Too Much "Forbidden Fruit" in Your Life?
Good Morning Girls! In the past, whenever I read the story of Adam and Eve, I used to think to myself "Eve is such an idiot!". I mean seriously....you are given 1 rule...one!....and you can't even follow that? How hard can it be to follow one rule? You can have all of this....just not that. Seems pretty cut and dry. Seems like the "all of this" is way better than the one "that". But nooooo, the "all of this" is not good enough.....somehow she just had to have the one "that" that was forbidden, unauthorized, a no-no. What a whine ball loser, is what I thought of her.....
And then one day while on one of my many "diets", I realized I was no different than Eve. As you know, on most "diets" you have your list. One list is foods you can have. One list is foods you cannot have. The "unauthorized foods". The "don't touch" foods. The "forbidden fruit" foods. It never failed, as soon as I had determined to follow a diet, I would become fixated on the "forbidden fruit" list. I would suddenly crave these foods in a manner I never did before. I would think about how I "couldn't" have them. The fact that I couldn't have them is what made me want them. Suddenly the foods I normally loved, if they happen to fall on the "eat as much of this as you want" list, became disgusting to me. I didn't want them. They were gross. They were boring. GIVE ME SOME FORBIDDEN FRUIT! I just know I am missing out on life by not having them!
That, my dear Girls, is another reason why diets fail. Somehow, by telling us we can't have something, only makes us want it more. Our rebellious nature tries to take over. We lose sight of our goals and see the chips as the tree of life, instead of the strong healthy body. We are at a party and it seems like the ones who are having cake and ice cream are having way more fun than those who are not....surely there must be something to that. You must be missing out on the secret to fun and happiness.
And just like Eve, we give in, have the cake and then what happens? Not only do you realize you didn't have more fun, but you now have a side order of guilt. Which for me led to more cake and ice cream to really punish myself and prove to myself and others that I was a failure. I would banish myself from the Garden of Eden.....and go live in the garden of eatin' for the rest of the day...maybe two. Eventually I would pick myself up, dust myself off and start again. I lived like this for many years. I bet I lost over 100 pounds.....too bad it was the same 5 pounds over and over again.
So how did I overcome my Eve syndrome? Simple. I quit dieting. I quit the lists. I no longer have a forbidden fruit list. Everything is now available, authorized, and permissible. Now some of you are thinking "but Jen, you have told us that you don't have sugar, coffee, etc". That's true. But I didn't give them up because I saw them on an "unauthorized list". I gave them up because I felt the Lord speak to my heart and tell me that those were the things that were tripping me up. I can still have them. However, I cannot have them and have the fitness results I desire.
The point is, I still have the choice. If some days I want to have the piece of carrot cake, I can, without the side order of guilt. However, I am well aware of the snowball effect this has on me, and so I either need to be prepared to fight what comes next (the desire for more cake and treats), or I simply say "looks good, probably tastes awesome....but not worth it!" I would rather pour my mental energy into life rather than fighting sugar cravings for a week or so.
So Girls, do away with the "can's" and the "can'ts".....the "should's" and the "shouldn'ts". You are free to choose. So choose...... but choose wisely. And if you decide to eat a little forbidden fruit.....tell the devil "no thanks" to the side of guilt.......for there is no guilt or condemnation for you!
1 Corinthians 10:23 "Everything is permissible"- but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible" -but not everything is constructive
love you all (and that's an easy choice to make)-
Jen
And then one day while on one of my many "diets", I realized I was no different than Eve. As you know, on most "diets" you have your list. One list is foods you can have. One list is foods you cannot have. The "unauthorized foods". The "don't touch" foods. The "forbidden fruit" foods. It never failed, as soon as I had determined to follow a diet, I would become fixated on the "forbidden fruit" list. I would suddenly crave these foods in a manner I never did before. I would think about how I "couldn't" have them. The fact that I couldn't have them is what made me want them. Suddenly the foods I normally loved, if they happen to fall on the "eat as much of this as you want" list, became disgusting to me. I didn't want them. They were gross. They were boring. GIVE ME SOME FORBIDDEN FRUIT! I just know I am missing out on life by not having them!
That, my dear Girls, is another reason why diets fail. Somehow, by telling us we can't have something, only makes us want it more. Our rebellious nature tries to take over. We lose sight of our goals and see the chips as the tree of life, instead of the strong healthy body. We are at a party and it seems like the ones who are having cake and ice cream are having way more fun than those who are not....surely there must be something to that. You must be missing out on the secret to fun and happiness.
And just like Eve, we give in, have the cake and then what happens? Not only do you realize you didn't have more fun, but you now have a side order of guilt. Which for me led to more cake and ice cream to really punish myself and prove to myself and others that I was a failure. I would banish myself from the Garden of Eden.....and go live in the garden of eatin' for the rest of the day...maybe two. Eventually I would pick myself up, dust myself off and start again. I lived like this for many years. I bet I lost over 100 pounds.....too bad it was the same 5 pounds over and over again.
So how did I overcome my Eve syndrome? Simple. I quit dieting. I quit the lists. I no longer have a forbidden fruit list. Everything is now available, authorized, and permissible. Now some of you are thinking "but Jen, you have told us that you don't have sugar, coffee, etc". That's true. But I didn't give them up because I saw them on an "unauthorized list". I gave them up because I felt the Lord speak to my heart and tell me that those were the things that were tripping me up. I can still have them. However, I cannot have them and have the fitness results I desire.
The point is, I still have the choice. If some days I want to have the piece of carrot cake, I can, without the side order of guilt. However, I am well aware of the snowball effect this has on me, and so I either need to be prepared to fight what comes next (the desire for more cake and treats), or I simply say "looks good, probably tastes awesome....but not worth it!" I would rather pour my mental energy into life rather than fighting sugar cravings for a week or so.
So Girls, do away with the "can's" and the "can'ts".....the "should's" and the "shouldn'ts". You are free to choose. So choose...... but choose wisely. And if you decide to eat a little forbidden fruit.....tell the devil "no thanks" to the side of guilt.......for there is no guilt or condemnation for you!
1 Corinthians 10:23 "Everything is permissible"- but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible" -but not everything is constructive
love you all (and that's an easy choice to make)-
Jen
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