Today, I’m going to review the “I’m making plans for change” stage and what it means. I hope you laid the foundation of your new healthy lifestyle on Bedrock previously!
I’ve mentioned before about the importance of a strong “Why” when you are making any lifestyle change.
Remember, “If you have a strong enough ‘Why’, you can figure out almost any ‘How’.”
The plans that you make at this stage are the beginning of the ‘How’.
This is a critical step in bringing your dreams into reality.
If the ‘Why’ is the Bedrock on which your foundation is laid, then your plans are the Frame.
Ultimately, your goal is to create a healthy lifestyle that you can live with.
The problem with many people is that they approach losing weight or any health endeavor as like a Hobo; they go on severe diets (like the Cabbage Soup diet, the Lemonade diet, and other such unbalanced plans), knowing that they couldn’t possibly stay there!
Their attitude is, “Well, I’ll do it temporarily so I can look good for my class reunion or for this cruise.”
They may lose the weight, but gain back even more. They wander from diet to diet, never staying in one place for very long.
The ‘Stages of Change’ process however, invites you to build a house that you can live in – a custom house that fits the way you live and that is appropriate for the territory that God has given you to occupy.
When you start with that attitude, then you are willing to do the necessary work to make it happen.
You are willing to build your new lifestyle one habit at a time.
Before you can make a plan to implement a healthy lifestyle, you need to clearly define the problems that stand in the way.
What daily habits are keeping you from living a healthy lifestyle?
What are the “thorns in the flesh” (as the Apostle Paul describes them) that you deal with every day?
You see, I’ve discovered that it’s not what you do every once in a while that gets you in trouble; it is those habits you practice every day that tend to escape your notice!
Again, you want to focus on the habit/habits that you practice REGULARLY.
Working on changing these is going to make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time.
For example, habits that I’ve had to deal with in the past include:
- Eating when I am not hungry
- Continuing to eat after my body is satisfied
- Not drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day
- Not eating at least 2 cups of green vegetables every day
- Not exercising at all
- Living on fast food
Once you list your current habits, then decide which ones disturb your peace the most.
Pick a maximum of 2 habits to work on at first – the most important ones to you. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself because with overwhelm comes the desire to forget the whole thing!
Then, put on your creativity hat and decide what you can do to change those habits for the better.
When I really thought about it, I used to eat a lot because I was bored or because I used food to procrastinate on projects. So part of my plan was to list things for myself to do. Then, when my mind said “Go eat,” instead of immediately obeying, I asked myself “Am I hungry?”
Seek the Lord for wisdom as to what plans you can create to change your habits.
Psalm 37:5 advises:
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”
Take time to write down your plan. Even if you just pick one habit to work on, that will still get you one step closer to where you want to be.
You’ll gain confidence and hope that you will eventually build a healthy lifestyle that is uniquely YOU.
Be Blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author of the Take Back Your Temple program
I am so grateful that God sent you my way Kimberly Taylor!
I give all praise to our Father! He is good 🙂
Great post…very practical! Going to work on Habit #1 Minimum 8 glasses of water daily (start, end of day, every meal/snack, water bottle handy) and Habit #2 Meal planning/groceries vs fast food (time mgmt – prep meals)
Sounds good, Gaya!
My top Harmful Habits
1. I don’t exercise at all!
2. I sit all day because of the nature of my work
3. I order a lot for food delivery and most of the time it’s fast food
4. I love sweets
I plant to at least spend 5 to 10 minutes exercise every day
I won’t order fast food anymore
Nothing has seemed to work for years to stop of cycle of compulsively overeating. I am excited to start this journey and looking for an accountability buddy. I am going to start by working on
1. Not eating bread or sugar
2. Not eating out unless it has been planned in advance with friends/family. As my husband and I have been spending $1500 to $1800/month eating out for over 10 years which has lead to our heart and diabetes issues
Hi Brenda – You are in the right place! Please share your journey in the group for accountability. Also, may I make a recommendation? Focus on the things you will ADD in your health journey as opposed to the things you are choosing to stay away from. Here is an example: https://takebackyourtemple.com/dirty-secret-of-sugar-addiction/.
I applaud you also for assessing the monetary cost of eating out. Not only has it cost you health (heart and diabetes) issues, but up to $21,600 per year! I am sure you can direct that money to other priorities in your life. May the Lord continue to bless you in wisdom and perseverance through His Spirit, my sister!
I have had to admit that I am an emotional eater. Happy or sad, food is always a part of dealing with those emotions.
I have not taken the time to find other options when dealing with emotions.
