NB: This post was originally authored and published by me on coachesquad.com, my online fitness website.
Challenging the urge to eat can be a huge deal. For some, every day issa battle and mostly a losing one, which of course erodes our self confidence and decreases the urge to even keep fighting. Then we give up, and our weight keeps climbing and climbing till it starts to affect our health.
Here are a few tips I have tested and tried personally and on others that have worked
1. Ask myself if I am really hungry?
This requires an in-depth look into the foods I have eaten that day or the past couple of hours. If you haven’t eaten yet, then that hunger you feel is legit, so go find food.
Hunger can be overwhelming till you can do and think nothing else, so just drop the busy and put something in your ‘tank’. If however, you have been eating and still feel hungry, then try the next thing…
2. Verbally challenge that urge to eat!!!
You see girl, you are a FIGHTER and you can’t just give in to that urge to eat every time. And this fight is real, but we take it too casually sometimes. I would actually have conversations with myself, remind myself of my goal, tell myself how far I have come and why all that extra food wont help and so on. Talking back to myself and the threatening hunger is a battle strategy that works. Your mouth is a weapon, use it!!!
3. Is there something deeper?
You see, sometimes people use food to mask an underlying emotional challenge. Sadly, food doesn’t save or heal, instead you even feel worse later. So, I have to check. Sometimes when I am feeling bad or dealing with my esteem on any matter, food just seems appealing, especially junk/sweets. At that point, I remind myself that this won’t help nothing and practice point number 2, or 4 below…
4. Fight with the Word
The first time I heard this was from Heather Lindsey and I thought ‘Hmm how different but let me try it…’ You see, the WORD works in every situation and we cannot only employ it when we have what we consider major challenges. Open the Bible and speak strength and discipline scriptures over yourself. Declare that food and your appetite have no control over you. Declare that you have no taste for junk and instead desire nourishing and healthy foods all the time. Put those emptions under the control of the Holy Spirit as you ask Him to help. And make this a regular practice not a one-off activity…
5. Just say NO!!!
I mean, simple and short…NO. The Holy Spirit won’t make the food disappear or lock your teeth so your mouth doesn’t open. You get to do that work by yourself, and practice does make it easier so start today.
You got this girl. Food, like sin, has NO DOMINION over us in Jesus name, AMEN!!!
Love and Strength,
CoachE’