Just a reminder that my first book, The Savior’s Heart: Lessons of Truth From The Gospel of Mark is now available for purchase here! Ordering your signed copy through my site helps cover the costs it took for publication—and supports my work in the cost of publishing future books too! I have many ideas on my heart that I believe the Lord has inspired.

Ok, on to today’s post!

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Y’all know I’m not a fan of putting foods off limits because it eventually backfires into overdoing it with that food. I prefer to practice what I call permission-based eating. This means we give ourselves permission too have a food instead of restricting it. This truly helps us to take our trigger foods off the pedestal and make them no big deal with time and practice. That said, there’s definitely a difference between permission to incorporate certain foods within healthy boundaries (which helps us move toward freedom) and saying yes every time we want them (which is a slippery slope to operating from the flesh and moves us toward bondage). For those still learning the fruit of spiritual discipline and self-control with foods, we need a way to navigate permission in a balanced manner. There’s definitely utility in not allowing ourselves to give into every desire we have for food every time it happens so that we operate by the Spirit and not the flesh. But restriction is just as dangerous as unchecked desires when it comes to walking in freedom and abundant life. So I want to share 3 helpful strategies you can use when you find yourself wanting to dive into a food more often than is what you know is best. It could be a food you have in your home. But they also work well for something that is available at work that you had not planned on. They are also useful if you are going to a restaurant and know there will be a decision that has to be made about whether to order.

First strategy is to say “I know what this tastes like.” Sometimes we truly don’t need to try something because we’ve had it before and we know what it’s like. Obviously, if you know you enjoy it, this seems like it might not actually be helpful, but I find that it takes away the fear of missing out on having the food which often leads us to partake even if we don’t really want to. I think a big part of what makes food fun is trying new things that we haven’t had before. So for me at least, I find that allowing myself to taste something new that may have been unplanned often sits much better with me then having something I’ve had before just because it’s available. There’s joy in trying the new thing and joy in the discipline of saying no to what I’ve had before when I don’t really need it.

Second strategy is to say “I can have it, but later.” Many times when I find myself wanting something unplanned, I will use this strategy. The reason why I like it for developing this balance between discipline and permission is because it does both. You really aren’t telling yourself no, but you’re telling yourself to defer until later. This is great because it allows you to develop your spiritual muscles through waiting—which you can call upon later for other things! It also gives you time and space to see if you really want it, or if it was just a passing impulse.

Last strategy is to determine your guardrails and stick to them. When I say guardrails, I mean bright line boundaries that you set with the Lord’s guidance about what’s best for you personally so that you know what choice to make in the spur-or-the moment situations. (These are just examples, they will look different for everyone).

Things like:
•No dessert before lunch.
•No eating unless it’s with the intent to be seen, even if you aren’t observed (ie no secret eating).
•Designated portions (instead of eating directly out of a bag or going back for seconds that won’t make you feel your best).
•Predetermined frequency of partaking in certain foods (like weekly dessert or a fun meal on date night).

If learning how to approach healthy living God’s way sounds like something you’re interested in and you want a coach that uses biblical principles as the foundation, shoot me an email! We can set up a free discovery call! The goal of my coaching is to get you to a place where you no longer need a coach.

Reader Questions:
1/ Do you have healthy guardrails set up for your eating behaviors?
2/ How can you implement this idea in your own life?

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If you are interested in getting a custom set of macros, you can find out more here. If you want something more in-depth which will help you learn #Moderation365 nutrition strategies like #DessertEveryDay and how to eat in a way you love and still get results, you can get 1:1 coaching via my Meal Mastery Mentorship. You can head to this link to find out more.

If you just want to stick your toe in the water and see what it’s like, then my Meal Mastery Nutrition Audit has a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee! So no excuses!!! Find out about it at this link.

If you are interested in working on a specific habit and need someone to help you troubleshoot, keep you motivated, and hold you accountable, I offer coaching a variety of ways, which you can learn more about here.

My specialty is habit change and my approach is to work on mindset alongside the habit, so that it is healthy and sustainable, and this is best done via 1:1 Coaching which you can learn about here. Whether it involves your health, finances, nutrition, exercise, relationships, or personal growth, habits are the key to success. We are the outcome of what we repeatedly do. Without addressing that, there can be no change. Learn more here!

P.P.S. I will be increasing my 1:1 coaching prices after I have my new #Moderation365certification. Current clients will be grandfathered in at their current rate as long as they don’t lapse, but for those who are wanting to enroll as a new client, I would do so now if you are on the fence!