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“Surrender your 5.”
I heard it loud and clear one afternoon.
I had just launched into an hour long temper tantrum as I wrestled with God over the fact that I had gained two pounds that week. I simply couldn’t believe it! So I stood my ground with Him, listing all the things I had worked so hard at that week. I was diligent in waiting for my 0 each day. I made food choices that were in line with my Whole Body Pleasers. I took great care to plan my hunger around the Christmas parties I had attended that week, ensuring that I arrived at a 0. I renewed my mind to avoid temptation lurking in my kitchen (homemade sugar cookies, yummm!) when I wasn’t at a 0. I had done all these things, so how could I possibly have gained two pounds that week?!
“Surrender your 5, Becky.”
I heard it again. And it was in that moment that things became very clear to me.
In my Thin Within journey, I have gotten to a point where waiting for my 0 has become like second nature. I can wait for it and recognize it pretty easily before I begin eating (Praise God! What an awesome victory!). My 0 is glaringly obvious. I can’t ignore it, I can’t pretend it’s not there, I can’t quiet it. A 0 is a 0 for me, no doubt about it!
But the 5…..ohhhh that 5 is much more of an elusive target fore me to hit! 5 has always been a bit difficult for me to define and find. The margin for a 5 is rather wide. On one end of the spectrum, a 5 can be “just enough,” where you stop eating at the first moment you begin to feel satisfied. On the other end of the spectrum, a 5 can be “one bite shy of a 6”. And in between those two marks is a vast area that can contain ten more potato chips or five more bites of a sandwich or another spoonful of yogurt. When you add in the fact that it often takes my brain twenty minutes to register just how satisfied I truly am, the 5 is pretty easy for me to misjudge and blaze right by!
And that afternoon the Lord revealed to me through the Holy Spirit’s conviction in my heart that I had been selfishly camping on the far end of the spectrum, trying to see just how many extra bites I could take and still stay under a 6. I justified it because I had been so patient to wait for that 0 to come around, I “deserved” to eat those extra five bites of my sandwich. Oooof, that’s not fun to admit!
With this realization, He also gave me a technique to use to ensure I have the opportunity to recognize my 5 and gravitate towards the other end of the 5 spectrum, where I first begin to feel satisfied. He showed me that I can 1) ensure my meal is truly a fist-sized meal 2) I can stop eating 2/3 of the way through my meal, put my fork down and prayerfully ask Him if the remaining food on my plate is something my body truly needs or just something I selfishly want.
If it’s not something my body needs, am I willing to surrender my 5 and the rest of the food on my plate in obedience to the Lord? I can’t say that surrendering my 5 has been an easy exercise! In fact, it is the single most difficult thing for me to do in my Thin Within journey right now. But I do know that those two steps above can help me ensure that I get closer to hitting the mark with my 5. I am also armed with the knowledge that this is indeed possible since I can do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13)! Not only is it possible, but this is a step I can take towards lasting freedom!
How about you?
Is it difficult for you to define your 5? How do you know when you’ve reached it? Are you ever tempted to eat a few more bites once you have first realized you’re satisfied? Do you sometimes just get so excited to finally eat that you blaze right past your 5? Do you have any effective strategies for knowing when you’ve reached a 5 and surrendering the rest of the food on your plate? Are you willing to surrender your 5?
Written by: Becky Y.
[Editor Note: Hey, ya’all! Feel free to respond to the “How About You?” questions right here in the comment section of the blog. We would LOVE to see you share your thoughts and insights–or even your questions! 🙂 Thanks! ~ Heidi]Another Editor Note: If you have chosen to “Follow” this blog, you will not receive any more notifications as of tomorrow (I think). We are integrating with the Thin Within website and you will want to “Follow” the new blog once it is alive and active. It will be all of the same content moved from God Is Doing a New Thing over to Thin Within. So sorry for the inconvenience.
I can identify with this post. “Am I willing to surrender the 5?” That convicts me.
I’m still learning what a 5 is for me… and more importantly, I’m learning to surrender it. Oh, that’s real challenge – surrendering the 5!
My old nature, my fleshly self wants to continue to be indulged… the food tastes sooo good; eating is a fun activity; eating is a distraction from uncomfortable feelings like boredom, stress, frustration, disappointment; I believe the lie that eating will satisfy like nothing else and make everything better.
