Food for Thought: January 28th

Blessed Are the Hungry

When we are sated and overly full of food, there is no room left for the spirit. We feel like taking a nap, rather than working productively or playing enjoyably. During our overeating careers, how many hours have we wasted in bed, sleeping off the effects of a binge?

To eat no more than is necessary is to maintain our minds and bodies in a state of alertness and readiness for action. To say no to the sugars and starches which throw our blood sugar out of balance is to keep our energy level on an even keel.

As we lose excess weight and get rid of debilitating fat, we will probably experience some periods of hunger. There is nothing wrong with being hungry. Often it is when we are hungry that we are most humble and ready to listen to our Higher Power.

To accept physical hunger with serenity is to be spiritually strong.

I pray that my hunger may bring me closer to You, Lord.

From Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation.

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I spent decades treating hunger as an emergency. I would overeat at every meal, just in case I MIGHT get hungry. I was always overly full of food, with no room left for my spirit. I felt like taking a nap most of the time, rather than getting anything accomplished! I wound up sleeping my life away, wasting all that precious time that could've been better spent!!

To overeat is to shut my mind DOWN, to numb myself OUT and to keep myself unaware of the beauty of life that surrounds me.

Nowadays, I allow myself to feel hunger without over-reacting and over-eating.

Nowadays, I stick to my food plan of abstinence which keeps my blood sugars regulated and my energy on an even keel.

Nowadays, I eat to live rather than live to eat.

For today, I will eat no more than is necessary to maintain my mind and body in a state of alertness.

For today, I will treat food as fuel for my body instead of as entertainment, comfort or a substitute for love.