Intentions of Spirit-Led Eating Unpacked

Speaker 1 0:01

Hi and welcome to our podcast , revelation Within On the Go . I'm Heidi Biles-Mapperson , one of your hosts and the owner and lead coach of the RevelationWithinorg ministry .

Speaker 2 0:13

And I'm Christina Motley , your other host , also a Revelation Within coach and Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within . We are so happy to invite you to join us for this episode of Revelation Within on the show Waka waka , it was Fozzie the bear , it was Fozzie the bear , and are we dating ourselves again ? Just a bit ?

Speaker 1 0:47

there and are we dating ourselves again ? Well , welcome to our episode today . We are so glad you're joining us , and , christina , I'm so glad to be here with you too .

Speaker 2 0:52

Oh , I'm so glad to be here with you , Heidi , always .

Speaker 1 0:56

So we are making our way through the five intentions of spirit-led eating . Of course , holy Spirit-led eating is what we desire to do at Revelation . Within , we want to surrender our lives completely to the Holy Spirit of God , not just our eating , but definitely our eating and we do a lot of mind renewal that helps us want to do that and want to surrender our spending , surrender the way we talk . It's just all about giving our lives to the Lord for his direction , for his leadership , to do what he's prepared in advance for us to do for his glory .

Speaker 1 1:32

So , that's where we're at . I love that . I do too . I really do . So we're going to go ahead and read through all of the intentions . We have made podcasts for each of the intentions . Intentions we have made podcasts for each of the intentions one , two , three and four , and today will be five that we'll be unpacking . So we're going to read through them all . First , though , to give it context .

Speaker 2 1:53

My body is a gift from God to me and is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image and by his careful and loving design . I am his beautiful masterpiece , his poetry in motion , one of a kind . I look to the Holy Spirit for his wisdom and loving leadership . Therefore , I will honor my God-given body with these intentions .

Speaker 1 2:16

Yay . Intention number one I will busy myself as the Spirit leads until I prayerfully sense a physical hunger signal .

Speaker 2 2:23

Number two I will invite the spirit of God into my meal with a heart of gratitude and praise .

Speaker 1 2:31

Number three I will choose food in a just right sized portion that delights my taste buds and causes my body to feel energized and strong .

Speaker 2 2:39

Number four I will create a peaceful eating experience by being present with a food and reducing distractions .

Speaker 1 2:48

Intention number five I will stop eating before my stomach is full , at the peaceful place , of just enough , and that is the intention we are unpacking today .

Speaker 2 3:01

Yes , it is , and you know what . To be honest , this is the hardest one . Yeah , this is the hardest one for pretty much everybody . You know . We have people say , okay , number one , yes , you know , I can feel hunger and that's , that's okay . And well , I'm working on eating more peacefully , I'm working on gratitude and praise and these other things sound really good . I can work on those . And then we get to number five and we get this look from everybody , you know , and it's just like this one I don't know what to do with . I don't know how to stop , I don't want to stop and I'm struggling so much and then , if I do stop , it's like it's like I can't repeat it again , it's like it doesn't last . I'm always struggling with stopping before my stomach is full and then , once I've moved on from there , I just keep going , because what's the point ? I mean , how many of us have felt that way time and time and again ?

Speaker 1 4:07

While it's true that this is really really hard for us and for most of our participants , that this is really really hard for us and for most of our participants , we do get the freedom to choose , and that's why this intention , along with the other four , starts with the words I will , because I can choose to stop Now . This is to be honest with you . This is where our mind renewal comes in , because if I find myself again and again not willing myself to stop eating , then I there's probably some things I believe that like , for instance , that this is going to benefit me and we're going to talk about that in a moment . What some of the lies are . I might be believing , but I want to renew my mind . Tell God , what are your thoughts about this .

Speaker 1 4:48

I think I can't stop right now , but what is true ? I think that eating more will be a benefit to me in some way . What is true ? What are your thoughts about that ? So I have the power of Christ living in me to enable me to choose to stop . I have everything I need for life and godliness , and that includes the ability to stop . It may not seem like it , but if he raised Jesus out of the grave and Jesus came exploding out of the tomb . I know that he can raise me up from my old habits and things that have really held me back . I know he can explode those chains off of me and that means I can stop eating if I yeah , if I will it to be so and lean into God's power .

Speaker 1 5:36

So let's talk about some of the lies that we might believe that might keep us from choosing to stop eating at any point in time , no matter where we are in terms of satisfaction . What are some of those lies , Christina .

Speaker 2 5:49

Yeah Well , and another one that we hadn't talked about before just came into my mind . How about this one ? This food is so healthy and so good for me . I should eat as much of this , as much as I possibly can , and it sounds kind of ridiculous , but you know what I've seen it .

