What sugars did I count?

Just added sugar.

I didn’t count fruit.

If I happened to eat bread or white rice or pasta (all of which turn into sugar in the body) I also didn’t count that, but probably should have. I don’t eat a ton of that stuff daily, anyway, but if I did, I would have had to limit it. I found that out during this experiment, also. More on that later.

At work each month, they celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries with some sort of treat. Always sugary. It was hard, but I had to decline each month.

One month we had cupcakes. I Googled it. Found out that the average cupcake has 53 grams of sugar!

What a letdown - but I did suspect it would use up almost all my daily sugar grams. I didn’t realize it would make me go OVER, had I indulged.

It was at that point that I also Googled, “how many grams of sugar should I be eating?”

Do you know the answer to that?

Turns out men can have more than women. Hmph.
Ok, let’s ignore these people and their charts. Who made this info up, anyway? You do YOU - and you follow what God tells you to.

Back to the story.

It took me only 3 days of “white-knuckling” it to get used to not eating as much sugar. I drank extra water, prayed, and ate extra nuts during those days to get me through. (Previous “diets” or “lifestyle changes” have left me white-knuckling for at least a week, and sometimes 3 weeks.)

You have to have a plan.

What will you do when you’re tempted?

Get your plan ready and have it top of mind.

Mine was pray, drink water, eat nuts, and just feel the hunger until it passed. And it did. (You can steal mine - I don’t mind.)

God is faithful.

Press on, friend. You’ve got this. And God’s got you.

What I learned:

I kept up this lowered daily sugar intake for about 3 and a half weeks before the scale started moving down. I weighed myself daily (like you’re not supposed to do).

I just wanted you to know that, so you don’t give up too soon.

Gal 6:9
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

Keep going.

It WILL happen.

Make a plan. Stay faithful to your plan.

Some of the verses that God had revealed to me regarding this journey and losing weight

The usual one that I see on just about every post about losing weight -

I Corinthians 10:31
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I had this one on my vision board, which I made several years ago as part of a weight-loss accountability group. I’ve since gained weight, rather than lost it. The vision board didn’t help me. (Have you been helped by one? So many people have, but I am not one of them.)

There’s also:

I Corinthians 9:24-25a
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.

Previous verses I have written in a notebook of my journey, from years past.

Matthew 13:15b
Otherwise, they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And turn, and I would heal them.

Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

Galatians 5:16
So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Romans 13:14
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

1 John 4:4b
Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.
Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.

Proverbs 10:17
He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
But whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Psalm 25:15
My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.

Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Isaiah 55:2
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Jeremiah 29:5
Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.

Even people who live in the desert can have a garden. Some people buy hydroponic tower gardens to make it even easier.

Now for my personal 2 favorites, which God spoke to me regarding my journey most recently:

Gal 6:9
And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

I almost lost heart for a bit there.

What had happened, was, in the middle of all this, I found out I had a slight allergy to various foods, including wheat. Which means I shouldn’t eat breads or pastas.

I wasn’t allergic to rice, so I started eating more of that.

White rice.

And guess what? You guessed it.

I stopped losing and started gaining weight again!

It had to be the sugar conversion. A week of white rice and I was done with that. Reversed my progress. The scale stopped moving downward and plateaued. So frustrating.

Hebrews 10:35-36
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

Back to the vision board idea - I’ve recently been listening to Terri Savelle Foy’s book on decluttering, and she talks about going through each room and envisioning what you want it to look like, and writing down your plans to make it that way. She uses the following verses as she talks about that vision:

Habakkuk 2:2-3
Then the LORD answered me and said,
“Record the vision
And inscribe it on tablets,
That the one who reads it may run.
For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

Friend, can you see how these verses can tie in with your vision of you at your goal weight?

Keep going.

Endure.

Don’t throw away your confidence.

Your vision is coming. Do God’s will and receive what He has promised you.

Stay faithful. Stay true.

Do you have a favorite verse for your weight-loss journey? Share it with us in the comments. Can’t wait to hear your success story!