The other night, my husband Mike decided to make some cheese biscuits.
We’d received a gift card from a fellow church member to Red Lobster. Mike hadn’t been in years and loved the biscuits!
So he decided he wanted to make some.
My test was that he baked them after 7:00 pm, which is normally the time when I end my eating for the day.
I call the 3 hours before bedtime as my ”rest and digest’ period.
So, after he made the biscuits and had them sitting on the counter to cool, I went into the kitchen to get some water. My eyes wandered to the biscuits.
My mind whispered to me, ‘Go on and get one.’
Now I wasn’t hungry and hadn’t even been thinking about the biscuits until I saw them.
I took a deep breath.
Then I turned away from the biscuits and said to myself, ”Not right now.”
I shifted my attention to other things with those 3 little words.
See, the enemy often tries to get you to eat out of fear of scarcity.
He makes you have a ”get while the getting is good” mentality. That somehow if you don’t eat it now, you’ll never get the opportunity again.
Well, saying ”not right now” told the enemy a few things:
1. I don’t eat when my body does not require it.
2. I will eat when my body requires it.
3. Food does not control me.
4. Even if Mike ate all the biscuits and I didn’t get a chance to eat one, I would not die from ”biscuit deprivation.”
To me, this was an easy eating self control trick. I wasn’t telling myself I would never have biscuits again.
That wasn’t true because I like biscuits.
I just reminded myself that “now” was not the time for them!
Saying “not right now” helps you combat against acting impulsively.
As it stood, the biscuits were still there in the morning. I divided them up into plastic bags and froze them.
However, I did leave 1 biscuit out to eat with my lunch. I pre-planned it.
It was pretty good. But one was enough. I know that eating more would have made me feel sluggish and I didn’t want to go there.
What was so funny about this whole thing is that after a couple of days of biscuits, Mike said to me, ”I need to lay off the bread.”
I asked him why.
He said, ”Because it is making me feel bloated.”
I didn’t say anything else. Just goes to show that you can eat anything, but you shouldn’t eat everything.
So try ”not right now” the next time temptation comes and see if that works for you too. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the Comments.
Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?
I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.”
The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through Biblical truth. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.
Join a community of like-minded Christians discovering how to release weight and keep it off.
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Thank u for all ur words of wisdom. I really appreciate reading ur posts. The Lord has given u insight & I admire the work u r doing & what God has done for u. I have struggled off and on w/binge eating all my life. My Mama & Sister were both morbidly obese & they r in Heaven now. I’m about 50 pds overweight & I’m 40 yrs old. My highest weight was also 230. I got down to 155 about 16 yrs ago. After having 3 kids I got back up to 200. I had lost 36 pds again about 2 yrs ago but I’ve gained it all back. I feel discouraged because now that I’m 40 it’s VERY hard to lose weight. Pls pray for me. I hope to receive the self control u’ve received. I pray about it often & most days I don’t binge, but I do fall into the vicious cycle again & again.
Be blessed❤️
Hi Laura – I am praying for you and all who struggle in this area. Many got caught up in the diet mentality/eating issues at a young age and have been struggling 20-40 years with it. So we’ve got a ”briar patch” of negative thinking and emotional strongholds to set up in our minds. The only thing that can cut through this is the ”sword of the Spirit” which is God’s word. At TBYT, we realize the mental and emotional work of weight loss is a lot harder than any physical work you do. Our way to change is the inside out, not the outside in. It’s the way God works! Only He can get us out of the negative cycles we find ourselves in.
Thank you for that article. I was just praying about self-control this morning! God is so good! Thank you for all you do, Kimberly. Blessings.
You are welcome, Molly – stay blessed!
WOW….I like that, I’m excited about it and I will try this strategy, thank sister in Christ!
Thanks for this. Going to give it a go.
Good Word Kim. I am enjoying your facebook posts and sharing them. Blessings
Thanks so much, Joyce – I appreciate the encouragement!
Greatttttt tip!!!
Thank you! Will practice these 3 little words, it seems silly to feel deprived, however knowing this fact does not often help me resist probably because I am a very black and white thinker which is challenging in it’s self.
