PLATEAU BROKEN!!

After LITERALLY months of being the exact same weight, I have finally broken through my plateau!  I lost three pounds this week!  So what did I do?

Well, I stopped eating when I wasn't hungry.  Is it REALLY that simple?  YES IT IS.

Dr. Rita Hancock (I've mentioned her before) wrote the book "The Eden Diet" where she discusses just that.  According to her (and she uses scripture to back this up) the bible gives us all the instruction we need on eating.  I had never thought of it that way, but she's right.

Of course right now I sound like an over-zealous paid actor, right? Perhaps I should give it a longer time period before I call "success!"  But all I know is this - I wasn't losing weight, and now I am.  There was only one thing that changed.

People tell us all the time that we have to eat every two hours to keep our metabolism going!  You know what I say to them?  HOGWASH!  You're telling ME that I have to eat something I don't like every two hours weather or not I'm hungry?  I don't think so.  I like Dr. Hancock's theory better - eat smaller portions of food that you actually LIKE - but only when you're hungry.  If you're still hungry, eat a little more.  If you're not hungry (now here's where the challenge comes in) STOP EATING.

**DISCLAIMER:  I am a Christian - I started this as a weight loss blog for Christians.  If you're not a Christian you may want to stop reading right now, or turn away from the screen.**

My whole life has revolved around food.  When was I going to get it, how much of it I was going to eat.  I focused on meal planning, recipe writing, watching food network, reading cookbooks.  The whole purpose behind the Eden Diet is different, though.  Instead of focusing on FOOD (what and how much you should and should not eat) you focus on GOD.  Thanking God for the feeling of hunger as a sign when to eat.  Praising him for the glorious food that you are about to receive.  Enjoying the food to His glory.

When you "diet", your focus still stays on the same thing - food.  You worry about how many calories, carbs, or fiber is in something.  You check fat content and concern yourself with things like "trans fat" and "cholesterol".  But is that really where your focus should be?

Our focus should be on God every hour of every day.  We should do ALL things for his glory from housecleaning (blogged on that one on The Supermom Blues) to hobbies, to reading, to even cooking and eating.  God should be on our focus at all times.  Once we regain sight of that, we can do anything.  Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me".  It's time - for me anyway - to "let go and let God".  To thank Him for every aspect of my life and allow him to rule my life.  I need to remember that GOD is in control of me, NOT FOOD.


That is a lesson for all to take with them when it comes to weight loss.  We allow the food to control us, when we need to be the ones to be in control of the food, and relinquish our control over ourselves to God.

Breaking Free from Bondage

If any of you have read Dr. Rita Hancock's book "The Eden Diet", you know all about her description of food as "bondage" keeping us from Christ. I never thought about this fully until yesterday.

I wonder about the hold food has on me.

See, I LOVE to cook - I love to make people happy with my culinary creations. I love to invent new recipes, dissect old ones, and re-create classics. I love the challenge of making something fattening and unhealthy a better choice. I collect cookbooks - it's one of my greatest hobbies. I am a food network addict - especially their reality shows. In fact, I fantasize about one day sending my audition tape in and becoming the "Next Food Network Star".

So where does that leave me? Without food, what do I have left? It has been such a huge part of my life, I have to ask, can I REALLY let go? WHAT can I immerse myself in if not food?

Then God spoke to me. He said "Why can't you immerse yourself in ME?" (See, God knows every once in a while I need a good swift kick in the butt . . . )

And I realized - he doesn't want me to GIVE UP my hobby. He just wants me to LOOSEN MY GRIP on it so that I have MORE TIME FOR HIM!

SO, this morning I changed my morning routine a little.I always have what I call "Coffee with God" where I have a cup of coffee, read the bible, and pray. This is usually a 15 minute venture.
Well, this morning, I lengthened it to 30 minutes. Just 15 minutes more. See, that extra 15? I would close my bible, open one of my coveted cookbooks and read recipes. This morning? I read more of my bible.

Then God led me to Ecclesiastes 5:10 : (KJV) He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. It took me a few minutes to realize what God was telling me. I mean, what does FOOD have to do with SILVER? Then it hit me - DUH! It was an analogy (for me) - SILVER and ABUNDANCE refers to FOOD and GLUTTONY in my life. Or, specifically - COOKING!!

The first commandment tells us - "Thou shalt have no other God's before me"
I didn't realize until this morning that all this time I have been worshipping the god of food.
Thank you Lord for new epiphanies and revelations.