One Year – 365 Days – Pop/Soda Free!!!

It is weird for me to look back over this year and realize that I have changed, in at least this area of my life and a great change for the better!  I don’t plan on ever having another pop/soda again (I grew up in the north, so from now on, I’ll just be calling it pop). 

I still remember the main reason I knew I had to stop drinking pop – I kept getting these crazy stomach aches after drinking pop.  I had read some information on sugar and artificial sweeteners and realized that I needed to do this and do it now.  I set an empty bottle of Sierra Mist on my counter and wrote on it with a black marker, “Last Pop 8-14-10” and kept it there for atleast a month or two as my reminder.  Over the months I kind of forgot that I even used to drink pop quite a bit and just a month or 2 ago I realized that I don’t crave pop AT ALL!  I am so thankful to have this out of my life!

I know pop is so addicting and I wonder if my cravings and desires for pop would easily come back if I let myself have any.  I did have a good experience with this a couple months ago.  We went to Chick Filet and I ordered waters and poured some in Cadence’s cup.  She took a drink and said, “this is not water”.  I told her to stop it, just drink your water.  So she takes another drink and again she tells me that this is not water.  I take a sip and oh gross, it was pop!  After telling her sorry, and getting her water I smiled and was very pleased that I did not even like the taste of it!!  I did not miss it!  I was also thankful that Cadence did not like the taste either.  We do not give our kids any pop – they have never had any…that I know of.  It makes me cringe when I see people giving little kids pop in their bottle or sippy cup!  What a horrible habit and addiction to be starting at such a young age!

I know for me it was an easier decision to stop pop because I did not feel good.  But for someone who is not feeling bad while drinking pop or not realizing that some of the pain they may be having could be associated with the pop it may be a harder decision for them to stop.  I also think some people are so used to feeling bad that they don’t even know what it feels like to not be sick in one way or another – and I’m not saying big sicknesses and diseases.  I am just talking colds, backaches, IBS, acid reflux, allergies, etc.  I think these can all be helped if people would eat and drink better.  For me, not drinking any pop is a huge step in making me feel better and I would not trade that for a Mountain Dew or Sierra Mist any day!!

In a book I read called “Sugarettes” by Dr. Scott Olson it addresses drinking pop.  He says that “in the last twenty years, soda consumption has risen over 300 percent in the United States, causing a multitude of health problems”.  I like how he explains why drinking sugars is not good for us.  “Normally, when you put a food into your mouth you chew it.  The simple act of chewing begins a series of events that alerts your body that it should expect nutrients and a rise in blood sugar.  When you first put foods into your mouth and begin chewing, the stomach starts secreting stomach acid to prepare for the meal.  Hormones are released when we begin to eat.  Each of these hormones is designed to help your body deal with the rise in blood sugar that occurs whenever a food hits your stomach.  When you drink calories, something strange happens.  The hormones normally released during a meal are not activated.  This is especially true when the calories are comprised of simple sugars.  The other problem is that when you drink something that is very sweet, especially when you drink it outside of a meal, there is almost no digestion that takes place.  This means that the sugar in the soda goes from the can directly into your blood stream.  Imagine how confused your body must be when you drink a soda!”

Some people think that drinking a diet pop is better than a regular, but it really is worse because of the artificial sweeteners that are put in it.  Having all those artificial sweeteners are worse then just eating the sugar directly (I’m not saying to drink regular instead of diet, of course my stance is drink neither!).

Maybe on every bottle or can of pop there should be a label with a warning that says, “Drink At Your Own Risk”.

I am celebrating this part of my new lifestyle with a large glass of ice cold water...and loving every sip of it!!!  :)

You Are Made For More...You Are Made For Victory!