Hi Eleanor – Thank you for your post! Most of us grew up not knowing there ARE other options when emotions overwhelm us! After all, as children we didn’t have many options and we learned food makes us feel better. The problem comes when that “option” starts taking away our peace and impacts our health! As adults we recognize that we have the power to make a different choice – to make daily choices that not only serves us well now, but in the future.
Hello, All. I’m new here and want to thank you each of you for sharing. It’s a great help to know I’m not at this alone. And even though I know I’m not the only one who struggles, it can certainly feel that way often times. So again, Thank You.
Someone mentioned above starting with the two habits that seem to have the greatest hold. I will have to say those are 1) eating and drinking (alcohol) to make me feel better and 2) not exercising. And this attitude of “it’s what I want” without considering if it’s hurting or helping my temple has got to stop. I’m tired of being tired and HAVE to make this change. I’m glad you said to start with two. I’ve had this philosophy that has failed me so many times- “go hard or go home” which also means “go all in,” stop everything and start everything….I know it sounds crazy and it has been. So, I’ll LISTEN and TRUST and PRAY and start with these two. I will put “real” food in my body, cut out the alcohol and walk 30 minutes a day.
Great goals, Amber – remember to take it one day at a time. But patient and kind with yourself. If you don’t meet your goal one day, just continue. This is not an ”all or nothing” journey. God bless you as you walk with Him each day!
Wow! When I take time to actually be mindful of the daily habits that hinder my health, the list is LONG!!! So I have picked 2 to start:
1. Eating “meals“ not snacks. I get busy and get hungry without having a meal planned or prepared so I grab snacks (usually unhealthy) to deal with hunger. Then when a meal is ready I still eat. So I am going to be intentional about planning meals and refuse to snack if it’s meal time and I have not had a meal. This one will be a faith fight but I will overcome.
2. Eating while doing other things. I think this makes me eat more than I should because I am eating mindlessly. So when I am home, I am only going to eat at my kitchen table. When I am not at home, I will be sure to unplug from anything I am doing when I eat.
More to come …
Awareness is the first step of change, Shannon – you are on your way with God’s help!
Kim, this program is filled with things I have never thought about or taken serious long enough for them to matter in my life. I have quite a few daily habits that are standing in the way of me living a healthy lifestyle. I will start with the two that have the strongest hold on me. I know that if I change these two, the rest of them will fall off as well. Emotional eating and no exercising.
That sounds like a wise plan, Stephanie 🙂
My goal is to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water and to eat 2 cups of green vegetables. I have a 32 oz water bottle and I will fill it up twice during the day and add lemon. I also have salad in the refrigerator and I will eat it for lunch.
My #1 focus is to quit alcohol. My eating goes out of control. I know that the Lord’s plan for my life does not include alcohol. I used to hear Him so clearly and I want that relationship back.
Fantastic, Teresa! Ask Him what is the wisest first step to take to become alcohol free. God bless you 🙂
I have a lot of them. 1st on would be more water. I hate water it makes me very bloated and gives me heartburn some times.
The 2nd one only eat when hungry. This is hard because I emotional eat and I eat when I’m bored
Hi Marlo – thank you for sharing! One of the things you will need to be successful in your plans is to get specific on solutions. That starts with asking yourself the right questions. Here are a few to think about:
1. You said that water makes you bloat and give you heartburn. Yet, your goal is to drink more water. With the way you are thinking about this right now, this isn’t likely to happen. Why? Because to you, drinking more water means more bloating and more heartburn! Question…could it be that you are trying to gulp water down and drink too much at once rather than sipping a little at a time?
Another question to consider…how do you know it’s water drinking that makes you bloat and gives you heartburn and not something that you are eating? Many times, salty foods makes you bloat because it makes you retain water. However, if you lowered the salt, then water flushes your system and improves your circulation.
Is it possible to put a water filter on your faucet to remove any chemicals that make water distasteful? Put lemon or lime juice in your water? Add fruit slices like strawberry or oranges to your water? I recommend doing some more investigation here to be sure that what you believe about water is true.
I would recommend addressing the water issue before thinking about the eating part. When you are ready, here are some things to think about with eating:
2. You said your goal is to eat only when you are hungry. But you said this is hard because you emotionally eat and eat when you are bored. So again, if you don’t provide alternatives to cope with your emotions and boredom, then its unlikely you will achieve your goal. Here are some questions to think about:
– What are some of the emotions that drive you to eat? Are you eating brain-hijacking foods that take away your self-control?
– Regarding boredom…do you have any projects that you’ve wanted to do with your life but have been procrastinating on? Make a list of those and keep it handy. In that way, when you feel bored, look at that list and do something small from it. The feeling of accomplishment you have will start to make you want to do more.
