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What can you do when you have been here before…and you have typically caved–eaten outside of your boundaries of hunger and satisfaction? What if you can see it coming? How can you observe and correct? How can you prevent another “failure?”
I just can’t renew my mind too often! I need to wash my mind clean from all kinds of lies and line dry it to have a fresh start by putting PURE truth into it!
Sometimes, an attitude of entitlement or justification taints the way I think about food, eating, and how willing I am to minimize the impact of breaking through the boundaries that God has led me to establish!
My husband just left town for a few days and for as long as we have been married (nearly 30 years), when he is out of town I have some of my biggest challenges with desire eating–wanting to break my boundaries of eating only when hungry and stopping eating when I am no longer hungry. When he leaves, it seems to trigger a mindset of some childhood trauma or something–a sense of abandonment! I know that sounds silly.
Exactly!
If I just let myself feel what I feel about it, or, worse, if I tell myself I am being silly and beat myself up over being such a baby, I invariably end up reaching for food to “comfort” me.
Hosting the bible study by Barb Raveling is SO good for me! This time, I choose to renew my mind right now and each day Bob is gone. This is what it looks like for me to do that:
Lord, Bob is out of town and you know that means I get sort of careless or I abandon all resolve with eating boundaries. I want to inhale food outside of 0 and 5. This time, I will not do that. Instead, I will reach for you as my true Comforter. Food is a counterfeit.
The TRUTH, Lord, is that Bob hasn’t abandoned me. This isn’t my childhood. This is my husband who has always come home to me before, so his track record seems to indicate he will come home this time, too! And no matter what happens–even if he doesn’t, food can’t comfort me like you can.
The TRUTH is that while I was abandoned in many ways as a child, you never abandoned me. You were there all along.
The TRUTH is, Lord, you are with me and will never leave me or forsake me, even if everyone else does!
I know that reaching for food during these days when Bob is gone is not going to satisfy the emptiness that I may feel.
Lord, thank you that I have the freedom to eat any food I desire when I am hungry. The rest of the time, when I am drawn to food, what will really minister to my soul is:
- sitting still in your presence
- quieting myself
- opening your Word
- praying
- Adding to my God List
- praising–having a Praise-Feast (Praise-Fest)
- writing in my gratitude blog
- calling a friend
- taking a hot bath and letting wonderful Christian music sooth my soul as the hot water soothes my body
All the ice cream in the world won’t make my life better, my marriage more secure, or the trials and insecurities I face go away. I choose you, Lord. I choose your boundary lines.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.– Psalm 16:7
Thank you that I can set my mind not on earthly things, but on things above. What is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal. I choose to fix my eyes on the promise that you have an inheritance waiting for me, Lord. The boundaries that you have established for me are pleasant. When I am tempted to break them, I will turn to you. There will be joy in doing so. There will be a deep sense of satisfaction. You will be my Comfort and my Strength.
Amen
How about you? Are you facing a situation that often triggers eating outside of 0 and 5? Will you choose to renew your mind about your circumstances so that you can emerge victorious, capturing this moment for the Lord? 🙂
Thank you I needed that to start the day. Be blessed for blessing us so much.
You all are an immeasurable blessing to me! Thank you, Tina!
This is long but I hope it helps someone as I think through my own process I’m going thru! Thanks Heidi for sharing how you renew your mind!
My Observation 3-27-13
Yesterday I went home from work and I was starving. I was thinking I could just fast my 2 daytime meals to lose weight.
I observed that I was taking over control and not listening to my body signals God gave me.
Then I though it would be ok if I eat little amounts of this and that.
Only problem is I think little bits add up and add up to being too much!
I also noticed I am not full of energy all the time when I get home from work.
Correction:
Heidi said once I think, she even counts snacks as meals. I have to remember that!
I think I do better if I eat meals even if small and then seem to not grab munchies as much in the evenings.
I have to watch the snack times & make sure I’m not comforting myself.
I can change and renew my mind with God’s help by walking, reading my bible, journal or cook dinner when I get home or take a little nap.
I can do a praise feast. Anything but run to food.
I cant control the exact time of when I eat but need to listen more to my body’s signals.
If I’m supposed to eat during the day, I need to do that.
I’m not supposed to be avoiding hunger just to eat at home.
I can control the hunger on special occasions.
I dont want to starve or control myself only to end up out of control later in the day.
I want to be obedient to God’s signals he placed in me and wait for hunger and not over eat or under eat.
I decided to have oatmeal to try to eat something beneficial, satisfying and I like it.
I will wait for my next hunger before I eat.
Lie: I have to eat diet foods to lose weight.
Truth: I can have all foods God said within my boundaries of 0-5.
Lie: I have to run to man made rules to help me, which I started to do!
Truth: I can run to God to ask for help and He’ll help me observe & correct
Truth: God will comfort me not food.
Heidi’s post is perfect today as well as the verse she provided…God please help me with your strength and not mine to renew my mind & stay within the boundaries you perfectly created for me!
