by Heidi Bylsma | Jul 17, 2013 | Blog
My husband is an environmental lawyer. He often tells me about his work and something called “toxic torts.” I have to admit…I still, after all this time, have NO idea what a “toxic tort” is, but the tort in the picture above sure looks YUMMY and FAR from toxic to me! HA!
That has nothing to do with what I am sharing today except, perhaps, if you were at a 5 already and someone brought you the yummy tort in the above picture, how likely would you be to maintain your resolve? For me, my answer to this question tells a very long tale about my reality–my commitment (or lack thereof) to eating according to the boundaries that I say God has called me to.
In the following video, Bob and I talk about how sometimes, we just have to say NO to ourselves. There are plenty of strategies that we know for helping ourselves stick with 0 and 5 eating, but the real question is…WILL we DO them? When I WANT the food outside of my boundaries, will I coddle myself and call it “grace?” And believe me! The last thing I want us to do is condemn ourselves! But is there a happy medium? A place where grace tells us to say no to ungodly choices? If God has called us to this primary boundary of eating within the parameter of hunger and satisfaction, maybe grace is that “OOOMPH” that enables me to say NO to a decision to break my boundary. Hmm…I think there is a bible verse that says as much.
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
while we wait for the blessed hope–the appearing
of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
– Titus 2:11-13 NIV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28pPDHTNwmI&w=853&h=480
Thoughts for Your Consideration
1. Where is your line between “grace” and “I don’t give a rip?” Do you need to ask God to help you to care? Or is it truly grace?
2. Do you ignore your boundaries as often as you don’t? This is a choice to postpone the realization of your goals. Is that what you mean to do?
3. Are you willing to start telling yourself “NO” a bit more frequently? If not, why not?
4. What do you think of the assertion that “We may need to be mean to ourselves?” What could that mean in a positive way relative to your 0 to 5 eating journey?
5. Is it time to say NO to self…TODAY? Can you make a plan for a possible temptation you will face today? Can you actually detail your plan to say NO to self? What will that look like? Can you do so with joy?
6. Bob said, “If you don’t follow your boundaries consistently, you won’t lose weight.” What do you think? He challenges us to “Do what it takes.” What will it take for you?
7. What are three strategies offered in the video for living within your boundaries? Are any of them doable today?
8. Is the way you are living right now going to lead you to the goals you have? What will it take? Do you like life as it is enough to give up the goals you have? Are you sort of tired of frustrating yourself? 🙂
9. Decision Point: Will you practice today staying inside your boundaries?
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Don’t forget that this week’s online class is TOMORROW, Thursday! Information below:
Please register for Idolatry and Our Eating – OUCH!!!! on Jul 18, 2013 4:00 PM PDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6073684991219825664
You knew we would have to deal with this sooner or later, right? We will be glad we have. Is idolatry something that only people in 3rd world countries struggle with? What IS an idol and what on EARTH does it have to do with our Thin Within eating program and healthy non-dieting boundaries? What does it have to do with our renewing of the mind goals for this summer? BUNCHES! Come on along and see!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
See you tomorrow!
by Heidi Bylsma | Jul 10, 2013 | Blog
We have all experienced temper tantrums. Usually, the context is our kids’ attempts to get their way…or maybe it’s someone else’s kids. 🙂
But have you ever wanted to throw a temper tantrum? Or forget the “wanted to throw” … have you ever just plain ol’ pitched a royal fit? (Or maybe you aren’t like me? LOL!)
God works with me in themes and today’s theme seems to be “temper tantrums.” It has hit me from several sources…and, if I am honest, I am throwing one very UGLEEEEEE, giant temper tantrum all over the place today. (But that is another story, with the telling best left for another decade.)
An epiphany just hit me…as I was typing this post, I mis-spelled “temper” and it came out on the keyboard:
TempTer Tantrum
Interesting. I don’t need to wonder long in the context of my own “TempTer Tantrum” to know that the Tempter–ol’ Satan himself–likely laughs with glee as I “indulge” in pitching my fit. TempTer tantrums have entitlement and justification written all over them!
This morning, my husband stumbled out to the deck where I was having my quiet time. He was groggy, rummy, bleary-eyed and somewhat sleep deprived, I guess. Some of his first words were, “I don’t feel like eating 0 to 5 any more…”
Having my iPad handy, I invited Bob to have a seat, then tapped “record.” The following sound byte is the result. Don’t be awed however…this was actually a conversation that took the better part of a half an hour. I have whittled it down to three and a half minutes. You will see where Bob started with his temper tantrum…and where he ended.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/100362801″ iframe=”true” /]
Adriane also mentioned a temper tantrum in her most recent Sound Cloud file. I thought I would share it with you as well. Thanks, Adriane, for being so real! I love how she intends to use this file to remind herself of just how AWFUL it feels when we GIVE IN to a tempter tantrum!
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/100150596″ iframe=”true” /]
(Email subscribers will probably have to come to the blog site in order to take advantage of the sound files. It is worth it! Come on over!)