Ask the Lord for His wisdom as to a small step you can take right now to move forward. Go back and read what you wrote because if you look at it, you’ll see that you are giving yourself reasons why you CAN’T do what you want to do, not reasons why you can.
I am just getting started with this journey, and I am excited to see where God takes me. My #1 challenge is eating when I’m not hungry, and then eating too much when I do eat. My plan is to reduce my portions and do my best to eat only until satisfied. Challenge #2 is to get some kind of exercise every day, even if it’s only 15 minutes. My job is very sedentary, and when I am focused on a task, I forget to get up and move. There are plenty more I need to work on, but I am taking your advice and starting only with two. I tend to jump in with both feet, and quickly get overwhelmed or frustrated. I want permanent change, and He is the only one that can bring it.
Amen, Lyndsay! It sounds like you have a winning attitude needed to go the distance. May the Lord bless you every step of the journey!
just started a the beginning. i have been good at starting in the middle wanting fast results. this time i am starting at the beginning one day at a time.
Praise God, Nancy! May the Lord bless you as you walk out this journey day by day and step by step!
It’s time to take back my temple . Thank you for your prayers and help.
May the Lord bless you on this wonderful and worthy journey to take back your temple, Cynthia! Glad to have you join us on the journey 🙂
I’m so excited to start this journey
Glad to have you join us, Karen!
Drinking water is a difficult task for me. Water is sometimes boring. So when I sense the desire for an unhealthy food; I will realize that perhaps, I am not hungry but thirsty and reach for the water first. I have a cobalt blue glass that holds 16 oz. and it’s appealing to drink from. If I fill and empty that just 4x/day. I will have overcome a challenge. Thanks for the suggestion to pick 2 as a starting place and to journal it. I journal my prayer times now, so I will just add my progress there. #2 challenge is I do not leave the confines of my house at all for days on end. I get little exercise and for that matter, little to no sunshine either which is essential to lift depression, generate a healthy sleep cycle and absorb vitamin D. My recent blood work proves that I am deficient of vitamin D. I often stay awake until 4 a.m. and do not get 8 hours in a row of sleep. I will commit to letting the sunshine in, stepping outdoors for a few minutes each day even if it’s just to get the mail. It’s a baby step, but a step. If I can make it a habit, I know something more will grow out of it.
Those sound like AWESOME small steps, Judi FitzGerald! I know you’ll feel better from them and will see them add up. God bless you on this journey Sister!
My #1 goal is to stop binge watching tv. I find that I’m eating mindlessly while watching. Tried giving TV up altogether but that only lasted a day. I have just made a schedule which allows me to watch tv for 1 hour a day, thus not missing my favorite shows. Nothing will be watched back to back. No eating while watching. My #2 goal is to stop eating sugar. Taking this one 1 step at a time. Step one: Stay out of Company snack drawer. Keep healthy snacks in my desk drawer.
Those are excellent goals, Bonita! I recommend writing your goals down on 3 pieces of paper or index cards: One to carry with you, one on your bathroom mirror, and one at your workplace. Read them out loud several times a time to keep them in mind. Ask the Lord: How can I set up my environment to make working on these goals easier for myself each day? Have an accountability partner? Set reminders on my phone? Keep things I want to do, close to me but the things I don’t want to do far away from me? Whatever He tells you to do, do it.
As for the binge watching TV, here is a quote I heard fairly recently from a manager in a fast food restaurant, talking to some teenagers working there: ”If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean!” Check out your living environment to see in there are any projects that you have wanted to do but thought you didn’t have time. Create a list of them, then apply the time that you used to devote to binge watching to checking off those projects. You will feel better getting those done.
The 2 habits I am going to work on are eating only when I am hungry and getting my water in.
Those are great goals, Mandi! I recommend using an app or journal each day to document your progress. Otherwise, it is too easy to forget in the business of life. May the Lord bless you on this day to day journey with Him!
I have the water down pat…I recently gave up sodas..going to practice eating only when hungry and portion control…I appreciate all the tips…
This was just what I needed today! I chose 2 habits to work on: eating when not hungry (especially in the evenings) and eating too fast (so I end up overeating). My plan for the first one is to check my hunger level to see if it’s physical or mental hunger; then pray for wisdom for what to do if I am not actually hungry. If I still am not sure, I will drink a glass of water and wait a bit. For the second one, my plan is to chew each bite slowly before taking another, to sip water between bites, to eat the best bits of food first so I won’t feel like I’ve missed out if I am full before I finish the plate.
Thank you for all the wonderful resources on this site. God bless you