Growing up as a child, I was extremely skinny. So much so, that my doctor had me eating a small jar of peanut butter a day, just so I would put on some weight! However, something happened after I hit menopause, which I’m told is caused by my metabolism having taken the slow lane…
There are tons of suggestions on the internet on how to boost your metabolism, and I keep meaning to try them, but at the moment, I am too busy enjoying my food.
I wake up planning my breakfast and lunch and already know what I will be having for dinner, the night before. So much of my thought life is consumed by food and what I eat. I’ve believed the lie that food comforts me, but in all honesty, I am never satisfied with it. If I eat something too salty, I need something sweet to balance it out, and vice versa.
I was recently reminded that when what you consume starts to consume you, it is a sure sign that it has become an idol in your life. So I’ve realized I need to change the way I think about food. Instead of waiting for victory in this area of my life, I’ve decided to share my thoughts, so you can join me on this journey. Here are my 7 tips I’ve discovered so far…
- Reduce or Replace instead of Quit - I don’t know about you, but the minute I try to cut out anything bad from my diet, I end up just craving it more. So my answer is to either reduce or replace these things with healthier options. For instance, I have gone from 2 sugars to 1, or honey and have replaced white bread for wholegrain seeded bread. I am also enjoying dark chocolate more, instead of milk chocolate and eating popcorn, rice crackers and pretzels in place of potato crisps.
- Know When You’re Full – Growing up, I learnt to clean my plate, so I find it difficult to know what it feels like to feel full. However, often at Christmas or buffet-style meals, I certainly know what it feels like to feel TOO full, which means I need to learn to know when to stop, before I overindulge.
- Wait Before Seconds – This ties in with point number 2 – Don’t just eat seconds because it is delicious and you want more. When I wait for my stomach to give me the signal that I’ve had enough, I find it easier to resist the temptation to be greedy. By practicing delayed gratification, I save the leftovers for tomorrow.
- Use a Smaller Plate – If you are tempted like me to load your plate, try using a side plate or a smaller plate or bowl to help reduce your portion size. A smaller plate changes our perspective on the size of your meal. As well as knowing the correct portions we should be eating, in relation to our vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates.
- Eat for Fuel – So much of my eating nowadays revolves around habit or entertainment. With every celebration and event, the main focus seems to be about the food. If we only eat to refuel ourselves, we will be more energized instead of ‘maggies vol, oegies toe’ (An Afrikaans phrase that means when your stomach is full, your eyes close to sleep). I am not saying I’m going to stop eating cake or gourmet food to celebrate with, but I will try to make the event and the people the highlight, instead of the food. The same goes for eating our 3 meals out of habit. If I'm still full from the meal before, I will delay the next or skip it.
- Move it, but Don’t Overdo it! – As a non-gym fan and flat owner, with limited floor space, I was happy to hear that too much exercise is counteractive to weight loss. Apparently, the fat hormone cortisol is released when you exercise too intensively. Besides taking my dog for her twice daily 20 minutes walks, I am now also trying Chair exercises through one of the many available Apps.
- Pray Before Eating – Last, but probably the most important, is to pray first. When I change the way I view food and use it to fuel me for energy and nutrition, I become more conscious and convicted of what I am feeding my body. By saying Grace or praying over my meal before I eat, I am asking God to bless the food to my body. I am reminding myself daily, that my body is the Temple where God’s Spirit lives within me, and should be kept pure and holy, and is not a dustbin for feeding junk.
As we encourage one another with our body transformations, let us be patient with ourselves and extend grace when we fail. By seeking God first and relying on His strength to help us resist the temptations and lure of food that is not good for us, we can overcome our binge, junk and comfort eating.
I love that verse in Psalms 34:8 that tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good, because it reminds me that God created food to be delicious, and to enjoy it. But, yet again, Satan has taken something good and turned it to become our enemy.
We can grow the fruit of our self-control by being mindful of what we eat and learning to acknowledge when we have had enough. We cannot expect our bodies to operate and function as God intended them to, if we are not eating the correct ‘fuel’.
Please can I ask you to take the time and be vulnerable to share your own helpful tips. I believe that a community that cares enough to share, is a powerful tool that God’s uses to help us each heal and grow together. God is with us all in this journey and victory is our portion!
Below are further tips from a shared source that sounds viable enough to be worth considering…
https://insights.avea-life.com/glucose-imbalance/nutrition/glucose-goddess-hacks/
For those who are struggling particularly with comfort eating, see my previous blog that I hope will help you further - https://sharingsfromsam.blogspot.com/2022/05/seeking-comfort-from-god-instead-of-food.html
Happy eating as you eat for fuel!