“I would not die from ‘biscuit deprivation’”! Love this!!
Not right now.
So simple.
This is great encouragement and if taken seriously truly does work. I’ve experienced it myself too. “Not today, but someday” attitude helps keep you focused on your goals. I used to be jealous of my husband who would eat anything right in front of me. I had to learn a new reward system outside of food. It has been harder than I imagined. Yet I embraced my desires and told them to behave. And I’m learning more self-control than I ever thought possible. Thank you for your encouragement!
I appreciate your perspective, Janelle – especially as a fellow weight loss success story! God bless you, my Sister!
I have that “eat it now or will never eat it again” I love the three little words that have such a hugh impact. “Not right now” helps me to focus on what I am about to do and helps me not do it. This applies to other not so good habits in my life. Thank you Kim
Such practical help Kimberly. Thank you. I just wish I could consistently do it in the moment. After 2 years now of making so many changes in what and how much I eat, I have nothing to show for it in actual weight loss – in fact I keep gaining. I’m getting checked out hormonally and I do have a lot of stress. I do keep trying and am faithfully reading all your emails and articles. The Lord has given you such amazing wisdom and insight from His word. Thank you again!
You are welcome, Diane! Just curious, do you have any other signs that you’ve moved in a better direction health-wise other than the scale? Check out the list in this article.
If you truly haven’t seen changes, then could sugar be wrecking havoc with your hormones? Typically when we are stressed, the body craves sugar. It may not even be overt sugar but hidden sugar. Manufacturers sneak sugar into everything, which shows up if you eat a lot of processed food. So if you are having problems releasing weight, that is the #1 I would look at. God bless you!
This brought tears to my eyes, it was so on-target. I’ve been thinking God had been telling me to “eat when I’m hungry, and when I’m not hungry, stop,” for 20 years. It’s something I learned from a friend who taught a small group at our church called, “Hope for the Hungry Heart.” God had taught her that, and she had listened, losing a significant amount of weight. She was very involved in the church, but then got offended and left the area about ten years ago. She broke off all contact with her Christian friends and now claims to be an atheist. She divorced and went back to a homosexual lifestyle. I haven’t had any support in overeating since that group 20 years ago. People don’t think I have a problem, since I don’t look very overweight. But I know I have fear of scarcety. Thank you for echoing what I felt Good had been telling me all these years.
Praise God, Kristine! The Lord is good 🙂
The “fear of scarcity issue” and “get it while the getting is good” really hit home. Thank you.
I am praising God with you, Jackie!
Thank you Kimberly. I didn’t realize that was the self-talk/whispering of the enemy that’s been going on with me. I give in and take a donut at work on autopilot, not recognizing that I get one because I feel like I will miss out when they’re gone. Thank you for sharing your insight. I feel like I’m better equipped to handle that particular rationalization the enemy uses to try to keep me enslaved to sugar.
You are welcome, Cindy. We do have to remain sober and vigilant too as 1 Peter 5:8 advises us. Autopilot is good when it is something beneficial, but we need to be re-train our brains when we find we’ve been programmed for something that will hurt us in the end. May the Lord continue to bless you on this journey!
I think this advice is great! Not right now can mean different things too. I immediately thought ‘ no thanks, it’s not right for me just now ‘. I will use this often! Thank you!
Ha, ha – that variation would work too, Donna. It’s more polite, especially if you have to say it to a person 🙂
Thanks for the good word, Kimberly. This simple truth is profound!
Isn’t it though, Holly? We can make things so complicated at times. I’ve been guilty of that one too when the simple is staring you right in the face.
I plan to practice those 3 words this week. Thanks so much!
Great Carol – love to hear how it goes 🙂
Thank you Kimberly for a great reminder. I’ve had an opportunity to say, not right now when a couple of opportunities can up over the last couple of days This is new for me and look forward to keep on practicing.
Thank you,
Robyn
Awesome Robyn – we all need reminders to help us stay on track!
Huge help Kimberly. Often just want something in my mouth while winding down in the evening. Even though I choose healthy options, I’m well aware of my motives (centered around temporary satisfaction). Appreciate your wise words of advice in this article.
I give God ALL the glory. He is so wise!