Long ago, I tried to apply the principles of eating according to physical cues and to go to God for all the other times I was tempted to eat when I wasn’t physically hungry. For some reason, I just couldn’t pull it together. What sounded so simple on paper or on the computer screen seemed a huge impossibility for me. Of course, this made me feel like I was nuts. Why couldn’t I do this? It seemed so simple!
In those days, I didn’t realize it, but there were truly reasons I was in a place of “I can’t.”
I didn’t understand that. So I would beat myself up. I looked at the whole thing–all the weight I wanted to lose and how I constantly ate more than I needed–and just didn’t have a clue why it seemed so HARD. I felt so hopeless!
“I can’t DO this!”
I was right! I couldn’t.
But God wanted to take me PAST the “I can’t!”
God was at work in my life doing things, teaching me things, leading me into recovery over trauma…to forgiveness of myself, others, and, even, Him. I didn’t realize how much I had allowed things I had done in my past or that had been done to me to define me. There was such shame there. God had great plans to free me from all of that…In fact, at the cross the victory had been won. He wanted me to experience it.
I literally had emotional “triggers” that God wanted me to bring to him. His will was for me to stop being in that place of “I can’t.” He used this struggle to show me I needed to bring each of these things to him, to confess what I was struggling with and to ask him for HIS will in this thing. It meant sitting in the pain and emptiness. It meant waiting. NOT something that is fun to do. How much easier it is to stuff the emptiness with food. But he wanted me to wait wait wait…and invite Him into the thing that was causing me grief.
It is a bit more complicated than I have made it sound, but the fact remains, it was a time when “I can’t” was a fact of my life more often than not.
Much healing has taken place. God has taught me a great deal. He has brought me through a ton of stuff and I wouldn’t trade the painful poking, prodding, and flushing out of the wound, given all I have experienced, all He has given me. He continues to do this today of course with the many many “do overs” that he brings my way. But more and more I see what is going on and I welcome it…well, sort of. At least more than in the past.
In any event, something that struck me not that long ago is this: At this stage of my life, any struggle I have to respond to my body’s physical cues to eat or not eat…well, it no longer boils down to an “I can’t.” It is now, simply, an “I won’t!”
Yup, now I am in a different place. I must admit that it is really really humbling, but with all the healing God has brought to me, the experience of living according to these principles imperfectly, but nevertheless seeing changes inside and out, with the renewing of my mind that he has done…wow. I have been transformed! I see it so clearly most of the time! I think differently about food, about portions and, even, about my body and about who I am. Sure, there is still room for much growth. Definitely! But right now, I am in a radically different place than 5 or 10 years ago.
5 or 10 years ago, it really was an “I can’t.”
Now, when I am out of line in my eating, it is definitely more of a rebellious, “I won’t.”
So, what is it for you? Do you find yourself again and again saying, “I can’t do this! What is wrong with me!?” If so, then I urge you…first, don’t beat yourself up. You may really be in a place of “I can’t!”
But secondly, you can experience God’s grace and healing in a practical way. I suggest that you stop focusing on the food and your body and start welcoming what he plans to do INSIDE you. It seems the long way around, perhaps, but it is where the change HAS to begin.
For others of you (and I include myself in this), if you have experienced his healing emotionally and you know that saying “I can’t” now is really somewhat flaky, then join me. Let’s face into our rebellion head on and refuse now to claim “I can’t.” Let’s choose to give God credit for the work He has done and own that we are really digging in our heels to say “I won’t” instead. Sure, let’s keep allowing the inner healing work. But let’s also own that we can TOO say NO to food when we aren’t hungry! Like Dr. Rita says in her book, Jesus is the Lord of me and he says I am lord over my food. I can TOO say no!
For me, I have to be willing to use words like “obey” and “sin” to describe what I am doing (or not doing). That is all there is to it. It isn’t about if I feel like eating the way God calls. It is about obedience. It is about all the other things that happen in life that I want to deal with by eating and, instead of eating, asking God what HE wants for that moment, that experience, that pain.
Again, I am speaking to myself and to anyone who, like me, has seen a huge inner healing and transformation that God has done already. If you know you haven’t yet allowed God access to your unmet needs, expectations, disappointments, and deep wounds, then sure… “I can’t” may be more accurate. Please, then, know that it may be time for you to stop fixating on the scale, the food, clothes, etc., and time to be still and know that He is God. It is time to feel the pain and bring it to him. He will bring you to a place where you can in the strength He provides.