Questions for Your Consideration:
1. Can you relate to having what Adriane calls “an adult temper tantrum?”
2. You might want to spend some time truth journaling what you feel when you throw a temper tantrum. What are the reasons you are most likely to pitch your fit? Use what you journal to make a truth card or two. Lots of things in Adriane’s Sound Cloud file would make an excellent truth card.
3. What is true about your temper tantrums? (Does it make you feel better? Closer to God? Solve a problem?)
4. What is true about what you are entitled to? (You might want to consider this from God’s perspective. Check out Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23a.)
5. In what ways has God chosen to bless you?
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Note: Don’t forget to register for today’s webinar if you plan to come. It is at 3pm Pacific Time (5pm Central, 6pm Eastern). Info below:
Please register for Entitlement Eating – Thin Within Support – Week 4 Renewing of the Mind on Jul 10, 2013 3:00 PM PDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7903616486957465856
“I deserve the good life!” “Life should be fair!” “I deserve to never ben sad or uncomfortable and if I am any of these things, I will use food to make me feel better because it is my right!”
Many of us have experienced feeling these things. Some of us may even live by this sense of entitlement. If we do, chances are we will never be consistent in our Thin Within efforts to eat between the parameters of 0 and 5 (or hunger and satisfaction).
What is God’s view of this attitude? What are we to do instead? How?
This week, we talk about these things. Come on along. The price is $0 for another week!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Brought to you by GoToWebinar®
Webinars Made Easy®
by Heidi Bylsma | Jul 9, 2013 | Blog
Entitlement can be something we *learn*! Some of these thoughts we want to recognize may be “left overs” 🙂 from our dieting days. Two of these are:
1.) Snacks don’t count
2.) I am entitled to eating/drinking artificially sweetened foods/beverages all day without consequence (in dieting, we actually thought this was virtuous! I hate to burst your bubble now!)
Here is a sound byte from Sound Cloud. I hope this helps! 🙂
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/100228370″ iframe=”true” /]
Thoughts For You to Consider:
1. Do you sometimes pop something in your mouth but don’t “consider” it a meal if it consists of certain foods or is only a couple of bites of something?
2. If so, do you see any lie lurking in the belief that this doesn’t count? What would “renewing your mind” look like in this situation?
3. Have you ever found yourself shaky without sensing an earlier hunger signal?
4. Is there any chance that you are using artificial sweeteners (gums, mint, beverages) inbetween meals? If so, do an experiment…consider not using any for a day and see if your hunger signals become “more polite” and more manageable. 🙂
5. Consider any ways that God is drawing you into deeper intimacy with him. Spend some time thanking him for that fact. 🙂
Bible Verse to Ponder:
…we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place. – Isaiah 28:15b
What lies have you found refuge in? In what falsehood have you hidden away in, safe from the emotional tidal waves of life? Are you like me, trying to hide from the wounds of life behind a carton of ice cream or within the confines of a candy bar wrapper?
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NOTE:
I will be trying to keep this page – Renewing the Mind Study – updated with links, including registration links for the online classes.
This week, the online class on Entitlement Eating is on Wednesday at 3pm Pacific Time. Please register by clicking here.
Next week, I will be offering the class for our Renewing of the Mind Study on THURSDAY, July 18th at 4pm Pacific Time. Please register by clicking here.
by Heidi Bylsma | Jul 5, 2013 | Blog
Image Source: iStockPhoto
Have you ever eaten something at a meal when you were at “The Perfect Zero,” only to feel what seemed like moments later like you had a HUGE blood sugar dive? I call this the “Crash and Burn” phenomenon.
I know many people are concerned about waiting for physical hunger for fear they will experience the “Crash and Burn.” For me, this isn’t potentially detrimental, though I know for some with diagnosed blood sugar issues, it may be. So please, if you are insulin resistant, pre-diabetic or have any concerns whatsoever about your blood sugar levels, do what your doctor would want you to do and ignore me!
For the rest of us who might use our fear of low blood sugar to justify eating when we aren’t quite at a 0, though, maybe there is something here that can encourage you or offer you strategies for success. In any event, I survived the experience!
For me, the Crash and Burn only happens when I feed The Perfect Zero with something very high in simple sugars…like fruit, for instance, or…as this case demonstrates, pancakes and syrup!
The Crash and Burn incident in the below sound byte happened to me last week. I decided to experiment a bit. In the following sound byte, I describe what happened, how it happened, and what I decided to do about it. (Forgive the echoing piece in the middle of the byte. I was using new software and didn’t know I had a setting messed up!)
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/99698864″ iframe=”true” /]
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
Psalm 145:15-19
How about you? Do you fear the Crash and Burn? Do you have medical reasons to be concerned or is it discomfort that you want to avoid? What are some strategies you can use to manage through these kinds of incidents?
NOTE: I hope you will join us for today’s webinar to talk about Justification Eating. Here are the specifics!
Please register for Justification Eating – The Lies We Tell Ourselves – Thin Within Support on Jul 5, 2013 4:00 PM PDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2393142384803265792
We are learning how to renew our minds to support us on our Thin Within journeys. We want to break free from telling ourselves lies that cause us to eat outside of our God-given 0 and 5 (hunger and satisfaction) boundaries. Let’s talk about what we can do to SEE the lies and what we can to to take them captive while replacing them with TRUTH! VICTORY can be ours as we deal with this important issue.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
by Heidi Bylsma | Jul 3, 2013 | Blog
Here is the link to my friend, Barb Ravelings, “I Deserve a Donut” iPod or iPhone app. It is only $1.99! You can download it now and then walk with me through using it, or read this and then decide if you want to download the app.
