I have learned an extremely important aspect of intermittent fasting. When we, as Christians attempt to give up anything of this world, we MUST replace that "something" with more of Christ! In my many attempts to overcome the sin of gluttony, I have gone on diet after diet with absolutely NO success.
I found that I was hopelessly addicted to food. I would wake up every morning with a diet plan on my mind and I would then fall asleep every nite with a sense of failure. Can ANYONE relate to this.
Here is the key! It took me months, no years, to discover that if we have an addiction the only answer is to replace that addiction with the word of God. The more I would fill up on the Word, the less food would matter to me. It is as though we must "force feed" ourselves with that precious, healing, cleansing word of God in order for that stubborn flesh to quiet itself down!
I started studying in the Gospel of John. As time permitted, I would study and linger over verse after verse. I purchased study tools so that I could study verse upon verse. As I lingered in that Word with a cup of coffee in hand, I noticed that I was able to go longer and longer without food!
I have come to understand that Jesus is our Bread of life. If we feast on Him, then and only then are we able to overcome gluttony. He must increase but I must increase!
Beloved, if you are addicted to food (as I am), please start replacing that snack with a study of the Word of God and prayer. You will find that Jesus came to set the captive free!
In Christ,
Pat
22 February, 2012
19 November, 2010
WHY DO WE FALL OFF THE WAGON WITH OUR PLAN TO LOSE WEIGHT?
Hello to my blogger friends! This is a post to just say that I have been off the wagon for weeks! I had such high hopes of losing this weight with Intermittent Fasting. I fell of the wagon and was then totally embarassed to even look at this blog! This blog was evidence of my START in losing weight. My absence from the blog was evidence of my NOT STAYING TRUE to my goals of Intermittent Fasting for weight loss.
This is what I have learned:
1. That first "JUST ONE BITE" is what usually gets us off track!
2. We must purpose in our heart that we will NOT eat unless we are hungry.
3. For me, no sugars - they cause me to binge!
4. We must treat this overeating just for what it is: It is an addiction!
5. We must deal with this addiction drastically.
6. We must remember to ask God for HIS strength in overcoming our addiction to food. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing!
I hope to practice Intermittent Fasting for weight loss. I hope to cut out all sugar and flour. I hope to actually not eat unless I am hungry.
With God's help, I hope to stay on track this time.
In Christ, Pat
This is what I have learned:
1. That first "JUST ONE BITE" is what usually gets us off track!
2. We must purpose in our heart that we will NOT eat unless we are hungry.
3. For me, no sugars - they cause me to binge!
4. We must treat this overeating just for what it is: It is an addiction!
5. We must deal with this addiction drastically.
6. We must remember to ask God for HIS strength in overcoming our addiction to food. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing!
I hope to practice Intermittent Fasting for weight loss. I hope to cut out all sugar and flour. I hope to actually not eat unless I am hungry.
With God's help, I hope to stay on track this time.
In Christ, Pat
14 September, 2010
01 September, 2010
FASTING BEFORE THE LORD FOR HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS
Hello to all my blog friends!
As you know, I began my weight loss journey by practicing Intermittent Fasting for weight loss. My committment at that time was to eat only one meal a day. I actually did that for a few weeks and did lose some weight and began to lose some of my obsession with food.
However, I believe the Lord is leading me to fast all sugars and highly processed carbs (fast carbs) in order to further lose this weight and gain control over the sin of gluttony.
I plan to continue to eat one meal a day.
I also plan to cut all sugars from my diet!! This is true fasting for me because sugar is where my addiction lies.
Please follow me on my weight loss journey. I invite all comments, suggestions, encouragement and comradery. We can do this!!
In Christ,
Pat
As you know, I began my weight loss journey by practicing Intermittent Fasting for weight loss. My committment at that time was to eat only one meal a day. I actually did that for a few weeks and did lose some weight and began to lose some of my obsession with food.
However, I believe the Lord is leading me to fast all sugars and highly processed carbs (fast carbs) in order to further lose this weight and gain control over the sin of gluttony.
I plan to continue to eat one meal a day.
I also plan to cut all sugars from my diet!! This is true fasting for me because sugar is where my addiction lies.
Please follow me on my weight loss journey. I invite all comments, suggestions, encouragement and comradery. We can do this!!