For those of us who WON’T, let’s quit with the “I won’ts.” One moment at a time. Ask for God to soften our hearts to make us willing and do our part to BE willing. Wow, there are blessings in obedience. It is awesome to walk in humility and praise God for the way He is at work in us to will and to do HIS good pleasure!
Ok…I have to ‘fess up. It is time to “come clean.”
I have been reading another book. One that wasn’t even written by Judy, or anyone at Thin Within.
This book has been the best thing to come down the pike in…well…a LONG time. Maybe since Thin Within! Actually, if I can be quite truthful, lots of things I wish we had said just a bit differently when we were writing the Thin Within book, have been said just right in this easy-to-read treatise.
Book titles aside (and I wish it wasn’t called what it is, but I think I understand why Zondervan and the author chose it), The Eden Diet by Dr. Rita Hancock is well worth the read. Absolutely! Dr. Hancock consistently demonstrates that she knows her medical “stuff,” and we are reminded of some basic bible truths as well as her take on what really does make good nutrition sense. You might be surprised, in fact.
This lady isn’t just one of those MD quack-type people either. She was an undergraduate at Cornell University and did some intensive studies of “gastric diseases.” She has studied nutrition until the cows come home. And well, you can read more about her at her website. I won’t repeat it all here.
More than just an expert from afar, however, Dr. Hancock has also struggled deep in the trenches of obesity–she knows what it is like to have a HUGE hurdle ahead of her and to rise to conquer it! She has allowed God to transform her thinking, has lost a boatload of weight and has kept it off “imperfectly” for 25 years. This lady has a lot to say and she knows of what she speaks.
How, you may wonder, if I was the collaborator (writer) for the Thin Within book, can I possibly so unashamedly declare the praises of “the competition?” The way I figure it…the reality is, we are all in this together. If someone can say it in a way that I think is helpful, then I am ALL for it! Especially if every page holds truth that is consistent with my life’s message and, more importantly, what I believe God wants for his people. He calls us to freedom–listening to our bodies, engaging our brains, and using the spiritual insight he has given us.
What is the difference between this book and Thin Within? Why might someone enjoy reading this book? Well, Dr. Hancock is very NO-nonsense in her approach. She cuts to the chase in a point-blank sort of way. There is no pussy footing around. If you find yourself a bit tender or a sensitive person, she may be a bit “harsh” for you. But what I found was that, for me, she was downright practical. Don’t get me wrong…she blends this with plenty of biblical wisdom and spiritual insight. She just doesn’t mince her words.
Where Thin Within has chapters chock-full of invaluable exercises that have helped many of us get to the root of our overeating and obsessive behaviors, Dr. Rita is more likely to say, “Sure, you can ask why, but the point is, you have to STOP it. To STOP it, you have to retrain your mind to think and believe differently! So HOP to it! Oh…and here is HOW!” (This isn’t a quote, so please don’t email me that I misquoted her…it is her tone I am trying to capture!)
For the record, I didn’t find one word of condemnation in The Eden Diet. I haven’t launched into the workbook study yet and plan to soon.
Anyhow, in the days ahead, I will likely share some of the nuggets of wisdom I have gotten (and will continue to get) from reading The Eden Diet and working through the workbook. In the meantime, let me say this…where I needed a drill sergeant to sort of call me to HUP TO and to RISE UP and DO that to which God has clearly called, God provided Dr. Rita’s voice in her book. In the past two weeks that I have spent reading this book, I have found myself seeing all my many excuses (more than I thought!) for what they are…SIN! 🙂 Not only that, but well…I have been STOPPING it! WHOO HOO! My size 16s are fitting better now. But the best part of all is the clean conscience that I have as I stand before the Lord…obedience IS possible, one baby step at a time.
This book gets 5 stars from me…HUGE thumbs up! WHOO HOO! Thank you, Dr. Rita Hancock and thank you Jesus for providing someone to say it short, sweet, to the point but purely! Pointing to you!
