Craving Carrot Sticks

Before the Thanksgiving that celebrate over the unrestrained pleasure of indulgence I am reminding MYSELF of a truth I learned last year from Lysa Terkeusrt:
You Crave What You Eat. When you eat junk you crave more junk. I have never just accidentally craved a carrot stick, but I have learned to INTENTIONALLY break the junk food cycle.   When you eat healthy food, you begin to crave healthier food. 

No one becomes healthy by accident.  You will not wake up one day and just not ever want a hamburger, chocolate, or whatever your personal favorite junk food is. When I first married my husband I actually ADDED SALT to my salt infused Ramen noodles.  It took me years to wean off the amount of salt I was used to in-taking on a daily basis.   I still "fall off the salt wagon" and find if I eat my personal Achilles Heal of ruffle chips, I will over indulge and want salt for weeks. Your Achilles heal may be some entirely different.   But I learned you will never change your body if you don't first change your choices.

I had a friend asked me how I lost the 40 lbs I lost last year, and before I could answer she interrupted and said, "oh wait, you are gonna make me all salady healthy stuff."  I knew then  she was not ready to loose weight because she still wanted her cravings more than she wanted to loose the weight.  I was there for a long time and I really really get it. The weight was worth it as long as I could keep the comfort food I loved, and emotionally relied on. I had to emotionally heal to get the point where I was willing to give up my food so that I could get physically healthy.  

And by the way, healthy food actually does tastes good.  if the only "salad" you know if iceberg lettuce and cheese, then you are missing out on so much. You won't know until you brake the cycle of craving the junk you eat.  Healthy not does equal flavorless.  As I have learned to cook healthy, I have actually seen the opposite is usually true.  I can't even believe the junk I used to think was good, when all I was tasting was salt and grease.   God designed you body to work with the food He created in our world.  Once you learn to crave real food and meat with spices that God created, you will not settle for high fructose corn syrup anymore or bland man-made chemicals.

During this holiday remember food is not the enemy, and eating yummy is not wrong.   But go into parties knowing your limits, and make choices  that will make you proud of yourself on Friday.