In Christ,
Pat
25 August, 2010
Sugar: Addiction & Dangers
The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the
human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." ~ Thomas Edison
Human researchers are fascinated by the behavior of lab rats in response to food rewards, but few humans are willing to closely examine their own behavior in relationship to sugar. Most people living in western societies (the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, etc.) are truly addicted to sugar, and they use it as a form of self-medication to temporarily boost their mood and energy. The frequency and context in which these people press a button on a soda machine is eerily similar to the way lab rats press a lever to produce a food reward.
This CounterThink cartoon attempts to ask, "What would an outside observer think of modern human behavior in relation to sugar?" The answer is not difficult to predict: They would think humans were strange animals to be so utterly controlled by a crystalline white substance. Refined white sugar is like dietary crack, and it rots out your teeth just like meth, only slower. To get the real story on white sugar, read the pioneering book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price, or check out the Price-Pottenger Foundation.
Of course, most people will insist, "I'm not addicted to sugar. I can quit eating sugar anytime I want." Really? Prove it! See if you can go sugar-free for just ten days. That's a real eye-opener for most people, because even if they have the determination to attempt such an experiment, most soon find themselves crawling back to the pantry, desperately seeking a soda beverage loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (liquid sugar) to end their withdrawal symptoms.
The truth is, most American consumers are so addicted to sugar that they will deny their addictions in the same way that a crack or heroin addict might. And yet, when it comes down to it, sugar controls their behavior. If they don't have their sugar in the morning (in their coffee, pancakes and cereals), sugar at lunch (in the salad dressing, pasta sauce, soda and restaurant food) and sugar at dinner (there's sugar in pizza, ketchup and BBQ sauce, plus virtually all restaurant foods), then they suffer serious withdrawal symptoms and go crazy with moodiness and irritability. They start blaming everyone around them for silly things, and they may even become sweaty and light-headed.
Curious, isn't it? That's what happens when you take a substance out of nature and refine it to maximize its chemical surface area and biological activity. Cocaine is a drug that's refined from coca leaves. Opium is a drug that's refined from poppies. And sugar is a drug that's refined from sugarcane. And while we have a "war on drugs" against cocaine and heroin, our taxpayer dollars actually subsidize the sugar industry, making refined white sugar cheap and widely available to the entire population so that everyone can be equally hooked.
Refined white sugar is a pleasure drug. If you don't believe me, just put a spoonful on your tongue and observe the instantaneous effects. You'll experience a warming, comfortable feeling that makes you feel safe and happy. They're not called "comfort foods" by accident.
Sugar is, essentially, a legalized recreational drug that's socially acceptable to consume. And yet, just like other drugs, it destroys a person's health over time, rotting out their teeth, disrupting normal brain function, promoting heart disease and directly causing diabetes and obesity. The argument that "street drugs are outlawed because they're dangerous to a person's health" falls flat on its face when you consider what sugar does to the human body. It's a lot more dangerous than marijuana, for example, and yet marijuana is illegal to possess or consume.
Isn't it curious how, in modern society, we fight a war against certain drugs (like cocaine), yet subsidize others? (Like sugar.) The difference, of course, is that the sugar industry has a powerful political lobby and is universally abused by virtually the entire population. Drugs that are abused by only a few (such as heroin) get outlawed, while drugs that are abused by everyone (such as caffeine and sugar) receive legal immunity. It's mob rule. And the mob is addicted to sugar.
*SOURCE: http://www.newstarget.com/020795.html
The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the
human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease." ~ Thomas Edison
Human researchers are fascinated by the behavior of lab rats in response to food rewards, but few humans are willing to closely examine their own behavior in relationship to sugar. Most people living in western societies (the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, etc.) are truly addicted to sugar, and they use it as a form of self-medication to temporarily boost their mood and energy. The frequency and context in which these people press a button on a soda machine is eerily similar to the way lab rats press a lever to produce a food reward.
This CounterThink cartoon attempts to ask, "What would an outside observer think of modern human behavior in relation to sugar?" The answer is not difficult to predict: They would think humans were strange animals to be so utterly controlled by a crystalline white substance. Refined white sugar is like dietary crack, and it rots out your teeth just like meth, only slower. To get the real story on white sugar, read the pioneering book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price, or check out the Price-Pottenger Foundation.
Of course, most people will insist, "I'm not addicted to sugar. I can quit eating sugar anytime I want." Really? Prove it! See if you can go sugar-free for just ten days. That's a real eye-opener for most people, because even if they have the determination to attempt such an experiment, most soon find themselves crawling back to the pantry, desperately seeking a soda beverage loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (liquid sugar) to end their withdrawal symptoms.