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
~ Psalm 103:11-13
People say that this time of year…about a month after Christmas…is one of the most depressing times for many. The joy of the Christmas holiday has passed, the bills from Christmas spending have arrived, and resolutions eagerly made on January 1st have already been broken. Apparently, many of us feel like failures and our hope for a “new beginning” is gone.
Although I have shared previously that I don’t make resolutions due to the arrival of the first day of a new year, nevertheless, on January 17th, I wrote about a Babystep Challenge. This was a promise, plan, commitment of sorts. That was just over a week ago and, today, I want to sort of “debrief”…maybe you will be able to identify. In fact, maybe you made your own “Babystep Challenge” commitment of sorts. Let’s evaluate how we have done.
My over-arching desire in having some sort of “commitment” to reach for was to see if I could do so without becoming obsessive, prideful or self-condemning based on “how I was doing.” Hippity skippity! I think that has actually happened! I am aware of my need to be mindful of my tendency, but so far so good. I have a bit more of a “normal” mindset than in the past when I might have created a graph or chart, pinned it to the wall, and marked each meal where I left two bites on my plate or in my dish. I might have then given myself a grade for the day and even averaged out the week and circled it on a calendar or some such obsessive nonsense. Then, depending on if it was an A, B, C or F, I might have celebrated or spent appropriate time in self-abasement. :-/
Boy, I have come so far by the grace of God! No charts have been created, no color coding or grade averaging! WHOO HOO! And better still, no self-flagellation! YAY!
So how did I do? I did very well with my babystep commitment (that of leaving food on my plate each time) on some days and “blew it” at other times.
In a nutshell, I have come away from the week with a thought: When I “blow it,” when I don’t keep my commitment–whatever it is–be it one “little slip” or six months worth of “slips,” so what? I mean, does the world stop? Do people die? Am I ruined forever? Am I before God, now suddenly having rendered the provision for my sin on the cross impotent?
NO.
…neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:39
No matter how great my error, rebellion, “slipping” from my commitment, I can observe and correct, confess and repent, shake the dust off my feet, allow the Lord to restore me and move forward again. In fact, God seems to indicate I can do this as if I never messed up. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed my sin from me!
When I “flake” or rebel against what God has called me to do, when even a babystep was too great a leap, the carnage left in my wake need not be permanent!
Whoa…really? LOL! For me, this almost seems revolutionary and profound! But it is true!
This past week, I discovered that I would literally somehow “forget” my commitment only when the food I was eating was sweet…a dessert of some sort. Interesting thing to discover! As I have prayed about this, I realize that sweet foods still have quite a hold on me and I am, in fact, greedy about them!
My Babystep Challenge for this week will be to continue to leave a bit of each kind of food I have on my plate or in my bowl or in my hand, uneaten. I will be especially mindful of “favorite” foods like brownies or ice cream.
This verse says it so clearly. Food isn’t for filling all the empty spaces in my heart.
It isn’t for numbing out when I can’t handle the emotions I feel.
It isn’t to fill boredom.
It isn’t for celebrating.
Food IS for my stomach…for my physical body. Period.
So why do I insist on using food, which God intended for His specific purpose, for my own purposes–those which run counter to His will? Is it any wonder that doing so runs me into a bunch of trouble?
Today, when I am tempted to use food for something other than my stomach, my physical body, I will choose to look at what is really going on, what is really needed, and invite God to show me His solution–what has He ordained to fill the need for this particular emotion, thought, challenge, experience.
Thank you, Lord, that you have provided food for a purpose–for nourishing my body. Thank you, too, that you have a million other things that you offer to me to meet the million other “needs” I have in my life. Help me to use food the way you intend and when something is going on that I am tempted to feed with food, help me to turn to you and invite you to bring yourprovision to that situation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If I want to break free from unhealthy eating habits, I have to be willing to prayerfully evaluate what place my emotions have in my choice to eat. I can be as practical as anything, but when it gets down to it, there are times when my compulsion or drive to eat something is like a run-away train–there is no stopping it. No promise to pray to overcome temptation or to look for a way out, to sing praise songs, to journal seems to keep the inevitable from happening. In times like those, I want the craziness more than I want to be sane…what is that about? Why can all my godly and good intentions be overcome in a moment of intensity? What place does my anger (or other emotions) have in driving my eating?
