Enough is Enough.
Sometimes, I might eat something and feel satisfied. Other times, I eat the same thing and think, “Did I already eat that? – I don’t feel like I have eaten anything.” This has happened to me numerous times.
I have a choice.
In that moment, I have a choice – do I eat more until I “feel” full or satisfied or do I choose to “know” that I have eaten a sufficient amount of fuel (calories) and therefore I do not need anything else.
This happened one morning before church.
I was hungry when I woke up and really wanted some oatmeal. I planned in my head that after my shower, I would eat eggs, oatmeal and coffee. That would have been great, but I was running late. I tried to rush so that I would still have time to fix that – but it wasn’t happening. I ended up making coffee to take with me in the car and grabbed a protein bar (not ideal meal but contained the calories I needed). I ate the bar on the way to church.
When it was gone, I didn’t “feel” satisfied or like I had eaten much. Obviously, because I was in the car, I couldn’t really choose to eat anything else. (Although, I guess one could always choose a drive-thru and being late – been there, done that).
Why do these times happen?
Sometimes we feel this way because we are in a hurry, sometimes because we have a certain food or meal in mind, sometimes we may just not feel as satisfied by what we eat as other times.
There are so many REASONS to eat:
The truth is, I was fueled and had what I needed. In the past I have eaten for so many different reasons and I know I am not alone in that.
I ate when I was:
happy
sad
lonely
excited
bored
anxious
sleepy
for comfort
sick
(even when I had stomach viruses)
I ate while:
celebrating
grieving
traveling
and socializing
When eating for these reasons, I never felt satisfied because food was not meant to fulfill those needs. I might have felt full, but usually not until I was overfull.
There are also so many PLACES to eat:
home
restaurants
parties
friends’ houses
church
ballgames
swim meets
work
school
most any event, etc.
we use food as entertainment
Food is everywhere!
With all the misuse of food and the overabundance and availability of it, I think many of us have a skewed idea of what being hungry and being full even feels like.
Food is fuel.
When we started this journey and I made a choice to eat for fuel (its intended purpose), we decided I would eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and maybe another snack. We also decided my calorie needs for the day. These are the boundaries within which I can thrive and lose excess weight – slowly and consistently.
Food is a gift.
God gave us tastebuds (about 10,000 of them) and we were designed to enjoy the taste of food. Food is a gift and gives us energy. Our bodies need a specific amount of calories (per our height, current weight & activity level) to live, function and thrive.
Let’s choose to live in those beautiful boundaries regardless of how we “feel” in any given moment!
Let’s enjoy food for its designed purpose!!
– By Angela Morrell
ANGELA’S TOOLS:
The tool we use to calculate and track calories is MyFitnessPal – download the app for your smart phone or use it online.
Angela spent the majority of the last 20 years weighing over 300 pounds. When she started her journey with Wayne Burns, she weighed 316 pounds. Now, with 170 pounds gone, she has learned so much and she continues to learn every single day. It is her heart’s desire to share what she’s learned with others so that they may be encouraged on their journey.
