Put Down the Pepsi!
2012 was a year of healing for me. During this year, I shifted my eating habits. It began by removing Pepsi from my daily menu. Then slowing down how fast I put food into my mouth. Then tackling sugar. Then eating as close to natural and whole foods as possible. Then only eating when I was actually hungry.
I found it to be true that I felt better when I didn’t eat so much sugar.
Ever since then I’ve started paying attention to my eating habits. I’ve learned when I’m stressed, I crave sugar.
Lately, I’ve been craving sugar.
A lot.
Even worse, I’ve been caving to the craving and I didn’t even care.
This doesn’t make me feel very good. I have head aches. My energy crashes. My fingers swell. I feel guilty for eating too much sugar.
And I still want a Pepsi.
A few weeks ago, I realized what was happening. So I put down the Pepsi and picked up the water. I also started exercising more, knowing I can combat the extra stress with exercise and not have my joints swell up.
Yet I still find myself picking up the Pepsi. I put it down. Leave the kitchen, only to find myself returning to check the pantry for a box of Bottle Caps. I put those down too. Eat an apple. Leave the kitchen, only to find myself returning to get a cookie. I put it down.
And realize I’m stressed. Left to my own devices, I turn to sugar. This isn’t going to help me. Standing there, in the kitchen, I roll my eyes. I’m not the kind of person who shoves sugar in her mouth and expects her stress to dissolve.
I sigh. It’s not sugar I want. It’s sweet comfort. So I talk to the One who orchestrates comfort, who can shoulder my stress, who can remind me it’s not sugar that makes life sweet.
I drink my ice water. It satiates me. Not because I suddenly enter a life of comfort, but because the God of Peace cares enough about me to fill me with only good stuff. This is the kind of comfort I crave.
And it makes life very sweet.
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Ruth, Once again – the perfect post at the perfect time and just what I needed right now. My word this year is salud (or health in Spanish). I am trying to focus on the same things and can really relate to your comments. This is the first year where I have been thinking about the spiritual link to being able to make this change. Almost 2 months into the year, I have been very much reverting to the stress side and need to be more conscientious of reminding myself to “put down the [sugar]” (lately Girl Scout cookies, Valentine's candy/chocolates). Thank you for posting this. I always appreciate the dual extra reminder and comfort that someone else is working on the same thing!
I am not taking this lightly, and I'm following every thought you have and considering it all for my own life. We are human and weak. Consider me just an instrument in your life to support you. To satiate any sweet cravings (doesn't always work), I eat only 2 dark chocolate pieces of candy (Dove does it) with water or coffee, tea, and it helps me get over a lot of desires. Thinking of you today as always.