The truth is, most American consumers are so addicted to sugar that they will deny their addictions in the same way that a crack or heroin addict might. And yet, when it comes down to it, sugar controls their behavior. If they don't have their sugar in the morning (in their coffee, pancakes and cereals), sugar at lunch (in the salad dressing, pasta sauce, soda and restaurant food) and sugar at dinner (there's sugar in pizza, ketchup and BBQ sauce, plus virtually all restaurant foods), then they suffer serious withdrawal symptoms and go crazy with moodiness and irritability. They start blaming everyone around them for silly things, and they may even become sweaty and light-headed.
Curious, isn't it? That's what happens when you take a substance out of nature and refine it to maximize its chemical surface area and biological activity. Cocaine is a drug that's refined from coca leaves. Opium is a drug that's refined from poppies. And sugar is a drug that's refined from sugarcane. And while we have a "war on drugs" against cocaine and heroin, our taxpayer dollars actually subsidize the sugar industry, making refined white sugar cheap and widely available to the entire population so that everyone can be equally hooked.
Refined white sugar is a pleasure drug. If you don't believe me, just put a spoonful on your tongue and observe the instantaneous effects. You'll experience a warming, comfortable feeling that makes you feel safe and happy. They're not called "comfort foods" by accident.
Sugar is, essentially, a legalized recreational drug that's socially acceptable to consume. And yet, just like other drugs, it destroys a person's health over time, rotting out their teeth, disrupting normal brain function, promoting heart disease and directly causing diabetes and obesity. The argument that "street drugs are outlawed because they're dangerous to a person's health" falls flat on its face when you consider what sugar does to the human body. It's a lot more dangerous than marijuana, for example, and yet marijuana is illegal to possess or consume.
Isn't it curious how, in modern society, we fight a war against certain drugs (like cocaine), yet subsidize others? (Like sugar.) The difference, of course, is that the sugar industry has a powerful political lobby and is universally abused by virtually the entire population. Drugs that are abused by only a few (such as heroin) get outlawed, while drugs that are abused by everyone (such as caffeine and sugar) receive legal immunity. It's mob rule. And the mob is addicted to sugar.
*SOURCE: http://www.newstarget.com/020795.html
23 August, 2010
A DEVOTIONAL ON ROMANS 8:33-34
Who then shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies!! Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore, is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Some have said that this one verse is the gospel in a nutshell. Four great pillars of faith are found here. The four horns of the altar are found in this verse. And also, four good reasons why believers cannot be condemned. It is all here. This one precious verse!
We agree we are sinners.
We agree Christ died for us.
We agree Christ makes intercession for us. Thank you Lord, the charges are dropped!
What is the hope of your confidence before God? My only hope is Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross of Calvary. I shall not boast in anything except Jesus Christ and Him crucified!
Divine justice was satisfied in the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross!
The cloud of God's judgement emptied itself that day! Not one charge against the believer! Praise His Holy Name!
Who can bring a charge against God's elect? The wrath of God was exhaused at the cross. Jesus said "It is finished".
But a voice inside us says "how can that be? I am so wicked"!
Jesus Christ was treated as if He was the sinner, the adulterer, the liar, the thief, the murderer! He represented US at the cross!
My sin is awful, some might say. Others may privately think "Oh, my sin state is not all that bad; I am a pretty good person" That person is deceived! Our sin was there that day on the cross of calvary. All sin against God is treason. All sin is terrible! But the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims that our sin was purged by one great sacrifice. God laid on the Lord Jesus Christ the iniquity of us all.
Do you believe in, rely on, trust in Him for your salvation?
Romans ch. 8 begins with NO condemnation and ends with NO separation.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was God's stamp of approval on that great sacrifice! The payment for our sin was received!
Jesus Christ is alive forevermore. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. Because He lives, we shall live. Shelter yourself beneath these truths. There are NO refusals at the foot of the blood-stained cross!!
Written by Pat @ forhishonorandglory
Some have said that this one verse is the gospel in a nutshell. Four great pillars of faith are found here. The four horns of the altar are found in this verse. And also, four good reasons why believers cannot be condemned. It is all here. This one precious verse!
We agree we are sinners.
We agree Christ died for us.
We agree Christ makes intercession for us. Thank you Lord, the charges are dropped!