Speaker 1 6:08

I've seen people do it .

Speaker 2 6:09

Yes , we have all , and I know that I've had those thoughts too in the past .

Speaker 1 6:14

It's usually salads , if I can be honest with you .

Speaker 2 6:16

Right , it's not usually candy bars .

Speaker 1 6:20

No , no , it's ginormous salads Big , big , big ones .

Speaker 2 6:25

Yeah , it is , and there is a belief there and most of us we don't know that we have these beliefs . Most of us , we don't know that we have these beliefs . Most of us , we have just been in these patterns for so long and we've heard these things for so long that it's just there . It's kind of our go-to or our default . But that's one of them . If the food is so healthy , I should just eat as much of it as I can . My body needs this much . That's definitely a lie .

True vs False Beliefs About Eating

Speaker 1 6:57

Let's talk about what is true if you believe that or if I believe that .

Speaker 2 7:01

So what is true about this big , beautiful healthy meal in front of me , with all the colors and textures and flavors and it happens to be on everybody's quote unquote healthy list ? What is true is that it's just food . Huh .

Speaker 1 7:20

Yes , you mean . It's not the food that I have to eat , that my parents made me eat so I could get the reward of the food I like to eat .

Speaker 2 7:29

No , it's just fuel , it's just food , that's all it is . Just because it looks a certain way or it's on somebody's list doesn't mean that it's magical . It's just food . And your stomach is the same size . Oh , that's another . I just thought of another lie that my stomach is bigger when I'm hungrier . That's another one . Yeah , and it's not , it's the same size .

Speaker 1 7:54

That's another I just thought of another lie , that my stomach is bigger when I'm hungrier . Another one yeah , and it's not . It's the same size . That's the truth for that one .

Speaker 2 7:59

I know people who have really struggled with this one , with the healthy food portions thing . It has driven them for years in a direction of overfueling their bodies , and so what happens ? When we overfuel , we don't feel well , it's not good for us , and then we carry whatever that extra was that our body can't process because it was too much , right , and so that's a big one . Okay , I love what you said about what is true . What is true is that God made these beautiful foods for us to eat in moderation and for us to eat when our body needs fuel and just enough . What is another lie , heidi , that you know , that you've experienced or heard ?

Speaker 1 8:49

There are so many , I'm just picking one . The one that popped into my head as you were talking about your lie was that , oh my goodness , I have only had carbs all day , so I need to eat X , y or Z because I need protein . And now I may need some protein at some point , but waiting until I'm hungry is a good time to eat that protein . That's what's true . So the lie is that somehow it'll be beneficial to my body to eat when I'm hungry is a good time to eat that protein . That's what's true . So the lie is that somehow it'll be beneficial to my body to eat when I'm not hungry because I haven't had protein yet today . No , that's a lie , just like any other . It's still fuel that I don't need , because my body isn't calling for fuel Right .

Speaker 2 9:27

Yes , okay , here's another one . I mean , I think I've believed all of these , so here's another one . The food won't taste as good or won't satisfy me unless I have a large amount . And actually the truth is it's the opposite . God has made our bodies in such an amazing way . When we're really hungry , those first few bites taste amazing .

Speaker 1 9:56

There's both biblical truth and scientific truth that our taste buds actually are less likely to taste the flavors of food when we're not hungry anymore , so like if you've had a few bites , I think you know it's diminishing in terms of how flavorful it is . So it's not going to be better if you keep eating it . In fact it's going to taste less intensely wonderful .

Speaker 2 10:24

Yes , I have an example of this . Years ago , when I was around 1920 , I decided that I needed to experience hunting in the dead of winter in .

Speaker 2 10:39

Wisconsin with my then boyfriend , now husband . And so here we are , out in the middle of this wilderness . We're in the snow . I'm from California . It is colder than I have ever experienced . I feel like I'm going to die of cold , even though I'm wearing like 24 layers . And we're hunting . Well , I'm not hunting , I'm just along for the ride . I'm walking with my husband , we're hiking around , I'm totally exhausted .

Speaker 2 11:06

And we run into his dad , and his dad is out there too . And his dad says to us are you guys hungry ? And I look at him like we're just about to starve to death . I didn't say anything , of course , but that's what I was thinking . And he said I left some sandwiches under such and such tree at the end of this path , this kind of thing under the snow , in like a little container . And so David and I were hungry , we're exhausted , we're tired , we're pulling this deer by its antlers through the snow and we get to this lunch . Okay , so let me just tell you what it consisted of . Okay , so let me just tell you what it consisted of .

Speaker 2 11:58

It was white bread and it was these slabs of butter like cut slabs , and then one like a piece of ham like lunch meat and another another piece of white bread and really cheap beer , like the cheapest beer you can buy .

