Are you ready to make those changes that your body needs?
What's in your cup? Well, its time to sit back and evaluate literally what is in your cup. What have you been putting into your body that has given you the same results of no change thus far? So let's start there? You started off this year saying that you aren't going to be a couch potato and now C19 has you quarantine cooking and snacking it up and you're like- whoa, why am I so tired lately? Where is my energy? How did that get there? Well, what you are consuming on a daily basis has a way of catching up with you whether it is good or bad. If you have a healthy intake, a balance of greens, fruits, grains, water, with some "goodies" then you are in good shape and might just need to add a little movement to your day. On the contrary, if your food choice has been carbs, fats, sweets, and snackin' it- well you are one of those people who put up the quarantine memes about not so subtle weight gain and have seemingly backed yourself into a corner and need out! Help is on the way! Let me help you get out of that corner by helping you change your mind.
Ok, so I've said it quite a few times and I am going to reshape my statement. I have struggled with weight since I can remember. I have struggled with negative words spoken over me, I have struggled with being compared, and I have struggled with accepting the various shapes I've had over the years. There were some seasons and reasons where I once was one of those people who ate and slept and saw the results of WHAT I DID TO MYSELF (ACCOUNTABILITY MOMENT) and I was frustrated, depressed, and overwhelmed because I needed to get out of that corner that many of you are in right now. I had to take authority over my mindset and want to change. It started with making up my mind! Then I prayed about it and I asked God to take the taste out of my mouth for everything that I wasn't supposed to have and to give me the taste for everything that I needed to be clean and healthy. Today, my diet is completely different, thanks be unto God. While I still have some struggles with discipline - the greater battle is knowing how disciplined I've become, how much work has been put in to becoming this person, and to not allow anything to drag me backward. You will always have to fight off temptations- hence the reason why when I bake- I give a lot of it away. I have to, because I know there are certain times (its a lady thing) when I can really get it in... but doesn't mean I should give in to it.
1st assault tactic
I am here to challenge your character by assaulting you with the truth. The truth is that you know you need a change. The truth is you know that you are not happy with how you physically feel, nor are you happy with how you look (no matter how fly you can dress- yeah I see you boo! you are full and fabulous and you look super fly!) but you also know that in that fullness you feel not so fabulous about the extra stuff and that is GOOD-- It is good to know how to make yourself feel good, but it is even better to be completely honest with yourself. You've gone on too long trying to dress it up and make it work and you exude false confidence. I want you to have real confidence so I am speaking to you this way. If you truly felt good about yourself you wouldn't be reading this blog past the first five lines of this paragraph, but since you don't you are starting to feel the truth rise up in you and you are getting ready to learn how to hit back.
Now that you got hit with truth are you ready to fight the lies?
Ok, well the truth is your eating habits have everything to do with the relationship you have with yourself and others and nothing to do with your love of food. I like good food because I want to enjoy what I eat BUT I realized that not everything that I used to like was good for me, and there are some things like cakes and sweet treats that I still like, but turn my stomach inside out and therefore its a love/hate relationship. What I should do is exercise discretion and say, "Hey, I might love you, but you aren't good for me. Every time you and I get together I wind up feeling the pain in places that I don't need to experience pain in and you know what- it stinks! So, while I might love you, it is apparent that you aren't good for me because I hate the way you make me feel." So its time for you to say goodbye to things that you might love, but simply are not good for you! This is more than about food, this is about regaining control of your life and stop using food to fill voids. I'm telling you the truth and I am telling you as someone who had emotional eating problems, and I speak to you today as someone who fights dysmorphic body images. So are we ready to fight? Yes, it is mind over matter and I need you to be ready to put the cookie down, put the fried foods in the garbage, and start a brand new relationship.What's it like to start a new relationship?
Well, it depends on your zeal for what that relationship can produce. Some jump right in and full-on, and hit the ground running. Others ease into it because they aren't sure how it is going to treat them. When I made the food changes, I had to quit some things cold turkey (through fasting on a continuum) and there were other things that I started to develop a craving for that became instant favorites and we developed a great relationship immediately. I knew what was good for me, and my body would request it. How did that happen? I got more frequent tastes and urges to have it and so instead of craving bad things I was craving the things I really needed and enjoyed. I started drinking beet juices with fruits and veggies, I was eating a lot of cooked vegetables and salads, and eventually, I got brave and tried salmon and other fish that I hadn't tried in my life! What do you know, it was an instant love affair, one that I just can't help but want all the time.
Tackling the fear that would prevent you from starting something new-
This is where you need to make the decision of your lifetime and I am going to show you what it looks like. Complacency is a demon, this demon tells you that you don't have to change, it tells you that you are just fine the way you are and the only people who want to change you want to control you. It tells you that if you change you won't be able to enjoy certain things because those OTHER THINGS don't fit your lifestyle, and it will tell you that you need them more than you need the new thing. Have you heard that voice before? Have you heard those things before? Guess what- you heard the demon speaking out of fear of being killed! So exercise your authority over something that is trying to kill the best you - and you kill it - before it kills you! Survival of the fittest, it's a one-hitter quitter kind of game. You see when the new thing comes in that what it does, it tackles the old system, nullifies it, and creates a whole new thing for healthier outcomes and sustainability. You won't be able to tolerate old stuff. You will be too enamored with the results that you are getting mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally from THIS HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP that you will want more of it, and want to explore the depth of what else it could offer.