I don’t really know the answer to this yet. I know that God has graciously exposed moments when my thinking is heading in the direction of *becoming* that run-away train…before it happens. I continue to pray in my moments when I *want* that–that I will see it before it happens so I can derail it…take my thoughts captive rather than be taken captive by my thoughts.
I have seen that much of the “inexplicable” agitation or angry feelings that seem attached to more compulsive eating are often due to unresolved issues in my life. If I haven’t forgiven my husband for a careless remark he made on vacation, then when he does something that triggers that memory, I tend to give him “what for”…or turn the equivalent amount of anger inward…and allow it to drive me to eat. If I don’t take these things to the Lord and work to forgive and release my wounds, unmet needs, and anger, it is almost surely going to bite me in the rear…
I must sit with the Lord and ask him to search my heart and know me. Show me if there is anything in me that needs to be brought out into the light. A survey like this daily is helpful. It keeps that unresolved anger at bay and compulsive eating because of it at a minimum.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
The question is often asked, “Does God really care about how much I eat? Does overeating really bother him?”
Recently, I was struck by just how MUCH Jesus seems to care about meals. When I think about him attending the wedding meal at Cana in Galilee, or eating with “tax gatherers, prostitutes and thieves” and walking through the fields and munching on grain, when I remember that he did much of his ministry around a meal, well, I know that He cares about meals. In fact, I am blown away by the fact that after his resurrection, when he greeted some of the apostles on the beach, he made them breakfast! So, I guess I am finally able to wrap my mind around how God does care about food and meals generally. He definitely does.
Then when I think about how Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount “Do not worry about what you eat or drink or what you will wear…” I begin to get a grasp on how he doesn’t want these things to cause me worry.
When I diet (a thing of the long ago past, I am thankful to say) or over-eat (something that is more and more a thing of the past), *I* am caused grief…I worry. I either worry about what I WILL eat or about what I HAVE eaten! He definitely doesn’t want that.
And, as I ook at some of the reasons I tend to eat more than my body needs, I see that there are characteristics in my life such as greed, lust…and even idolatry. Why do I eat more food than I need? For me, it is because I *want* it…or because there is an emotional need in my life that I am not going to God to have met. Either way…these aren’t godly behaviors.
In these cases, I am going my own way. When I choose my own way over God’s way, it *is* sin…and it grieves the heart of God and it is why Jesus went through so much….
He cares about when a sparrow falls to the ground and he says I am much more precious than any of them…so I know he cares about me intimately…that includes the things that concern me, that feed my soul, that feed my body…the temple of the Holy Spirit and enable me to operate to the maximum potential He intends!
This morning, as I was reading my bible, I ran across the account of King Asa of Judah. At this time in Israel’s history, the entire nation of Israel was divided into the northern kingdom–Israel–and southern kingdom–Judah. In 2 Chronicles 16, Asa wants to be fortified…to have a guarantee that he will be the stronger as Israel attacks. To ensure this, King Asa makes a treaty with the King of Aram. As you may recall, God has forbidden treaties of this kind for a myriad of reasons.
King Asa is confronted by the seer, Hanani, who gets in Asa’s face about the truth of the situation. Because King Asa had trusted in man, rather than God, what appeared to be a victory, would be his downfall. By trusting in an earthly king who was supposed to be his enemy, instead of the Lord, Asa had guaranteed that he would always be at war. (See 2 Chronicles 16: 7-9 )
King Asa’s response to Hanani’s disclosure is intriguing to me. In my mind, I recall how David responded when Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. David repented and humbly looked to the consequences that the Lord ordained as a result of his sins.
Instead of humility and repentance, Asa flips out. He loses it. Have a look:
Asa was angry with the seer because of this;
he was so enraged that he put him in prison.
At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.
– 2 Chronicles 16:10
There is so much in this portion of scripture.
1.) There are choices to make. What seems to make sense, or be prudent, is often a treaty with the enemy. How does this show up in my desire to become whole relative to food, eating, body image? Where does it show up for you?
2.) How kind and tender God is to put people in my life who will challenge and exhort me–face me about my sin. If I look around and can’t see people like this in my life, I may want to ask why? Do I intentionally cut myself off from people that can be used of God to challenge me in this walk with him…to be more holy, to make the difficult choices? Relative to my desire to be free from my former obsessions with food and diet and self-absorption with my body, what can I do now to connect with people that God might use to encourage and challenge me?