Speaker 1 12:13

I would need the cheap beer to be able to eat that sandwich .

Speaker 2 12:17

Let me just tell you it was one of the most delightfully delicious , satisfying meals David and I have ever eaten , because we were so so hungry and thirsty and it tasted amazing , even though it was what I just described . Oh my , gosh .

Speaker 2 12:39

So that's kind of an example . But what is true is that once we're into our meal , several bites , the flavor starts to come down . It's not tasting as good and it's coming down . And that's God's design , which blows my mind . It's amazing to me , Blows my mind that he would come up with that , but he's God so he knows everything . I mean , I really think that he knew we would struggle with this intention with stopping before our stomach is full .

Speaker 2 13:13

Okay , here's another one of the lies that I have told myself a million times in the past More is better , and we're also hearing this from our whole world , our society , from the media , the magazines , the everywhere we look . It says more is better , get more , get more , eat more . Two for one , three for one , you know ? Supersize , have as much as you want , have it your way . So is more better . How do I feel when I've had too much ? Oh blah , yeah blah . Bloated , uncomfortable , like I don't want to be active , sluggish and downhearted , guilty , full of shame . Oh my gosh , I did it again . Why did I do that ? Right ? I don't like the way this feels . I over-fueled my body , yeah .

Speaker 1 14:07

I'm stuffed , yeah , and it oftentimes sets us in this downward spiral . When we feel shame in response to overeating , we end up needing comfort and we go to things that comfort us , whether it be more food and more overeating or something else and then we feel more shame and it is hard to break out of that downward spiral .

Speaker 2 14:25

Oh my gosh , it really is else .

Speaker 1 14:26

And then we feel more shame , and it is hard to break out of that downward spiral . Oh my gosh . So one simple lie that leads me to overeat can definitely wreak havoc for sure . Another lie that often leads us to eat more than we need is I may never get to eat this again . Yeah , definitely . Especially on vacations or holiday times , when people we don't see often bring special meals or dishes to events , it's like I need to eat it now because there's no other chance for me to do that . So what is true is I can get the recipe for almost any food that anybody can make , and I can make it for myself and people I love and care about and share

Embracing Peaceful Eating Habits

Speaker 1 15:06

it . And besides that here's the thing . Is that more important than living as the redeemed man or woman of God who has the Holy Spirit in me , enabling me to demonstrate peace , joy , love , patience , kindness , goodness , faithfulness , gentleness and self-control ? I mean , I have those attributes as I lean into the Holy Spirit . Do I really believe that pumpkin pancakes are impossible for me to deny myself ?

Speaker 2 15:35

Right , no . And then the question is why is this so incredibly important to me ? What's going on with this ? What's attached to it ? Let's pull it apart . Maybe it's an emotional thing of some kind , some kind of attachments , so let's that's not where we want , to be so fixated and obsessed .

Speaker 1 15:56

So we , of course , could go on and talk about all kinds of lies that we believe that cause us to not want to stop eating , but we'll save that for an episode dedicated to that , perhaps , yes .

Speaker 2 16:08

Anyway , so good one it is .

Speaker 1 16:11

It is so , christina . This intention says I'm going to stop eating before my stomach is full . Let's talk about this word before , relative to before my stomach is full . What do we do with that ?

Speaker 2 16:24

Why , well the reason that we use the words in this way is because when you get to that place of just enough , it is before full and there's really no sensation . It's just kind of a quiet , peaceful place . The hunger signal is gone , you're not uncomfortable anymore because you need fuel . You're fueled up but you're not full . So the full feeling has a sensation , and that is when the food is pushing against the walls of your stomach .

Speaker 2 16:55

We can feel that , but satisfied or just enough , we can't physically feel it , and so that's why we use those words before . I will stop eating before my stomach is full , because that's where we want to be and that's kind of a tricky place to find . Full is too much food and , like I said , there's a sensation there . So we know and you probably don't want to be active after that we talked about that a minute ago you feel bloated , you can tell that you've over-fueled your body and for many of us , that sensation of full is kind of a comfort . It's like what you've always done . It's how you felt after you ate at grandma's . It's like , oh , this is good . This is one of the big lies is that full is good ?

Speaker 1 17:49

Or full is necessary , but I've got to feel that fullness and that's a lie .

Speaker 2 17:55

Or full is something I deserve . Full is what the king and queen feel . This is so funny . I was laughing so hard the other day , but now where , what ?

