Made to Crave - Chapter 3: Getting a Plan

I'm sharing the high points that I found in each chapter and then I answer the questions at the end of each chapter with my honest feelings. I'm reading the book on my Kindle, so I don't have page numbers for any of the thoughts I have taken from the book. This has been a journey that has spanned at least a decade for me. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm farther along than I used to be. Walk with me and feel free to share your thoughts. Be kind. Be blessed.

Each of the following points were taken straight from the book. No plagiarizing intended.

·        It took effort, intentionality, sweat equity, and determination. Then it took time and commitment before he ever saw any fruit form his labor.

·        Isn’t that the way it is with many things in life – we want the results but have no desire to put in the work required?

·        I’d catch myself wishing I were thinner and making excuses about my age and metabolism, lamenting the unfairness of my genetic disposition and blah, blah, blah.

·        I was just eating too much of the wrong kinds of foods and felt trapped in a cycle of hunger. I felt hungry all the time. And I felt discouraged and down about my escalating weight yet powerless to make the necessary changes.

·        I was too dependent on food for comfort and saw no need for a long-term discipline plan for my eating. I wanted to eat what I wanted, when I wanted, in the quantities I wanted.

·        Poor choices with food will rat me out every time – if not in my waistline then in my energy level and my overall well-being.

·        This journey will require you to make some tough sacrifices, but I’ve come to look at this process as embracing healthy choices rather than denying myself.

Saturday

1. What thoughts, images, or emotions do you associate with the word plan? A schedule or itinerary, instructions, step-by-step guidelines as to how you are supposed to reach your goal. Are you the kind of person who says, “I love it when a plan comes together!” or are you more likely to say “Planschman, can’t we all just go with the flow?” I love having a plan, and the easier the plan is to follow the better.
2. Are there areas of your life in which having a plan works well for you? I like to have a routine. Like what to do on a school day, how Sunday’s work for our family. For example, in your finances, for vacation trips, accomplishing daily tasks, reaching professional goals, reading through the Bible in a year. In these areas of your life, does having a plan feel empowering or restrictive? Both, at times the plan gives me strength because I know what step to take next. But when something comes along that requires me to change the plan and adapt, I really struggle to make the change necessary and then to get back on track when the time is done. Do your feelings change when the plan is about food, what you will eat and not eat? No, I do really well following my plans for a couple weeks, then something will happen that requires me to change my plans for a day or two and it is nearly impossible to get back on track even though it was “easy” before.
3. “My changing body revealed all my secrets…Poor choices with food will rat me out every time”. What is the relationship between food and secrets? Since I was a kid I would sneak treats when I didn’t think anybody was looking. I would hide a package in the back of a cupboard so I wouldn’t have to share. I would eat it in the bathroom where nobody would see and then hide the evidence. What secrets do you think your body reveals? All of them… all the years of eating things I shouldn’t have and eating more than I needed to survive
4. Choosing a healthy eating plan that works for you may require research, experimentation, and consultation with your doctor or other healthcare professionals. How does the prospect of doing these things make you feelDoes it energize you and help you feel equipped or does it overwhelm you and make you feel discouraged? ? I feel overwhelmed. Eating shouldn’t be this complicated. And I think that is the heart of the matter for me. I want to eat what I want when I want and not worry about metabolism or calorie intake. I hate how long it takes to cook a healthy meal when there is so much convenience foods out there… and even the “healthy” convenience choices have there problems.
5. Lysa described her food plan but emphasized the importance of choosing a healthy plan that works for you. What words or phrases would you use to describe the kind of plan you think would be realistic for you over the long term? Easy, quick, something the whole family will eat, something that is affordable, MUST taste good. On a scale of one to ten, how hopeful are you that you can find a realistic food plan, one that you can grow to love just as Lysa grew to love her food plan. About a 7 – I’ve been on this journey for a long time now. I’m better at it than I used to be, but still find my 2 biggest frustrations are how long it takes to cook food from scratch and how much these healthier choices cost.