3.) When I am faced with the reality of my own sin through the Word of God, through a conviction in my heart, or through the loving words of a godly friend, what is my reaction? Do I react in anger and lash out at others like King Asa? If I have inexplicable anger “issues,” perhaps it is a barometer of my not having dealt with sin in my life in a godly way. I know this principle is true for me. When I make rebellious choices, I tend to handle my frustration with myself by being cantankerous and ornery with others! How much better it would be to deal with my sin, instead of heaping sin up on sin! Are there ways I see this in my life right now relative to my desire for wholeness? Gosh, in the past week or so, I have been pursuing learning obedience with so much more diligence. I see my general demeanor has changed SO much! I am much more light-hearted and chipper…not lashing out. Hmm…seems like I might want to remember this in those moments when I am tempted by the “little sins” that “won’t hurt anybody else…” :-/
4.) Sometimes there are consequences to the treaties I have made. Boy, does this ever ring true for me. I was faithful to a popular weight loss program in 1996-1997. For a year, I was the star pupil at all the program meetings, getting awards and applause for my steady weight loss of 100 pounds (I subsequently regained most of that back during 1998). But during that year, my heart was becoming even more chained to food. The diet program was just another way I could obsess…and I learned in that year how to obsess and fixate on food even better than I had in all the years of overeating that came previously. Though God has redeemed many of those years, I still see that the dieting mentality can affect me so much–it is a consequence of that “treaty” for me. It is, in fact, one reason why this week’s “Babystep Challenge” has been something I have had so many concerns about. What other consequences am I having to deal with because of former “treaties” I have made? What “treaties” am I in right now? Who am I trusting in, God? Or man? Yikes. What consequences may yet be ahead if I continue on this path and don’t change my actions/heart ties?
Wow, there is so much here to be found from the experience of ancient King Asa.
Lord, thank you that Your Word is so rich with historical accounts of Your people–not just their victories, Lord, but, also their poor choices. Thank you that you have given me Your Word and that I can learn from it. Thank you that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who convicts me of sin. Keep me, Lord, from making treaties with the enemy. Give me people in my life who can help me to see when I am going astray of what you want, Lord and make me tender-hearted and humble so that when I am confronted about my sin, I repent instead of lashing out in anger. Thank you for the choices you give me. Help me to make choices that honor my desire to put you first in all things. In the blessed Name of Jesus, Amen.
Last Thursday night in Minnesota, I gave a speech about some of the small – and seemingly bizarre – changes in diets that have led to people losing large amounts of weight.
Afterward a woman in her early fifties excitedly told she had last 33 pounds in the past 6 months by making only one change: She started drinking black coffee. More accurately, she had started drinking black coffee because she had stopped drinking it with cream and sugar.
Of the hundreds of small changes people have told me about that have helped them lose 25 lbs or more in less than a year, this was a first. When I was back at the hotel, I did a little math. Unless this woman drank over 7 cups of coffee a day (a possibility), the math didn’t add up.
What I suspect happened was that she did make this cream and sugar change. But this cream and sugar change probably led to her making other changes that were less obvious to her. It might have given her less of a sweet-tooth or less of a reason to sit down for a snack.
What small changes have you made that have led to other unexpected changes in what or how much you ate?
===
Even in the short 24 hours or so since I have stepped forward with my own little change for this week, I have seen the truth in what Dr. Wansink says above. Being intentional about a little change, makes a difference in other ways!
As I mentioned, my biggest “challenge” will be whether or not I can take on these Babystep Challenges and:
1.) Not obsess about it, but remain obsessed with only ONE thing–my Lord Jesus!
2.) Refuse to beat myself up over the head if I do *not* “succeed” in one instance (or more) to meet my challenge of leaving food on my plate (yesterday I honestly forgot during one eating occasion…and I have to decide what to do with that…observe and correct or beat myself up!)
3.) Refuse to pat myself on the back in pride if I DO “succeed” in meeting my challenge!
These things are so much deeper than the physical act of leaving a few bites on my plate or in my bowl! Gosh, how simple things can be SO deep for me is beyond me! LOL!