What is the hope of your confidence before God? My only hope is Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross of Calvary. I shall not boast in anything except Jesus Christ and Him crucified!
Divine justice was satisfied in the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross!
The cloud of God's judgement emptied itself that day! Not one charge against the believer! Praise His Holy Name!
Who can bring a charge against God's elect? The wrath of God was exhaused at the cross. Jesus said "It is finished".
But a voice inside us says "how can that be? I am so wicked"!
Jesus Christ was treated as if He was the sinner, the adulterer, the liar, the thief, the murderer! He represented US at the cross!
My sin is awful, some might say. Others may privately think "Oh, my sin state is not all that bad; I am a pretty good person" That person is deceived! Our sin was there that day on the cross of calvary. All sin against God is treason. All sin is terrible! But the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims that our sin was purged by one great sacrifice. God laid on the Lord Jesus Christ the iniquity of us all.
Do you believe in, rely on, trust in Him for your salvation?
Romans ch. 8 begins with NO condemnation and ends with NO separation.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was God's stamp of approval on that great sacrifice! The payment for our sin was received!
Jesus Christ is alive forevermore. He ever liveth to make intercession for us. Because He lives, we shall live. Shelter yourself beneath these truths. There are NO refusals at the foot of the blood-stained cross!!
Written by Pat @ forhishonorandglory
17 August, 2010
BIBLE VERSES ABOUT OVERCOMING GLUTTONY
Jesus said "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". My prayer is that as we meditate on the Word of God, our fleshly appetites will diminish!!
Phillipians 3:19
Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
John 6:53
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
(This verse speaks of embracing the salvation, redemption, and healing that is found in Christ. We are all made with a God-shaped vacuum. If we do not fill that void up with our God, then the devil will tempt us to fill that empty space with the desires of the flesh.)
John 6:48-51
I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world.
Revelation 22:2
Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Luke 18:12
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
Song of Solomon 2:4
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Proverbs 23:21
For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
Revelation 19:9
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Genesis 2:16-17
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Please know, beloved, that I have 50 pounds of excess poundage on me! I have admitted that I am a glutton and I am ministering these verses to ME FIRST!!
I welcome any new comments on these verses or new verses. I am hoping this list will grow.
Blessings and hugs, Pat
14 August, 2010
CONFUSION ABOUT WHICH DIET TO FOLLOW?
We know that confusion is not from our Lord. Actually the Bible states that our God is a God of order and a God of peace. I wasted several years by going back and forth in dieting. I would think thoughts like these: "Okay, I am going to lose this weight once and for all by doing low carb, etc. I would then go to the grocery store and buy the food that was necessary for that particular diet plan. I would then be on my way with that particular plan that I fancied at that time. I would usually last about one week and then I would cheat. It was that "just one bite" that usually got me!!
Then came in this thought "Oh well I have blown it now; I may as well eat what I want and I'll start tomorrow. And then came the very familiar binge. I would eat everything in sight!!!
Then follows the sense of failure, the guilt and of course the sick feeling of overeating and knowing you have failed yourself, AGAIN. This self-destructive pattern of confused thinking is the very thought process that permitted a 50 pound weight gain for me over 6-7 years.
I have actually lived this same scenario over and over with all kinds of plans. I have tried the low calorie (weight watchers) plan. I have done the slim fast shake diet, the low carb diet (3-4 times), and the juice only diet (that one lasted about one day) and on and on it goes.
Beloved friends, all these plans are good plans, but here is the deal. We MUST find something we can stick with for the long haul. I believe that God knows us far better than we know ourselves. I truly believe that the solution to our weight loss is found in Him. We must find God's plan for our weight loss. He is our ever present help in time of trouble. I had to finally decide to not heed to all the counsel of man. I own numerous diet plan books and was unable to do any of it without God!
I realized "Hey, this is serious stuff here; I MUST HAVE GOD on this!!
1. PRAY and ask your Heavenly Father what He would have you do for weight loss.
2. He is delighted to answer you!
3. Ask Him for the strength to do it! We can do NOTHING apart from Christ!
4. Come to terms with the fact that food is addictive and it is no prettier an addiction than a drug or alcohol addiction.
5. Once you hear from the Lord, then stay with that plan until He instructs you differently.
The confusion that I heeded to for years was simply because all the plans were MY plans, MY solutions. Once I really got desperate and trusted God with HIS plan, I was well on my way.
