I just put half a gallon of chocolate ice-cream in the garbage can in the kitchen. The other half-gallon of chocolate ice-cream is in my stomach. The extra creamy chocolate, made with quality since 1866, is melting. And I won’t eat anymore of it.
I was going to say, “I won’t eat anymore of it today.” And, if the dog hair I threw away earlier this evening wasn’t also in the garbage can, I might have taken out the ice-cream and eaten the rest of it.
Do you crave sugar?
Do you sneak food while your family is asleep? Do you hide food? Do you dream about food? Does food bring you comfort in a cold cruel world?
My friend Teresa S. Parker lost 260 pounds. Teresa once weighted 430 pounds. She wrote a memoir about her weight loss in Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor. Her book is on my book shelf. I am going to pull it off today and read it. I never read it before because:
I didn’t think I had a problem with sugar. (Did you notice I said, didn’t? As in past-tense didn’t? As in now I realize I have a problem.)
Well, I don’t have to lose 250 pounds. I can stop eating sugar anytime I want. I don’t have a problem with food addiction. No way. Not me. That chocolate bar I ate was organic so that wasn’t as bad. And it lasted at least five minutes.
The ice-cream was calling to me from the freezer
The chocolate ice-cream I bought for my oldest daughter in case she came home to visit was calling me. “Paaaammmmmelllla, I am creamy and smooth, made with quality since 1866, come to meeeeeee.”
“Hey, Ice-Cream. I hear you. Hang on. I have to wait until everyone in the family is in bed and asleep, so they don’t see me eat you. ”
I kept going back into the freezer. One more bite, just one more little bowl full of a few tablespoons of ice-cream. Just one more. Five little bowls of ice-cream later, and I had eaten half a gallon of ice-cream. (And, I still didn’t see the problem with what I was doing.)
At around one in the morning, while I was eating my chocolate ice-cream and scrolling Facebook, I read an article Teresa S. Parker wrote. When You Can’t Say No
And then it became clear.
I am addicted to sugar. Are you?
Would you like to KICK SUGAR with me? I have tried to kick it on my own. I thought all you needed to break a habit was to:
- Admit your problem
- Stop doing it.
It is hard to break a bad habit on your own. This is where I quote my favorite Bible verse about how we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Here it is.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
— Philippians 4:13
Now what does that mean? How can we really do this? I am not sure how this works. So I am going to get Teresa to help me.
I have never wanted to QUIT. I like to sneak on occasion. I thought I had this sugar thing under control. Sugar makes me feel so sick. My stomach hurts, I get a headache, I throw pots, growl at the dogs, and feel like I swallowed a tiger. Yet, even though sugar makes me physically, mentally and physiologically sick, I still eat it.
Do you find it hard to admit you have a problem?
Teresa S. Parker has a FREE ten-day plan to #kicksugar. You get access to the Ten Day Plan when you sign up on her blog. Teresa Shields Parker.com
I signed up. (I promise not to fish the melted chocolate ice-cream out of the garbage can.) That is Harper in the photograph. She stays up with me at night and sits on my lap when I write. She did not get any ice-cream.
How to Kick A Bad Habit
- Admit your problem.
- Stop.
- Admit you are powerless and ask God to help you.
- Sign up at Teresa Shields Parker.com and get Teresa’s FREE Ten Day Plan to Kick Sugar. Because Teresa knows what she is talking about.
Would you like to kick Sugar together?
I will be creating a private Facebook Group, #KICK SUGAR Let me know if you want to be in the group, and I will add you.
Email me. pamela@ipaintiwrite.com. We will officially start on Monday, September 21st.
We can share on Twitter, #kicksugar, and on instagram, #kicksugar and anywhere else you want to.
All my best,
xo
Pamela
