Challenge #9 ~ The First Meal of the Rest of Your Life

I think this exercise (as outlined on pg 154-155 of Thin Within) provides a great opportunity to put the eight keys of conscious eating into practice. My challenge this week will be to apply this exercise. Anyone else care to join this week's challenge? Keep me posted if you do!

First of all before you even start, try to set up the right environment (maybe china, music, flowers, special lighting, a favorite spot etc.), making sure it is a calm environment and reducing distractions. The book recommends that "it is best to eat this meal with the Lord as you only companion, although you may have someone with you if that person toally supports your desire to be conscious of your food and the Lord." Remember, "the main purpose of this experience is to taste and see that Lord is good."

Last June I typed up a summary of this exercise along with some quick point reminders.

1.) PRAY
"Ask God to help you honor the body He has given you by maintaining the appropriate boundaries, including time and place. Reaffirm your love for Him and your desire to enjoy the food He has provided."

2.) COMFY
"Select your favorite spot and wear clothes in which you are comfortable."

3.) #0
"Check your hunger level. Plan to be at a 0 so that you can truly enjoy the food."

4.) ENTER GOD'S PRESENCE
"Take a moment to enter into God's presence as you invite Him to be a part of your dining experience."

5.) NOTE ENVIRONMENT
"Notice everything about the environment. No matter how familiar it may be, look at it as if you have never seen it before. Thank the Lrod for all of His provisions."

6.) NOTE FOOD
"Before you start eating, become aware of every item of food. Notice how it looks on the plate. Express your gratitude for the beauty in teh colors of the food and its fragrance. Before taking your first bite, take a moment to thank God for His generous provisions, and pray that the food would bring physical satisfactiona nd health to your body."

7.) SAVOUR
"Chew the food slowly and notice the different flavours and textures."

8.) SAMPLE
"Sample each item and then ask yourself it it was enjoyable. Does it really delight you? Or did you just think it would?"

9.) RATE
"How would you rate each item on your plate from 0 to 10 (0 being awful and 10 being terrific)?"

10.) #5
"Before you continue eating, check in with your hunger #'s. Stop eating when you're at a comfortable 5. Remember, your empty stomach is only as large as your fist."

11.) THANK GOD
"When you've finished, once again thank and praise God, for this time and for what you have learned during the dining experience."

Challenge #6 ~ Yum!

Okay, this should be a fun one!

Eat and drink the food and beverages my body enjoys.

Relish this as the opportunity to be authentic. With a thankful spirit and no guilt whatsoever, you can eat and enjoy whatever your heart desires and whatever your body calls for. You are free to be real with yourself and with God. You will discover how trustworthy your body is as you melt down to the size God created you to be. "Can't you see that what you eat won't defile you? Food doesn't come in contact with your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then comes out again." (By saying this, he showed that every kind of food is acceptable.) (Mark 7:18-19, NLT)

Too often, we get caught up in thinking we are "good" or "bad" based on what we eat. Food can't cleanse the heart no matter how little fat or how much fiber it contains. Be liberated and rejoice as you rid yourself of such thoughts and other dieting rules. For
the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

There are no forbidden foods. If you have food allergies or a medical condition that would require abstinence from certain foods, by all means heed your doctor's recommendations. But aside from that, enjoy God's wonderful provisions. We might, however, be tempted to take this to an extreme to abuse or misuse food. It's important for us to remember that "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12). When unsure, ask God what your body needs in order to feel and operate its best. You will then know what will be an
appropriate choice. (TW pg 9-10 )

Thin Within also mentions, later in the book, the concept of teasers, pleasers and whole-body pleasers. I think it is beneficial to keep these terms in mind as well. Actually the words "my body enjoys" seems very reflective of aiming for whole-body pleasers. It's not just about what my tastebuds tell me when eating a food. It's also what the rest of my body tells me. Does the food/beverage make me feel sluggish afterwards? Energized? Sick? etc.

Here's a brief recap of pleasers, teasers and whole body pleasers...

Pleasers: you know you will enjoy, you know that this is a food that will hit the spot and bring physical satisfaction, the sort of food for which you would walk a mile, may change from day to day. (TW pg 186)

Teasers: convenient, easy to get to, call out and tempt you, eaten when our flesh machinerery is in high gear, look better than they taste, "stuffer" or "filler," not very satisfying, make us think "more is better," food wasn't on our mind until we heard about it, saw it or smelled it, all-time classic teaser is what's left of your pleaser when you have reached your comfortable 5 and are satsfied! (TW pg 187)

Whole-Body Pleasers: foods that your body calls out for, are enjoyable while you eat them, and they leave you feeling energized afterward. (TW pg 188)

I love this concept that anything is permissible. It certainly makes it easier to "fit" into any lifestyle or setting. Our family easter brunch doesn't need to set me off track because I know that all things are permissible...within the 0-5 boundaries. When going on vacation I can relax into it and fully enjoy the experience (including new foods), aiming to stay within the boundaries of 0-5 once again.