I have lived a long while fearing that the old dieting mentality will again take over my thinking. So, to safe-guard myself from this, I live relatively unstructured when it comes to exercise, eating, and so forth. I fear returning to obsession, so I tend to err on the side of “free-spiritedness.” The thing is, I think a lack of commitment may be beneath this fear and even any good intentions.
I think God is calling me to try to take babysteps in structuring my life. So I am going to start small. I am going to take a “weekly challenge” for myself. I will see how it goes this first week before stating that I will do it again :-), but my intention is to string together a series of Babystep Weekly Challenges. These things can be relative to physical, emotional, or spiritual aspects to this journey (or any combination), but I want to dare to make physical goals, too…babysteps in overcoming my emotional avoidance–fear–of doing so. I believe that God wants me to experience freedom from this fear.
Ok…so that said…I want this week’s “Babystep Challenge” to be for me to leave *something* on my plate after every meal. I don’t do this to impress God or people. I do it to learn that boundaries can be helpful, to try to be sure to check my heart for greed, and to also help me to be sure to eat just a bit less. I tend to take smaller portions than I used to years ago before I began this leg of my journey, but my portions have grown some over the past 18 months. So this can help me get back to what I *need.*
I must admit…I am afraid I will take this simple goal and twist it into some sort of legalistic rule that I use to gauge my worth as a person. Silly! So I guess that the real Babystep Challenge for me would be “Not to turn this little babystep into a rule!” 🙂
I sure do tend to over-think things!
Anyone else need to take a little “Babystep Challenge?” 🙂
Every now and then, I find value in getting practical about the physical aspect of this journey. While the focus is the Lord and what He is working out in us while we are on this earth, sometimes there really is something obvious that strikes me…I believe that even these “practical tips” have spiritual components to them.
Anyhow, today, the thought that struck me is so often people just beginning to reject the dieting mentality struggle with one big thing in particular…sometimes it is the teaching that we *must* have breakfast each morning to “jump start” our metabolisms. Many who try the non-diet approach…that of waiting for the body to signal hunger…find that they aren’t hungry in the morning for several hours. They wonder if it is “ok” for them not to eat first thing in the morning. They have been taught by the medical/dieting community for years that if we “skip” breakfast, we will mess up our metabolisms further and not be able to release the extra weight on our bodies.
Here is something that strikes me rather profoundly…if I am not hungry within the first couple of hours in the morning, it is often because I have overeaten rather late the night before! I know this may sound obvious. But really, I think we forget this sometimes.
When I eat between the parameters of physical hunger and physical satisfaction, then when I eat my dinner, I have a small portion. Even if that is 8pm or so, typically by 10am my body will signal hunger. I go awry when I head into the kitchen yet one more time before bed–maybe while playing games or watching DVDs with the family–and “have a quick snack.” Usually this is “preventative” eating or something else…I am not really hungry. And if I *am* hungry before bed, it typically takes only a couple of *bites* to take the edge off of hunger so I can sleep.
So, if I am consistently not hungry for breakfast, I do well to analyze *why*. Is it because of overeating the night before?
That said, it may *not* be. Depending on medications you are on, how much extra weight you carry on your body, how active you have been and a whole host of other things, you may not get a legitimate hunger signal in the morning. Something I have found to be true…it is ok! I really CAN trust my body that God, who is an amazing designer, made! If I wait for a clear physical hunger signal, I can eat a small portion of food, even if it is at 1pm, and still release extra weight. I have done this and it works!
When I insist on eating breakfast even if I am not hungry, I have been convicted that this is allowing something other than the Lord to direct me…earthly wisdom…often, I just want to justify eating when I am not hungry…that same old rebellious attitude and I have the medical community to back me up, to help me to justify it!
So if you wonder about waiting until you get a clear hunger signal to eat and you don’t get a signal until 1pm during the day, thus “skipping” breakfast, yes! It is “ok!” The thing that messes up our metabolism isn’t the practice of waiting for hunger before eating! It is the practice of ignoring our hunger which is what dieting often causes us to do! Eating a small portion when you are hungry is a great strategy to give the body precisely what it NEEDS to restore a healthy metabolism!
If you wonder what the spiritual part of all of this is…just consider…”If I am not willing to do this, why not?” 🙂 If you are like me, there may be a whole host of reasons!!!!! Most of them point to things that God may want to address in my life!
