…And Increased My Energy – Naturally
This is the second in a 3-part series on how I increased my low energy. You can find part 1 here.
Weaknesses? Temptations?
We all have them. Usually with a complimentary lifelong struggle to go with them.
Raise your hand if you’re not just a yo-yo dieter, but even a yo-yo “I-made-a-lifestyle-change” -er and have watched your scale go up and down with trying some of the newer, “not diets”?
You’re not alone.
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Does the following happen to you?
You find success in (insert random goal or attempted life change here), and then when you go to tell people about it, suddenly all kinds of slip-ups happen?
Not to mention the people we think will be the most supportive sabotaging us.
That’s no accident, friend.
It’s either an attack, or we are subconsciously undermining ourselves, not believing that we deserve (insert success towards a goal here).
We MUST bathe our journey in prayer, praise, and worship, lest we fall, get discouraged, stay off track, and negate all of our progress.
(For more on this topic, here’s a book that can help you see how to stop this pattern: The Big Leap.)
We must constantly be on guard. EVEN WHEN WE HAVE VICTORY. Victory isn’t the end. Always have your plan ready. When temptation comes – find your way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13)
And don’t forget to stay humble and give glory to God.
We did a lot of hard work, but Who kept our foot from stumbling? Or Who picked us back up when we did stumble and gave us a fresh new day to start again – and didn’t see us as a failure?
I released 30 lb recently. It was really encouraging.
I had told a few people how I did it when suddenly, I was off the wagon.
BUT – I even so, I DID successfully release 30 lb (the first of many more to go).
Here’s how I did it.
This current journey started when I had eye trouble.
I had a high amount of inflammation in one eye and could barely see out of it. Many, many visits to various eye doctors and specialists, different steroids and eyedrops later, and I was better, but I still couldn’t see well.
Finally, after 6 months with the latest doctor, I thought, “I’m going to try cutting inflammatory things from my food intake and see if that helps.”
Knowing that sugar is inflammatory, I decided to lower my sugar intake. Quite a bit, but not completely (who else has tried and failed at that experiment?).
I started counting the sugar grams. 50 grams a day or less.
Now, if you are already thin and don’t eat much sugar (wait, you are?? why are you reading this post, again?), you might think, 50 grams? That’s a lot!
Ok. For those who don’t even COUNT their sugar grams, you don’t know if it’s a lot or a little until you start counting them. And I don’t think there’s been an exact “level” established anywhere yet that’s the RDA (recommended daily allowance) for sugar.
Remember – we all have our weaknesses.
Back to the sugar.
I was desperate to get the inflammation out of my body because I couldn’t see. I decided to try decreasing sugar intake.
After a few weeks of counting my sugar grams, keeping them under 50 per day, my vision was better, and the doctor was pleased and said my inflammation was finally calmed down!
Bonanza – increased energy and weight loss!
What sugars did I count?
Just added sugar.
I didn’t count fruit.
If I happened to eat bread, white rice, or pasta (all of which turn into sugar in the body) I also didn’t count that in my daily sugars, but probably should have. I don’t eat a lot of those foods, anyway, but if I did, I would have had to limit it. I found that out during this experiment, also. More on that later.
At work each month, they celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries with some sort of treat. Always sugary. It was hard, but I had to decline each month.
One month we had cupcakes. I Googled it. Found out that the average cupcake has 53 grams of sugar!
What a letdown – but I did suspect it would use up almost all my daily sugar grams. I didn’t realize it would make me go OVER, had I indulged.
It was at that point that I also Googled, “how many grams of sugar should I be eating?”
Do you know the answer to that?
Turns out men can have more than women. Hmph
Ok, let’s ignore these people and their charts. Who made this info up, anyway? You do YOU – and you follow what God tells you to.
Cut to the chase, Lady, I came for the weight-loss part of the story.
It took me only 3 days of “white-knuckling” it to get used to not eating as much sugar. I drank extra water, prayed, and ate extra nuts during those days to get me through. (Previous “diets” or “lifestyle changes” have left me white-knuckling for at least a week, and sometimes 3 weeks.)
You have to have a plan.
What will you do when you’re tempted?
Get your plan ready and have it top of mind.
Mine was to pray, drink water, eat extra protein/fat, and just feel the hunger until it passed. And it did.
Steal my plan if you like. It’s free.
God is faithful.
Press on, friend. You’ve got this. And God’s got you.
What I Learned From the Journey
- I kept up this lowered daily sugar intake for about 3 and a half weeks before the scale started moving down. I weighed myself daily (like you’re not supposed to do).
- Those emotions I was burying and stuffing down with food? God gently helped me deal with some things and uncover, slowly, as I obeyed and continued the sugar-control.
- The longer I practiced this self-control of sugar intake, the easier it got. The stronger I got. Like a muscle.
- When I had a craving, instead of caving? Eat some protein or fat. It will make the craving for the bad stuff go away. I still had 50 grams a day, too, so I still was able to have a treat!
I want you to remember number 1, so you don’t give up too soon.
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.
~Galatians 6:9
Keep going.
It WILL happen.
Make a plan. Stay faithful to your plan.
You got this. God’s got you.
Other scriptures God revealed to me regarding this journey and losing weight
The usual one that I see on just about every post about losing weight –
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
~I Corinthians 10:31
I had this one (above) on my vision board, which I made several years ago as part of a weight-loss accountability group. I’ve since gained weight, rather than lost it.
The vision board didn’t help me. (Have you been helped by one? So many people have, but I am not one of them.)
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
~I Corinthians 9:24-25a
And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.
Previous scriptures I have written in a notebook of my journey, from years past
Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And turn, and I would heal them.
~Matthew 13:15b
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
~Psalm 32:8
So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
~Galatians 5:16
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
~Romans 13:14
Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
~1 John 4:4b
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.
~Psalm 143:8
He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, But whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
~Proverbs 10:17
My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.
~Psalm 25:15
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
~Matthew 26:41
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
~Isaiah 55:2
Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
~Jeremiah 29:5
Even people who live in the desert can have a garden. Some people buy those hydroponic tower gardens to make it even easier.
Now for my personal 2 favorites, which God spoke to me regarding my journey most recently:
Galatians 6:9 repeated here, was mentioned above:
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.
I almost lost heart for a bit there.
What had happened, was, in the middle of all this, I found out I had a slight allergy to various foods, including wheat. Which means I shouldn’t eat breads or pastas.
I wasn’t allergic to rice, so I started eating more of that.
White rice.
Wrong move.
You guessed it.
I stopped losing and started gaining weight again!
It had to be the sugar conversion. A week of white rice and I was done with that. Reversed my progress. The scale stopped moving downward and plateaued. So frustrating.
Hebrews 10:35-36
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
~Hebrews 10:35-36
Need of endurance. That’s what I lacked. Along with a good plan (not the previous bad plans that left me hangry.
Back to the vision board idea.
In her book, “Declutter Your Way to Success“, Terri Savelle Foy talks about going through each room, envisioning what you want it to look like, and writing down your plans to make it that way.
She uses the following verses as she talks about that vision:
Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
~Habakkuk 2:2-3
Friend, can you see how these verses of that vision long ago along with how the fulfillment was to come about can inspire you and tie in with your vision of you at your goal weight?
Keep going.
Endure.
Don’t throw away your confidence.
Write down your vision. With God’s help, move toward your goal.
Do God’s will and receive what He has promised you.
Stay faithful. Stay true.
Want these verses as scripture cards to print out? Click here.
Do you have a favorite verse for your weight-loss journey? Share it with us in the comments.
I can’t wait to hear your success story!
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