You've Lost Weight!

Morning Coffee with Marji

People are beginning to notice. A few have commented with a hint of concern. "Marji, you've lost weight. Are you alright?" Then there's the usual follow-up, "What diet are you on?"

I'm not on a diet. I'm at war. When I was diagnosed with cancer and began to study what I could do to build my immune system, the subject of sugar was the first eye-opener.

That's when I heard the first war cry, "You have to change your eating habits!" Then, when I discovered how many hidden sugars are in our food, the rumble of the enemy grew closer.

Getting sugar out of the typical American diet exceeds being "not easy." It's a battle against a formidable Goliath that is generating serious health issues in this nation and in the church. It actually approaches the idea of idolatry.

Idolatry!? There's no way I have an idol in my life? That's silly! I'm a believer!

"Marji, you need to cut out all sugar and refined carbohydrates," said the doctor.

What!? NO MUFFINS? I was ready to throw myself on the floor and start kicking and screaming.

Well, this believer discovered that her reactions to not being allowed to satisfy her palate revealed a much larger issue than she thought. I pouted. I felt sorry for myself. I got angry. I snuck, then denied it. I argued. I made excuses...but it's a special event. I acted like a three-year-old demanding... "I want, I want!"

The minute you start to eliminate sugar, Goliath raises his head, and your flesh demands a taste, a lick, a sip. It's because sugar is highly addictive.

Lord, can't I claim Your healing and eat what I want? Isn't praying over my food enough?

People are quick to quote Mark 16:18, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them..." That's presumption. The idea is not to pick up a deadly thing and drink it!

But...but...but... Lord, I love sweets!

How many times have you turned to sweets for emotional comfort? When I was a widow, evenings were so long, lonesome, and boring that I turned to food. Nothing I chose seemed to do it for me. I grazed through the snack foods, chips, cookies, and cinnamon toast, but that didn't satisfy me because the "comfort" I needed wasn't found in food. I was turning to false comforts instead of the Living Lord.

We think we're giving ourselves, or our children, a treat. But there are hidden dangers carefully concealed by manufacturers to hide the quantity of sugar in that treat. We have to be mindful of the fact that there are four different types of sugar: basic simple sugars, such as dextrose, glucose, and sucrose. Solid or granulated sugars, such as cane sugar, brown sugar, and crystalline fructose. Liquid sugars, such as corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and rice syrup. Then, processed sugar derivatives, like cane juice and fruit juice concentrate.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons a day for women, nine teaspoons for men, and three to six teaspoons for children. One soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar. One marshmallow is 14.5 teaspoons. Frosted Flakes have 8.9 teaspoons per serving. A standard store-bought blueberry muffin has between 15 and 30 grams.

Before anything else, I had to repent for turning to food for comfort. Next, I had to repent for not taking care of the temple God had given me. Then, I had to realize that no battle can be won in my strength. It takes radical dependence on the Holy Spirit unto obedience (1 Peter 1:2).

Was I happy? NO. Was it hard? YES. My focus was on health, NOT on losing weight. My focus was on building up my body to wage war against cancer and staying strong in the power of the Lord. Do I slip on occasion? Of Course, but the Lord has shown me what is best and promised to help.

Changing my choices wasn't easy. Changing my habits was the battle. Health was my goal. The result? It just so happened that I lost weight, and people are beginning to notice.