My new self, made by the Holy Spirit is desires God above all things, loves God more than food, is willing to surrender the 5, wants to eat in a self-controlled manner that glorifies the Lord.
It’s a battle. It’s really hard. But I also need to remember that God is changing me. I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ!
You are so right, Susan. Often it isn’t so much that I don’t know that the 5 is approaching. It is that I don’t want to see it approach cuz then it means I have to stop eating. 5 is a bit easier for me to “swallow” if I choose in advance to serve myself half as much, eat it twice as slowly. Then I land on the last bite at the same time I would have if I had eaten my normal portion my normal fast way. 🙂
Wow the Lord sure wanted me to be reading this when I was getting ready to have breakfast. I really wanted to eat the last part of my blueberry muffin, but decided since reading this to surrender my five. God is so good! He certainly is the God of details
Have a blessed day thank you for all the support and encouragement.
Marcia
I’m with you, Marcia. I love how he shows us that he is intimately acquainted with all our ways. 🙂
Yes — recognizing “0” is a lot easier than recognizing “5” for me. Eating slowly is one of the most helpful things I do. It allows my brain to register what my stomach is “thinking.” And — I had to get over the anger issue of being upset that I could not eat more than what a “5” calls for. I wanted to eat more! I felt deprived! This mental readjustment takes some time. Also — one thing that can make recognizing “5” a bit more difficult — it depends on the types of food I eat. When my plate has a wide variety of fruits and veggies, I can eat more volume before reaching satisfaction. If I choose to eat something a bit heavier, bulkier, fat-laden — then I get to “5” much more quickly. Because I have recognized this, I eat a lot more fruits and veggies because this allows me to eat a bit more in volume. I think this is God’s way of helping me to naturally deciding what’s healthier for me, instead of being forced to make these decisions because a diet plan tells me I have to.
Excellent insights, Karen. Thanks for sharing them! 🙂
I tell ya, sometimes I wish I had giant man sized hands so my fist-sized portion would be larger!! 🙂 My toughest time to stop at 5 is dinner because I’m usually past 0. I need to think of a practical thing to eat near the end of my workday so I won’t be so hungry!!! I have stopped at a 7 the past two nights. And this morning I was praying about being very mindful of my 5 at dinner. So your post was perfect timing!!!!
Carol, I find that popping 2 or 3 or 4 cashews in my mouth quells the insanity I might experience when I have an impolite, roaring hunger. I wait then for it to subside and return to a more polite 0…and eat without tearing off anyone’s head. 🙂
I have struggled with low blood sugars that come roaring on and catch me unawares. Sometimes I am headed into the store and know I will not make it without something. I carry glucose tablets with me in the van. I pop two in my mouth and slowly let them dissolve. The grape ones are like candy 🙂 Anyway, in just a short time I am no longer out of control and my brain is clear and I make it til I can get a meal! If I don’t do that and my sugars drop, even though I am very aware my stomach is full, something in my brain tells me I am dying! 🙂
Becky, I was so blessed by what you shared. Finding our fives is the so necessary on this journey. In my case, I am sure I know what my five is but sometimes disregard it.
Thanks for sharing your heart.
Definitely helpful! I keep struggling to even find my 5!
Becky, thank you for your post today. I definitely need to surrender my 5. I do not have so much trouble waiting for 0, but knowing when to stop is huge for me. I appreciate your sharing the practical tips as well. I will be praying about this especially at dinner tonight. I feel blessed to be able to receive so much encouragement from this group. Here is a verse to go with this week’s theme:
Rom.15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Whoa! Did I need this! I am also one who can identify being at a true 0, but that 5 is a whole other issue! And like many of you, dinner is my hardest time. I am usually so hungry by then that I have a hard time eating slowly enough for my body to register when I’ve had enough and will just wolf my food down. My husband, who is a naturally thin eater, will sometimes ask me if I dropped my food on the floor because I’m done so fast. 🙂 So, this is something I’m really praying about and asking God to help me slow down and enjoy the evening meal with my family—like put my fork down once in a while! I have noticed that if I eat a very small dinner that I will get hungry again around 9pm. Then I can enjoy a small serving of some kind of dessert. Thank you Becky for sharing! What an encouragement you are! PS: Am loving the workbook studies this week!