I am a little behind with my blogs because I have been preparing and starting to homeschool.  We had a great first week and so now I'm trying to catch back up!  I have been trying to write weekly what we have been covering in our Bible study at church (going over the book Made To Crave by Lysa Terkeurst).
Over the last couple weeks we have discussed how we are made for more.  God has some awesome plans for each and every one of us.  We need to come to God and ask Him to show us what our "more" is.  I love Lysa's prayer with regards to this, "God, I recognize I am made for more than the vicious cycle of being ruled by food.  I need to eat to live, not live to eat.  So, I keep asking for Your wisdom to know what to eat and Your indwelling power to walk away from things that are not beneficial for me".  You may know in your heart that you are not on the right path with eating or whatever your idol may be, it's also important though for you to know that we have a mighty power available to us (if we are a child of God) - we have the same power available to us that raised Jesus from the dead!  Think of that!  It is so important to have a hope and power beyond yourself and you find that in Christ!!  It is great if you already know in your heart that you need to change something because then you are one step closer to changing your mind so you are able to experience victory!!  You don't have to have it in your head that you are always going to have to deal with your weight, self-image or your health...you can change and you can have victory in this area of your life!!  You are important and deserve it and God wants it for you!! 
Can you do what God wants you to do?  What He has called you to do?  Your heart may be open and available to do anything for God, but your weight/health could be holding you back.  Don't get distracted by physical food in your spiritual calling from God!  "Breaking free from consuming thoughts about food allows us to see and pursue our calling with more confidence and clarity" - not confusion, grogginess, irritability, sleepiness and frustration!
If we are working towards being closer to God, positioning our hearts in line with Him and His Word, then our "mind games" will be different, and it will be easier to get through a temptation or distraction from what we know is right.  If we have God's Word's memorized then we have a stronger shield to help us with the temptation.  We need to make a choice to listen to the Holy Spirit, even when the road gets tough!  We need to accept that our journey will be hard and sometimes not fun, but we need to stop giving up and just do it!!  Obey God with all that we do.  Don't worry so much about the number on the scale for this week, work on obedience.  Things will come together better if that is our focus.
"For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their destiny is destruction, THEIR gOD IS THEIR STOMACH, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is on earthly things" Philippians 3:18-19.
A good question to ask yourself (from Lysa), "Did I feel that, at any time, I ran to food instead of God?"  Fix your focus on God, not food!! 

Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Before Thinking.

How has your journey, your plan, your focus with regards to food, exercise and a healthy lifestyle been going?  Do you feel like on your own you have accomplished what you set out to do?  It is hard to do this all by yourself, even if some people know that you are working on losing weight or trying to eat healthier, it isn't the same thing as having an accountability partner - a person, friend, that is with you during everything and is available whenever you may need them.  Sometimes we need "a friend who can speak rationality into your irrational impulses.  A friend who will hold you accountable, speak the truth in love, and pray for you."  I am so thankful that God has provided me with a really awesome, Godly accountability friend - it really does help!  Accountability is crucial and I would encourage you to prayfully consider the right healthy eating plan for you and for an accountability partner that can help you along the way.
The temporary pleasure that so many people seek in food is something that seems so ridiculous when you hear about it from someone else - their story, you think, man that was bad and I can't imagine doing that.  And yes, maybe you would not do the exact same thing that they did, but you may be on the same road of selfish indulgence to an idol that is not God!  In Made To Crave Lysa addresses the story of Jacob and Esau.  I'll write out the story here for those who may not be familiar with it and just as a refresher to others.  This is a story that I think, wow, I wouldn't give up that much for my love for food, but then when I really look at what has been sacrificed or messed up - what I have given up for the food, then I don't feel so far from Esau.  "Esau was the older of two twins, a skillful hunter, while the younger twin, Jacob was more of a homebody.  The Scriptures say:  'Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.  He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me have some of that red stew!  I'm famished!'  Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.'  'Look, I am about to die', Esau said, 'What good is the birthright to me?'  But Jacob said, 'Swear to me first.'  So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.  He ate and drank, and then got up and left.  So Esau despised his birthright.  (Genesis 25:29-34).  The thing that strikes me about this story is how much Esau gave up for just a few moments of physical satisfaction.  He sacrificed what was good in the long term for what felt good in the short term.  He gave up WHO HE WAS in a moment of desperation."
Who are you?  Are you willing to give that up?