Hunger and Temptation

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

There are times I am so hungry or having a craving so badly I go to great lengths to appease it.

Like when I really want something sweet and chocolaty but we don't have it OR I am fighting it.

Then I am basically an addict in a crack house.

I'm serious.

I do things like this:

This is my attempt to make a healthy brownie or breakfast bar that has a chocolate taste.

It was gross.

The good news is that I wasted time and took my mind off my quest for chocolate.

Yesterday, I ran 10 miles.  My longest run this year.... and maybe even last year.

I got up at 4:30 which meant by 10 am I was hungry for lunch then at 2 pm I was hungry again.

(I might tell you about this every post for a while.  I am pretty happy with myself.)

I tried  everything!  This was a lunch concoction.

IT. WAS. SO. HARD.

Here's a little back ground on tracking my food intake and activity output to get you to speed...

On Weight Watchers I can eat 26 points a day.  I get 49 weekly points.  I also get extra points for activity.

My run gave me 18 extra points.  I can use any or all of those weekly and activity points through the week.

Yesterday, I ate all my daily points then 21 more.  That's a lot.

Most days I go over 3 to maybe 10 points.

It felt like a fail.

Because of feeling icky, losing my voice, and gaining weight I have come to believe that most of what you put into your body should be for the purpose of fueling it.  

The "Eat to Live" mentality.  

Finally,  after thinking about this from about 2 pm until 8 pm I ate a peanut butter (Smart Balance not PB2) and jelly (Fruit spread) indulgent sandwich (White whole wheat bread) that measured out to 10 WW points.

It was my crack at that moment.

I then settled down and fell asleep.

In reading the verse at the top, at first, I couldn't think of a way in the world that God provided me a way out of that temptation.

Then I realized it was probably the run itself.

That over eating yesterday was offset by the run itself.

God gave me the strength to run that run and I have no shame at all in eating like I did yesterday.

I only hate the amount that I thought about the food.

That brings me shame.

Sometimes when I think back I hate this obsession with food.  

It causes shame to me to take up so much of my time to count points, plan, shop, research and find recipes.

I feel like it's not Godly to be so fixed on something.

So many people in the world are just trying to live until the next day!

But I also know from that verse that everyone in this world has their vice. Maybe more than one.

My struggle is not unique.

My struggle is my own and it IS BIG to ME.

And God wants me to learn to trust in Him and lean on Him.

I shouldn't hide these struggles AND I SHOULD give him glory in the victories.

So I am thankful today that I could run those 10 miles with the man of my dreams.

I am thankful today that I am not sore because I had the right food, clothes and equipment to run.

(sorry love these shoes)

I am thankful today for the Chiropractor God put in my path that is helping me to heal.

(those are the acupuncture needles)

I am thankful today to be surrounded in prayer by my church, family and friends.

I am thankful that I have the courage to write these things on my mind.  

The greatest satisfaction would be that they might be a testimony to someone in a similar situation someday.

Praise God for all that I can do and all that I have in this life.

Please help me to concentrate more on that than on what I don't or can't have in the moment.

CAN I GET AN AMEN?!

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

(I wish I had a picture flexing here.  That would have been so funny!)