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
– Psalm 16:7
Way to go, Michelle. Thanks for your kind words, as well. It really is encouraging. I love the way you renewed your mind and made your corrections all in one fell swoop!
What a perfect Psalm to start the day. It inspired me to go look up the word “boundary” in the concordance and see how it is used throughout the Bible. God places a lot of importance on boundaries. Lots of geographical references. The metaphor really hits home. Boundaries matter!! God’s order of things matters. “Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.” – Proverbs 22:28 Good day to contemplate boundaries even deeper. I really appreciated hearing your strategy on yesterday’s audio about prayerfully setting boundaries in advance for specific (tempting!) situations. Thanks for the daily encouragement!!!
My pleasure, Mary. So glad you are participating! 🙂
I agree that this post is a good way to start the day so that we are better able to handle the temptation to run to food whenever our emotions are making us feel insecure. The TRUTH is that God is the answer. Food is good for the moment but God will lead us to freedom and life. I reaffirm today that the boundaries God has set for me have fallen in pleasant places. I choose to trust in Him today and listen to my God-given hunger/satisfaction signals to keep me obedient to His will not only with food but also with other areas in my life. Thanks!
I am so glad that this passage was encouraging! Thanks for the kind words, Lisa. You continue to be such an inspiration. Like Natalia, I wish I had a soft heart like the two of you do!
Heidi – I have the same issue when my husband travels or is out late for a dinner meeting. Thank you for sharing.
You know how this works – 2 steps forward, 1 step back? Well, yesterday was one of the backward steps. Observe – after I work (I only work once a week or so), I am very pulled to snacks as the kids eat after school. Usually, if I snack on anything other than a few nuts between lunch and dinner, I am not at a 0 for dinner. I wasn’t at a 0, but had a drink (that never helps with 0-5) with my husband before dinner and proceeded to eat our leftover Mexican dinner past 5. I have definitely learned in this study that I do not find 5 if I don’t start at 0. Did not feel good after dinner. Anyway, correction – next time I work, I will pray out loud in my car on the way to pick up my children so that when I get home, I’ll have God’s shield as I am tempted by the snacks. The audios from the other day were so helpful with this.
Also, I did not have my “book” of renewing mind goal, scripture or truths with my yesterday and I did not spend quiet time with the Lord. Hmmm, appears related. I’ll carry it with me when I leave the house.
Wow, CMK. It looks like you have done a great job of observing and making a plan for correcting! I will be eager to hear how it goes!
So, it’s 8:20 and I’m near a 0 and my husband is out with my son until 9:30 or so. My daughter is in bed and all is quiet. Before today, I would take a snack and/or perhaps a glass of wine and sit in front of the TV. And I would justify/entitle the eating because I barely ate a dinner. But, because of the audio from yesterday and today’s lesson, I am choosing to spend time with the Lord – without food or a drink! I am going to get into bed (far from the kitchen and TV) and work on my bible study (a different one than this) and enjoy it. Heidi, I praise the Lord for you and the work that you are doing here.
Oh, CMK!!!!!!!!! You have given me a gift in your words. I love hearing specific ways that God is at work, granting a victory. Thank you for giving me a glimpse into your tender heart and God’s faithfulness!
What a wonderful blog, I loved it, thanks for sharing Heidi, Your transparency and willingness to share is most awesome, Hugs from Mo,.
Thanks, Joan. Hugs back atcha!
Thank you Heidi. Very practical for in what it “looks like ” to follow our boundaries when I a screaming out otherwise.
You bet, Dawn. I hope it helps!
I can feel the tide turning in my thinking. After going to bed at 0, I slept a great sleep (not always the case for me). I woke up early, but felt rested. I was hungry initially, but was able to exercise and take kids to school before coffee and breakfast. The truth is that I didn’t starve because I went to bed at a 0 and had very little dinner! It is amazing how efficient (ie don’t need to eat a lot) my body is – instead of seeing this as “poor me, I can’t eat as much as everyone else,” I will choose to thank God for it’s efficiency.
Oh, CMK! YAY! This is HUGE! You should print this comment out and paste it in a journal or something to reflect on when you are doubting yourself. Yes, I agree. It IS amazing how efficient the body is!
Yes, this seems to be a coping mechanism for me Heidi, when I am alone I seem to think that is my time to relax unwind from the day and food is involved as a reward or treat. I do see how when my husband is not around I have eaten more on the weekends when he has been taking care of needs for our family. Thank you for the example. I see that there is a following here that many struggle and are not alone in these issues/situations. I appreciate the group how all have been so specific and truthful….I have had a very long few months and am so appreciative of all the material I have received here. I think Im doing good and find yes that the good is in my own strength ….I am learning so much from all of you. Thanks again.
Thanks for your honesty, Jen. I know I have to renew my mind about what a “reward” or “treat” actually is! It helps so much.