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Pillar 3 - Moderate or Eliminate?

For years I touted the principle of moderation to all of my clients. And for the same amount of time, I also attempted to live by this principle myself. "Everything in moderation," I used to say, but I would always have a difficult time putting it into practice. And because it was only with a few foods, I never considered it a serious problem so the idea of giving up the offensive food entirely never occurred to me.

Only after talking to client after client, and member after member, did I realize that the famous "everything in moderation" principle was not going to cut it for everyone. After digging a bit deeper, I learned that for some people there is no such thing as "just one bite".

So, what IS the right answer? Are we to abstain from sweets or certain tempting foods, or are we to moderate ourselves?

Here's the deal:

There are certain foods that render certain people utterly devoid of the ability to stop eating. For those people, one bite is too much and in order to effectively release weight, those foods must be eliminated from your diet. Don't even mess around with them. The second it touches your lips, it will trigger a biochemical response that will render you powerless to that food—good luck trying to stop yourself.

If you're not sure if that's you, ask yourself this simple question: "Can I eat just one cookie (or cake, chocolate, a handful of chips, nuts, etc.) and feel satisfied?"

If the answer is "no", then those are your trigger foods and you need to eliminate them from your life.

If you are the type of person who can eat one cookie and stop, then keep on with your “everything in moderation” principle.

As Paul writes to the Christians in Rome, he urges them (and by extension, us) to avoid those situations that will open the door to lead us to give in to our flesh.

We control our appetites, they do not control us. Let that be our gauge to tell whether we are walking in the Spirit or the flesh.

Action steps

Make a list of your trigger foods that will no longer be part of your eating plan.

Reflect

1.  What situations trigger you to overeat?

2.  What happens to you spiritually as you give in to your flesh?

3.  When was the last time you lost control after consuming a trigger food? What were the effects?

4.  How can you practically "put on" the Lord Jesus Christ?  Romans 13:14

 Prayer

"Lord, I thank you that through your strength, I walk in the Spirit. It is the only way that I will not give in to my cravings and desires. Sometimes I feel like a spoiled brat—I want what I want when I want it, even though I know that it will only hurt me in the long run. Let me only seek your best for me. Strengthen me so I can resist the enemy when he tries to tempt me. And thank you in advance for always providing a way of escape. In your Holy Name, I pray! Amen."