Please let me hear from you. Can you relate to this confusion as it relates to dieting?
Oh, by the way, I thank God for every pound lost, knowing that I spent several years gaining and not losing when I did it my way.
Hugs & Blessings, Pat
Then came in this thought "Oh well I have blown it now; I may as well eat what I want and I'll start tomorrow. And then came the very familiar binge. I would eat everything in sight!!!
Then follows the sense of failure, the guilt and of course the sick feeling of overeating and knowing you have failed yourself, AGAIN. This self-destructive pattern of confused thinking is the very thought process that permitted a 50 pound weight gain for me over 6-7 years.
I have actually lived this same scenario over and over with all kinds of plans. I have tried the low calorie (weight watchers) plan. I have done the slim fast shake diet, the low carb diet (3-4 times), and the juice only diet (that one lasted about one day) and on and on it goes.
Beloved friends, all these plans are good plans, but here is the deal. We MUST find something we can stick with for the long haul. I believe that God knows us far better than we know ourselves. I truly believe that the solution to our weight loss is found in Him. We must find God's plan for our weight loss. He is our ever present help in time of trouble. I had to finally decide to not heed to all the counsel of man. I own numerous diet plan books and was unable to do any of it without God!
I realized "Hey, this is serious stuff here; I MUST HAVE GOD on this!!
1. PRAY and ask your Heavenly Father what He would have you do for weight loss.
2. He is delighted to answer you!
3. Ask Him for the strength to do it! We can do NOTHING apart from Christ!
4. Come to terms with the fact that food is addictive and it is no prettier an addiction than a drug or alcohol addiction.
5. Once you hear from the Lord, then stay with that plan until He instructs you differently.
The confusion that I heeded to for years was simply because all the plans were MY plans, MY solutions. Once I really got desperate and trusted God with HIS plan, I was well on my way.
Please let me hear from you. Can you relate to this confusion as it relates to dieting?
Oh, by the way, I thank God for every pound lost, knowing that I spent several years gaining and not losing when I did it my way.
Hugs & Blessings, Pat
11 August, 2010
A WORD FROM MY WONDERFUL BLOGGER BUDDY (BETH)
My friend Beth wrote to me: "I do not want to be a glutton". "I do not want thoughts of food to consume me". She has lost weight through the power of prayer and fasting!! I have rehearsed her comments over and over in my mind!! Oh Lord, she is right on!!
The Lord is showing me that we must actually REPROGRAM our thoughts about food. Jesus said "Think on these things, those things that are lovely, pure and of a good report".
I like that thought "I do not want to be a glutton......I do not want to be a glutton.... Amen and amen!!
The Lord is showing me that we must actually REPROGRAM our thoughts about food. Jesus said "Think on these things, those things that are lovely, pure and of a good report".
I like that thought "I do not want to be a glutton......I do not want to be a glutton.... Amen and amen!!
06 August, 2010
INTERMITTENT FASTING FOR HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS
I plan to do Intermittent fasting for weight losss. Jesus said "this kind cometh forth by nothing but prayer and fasting." I have asked the Lord about what to do about my overeating and the extra 50 lbs that I am carrying. I believe that He is leading me into a period of intermittent fasting. I hope to eat only one meal per day (with God's help) so that I can get control over the spirit of gluttony. I have tried the low calorie, low carb plans and just cannot stick with it! I have read different blogs about intermittent fasting and believe that it can indeed be a good way to overcome overeating.
Of course, I will have to cut out sugar. We know (from MANY sources) that sugar can indeed be addictive. I know that I certainly have addictive behaviors when it comes to sugar. How subtle the enemy of our soul (satan) can be! He would gladly have the Christian eat himself to illness!
Okay, enough ranting for now. In summary, I plan to cut out sugar and eat only one meal a day for weight loss. Please follow me on this weight loss journey. I invite your comments, suggestions, but most of all, your encouragement.
In Christ, Pat
Of course, I will have to cut out sugar. We know (from MANY sources) that sugar can indeed be addictive. I know that I certainly have addictive behaviors when it comes to sugar. How subtle the enemy of our soul (satan) can be! He would gladly have the Christian eat himself to illness!
Okay, enough ranting for now. In summary, I plan to cut out sugar and eat only one meal a day for weight loss. Please follow me on this weight loss journey. I invite your comments, suggestions, but most of all, your encouragement.
In Christ, Pat
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