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Category: Diets and Weight Loss

  • How to Worship While We Eat

    How to Worship While We Eat

    “O taste and see that the Lord is good;
    How blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him!”
    Psalm 34:8

     

    To savor is to taste and enjoy completely. Isn’t that what God calls us to in Psalm 34:8? To savor His goodness? To taste and enjoy completely His provision.

    Someone could argue that this is not what this verse is about, but the next verses say this:

    “O fear the Lord, you His saints;
    For to those who fear Him there is no want.”
    The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
    But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.”
    Psalm 34:9-10

    (By the way, this is a great psalm to read and ask God to reveal truth about your food/diet issues. There’s so much in here that God wants to show us about taking our emotions to Him instead of food!)

    Back to savor…what does it mean to savor what we eat?

    As someone who’s had a tortured relationship with food for over 40 years, that feels like a dangerous question. If I savor what I eat, won’t I spin out of control and eat too much? If I savor what I eat, won’t I focus on food too much?

    Yes, that could happen but we don’t have to be afraid. The converse is to never savor food because we treat it like a bad thing instead of a good thing. We don’t take the time to enjoy God’s goodness in His provision of our food. We dread holidays because there will be food and we fear we’ll eat too much.

    We’ve focused for so long on trying to get food to be “legal” that we’ve missed enjoying the beauty of preparing a sumptuous meal for our loved ones. We miss the blessing of savoring the meal preparation as an act of loving service and enjoyment of what God has made. We rush to just get it done because we feel that it lurks as a trap for us.

    But if we follow the 11 steps to freedom, we know that we only eat when we’re hungry and we stop when we’re satisfied. We don’t have to be afraid of any food. And we don’t have to continue to subsist on tasteless cardboard imitations of food. Remember, all things are lawful for me!

    If you’re like me, you rarely slow down and savor the food you’re eating. I’m usually the first person finished eating at the table. And then I realize I didn’t really enjoy it and I’m tempted to eat more. Had I slowed down and savored the food, I wouldn’t be “in want of any good thing.”

    Have you ever noticed that it’s really only the first few bites of something that taste really, really good? I think that’s why I like tapas restaurants so much. Just bring me little plates of food instead of giant portions. Then I can savor a few bites of each.

    There are lots of ways to intentionally eat less, and as a “professional dieter,” I’ll list them here:

    1. Put your fork down between bites.
    2. Sip between bites.
    3. Order off the appetizer menu.
    4. Put half your meal in a to-go box before you start.
    5. Share a meal.

    Yep, you’ve heard it all before and probably more. These are practical steps, but how do you genuinely savor what God has made?

    I would add these suggestions.

    1. Approach food with a sense of wonder. I’m amazed at bananas and how perfectly God made them. God made a rubbery exterior that we’re able to open easily. And inside is something that’s firm and yet creamy. And it’s travelled so far to get to me and it’s still fresh and wonderful. (You get the picture.)
    2. Make your meal a time of awe. Slow down and enjoy each bite. Think about the wonder that God created in this food. Have you ever noticed all the little bumps that go into making a blackberry? God, in His amazing creativity, has made the most unique foods for us to enjoy!
    3. Eat clean for the most part. What I mean by that is try to focus on eating foods that God has made and that are as close to their natural state as possible. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to have a sense of wonder and awe about manmade ingredients like maltodextrin, sodium bicarbonate, and ferric orthophosphate. (This is not a RULE…it’s a guideline. All things are lawful for me.)

    And always, eat with gratitude. As we give thanks to God and enjoy mindful eating, we learn to walk in the Spirit and eat in ways that honor God. I believe it honors God for us to savor rather than survive mealtimes.

    Taste and see that the Lord is good!

  • Never Let Your Guard Down! This Is War!

    Never Let Your Guard Down! This Is War!

    Once we are aware of a different way to view our food/diet/body issues, we can expect a full-on attack from the enemy. And God, in His goodness, hasn’t left us alone or unaware of the enemy’s tactics.