Let's wrap this up like a present waiting for you to grab and talk about THE BENEFITS...
1. When you make up your mind that you need a change it's not because someone else pointed it out- its because you, yourself have come to a place where you recognize that change is needed for you to be the best you. That's a benefit- developing an honest sense of self.
2. Replace love / hate relationships with love / love relationships with food. You can get rid of the ice cream that is causing you much pain, and honestly, it stinks! (You can catch that one later) You love to consume it but hate the way it makes you feel, sound, and appear. I say if something is making you feel bad, making you sound bad, and making you appear bad, then that is a clear indication that you aren't losing anything at all! Heck- it's a gain for you to get rid of it. The only thing you are losing out on is how bad it made you feel! TOOTLES BECAUSE GUESS WHAT, THE REPLACEMENT KNOWS YOUR TASTE BUDS AND ALREADY HAS SOMETHING YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE. The replacement satisfies your cravings, gives you everything that you have been looking for, and won't make you look bad, sound bad, or appear bad. For example: Why eat regular ice cream, when you can get vegan ice cream NON DAIRY, and still have a salted caramel flavor over baked apples and in a warm crust. It might look like it's bad for you- but honey, they really don't know the ingredient, and being good never felt so good- let me tell you!
3. Because you are no longer in love / like/love-hate relationships that make you stink and feel bad about yourself, you start to have a different outlook on life, and you start to have a different appearance. Yes, making up your mind means that you will start to have the very things that you desire to have and will love achieving those results. You will be moved by passion and sustainable outcomes rather than compulsion and competition.
4. These changes that you made were for longevity. Longevity means that you have a longer life span and can have more time enjoying the things of life as opposed to just existing and that my friend is more than enough reason to make the change to your lifestyle TODAY.
Some of my personal habits and suggestions
1. Pray about it.
2. Juicing is a good way to introduce fruits and veggies into your daily routine that you normally wouldn't eat. A good juicer should cost about 100.00 and is well worth it. Remember HEALTH is an investment that we should all make.
3. Look for alternatives. Ie. Dairy. When you cut out dairy you become somewhat intolerant of it. Choose non-dairy options and incorporate them into meal prep and consume. Give your taste buds a chance to like something.
4. Get vitamins. You can go to www.vitacost.com (my mom sent me organic vitamins made from foods, herbs)
5. Create new menu options often with FRESH HERBS and seasonings.
6. Don't be afraid to try something new.
7. Eat what you love, but do it with love. Watch how you prepare foods. If you can bake as oppose to fry, if you can get an air fryer as opposed to a pan with oil, use different oils that promote good fats, and do not over process something. Over-processing something can kill its intended purposes and then you really have defeated the purpose of something.
8. Organic is pricey, but its the best. Remember that your body is like a bank, and the more you invest in it, the greater return you will have.
9. Food habits must change and so does physical activity. Its time to become active again.
10. A balanced appetite and consumption without extreme restrictions can lead to a healthy perspective on to do's and ugh don'ts (live neva eva's).
11. Listen to your body, when it starts to crave something it is because it is in need. (Keep that in perspective please, you can't entertain everything) I was craving spinach and beets and wanted a fresh-pressed juice. Seriously, who craves that? My body was saying: Jamie your iron is critically low, you are dehydrated and need to take care of yourself better so feed me what I need. That gnawing craving did not go away until it was satisfied. There are some things that won't go away until it is satisfied; and the thing about that is, once you satisfy it and it was good for you- you will always crave it. It's your body telling you what is good for you- so listen closely.
In closing....
Allow me to speak these words over you as you start to go through your transformation process. You are not defeated, you are victorious and empowered to have a prosperous mindset that will shape the way you see yourself, the way you take care of yourself, and the way you invest in yourself according to God's will for your life. You will have thoughts that will lead to your body prospering and your soul prospering and will love the new life that God has for you. You are empowered to fight every demon, every snare, and every tactic that tries to pull you backward. You have been armed with power of God through you to demonstrate self-control and exercise authority over things that hold you down and hold you back. You have the power in truth to destroy every lie, because Truth Himself will free you from the corner you feel you are trapped in. There is no trap, snare, nor situation that God can't set you free from and so, therefore, all authority and glory goes to the Almighty God. God will do exactly what He says He will do, and He will cancel EVERY assignment of the enemy, He will destroy the works of darkness AND HE WILL PREVAIL IN YOUR LIFE. God will change your appearance from the inside out to match His predestined perfect plan for your life. You are meant to live a life that is abundantly prosperous, mind, soul, and body. Therefore you will have everything that God says you are supposed to have and He will make a way for you.
