kids that God’s rules are safety rules for our protection, and this can protect us from diseases, back pain, the high cost of meds and medical bills, etc.
I have been struggling a bit with feeling judged by my co-workers. It adds to that rebellious part of me that says, ” I can eat whatever I want!”, and that’s not good either. I was on vacation for a week and I realized just how freeing it was to be away from all of that pressure! But it’s back to work and I have to get my mind renewed in God’s Word and be confident in the plan He has for me, no matter what others may think. I am so thankful for this blog! It helps to know I’m not alone in this!
Hi, Susan. Thanks so much for your note. I appreciate your kind words and also hearing about what it is like to be in the health profession and being sensitive to the pressure, too. Renewing my mind is my only hope. I see that. It takes a lot of work, doesn’t it? 🙂 I know it is worth it.
Amen t
Amen to what Carrie said! Heidi, you look wonderful!
I just wanted to say that I have been so encouraged by this blog!
Christina, thank you, my friend, for the kind words. It is greatly appreciated!