Pursuing More

Contentedness: I can be content with what I should eat and not feel deprived because I “can’t” have everything my eye beholds as delicious. (Like a scotch-a-roo… or a Strawberry Cheesequake Blizzard…or chocolate cake with cool whip frosting...) Attitude is everything. I can choose to view it as “I can’t” or “I can”. Contented, as in the state of being satisfied with what I have and not desiring more. It doesn’t come naturally; it is a learned trait. And it flows into all areas of my life. This was a great refresher course to re-learn to be content with what I have been given. And it goes hand in hand with thankfulness. Contentedness is a heart condition. It’s difficult to praise God when my heart is occupied with wanting more. (Philippians 4:11, Hebrews 13:5) Self Denial: In the first week of our diet, we hosted a birthday party for a friend. There was a lot of talk, laughter… and of course food.   I was dying to have some cheesy hash brown hot dish or some ice cream cake. An ...

(Continued from last week. See below to read part 1.) While following this strict (and I mean strict in the strictest form of the word) diet regime, I was reminded of the good eating habits I once had.   It is a very freeing feeling. Some foods I like had gotten lost in the sea of junk food. Take rice cakes for instance. I actually like them. They have lots of munchiness packed into a handy and tasty little low calorie treat. I hadn’t eaten one in years. And veggies. Veggies rock. They are delicious and nutritious. But when was the last time I had reached past the Doritos for the relish tray? A Snickers bar used to be too much for me to handle and I would take two or even three days to nibble my way through it. I would eat a portion of it, then tuck it away in my chocolate stash to be finished another day. I used to pour out the last half of a can of pop because my stomach just couldn’t handle the whole thing. Seconds at dinner was not even a thought.   So when exactly did...

Ugh! I had noticed a few extra pounds. You know what I’m talking about… Baggage that left no bag in my jeans. Clearly, my eating habits had changed. I used to mentally gauge my food choices. I only ate when I was hungry and chose wisely. I employed the give and take principle. A balance between calories, flavor, serving size and cravings. Somehow, this morphed into eating what I wanted when I wanted – which was a lot and often. Case in point: Jeff and I were out and about running errands and picked up donuts and strawberries for our lunch. Next we headed get some coffee to go with them. On the way, I wrestled with myself. Just get a black coffee, it will balance the calories in the donuts…but I really want an iced coffee… they’re so good… but black coffee has no calories and will be good with donuts… but the iced coffee is so good…you’re already eating a ton of calories and fat…black coffee it is…end of discussion. Still wavering as we approached the cashier, I changed my mind to mi...