Years ago I successfully lost weight with the diet that was going around at the time similar to thin within. I always struggled with “satisfied” and felt cheated when I had to stop. I later rejected the diet b/c of things I disagreed with spiritually and spent years following “traditional” diets. I am excited to be doing Thin Within because I feel like those things that I missed the first time I now see! I believe this time I am truly ready to surrender my 5 🙂 It won’t be easy but I am finally seeing food as the idol that it is and God is renewing my mind.
Excellent post! Surrender goes hand in hand with trust! If we trust in the Lord, and wait for Him, we will likely find 5, find satisfaction, and find peace! But easier said than done – 🙂 I also agree with Corinne’s post regarding our food choices, and how a “balanced” plate may help us match our volume with our satiation. I also have difficulties with dinner, and food takes on much more power than the other meals, undoubtedly because I feel the fatigue of the day and the need to refill on God, as well as food! – Gee, maybe we are all a little dehydrated, too? Anyway, God bless you all!
This is awesome! Oh how many times have I “sneaked” that last few little bites when I knew I was at 5! This is so very real and encouraging. And I also like Rosa’s comment that surrender goes hand in hand with trust — to just know (act on) the fact that God will fill that void that we have been filling with food as I release my anxieties/fatigue to Him each day. Thanks so much for sharing.
Follow up…just at my dinner. Fave food… Pizza. And stopped at 5! I am completely and absolutely amazed at how wonderful our God is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After having a great day yesterday, Today I was hungry at 4 o’clock and decided to eat because I knew my husband was coming home late. I was at a zero but I did not follow any of the guidelines and eight to probably six and seven. But instead of my usual well loaded anyway talk, I choose to do Barbara’s questions and I will be journaling my thoughts and praying out loud the Scriptures. Praise the Lord there is no condemnation Jesus just conviction to get back on the path!
Truly he is doing a New thing.
Marcia
I would like to share that Thin With In does work & had done this about two years ago. I released quite a large amount of weight. My goal was to release all my weight, but I had emergency surgery, but did release 80lbs. I have gained 30lbs back. I would like to suggest when doing your time with TWI to listen to praise music for focus & encouragement. One of my favorite songs at this time is Ocean (Where Feet May Fail), by Hillsong United (to all you Aussies thank you). It is a perfect song for us as we look to God the Father & release this to Him. As we have learned we don’t fail in Him, but our eyes should always be on Him, we are becoming that new creature & temple that is pleasing to Him.”You call me out upon the waters. The great unknown where my feet may fail. And there I’ll find you in the mystery. In oceans deep. My faith will stand. I am a music person & music is soothing to the soul & also very helpful. I am on my churches prayer team, music & prayer go hand & hand with the word His scriptures. Just wanted to share this mornings thoughts & prayers.
What a great post! This hits me right where I am today (reading it a day late). The last couple days I’ve been doing well with 0-5 eating but today for lunch we went out for Chinese, and that brought a new challenge to my 0-5 eating! Just after eating the bowl of hot and sour soup they bring you before the meal, it felt like I was already at 4 or so!! So I thought I wasn’t going to want much of my entree. However, when they brought the entree and I began to eat, I didn’t get to 5 as quickly as I thought, and so I kept eating. I ate little bitty bites and savored each one real well as I’ve learned to do. I even stopped eating for a little while and waited. But still I couldn’t feel a 5. So I ate some more. Finally I got to the point where I felt it was time to stop, so I did. But as you can guess, when a little more time had passed, I realized I had passed 5 too! I think I only got to 6 or so, but still it was a little more than I needed to eat (I got a to-go box and brought the rest of my entree and my egg roll home). Then I came home and read this post. How appropriate! Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Wow, I can relate so much about what you wrote about. I ask the Lord to help me wait for the “0” and I have to not rush into my food, even though I am humgry…I might miss that 5…so recently I have been prayerfully asking the Lord to show me when I am satisfied and even slow down long enough in the middle of what I am eating and ask. When I know I am satisfied, I will get the food out of my face and fllee the temptation to eat another bite. God is good.