My body is pretty easy to please I must say! Very few things make my body feel yucky, sluggish etc. Coffee/tea is the biggest thing I try to stay away from because the caffeine keeps me up at night. So, for me the biggest thing to watch for is that a pleaser or whole body pleaser does not become my teaser. This happens when I go outside the 0-5 boundaries. Desserts have become teasers in this sense for me far too often lately. This is where "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12) comes into effect. I am currently assessing how to make sure that desserts don't master me because I know this would not be pleasing to God.

So, this upcoming week, I'm going to aim to eat yummy stuff that makes my body feel good! And more than that I'm going to aim to eat stuff with my allegiance lined with God, not the food. I don't just want my body to feel satisfied with yummy foods....I want my SOUL to be satisfied with yummy food (His word, time in prayer and spent at His feet)!

My SOUL will be satisfied as with the richest of foods. Psalm 63:5

So I choose to fill my mouth, body and soul with yummy stuff this week:-) Wow, as I write this I can't help but think that my boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places! Thanks, Lord!

The First Meal of the Rest of Your Life

I was challenged by this exercise. I have been pretty much following the keys to conscious eating, but I don't think I've invited God into each eating experience as fully as I should. I felt like typing up the exercise from TW pg 154-155 (along with a quick 1-2 word summary for each point) to serve as a reminder for myself. I figure others may find it a useful reminder too...

1.) PRAY

"Ask God to help you honor the body He has given you by maintaining the appropriate boundaries, including time and place. Reaffirm your love for Him and your desire to enjoy the food He has provided."

2.) COMFY

"Select your favorite spot and wear clothes in which you are comfortable."

3.) #0

"Check your hunger level. Plan to be at a 0 so that you can truly enjoy the food."

4.) ENTER GOD'S PRESENCE

"Take a moment to enter into God's presence as you invite Him to be a part of your dining experience."

5.) NOTE ENVIRONMENT

"Notice everything about the environment. No matter how familiar it may be, look at it as if you have never seen it before. Thank the Lrod for all of His provisions."

6.) NOTE FOOD

"Before you start eating, become aware of every item of food. Notice how it looks on the plate. Express your gratitude for the beauty in teh colors of the food and its fragrance. Before taking your first bite, take a moment to thank God for His generous provisions, and pray that the food would bring physical satisfactiona nd health to your body."

7.) SAVOUR

"Chew the food slowly and notice the different flavours and textures."

8.) SAMPLE

"Sample each item and then ask yourself it it was enjoyable. Does it really delight you? Or did you just think it would?"

9.) RATE

"How would you rate each item on your plate from 0 to 10 (0 being awful and 10 being terrific)?"

10.) #5

"Before you continue eating, check in with your hunger #'s. Stop eating when you're at a comfortable 5. Remember, your empty stomach is only as large as your fist."

11.) THANK GOD

"When you've finished, once again thank and praise God, for this time and for what you have learned during the dining experience."

MARCH - TW ch 18

March 18th:

Back in November this was the last chapter I read, so I plan on beating that record this time round! One thing I am very thankful for is that I’m persevering through the ups and downs of this journey to greater freedom in Christ and victory over this sin of gluttony and greed. I am now in my 7th week and have NOT had a completely victorious walk, but have kept on going… This is a big step for me! Praise God! It’s about grace and forgiveness. It’s also about being accountable this time round, not giving up when the going gets rough!

So today’s study really dealt with pleasers, teasers and rejects. I’m going to have to think on this a bit more. I’m not sure I can pinpoint all of these different foods quite yet.

Pleasers:
I know that pleasers vary depending on what I’m craving, so I’m not sure I can really name too many pleasers. I’m not particularly picky, so a lot of things “please” me. One that came to mind was a dessert—a chocolate extreme blizzard. That would probably be the ultimate pleaser in terms of sugary treats for me. Watermelon is another pleaser! Love, love, love watermelon.

Teasers:
Teasers are anything that is sugary in the house that tempt me! I know that I don’t function best with just sugar in my body so when I have baking or candies or chocolate around the house they definitely act as teasers for me. And I can definitely relate to #8 on p.187
“The all-time classic teaser is what’s left of your pleaser when you have reached your comfortable 5 and are satisfied.”

Total Rejects:
I can’t think of total rejects right now. But there are probably lots that I reject on a daily basis. Actually I probably avoid buying them in the first place! I’ll have to think on this one a bit more.

P.188
“Whole-body pleasers are those foods that your body calls out for, are enjoyable while you eat them, and they leave you feeling energized afterward.”
I need to dwell on this statement a bit more as well. I think that sugary treats are often not whole-body pleasers for me so I need to keep in mind the bigger picture more often. I need to remember how it feels to overeat on pleasers. I need to remember which pleasers make me feel the best.

I should really have just gone straight to the malt candies as they were the real pleasers. Instead I wasted calories on the other candies (the teasers). Lesson learned. However I was also trying to avoid sugar…..so it wasn’t following my plan either!