What? Happiness you ask? Why would happiness cause us to eat?

Let's Take a Look...

How many of us have decided we were going to 'get healthy', start this new diet, this new lifestyle or follow a certain way of eating only to have one or many of these things happen to us?

• You get invited to a BBQ the very weekend you start your program. Happy times ahead with beans, burgers, hotdogs,cheese and potato salad right?
• One of your besties just had to go and get married and you found out they are serving YOUR favorite Italian food. You can just taste it now, fried mozzarella sticks, lasagna, fresh bread dipped in oil, your mouth is watering just thinking of the meal at the wedding.
• It's YOUR Birthday and your Mom called to tell you she is making YOUR favorite cake and bringing it over.
• It's Gramma's ninetieth Birthday celebration, every Aunt you've ever known is bringing their most famous dish to the party. You know all those yummy foods that have happy memories from when you were a kid?
• Your Mother-in-law invites you over to celebrate your new promotion. (She can get easily offended if you do not eat what she cooks.....after all, cooking for others is one of her love languages)
• It's eight p.m. at night, your husband pours you both a glass of wine....something that you both enjoy together. It signifies, it's OUR TIME now.

What do we do when we're faced with these situations?

• Do we just not go to the BBQ? I really wanted to go there and kick off the summer with some fun!
• Do we not go to our best friend's wedding so that we won't be tempted by the food? What if they don't have anything else there for me to eat besides fattening foods?
• How can I tell my Mom not to make me my Birthday cake, she will be so hurt?
• There is no way in God's green earth that I can be strong enough to stay away from every food that associates happiness to me since I was a kid and not just that, it's only ONE day. I can get back on the wagon tomorrow.
• Do I tell my Mother-in-law I'm busy for the next three months because I KNOW I will hurt her feelings or the wrath I might hear that day and then the gossip that could travel all through the family if I show up there and not eat her food?
• Do I insult my husband by not valuing the activity we have made as "OUR" time?

What if...

• We went to the BBQ and made our time about our friends and NOT the FOOD!! We could play some touch football, frisbee, throw some water balloons, catch up on all the news since our last get together. Do you really think they are looking at your plate anyway?
• You go to your besties wedding, you pack up some 'healthy' snacks you know you can have such as a food bar, an apple, cut up raw veggies. And, IF there is absolutely nothing else there you can eat, drink lot's of water and keep in mind you won't die before the night is over.
• Chances are your Mom loves you and knows that you have decided to make a healthy change, and if she doesn't know, now is the time to tell her. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that if one of my girls decided it was time to become free, I would support them and not sabotage them. Then I would make them their cake whenever they were ready for it:)
• What if we could tell ourselves that not having any of our favorite foods that bring back such happy memories to us would be okay just for this one time. After all, could it be because of all these 'one times" that I am in the shape I am? We could eat a healthy snack before we go, we could make the occasion about celebrating our Gramma's ninetieth Birthday NOT about the food or about ourselves and we could bring our own dish to the party and know that we will be honoring ourselves by being prepared and diligent.
• What if you tell your Mother-in-law ahead of time you appreciate so much that she wants to celebrate your promotion with a homemade meal, however, "I am on a restricted diet for a short time and am limited to certain foods I can eat. I would be happy to give you my food list if you would still like to prepare a meal or we could go out to eat to celebrate, whatever you would rather do."  **Keep in mind that she loves you and wants the best for you, she just might not understand your determination and commitment to your program.
• What if you told your husband, "Babe I love you and I cherish these times with you, but how about we find a way to end our day together with something that does not involve food?" "Maybe you could rub my back".....hahahha!!!....Hey, it could lead to something he really likes!

Things to remember...

Celebrations with food are biblical, actually the very first miracle Jesus did was turn water into wine. But the fall of man involved a piece of fruit. It's up to us to discern what is 'healthy' for us and to know when it is okay and when it might create a fall.

YOU have the Holy Spirit within you that knows ALL things.....in EVERY situation lean on him to help and guide you with the right answer for YOU....not what others think you should do but what you hear HIM say!!

There is a time and season for everything!!

Let this be a time of new beginnings, a time when you are putting YOURSELF first, a time to become FREE from the bondage of weight so that you can be ALL God has called you to be!!

God bless you as you endeavor to find freedom.....if you are READY to make a change, contact us today. We want to team up with you as YOU reach the freedom God has for YOU!!!

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* Individual results may vary.