    In Nehemiah 4 when the Israelites worked to rebuild the wall, they faced continued opposition from their enemies. Can we expect any less? Our enemy will never leave us alone!

    In Nehemiah 4, (I’m trusting you, dear Reader, to dig into the Word and read this chapter), when Sanballat heard that the Israelites were rebuilding the wall, the Bible says that he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews: “you’re feeble,” “you can’t do it,” “it’ll take too long,” “the job is too big!”

    The enemy started with mocking (doesn’t the enemy mock us?). “You can’t do this!” “You’re too weak!” “You’ve failed so many times before.” “It’ll take too long.” “You’re a lost cause!” (What mocking lies does the enemy put in your mind to discourage you? For me, “it’ll take too long” is the lie I am most tempted to believe and can make me chase after the next quick-fix diet…if I believe it.)

    When the attacks start, and they will, we need to follow the Israelites’ example: They prayed! And focused on the work. (Take those lies to God and pray for Him to open the eyes of your heart to see and hear only His truth!)

    Then what happened to the Israelites? The enemy became more angry and planned a battle. (Dear Reader, never think for even one second that this isn’t a spiritual battle. The spiritual battle intensified the first day that we became aware of the diet gods that vie for our worship.)

    And just like the Israelites again, we must pray and set up a guard: “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat” (Nehemiah 4:9). (Set up a guard! Be aware! Be on guard! This is a spiritual battle!)

    The enemy then used surprise, deceit, and attack. “Also our enemies said, ‘Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work’ ” (Nehemiah 4:11). (Isn’t it wonderful to understand the enemy’s tactics? Surprise and deceit. Lies, lies, lies.)

    The Israelites responded by using weapons. And so should we, but our weapons aren’t calorie counters and diets. Our weapons are spiritual and powerful. Our weapons give glory to God!

    Nehemiah says in verse 14, “When I saw their fear, I said, ‘Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.’ ” (Dear friend, who are you doing this for? Who are you fighting this battle for? Who else do you long to be free in your life–other than yourself? Fight for them!)

    In Nehemiah 4:15, they stayed diligent, watchful, aware, and armed…and they succeeded.

    That word “aware” is Yada in Hebrew. It means to perceive, understand, acquire knowledge, discern. It is exactly what’s happening in our journey to freedom! We’re becoming discerning and aware in the spiritual battle we are in.

    There’s so much to be gleaned from this chapter about spiritual warfare. But there are also five key things we come away with in this peek into Nehemiah 4 if we are to be victorious in our battle and fight for freedom from bondage.

    1. Don’t fear–don’t give into our feelings.
    2. Focus on God.
    3. Do what’s right and fight.
    4. Consider the impact on those we love.
    5. And, finally, never let your guard down. Nehemiah said in verse 23: “Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.”

    Never let your guard down. This is war!

  • The Promised Land of Wait Gain

    The Promised Land of Wait Gain

    I have lived for over 40 years in the desert. The dry land of diets and weight-loss programs and tips and tactics and shame and binges and self-hate and deprivation. I have been obsessed with the latest diet fad. I have disdained my image in the mirror. I have lived with constant thoughts about me…my weight…my body…my size….what I ate….what I would eat….why I ate it…

    I have been in bondage to these issues that have robbed me of the abundant life that Jesus promises me in John 10:10: The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy. I have come that they might have life abundantly!

    I have lived in the realm of the thief. My potential and purpose and freedom murdered. My joy stolen. My peace destroyed.

    And yet I’ve heard God’s voice anew in the desert, calling from a quiet and gentle place. I’ve discovered God’s overwhelming love and kindness toward me. Something that the thief had obscured with lies.

    And I’ve journeyed toward freedom–toward the Promised Land.

    Surprisingly, this Promised Land isn’t weight loss. It’s wait gain. And it’s so much more than what I have sought for 40 years.