If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution. ~Author unknown
When I became my mother’s full-time caregiver, I found solace in Pepsi and Chex Mix. Every time she called for help, which was dozens of times a day (and night), she downed a handful of Chex Mix on the way to and from her room. Ice cold Pepsi in a thermal mug was always within reach.
I did not think about the result of my actions; I just needed something to make me feel better. My weight went up until I was over 200 pounds. Now, I’m tall, so I can carry a lot of weight without it showing, but I knew it wasn’t healthy. It seemed that he could not stop.
What are your triggers?
I think you’ll admit to overeating or unhealthy snack choices because you feel bad about some person or situation. Until you are aware of your stressors and their responses, you will never overcome unconscious habits of overeating and poor food choices.
Anger, bitterness, resentment, frustration, pressure at work, disappointment, or depression can trigger a yearning in your psyche. The voltage builds up. Then you try to fill the void or cure the pain with food or some other future addiction. Physical comfort becomes a substitute for mental and spiritual peace.
The big problem is that a poor diet leads to poor health. Also, stress in your mind and emotions (your soul) creates stress and tension in your body. All of that opens the door to any number of preventable diseases. God has a different plan.
Love never fails.
Stress, anger, frustration, bitterness, and other negative emotions are directly related to selfishness.
- “What about me?”
- “I hurt.”
- “I’m frustrated.”
- “They make me angry”.
Love, its opposite, is the response to stress and tension. Love is not irritable or resentful. Love does not hold a grudge or take into account a wrong suffered. Love never fails. (I. Cor. 13) However, if you move out of love, you also move away from God’s shield of protection and head straight into the devil’s territory.
The Bible is very clear that Satan is coming to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He wants to steal your peace, destroy your body/relationships/finances and get you off this earth. Whatever bad things are going on in his life (health, finances, relationships, mental torment), you can be sure he’s behind it, including the weight gain.
When Jesus healed the woman with an issue of blood, he noticed that Satan had bound her, behold these eighteen years (Luke 13:16). Jesus did not advise the woman to take a chocolate bar. He said that she should be loose. How do you get lost? with the word. When he was tempted by Satan in the desert, he defended himself by saying, “It is written…” (see Matthew 4).
Love requires a conscious decision to put aside your ‘wants’ and act loved. God’s kind of love is an act of will, a decision of choice, not an emotion.
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Faith is a key element in controlling your appetites and cravings. In your own strength, it’s hard to resist a bag of chips or a chocolate chip cookie. But the bible says we can be more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37) and that He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57).
Instead of reaching for that comfort food, take a moment to center yourself by recognizing that your body is the temple of God. May his love, joy and peace be your heritage. This is where one of the revelations I talked about [in the Preface to my book, Your Spirit-Body Connection] comes into play.
I listened to Joyce Meyer, a world-renowned Bible teacher, talk about her battle with weight and health. She recounted her habit of taking bread before dinner “because she was hungry.” You know, those hot, crusty buns that restaurants serve before the meal… Hmmm.
Joyce convinced herself that while she really enjoyed that bread, her body didn’t NEED it. Instead, he needed the patience to wait for his food to arrive. In obedience to God’s inspiration, she began to tell herself, “I don’t eat unnecessary food.” Her desire to please God became stronger than her desire for bread and butter from her. She used her joy in pleasing the Father as strength to resist temptation.
Ask yourself, “Which is more important to me, God or food?” Be willing to put the chocolate and chips ‘on the altar,’ and really treat his body like his temple. I don’t belong to you! Use temperance – self-control – to say NO to what you don’t needif you want that or not.
Let peace be your referee.
Peace is essential to your sense of well-being. It is both preventative and restorative.
You already know that stress is a major factor in most illnesses, both physical and mental. Even the word disease [dis-ease], lack of tranquility or peace. Stress is the main reason for overeating. Food (like alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs) becomes a comforting substitute for other, less satisfying circumstances in your life.
Keeping the peace is essential for good health. Calmness helps eliminate depression and anxiety. Worry is the opposite of peace, brought about by fears, whether real or imagined. Block your recognition of the blessings in your TODAY. Worry kills your peace and opens the door to a myriad of problems. Worry today pays the price for something that may or may not happen in the future.
Recognize that Jesus gave you His peace (John 14:27), the same peace He used throughout His earthly ministry, so that you can have peace no matter what. When you are upset with someone, recognize that God is their source and protection. You don’t need to fight or plan to get what you want. God will take care of you. Instead, he confesses out loud, “You and me, Lord. You are all I need. I receive your peace. I won’t stress and I don’t need food to make me feel better.”
… have peace among yourselves. (I Thess. 5:13) Striving to keep the peace is a worthy goal. In every situation, it must be your first check and balance: the arbiter of your soul. You must determine your thoughts, words and actions.
Peace is within you; it is one of the fruits of the spirit, such as love, joy, patience, and self-control. Like everything in the kingdom of God, it begins as a seed. You can strengthen it and make it grow with exercise. Start today to be more aware of the situations in your life in which you can share peace, love and blessing with those around you.
And this is the victory that overcomes the world…
Faith, peace, love and patience are the keys to overcoming any problem in life, not just food. To find victory over your overeating or mindless eating habit, be aware of the situations that trigger your food cravings. Those temptations are carefully planned by the enemy to create overweight and poor health, to keep you distracted from the power Jesus gave you to be an overcomer.
God has promised you victory, but you still have to ‘walk’. Good decisions hour after hour and day after day, affirming his promises and saying NO to your body when you need it, will lead you to a place of health and peace. As you trust Him and form new eating (and exercise) habits, the temptation to overeat will become a thing of the past.