No Sugar-Day 1; Does God Do Weight Watchers? November 1, 2011

I have decided to eat no sugar until Thanksgiving or until the Lord tells me its ok. This comes as a result of a long line of events in my life the past year. Just recently, I have started eating clean. (No processed sugars, flours, etc.) As I researched health and food I was introduced to this lifestyle. I have to say I really love it. It is not a diet. Whew. But even eating clean, I can still get sugar in through honey, agave, and pure maple syrup. Anyways, this will be a test of endurance. A race if you will…a marathon.

 Let me give you a little history about myself. I am a chronic dieter and addicted to sugar. Sugar is not food for me, it’s a drug. Last December, God tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to deal with this addiction in a real way, just like addicts do. So I began a journey, a really hard journey. I lost 40lbs on that journey. Recently my husband and I moved across the country. Through this move I have gained back 20lbs. Can you believe it? Do you ever just sit there amazed at yourself? That’s me. I’m disgusted and disappointed. This move was the most stressful thing I have ever been through. There were crazy events and trials and I struggled deeply. I have struggled with my darkest demons and the “eat food for comfort” reared its ugly head again. So I joined back into my old habits and ate food for comfort. I thought I had conquered this! I guess like any addict, you have regression.

 A few weeks ago, God tapped me on the shoulder again. I was currently doing Weight Watchers in hopes to lose these extra pounds plus a whole lot more. I never asked the Lord if I was to do this. I took control. I did what I knew to do. Then, during the church service on a Sunday morning, I heard very clearly from the Lord to stop dieting. What??!! Did He know I was overweight? Did He know I have so far to go? I even had a friend who was counting points with me and she is a Christian so wasn’t that my confirmation it was for me?! Then I heard the Lord ask me this question, “Do you trust me with your body?” I paused…a long time. I finally came to the conclusion I didn’t. I did not trust Him to make me skinny, or with anything else that had to do with my physical body. Here is the proof; through the years I have turned to the world over and over again with help to lose weight. I have tried so many diets. Not once, had I turned to God for the answers and direction. Does God do Weight Watchers? Not in my case. For some, that is certainly the journey He may lead you on and that is so wonderful! But for me, He has asked me to not count and not rely on food and the world for answers. There has to be freedom. ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” 2 Cor. 3:17 I had no freedom so I can only conclude the Spirit of the Lord was not in it. You see, no matter what diet I was on, I was waking up everyday a failure. I would eat well and feel like a failure. I would eat bad and feel like a failure. I would weigh myself everday and everything hinged on that. This way of thinking was getting to me and bleeding into every aspect of my life. I was in bondage. Why was I looking to the world for its definition of beauty? I have had two wonderful babies and my body will never be the same. That IS beautiful. But it doesn’t mean I have to be unhealthy AND it doesn’t mean I diet until I look like a super model, or for me even the cover of Good Housekeeping would have been great!

So here I go. No diet. I am scared!!! Do you know I am trembling Lord? The Lord is teaching me all sorts of things about health and exercise. I have started exercising everyday and lifting weights. I have almost never lifted weights!! The other part of this journey is I am not allowed to weigh myself. The enemy gets in my head when I do that. I am hoping to weigh in once a month on my home scale, but I will ask the Lord and see His answer to me in that. I was very inspired by my dear friend who realized her happiness lived and died on the scale. If she lost a pound, it was a great day. If she lost nothing or gained a pound, it was a bad day and everyone suffered for it. So she got rid of her scale. Like out-of-the-house-got-rid-of. So brave! These are the verses I received from the Lord in my prayer time this morning. He is cheering me on and reminding me I need Him to walk this journey.

I can do all things THROUGH Christ who give me strength. Phillippians 4:13.

I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

Neva, this can only be accomplished through me, with me, not apart from me.