Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Who's Cheatin' Who?

Food is not my friend. Food is fuel. And no carbs at night. That was my strategy last year for losing weight. It worked! I lost ten pounds in five months. Ok, ok. It shouldn't have taken that long. Maybe I cheated once. Or twice.

Nobody's perfect. Right?

So, I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Like my jeans. The ones that I had to lie down on the bed, inhale, and then zip. After losing the big ten, I got 'em on and zipped standing up.

Not bad.

Then summer came along. And I slipped a little bit on my strategy. Made some bad decisions about what to eat. When to eat.

And how much to eat.

I wa cheating a little.

But I thought everything was still cool. No, I didn't weigh or measure. That would have been the smart thing to do.

Of course, I realize that now.

Somehow, I slid back into some old habits. Became a big-time cheater. If the food looks good, eat it.

Don't worry about nutritional value, calories, etc.

Eat and be happy!

So I did. During Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, too. Mercy!

Yeah, you guessed. I gained the ten pounds back.

After I worked so, so hard to lose weight. How could I let that happen?

Well, I made bad decisions. I got careless.

I've done the same thing in relationships. Like with God. When it comes to praying. And reading my Bible.

Other things look more appealing and fulfilling. So, I spend time there instead of with Him. And when I do that, I'm cheating Him.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16: 11).

When I cheat Him, I miss out on being in His presence. I miss out on the peace and joy and pleasure that He promises us.

When I cheat Him, I cheat myself.

And about those jeans? They got tossed into the bag labeled thrift store.

Now who's cheating who?

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26 comments:

  1. I love that scripture you shared, Deb. Thanks!! :)

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  2. Thank you for the eye opener. I am struggling with weight loss, and I am struggling with getting alone with God. There really is a correlation in how I choose to handle each. Oh and I absolutely love the scripture you shared. One of my favorites!

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  3. Wow. I never really thought about it that way before. Thank you for your words!!

    Thanks for your kind words on my blog too! Yes, I wrote both the music and the lyrics for all the songs, except on one. A friend of mine and I wrote the lyrics to "Bruised Reed" and then I finished up with the music. In fact, before that song, I had only written piano instrumentals. I had no idea I could even help compose lyrics. But my friend, Dayleen was used by God to light a passion in me to try. And I'm so thankful for her belief in me. :)

    Hope you get your technical glitches worked out soon. I LOVE your blog site design. It's so pretty! Blue is my favvvvorite color. :D

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  4. Dear Deb,

    This is another good post. I get your point, it's true for me, too...not the eating part, for I am on the other end of the spectrum - want to gain weight, but the spending time with God part. That got my attention. When I ignore His invitation to spend time with Him, I end up being the loser.

    Thanks for sharing your heart with us so honestly, Deb.

    Love
    Lidj

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  5. That's so interesting that you would put those things together, because once you start thinking about it, they're so similar!

    I've just started a new routine where I work out and have my quiet time with God early in the morning before my little ones are up and running. I'm excited to see the results from both!

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  6. Deb -

    Wonderful post. You need God and food in life to survive. Something I do is walk five miles daily - alone - in prayer and always with gratitude for the ability to walk, for the weather, for nature's abundance.

    - Deborah

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  7. mmmm.... delicious truth once again. wise words are food to the soul, and you've always got a plethora of them here. In the past six months I have realized that the treadmill is my friend (clocking 15+ miles per week, yeah!) but that thought that "food is not my friend"? Maam.... that is brilliant. I need to adopt that truth. Swallow it hook, line and sinker. That whole thing about "you are what you eat"? Yeah.... I get it. I want to feast on the fruit of the Spirit and be like him, and I don't want to have hips padded with chocolate, either. :)

    Love ya Mrs. Deb.

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  8. Oh, Deb, been there, done that! Point well taken.

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  9. Deb,

    I love how you tied these two things together and I guess if we have to be honest, I too, am guilty of them both. Thankfully I am trying to eliminate all foods past dinner, which is no snacking any longer and spending more time with God. Keep your fingers crossed.

    Love and Hugs ~ Kat

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  10. I am totally loving the analogy here. This was worded so perfectly. And on a personal note, I also gained 10 lbs over Christmas that I had just lost before Halloween. But I'm back on the straight and narrow now ;o)

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  11. I'm SO GLAD I "stumbled" upon your blog! What an AWESOME post!

    I too, lost 10 lbs up until Thanksgiving. Then I DID, the very same!!!!! UGGG Why do we do this to ourselves????? I'm almost (Praise the LORD) back to where I was, but it has taken some hard work. I have a goal that I want to reach, with the Lord's help.

    Here is my health blog: http://www.choose2livechoosehealth.blogspot.com

    So very nice to meet you!

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  12. Found you on Alabama bloggers list...in my district...came to see you....fell in love and became a follower. I loved this post. I lost 57 pounds from June 4th until October 9th when my dad died....since then have gained 20 back...but...I am back on track...and will get back where I was...cause He is on my side...

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  13. This is exactly the post I needed to read today. Thank you so much!

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  14. If I've heard from one woman, I've heard from 10 the very same thing! Thanksgiving and Christmas was a buzzard on the body, and for some of us, on the soul as well! Time to shed the excuses and get back to it.

    I know I told you before, but I love the new look. So you, sister. A very good fit.

    peace~elaine

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  15. Oh, you're so right, Deb. When we cheat him, we're really cheating ourselves. Amazing that it takes us a while to figure out what we really know in our hearts.

    Loved your post. Thanks for your always sweet comments!

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  16. Great way to make your point! I totally get what you are saying.

    And about those jeans? Good for you for tossing them!!

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  17. this is too funny b/c it's so true. great post...again...you write in a such a way...I sit up and listen. ☺

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  18. Yup. Although sometimes when He arranges things so we will spend time with Him, we are usually not too happy about the circumstances. Go figure.

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  19. I loved how you tied this together. We do need discipline in all areas of our lives but it is so hard sometimes!

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  20. Loved reading your profile. You obviously have a heart for God. It's interesting, just less than an hour ago, I was reading to my 80 year old mother over the phone from the book of Daniel. You know, the dreamer of all dreamers. I was impressed how Daniel was told over and over by God that he was highly esteemed. What a blessing to be a child of God! Blessings to you.

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  21. wow. that is all i can say. wow. that really touched my heart because i have struggled with both for most of my life. i feel your pain about the weight loss:) I worked and worked my tail off and lost 11 pounds in a few months. it was very slow about 2 pounds a week. yea, well it only took a week to gain 4 of them back! good luck with both, i can't wait to hear more

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  22. Just wanted you to know you're a winner at the blog; hop over for details as you can.

    Love you.

    peace~elaine

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  23. Oh Deb,
    That is such a great analogy! I loved it, and what a great reminder to not slack, because it's so easy to do so... Thanks, I need to look at everything in that light. And good luck with those wells. So important, what a guy. What a girl you are, too!
    Kate

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  24. thank you for stopping by cute post about your jeans... great reminder about god we need to put him first always.

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  25. Hi, I'm your newest Friday Follower!


    Come visit me at mom-et-al.com


    -Maria

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