Fasting for help to overcome dysfunctional eating

Zceptre said:

Focusing on failure and feeling like a failure is what keeps us locked in to failure. It's a vicious cycle of failing, negative feelings, negative feelings drive us toward trying to feel better, we reach for whatever poor habit we are stuck in to feel better, then the cycle restarts with negative feelings being reinforced by the experienced falling to the habit. Try to make sure you don't let the negative feelings in, and use scripture to establish identity rather than what we "feel" in looking at our own doings and judging ourselves based on what we observe. For example, Romans 8:37 and Philippians 1:6 tell us we are victors and champions through Christ and that He will finish what He started in us and in that we can keep confidence in ourselves rather than believing false feelings that are lies. We are never failures in Christ no matter what we may be seeming to fail at. Winners win even if they lose a battle, because they know that the fight isn't over just because they didn't hit the mark one time. They know their identity as a winner, and their confidence doesn't drop because they failed to hit the bullseye, but rather they have positive feelings right on that they can win and they double down and are even more determined to succeed.

Seeking the heart of God is the reason for fasting. It's like saying to your significant other (since we are the Bride of Christ), "these other things mean less than you and I am putting them aside to focus on you." The reason food is the primary object to fast from is because we typically view it as what sustains us, what makes us feel better, what gives us life and so on. We as Christians who believe not in materialism but rather in God's love and trust in Him to sustain us put food to the side to show we do not trust in food to make us feel better, and that it is not our primary sustenance, and a statement in behavior that we do not put food or anything (since it is high on the list for humans) above Him in our dependence on something.

So for example, if one doesn't have a problem with food and hasn't much of an appetite to begin with, social media may be what they spend far too much time on, or watching the television or playing games to feel better may be a vice they have, or better still they may not be an alcoholic but they may realize they are depending a bit too much on wine to ease their mind a few afternoons every week. We choose to put these things to the side and concentrate our focus on God and our relationship with Him in prayer, and in reading His Word which reveals His heart to us to have a stronger connection to Him versus depending on whatever particular activity or material sustenance of choice we happen to typically use to "get by."

Something that can be helpful and that can change the perspective of the situation is the concept of "chasing rainbows." When we feel like giving in to something and it seems impossible to not grab whatever habit and run with it, we can remind ourselves that we are chasing a rainbow and that the "satisfaction" we are seeking will simply not be satisfying at all ultimately. The deception is then revealed for what it truly is, a temporary mood boost that results in more permanent negative feelings of failure or having been tricked by our flesh. We remind ourselves that we are "chasing a rainbow" and the pot of gold at the end is an illusion that is deceiving us. In other words, after we give in, the cycle will just start again. This can help us to see past the "trick" that we will actually feel better knowing it will impede our ultimate progress. A quote that may help with this also along these lines is, "Don't give up what you want most, for what you want right now."

Another thing that can help is simply telling ourselves we will "do it later" and turn our focus to other activities like reading the Bible or praying or yet still anything that will distract us long enough to move on from the "passing urge" to do whatever is nagging us. Often we do this with other things and we put it off until later, saying we will do it later to ourselves and we find ourselves not really ever doing it. So this then is a kind of way of turning that habit into a force for good to give us a small boost in accomplishing something with less effort in willpower and more so through methods of mentality.

One of the things I've found helpful with avoiding eating if I feel I need to do so is drinking water, or tea, or maybe even coffee or fruit juice (healthy versions obviously). When one gets hungry sometimes we are either also thirty or just thirsty. This isn't always the case, but even if it isn't, drinking lots of water is good for us and can make us feel much better than we typically would if we were not flushing our system regularly. It also abates hunger fairly well and it always makes a person feel clean and hydrated and can become a very enjoyable replacement for eating lots of food. Drinking lots of water we typically do not "overdo" it as you reach a point of being satisfied and there isn't really any guilt in drinking it, you can drink until fully satisfied. It doesn't, obviously, get rid of our desire to eat entirely, but can greatly minimize it and definitely drops any semblance of "hunger pains" if one has been succeeding in abstaining from food for a more lengthy period of time. Keeping a glass of water or tea or bottle of water nearby is a helpful tool when fasting.

Lastly, Daniel didn't actually entirely stop eating when he fasted and essentially went on what we could accurately call a kind of "diet." When he fasted he simply didn't eat more fancy and delightful foods and wine. It says he drank no wine nor ate any pleasant food (Daniel 10:3). So essentially he simply ate a little food to sustain his life, but nothing that was an indulgence or gratifying to the flesh.

Desiring to lose weight on the fast is not a bad thing. Killing two birds with one stone is a wise thing to do. We would want our children to desire to be healthy and I'm certain God doesn't see us wanting to be healthy as a bad thing either, since He is a good Father after all. The best Father truly.

I wouldn't let the idea of including the desire to lose weight in your fast make you feel selfish at all. Quite the opposite really, I think it is diligent and responsible and what we should aim for. It isn't bad in any way to want to be healthy and to look better and feel better. It is how God designed us and it is a good thing to take care of what God has given us.

The only other thing I can think of to add to this is I wouldn't be so much focused on a particular ideal to strive for as I would be focused on getting better or doing better as opposed to doing worse. We only move two directions in life and we never "set still." We are always either getting better and moving forward, or getting worse and moving backwards. Being mindful of this can give us an edge in succeeding as it simplifies things for one, and it also gives us encouragement every little step forward that we are moving in the right direction, and encouragement is key to accomplishing new things or better things.

Also, it made sense.

Saying a prayer for you in this.

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timf said:

Genetically people whose ancestors survived brutal winters often had a greater ability to store fat. Babies who were bottle fed can be six times more likely to be overweight. Children who have been exposed to abuse can develop excessive eating habits as a way to comfort themselves. People in the past (when the world ran on muscle power) got a lot more exercise that people today. The use of sugar in many processed foods is only one way foods are designed to be more addictive.

It can be a good idea to shift your diet away from carbs to more fruits and vegetables and protein. Some people simply skip meals and rely on light snacking throughout the day. You might consider supplementing with a vitamin with minerals as much of our crops are gown in fields that have had the micronutrients depleted decades ago.

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