Speaker 2 18:05

I don't remember where I saw it , but somebody said I want to learn to eat like the people who live at Downton Abbey . And they are these like very wealthy to do people . So you would think that they would eat so much because they have this amazing table and they have cooks and cooks , assistants and all the best food . But they eat very slowly , very carefully , very peacefully , very small portions , and I know because I've seen the entire series now three times in the last 10 years with my parents , with my daughter , with my husband . Anyway , they are peaceful eaters and you can watch every dining scene and you can see it . And so that idea that full is better , somehow , that full is what I deserve . That full is . You know how the king and queen would eat . You know how the king and queen would eat . That's not the truth . The truth is just enough , is peaceful . That's where the reward is Doing things God's way the way he designed .

Speaker 2 19:17

that's where the reward is Not having too much .

Speaker 1 19:22

Right , right . I think that , over the course of my life anyway , fullness was always exalted as being yep , that's what we want , that's what we're after , and stopping before that intentions . We want to be peaceful eaters for a lot of different reasons , but if we want to be peaceful eaters , we want to end the meal before we get to a place where there's any reason for us to feel regret , regret is an enemy of peace .

Speaker 1 20:00

I really feel that , yeah , that is . It's a peaceful place of just enough , just enough . And here's the thing I think it's easy to forget when I get hungry again , I can eat .

Speaker 2 20:17

What ? Oh , really yeah .

Speaker 1 20:19

It's crazy . We do forget that . Yeah , it's like I could even have the same meal again if I wanted to , if I'm hungry . I've kind of had a personal boundary because I know myself well that I won't get seconds when I'm sitting down to a meal Most of the time I follow that not always , and that stays with me , even when I'm not so good about the other intentions , because I've just gotten into the habit of making my first portion enough for sure . So for me that's a good way of helping me practically to stay away from overdoing it . Overeating it doesn't mean I never overeat , don't get me wrong . I overeat , yeah , but um , it is . It is a peaceful place , it is a place where I recognize this is the way my body was intended to operate and I'm operating myself within the parameters that got established , and that's a really good feeling . That's a good feeling , yeah , yeah . What else do we want to say about this intention ?

Speaker 2 21:22

Well , okay . So peaceful eating is a happy medium . It's sustainable For me . I was always at one extreme or the other . For years and years of dieting and being anything but a peaceful eater . I was either restricting , restricting . Restricting , so I was not at peace , so I felt deprived , so I felt hungry , so I was eating food I didn't even like , or I was eating to full , past full , past full all the time , and so I was never in that middle place . And then I would say things like why do I keep gaining weight ? What's wrong with me ? And it's like we weren't meant to live at these extremes . Those are both really hard on our bodies . Being in the middle , I mean , our God is a God of order and peace , not chaos and confusion . He is . You . Look at the world that he created and it's amazing . He wants us to be at peace .

Speaker 2 22:25

He wants us to be in the middle enjoying food , but at just enough and full is just too much . It's grabbing for too much at one time . Like you said , heidi , as soon as you're hungry again , go ahead and have more of the same thing if you want , or that other thing or that other thing . Every time you reach a zero , it's time to fuel up again . Exactly and those are truths that I'm kind of embarrassed to say I didn't know until I was like 45 .

Speaker 1 22:57

Yeah .

Speaker 2 22:58

I get it .

Speaker 1 22:58

But I'm so grateful .

Speaker 2 23:00

Yeah , and I know that so many of you listening have had the same experience .

Speaker 1 23:04

Yeah , so let's back up to to our preamble , and I want to challenge all of us take this preamble . And again , if you want to download these intentions , you can do that by going to teamlifeisgoodcom forward slash five . That's the number five intentions , no spaces in any of that anywhere . So that's teamlifeisgoodcom forward slash five intentions , and the preamble is included in that .

Speaker 1 23:32

And what if you were to read this out loud to yourself Well to God , welcome him into it At least once a day . My body is a gift from God to me and is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image and by his careful and loving design . I am his beautiful masterpiece , his poetry and motion , one of a kind . I look to the Holy Spirit for his wisdom and loving leadership . Therefore , I will honor my God given body with these

Finding Truth Through Daily Reflection

Speaker 1 24:05

intentions . What if we were to read that every day ? It's like you don't have to believe it when you start reading it . It is rooted in truth . We have a Bible verse for most of those statements . And what's so cool is , as I tell myself , the truth . I believe the truth . And as I believe the truth , I act on the truth .

Speaker 2 24:23

So yay , yay . Well , we are so glad that you've been here today . Now we've done a podcast on all five intentions of spirit led eating . We hope that this has been helpful in some way . We hope that you'll join us next time on our podcast Revelation Within . Yay , thanks for joining us .

Speaker 1 24:44

Thanks for being here . Bye-bye on the show , yay . Thanks for joining us .

Speaker 2 24:48

Thanks for being here , bye , bye .