It is my goal to think the way God does about life, about 0 to 5 eating, about my body, about my situations and people in my life–to renew my mind–and to welcome the transformation that God intends happen. Barb’s app is specifically intended for dealing with challenges with emotional eating, but it has been used by God do far more in my life than just help me overcome emotional eating. God is using it to transform me over all. This app is SO helpful.
So this is what I am doing even now as I share this with you. The above image shows the screen you get when you select her app on your iPod, iPhone, or iPad. I choose “Emotions” since I am struggling with being teary this morning.
Once I click on EMOTIONS. This is the screen I get:
As you can see, there are more emotions that Barb has included than fit in my screen shot. But for today, I select “Insecurity.” Since insecurity is such a BIG deal with lots of aspects to it, Barb has included a number of options within the “Insecurity” category:
Even Insecurity has a lot of options. So, lately, I have struggled with “Feeling Rejected/Condemned.”
Upon selecting this option, I find a list of questions followed by statements to consider. These questions, I prayerfully ponder and journal. I will do a bit of that here so you can see the process as it unfolds for me.
Barb’s app gets right down to it instantly:
1. Is it possible to live life without ever being rejected or condemned? If not, what’s the sad truth you’ll have to accept right from the beginning?
2. What did this person do to make you feel rejected or condemned? Be specific.
3. Does she do this sort of thing with other people, or does she only do it with you? If she only does it with you, why do you think she only does it with you?
4. Do you think her behavior is a sign that she doesn’t love or respect you in particular, or is this just an example of the way she responds to people in general?
5. Did you do anything to make this person reject or condemn you?
If I haven’t done anything that caused this person to reject or condemn me, is there anything I need to accept about this person and how she handles relationships?
6. Is God’s love enough to satisfy you even if this person rejects or condemns you?
7. What do you think God wants to do for you in the midst of this difficult situation? (See insecurity verses for ideas.) Barb has a bunch of Bible verses that can minister to us in our insecurity. They are wonderful to look up, study, journal and pray through, and memorize.
Based on the verses that Barb has included, I get these answers to the above question:
- God wants to be my shield, my glory, and to lift my head (Psalm 3:3)
- He is the defense of my life and he wants me not to dread anyone or anything. In the day of trouble, He conceals me in His tabernacle; He wants to lift me up on a rock. (Psalm 27: 1b, 5)
- He wants to establish my steps. He delights in my way. He will not let me be hurled headlong when I fall. He wants to hold my hand. (Psalm 37:23-24)
- He wants to be my refuge and my fortress. He wants me to trust him. He delivers me from the snares of life. He will cover me with his feathers and hide me under his wings where I can seek refuge. He is faithful to me. (Psalm 91:2-4)
- He wants me to rest in the fact that He has made me fearfully and wonderfully. He wants my soul to sit in and know this truth. (Psalm 139:13-15)
- He wants to build me up. He gathers me–as any outcast–to himself. He heals the brokenhearted and wants to heal my broken heart and bind up my wounds. (Psalm 147:2-3)
- He wants to change my name. Instead of “Forsaken,” “Rejected,” “Desolate,” “Unwanted,” He calls me “My delight is in her.” He delights in me and as a bridegroom rejoices over the bride, my God rejoices over me! (Isaiah 62:4a, 5b)
- He remembers me; His heart yearns for me; He has mercy on me. (Jeremiah 31:20)
- He has loved me with an everlasting love and drawn me closer to himself with loving kindness. He will build me up again. He will cause me to dance and rejoice again some day! (Jeremiah 31:3,4)
- He is in my midst as a victorious warrior. He exults over me with joy. He quiets me with his love. He rejoices over me with shouts of joy! (Zephaniah 3:17)
- He is coming to me to dwell with me. (Zechariah 2:10)
- He demonstrates His love for me in that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. (Romans 5:8) He loves me!
- I am His workmanship, created for things to do that He calls me to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
- He will complete the work in me that he has begun. (Philippians 1:6)
- He does NOT condemn me! (Romans 8:1)
- Nothing will separate me from His love. (Romans 8:35, 38,39)
- I am his own possession. He showers me with mercy. (1 Peter 2:9.10)
8. Who are you in God’s eyes?
Many of the above verses and others that I have journaled speak of this. When I use this app, I go over this again. It is very affirming. If you wonder who you are in Christ, have a look at Who I Am In Christ which is a pdf document.
9. How do you think God wants you to respond to this person who is condemning or rejecting you?
10. Is there anything I need to accept?
ASSIGNMENT:
1. If you have an iPod, iPhone, or iPad, download this app and give it a try! Share with us here what happens!
2. Use the questions that I have shared with you here to process something that might lure you to eat (that is if rejection or condemnation are emotions that fit for you). Prayerfully process the questions and see if God uses them to help your mind be renewed.
