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Image Courtesy Barbara Marshall

Are you interested in starting Thin Within, but don’t have a clue where to begin? Do you want to jump in but aren’t sure when and how?

Thin Within is pretty simple, really. Easy? No, not really. But simple, yes.

If I could boil it all down into a few simple thoughts and an answer about “how to get started” (or restarted) on this journey, it would be this:

  • Eat when you are hungry.
  • Stop when you are not.
  • Go to God for all the other things that would otherwise draw you to food!

Part 1: Eat when you are hungry. This means physically hungry. (We call this a “0” or zero.) This is in your  stomach, not your abdomen. See this post/video for an explanation about stomach hunger.

Part 2: Stop when you are no longer hungry. (We call this a “5,”) This might be a bit trickier for many people as most of us are used to just eating whatever portion is in front of us and possibly going back for seconds, too, eating until we are uncomfortably full or the food is gone–whichever comes last! 🙂 In Thin Within, the best way to get started is to give yourself no more than a fist-sized portion of food.If that seems impossible, then give yourself half as much food as you normally would. If you eat it twice as slowly as you typically, do, you will be surprised at how satisfying it is! Over time, you will begin to sense what it feels like to no longer be hungry and to be “full enough.”

Part 3: Go to God for all the other things that would otherwise draw you to food! The Bible Study we have been doing has helped us to evaluate all the many reasons we tend to eat when we aren’t hungry. When we are drawn to food, it may be our hearts are yearning for (hungry for) intimacy with God. We may be hungry, but it may not be physically hungry. It may be “heart hunger.” God has placed a God-shaped hole in each of us so that we might be drawn to him. He longs for closeness with us. So very often, however, we jam a “food-shaped” peg in a God-shaped hole! As we learn to go to Him instead of to food, we not only eat less and find that we release excess weight, but our relationship with God deepens. It is a win-win!

Where are you in your willingness to give this a try? Will you eat only when hungry today? Will you explore what it feels like to stop when your body no longer needs food? We call this “eating 0 to 5.” Will you go to the Lord in prayer or bible study when you are tempted to go to food outside of this boundary? Let us know if you are just starting this journey or are restarting this journey. There are a bunch of great people here who will encourage you!