Food for Thought: January 5th

Less Food, More Energy

When we have used excess food as a crutch for years, we think we need it to "keep up our energy." We have become especially dependent on the refined carbohydrates, sugar and flour, to give us a quick pickup when we are tired.

The truth of the matter is that the pickup, that sharp rise in blood sugar we got when we ate refined sugar and flour, was soon followed by an even sharper letdown. We ended up more tired than when we began! Excess food of any kind makes us groggy and lethargic.

When we eliminate the wrong kind of food and eat only the amount, which our bodies need for optimum functioning, we are amazed at the supply of energy we suddenly have. Jobs, which we have put off doing for years, begin to get done. We feel good. Instead of spending unnecessary time for extra eating and digesting, we have that time to use in productive, enjoyable activity.

Try it and see.

Lord, strengthen my body to serve You.

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

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Less really is more, especially when it comes to food intake! When I was eating compulsively, I had no time to devote to anything but food & eating.  When I did have some down time, I was too tired & lethargic to actually DO anything but sleep.  I'd sleep very late in the mornings & go to sleep late at night, after eating myself into a carb coma.

When I found abstinence, I couldn't fall asleep. I had too much energy and lie, wide awake, until the wee hours of the morning. I'd gotten SO used to eating carbs to put me to sleep, that eliminating them gave me insomnia for a while!!

The only way OUT of this mess is THROUGH it, one day at a time.  When I put abstinence as my #1 priority in life, everything else falls into place & takes care of itself. Not having to deal with wild blood sugar fluctuations, and the resultant wild mood swings, has calmed my life down dramatically.

Sometimes, I long for the days of drama I had when I was actively pursuing my addictions. Then I remember........just how bad those days really were.  And I thank God for the abstinence and sobriety that's shown me exactly HOW to live in peace & serenity.

For today, I pray to keep abstinence #1 in my life and to never succumb to the lure of 'just this once'.............because then I will SEE just how hard life can really BE.