A new quest

Ok, so I haven't been much of a blogger, and that probably isn't about to change, but for some reason I felt inspired to write a little about something that's starting to bug me. Over the last few days, I've come to realize that my eating is getting out of control (again) and it hit me today that I'm a sugar addict. I remember hearing some people talk about sugar addiction a few years ago (when I was trying to overcome my long history of bulimia) and I have to admit, I thought they were somewhat ridiculous. Or at least obsessive.

But it has become obvious to me that I am not really in control of my sugar binges. If it's in the house, I eat it. If it's not in the house, I go out and get it. I have almost zero self-control when the craving hits.

So where do I go from here? I should probably clean out my pantry and throw a lot of stuff away, but I'm too much of a spendthrift for that. But I'm willing to make this Commitment: I will not buy any more refined sugar. Not exactly a huge leap, but at least it's a baby step.

And here's where I run into problem number one: my husband. Eric doesn't seem to have any food issues. He is a creature of habit, one of which is packing little storebought cookies in his lunch. Okay, so maybe I can ask him to take the whole package to work with him. What about his ice cream at night? What? No more ice cream? Well, I should probably stay off it for at least a while. Will he go for this? Well, maybe. He's so supportive of me, and he knows of my past food issues, so maybe he'll be game. I'll have to check with him.

As a final note, this is not about losing weight. No, seriously it's not. Sure, I could stand to lose a decent chunk, but honestly, I'm perfectly comfortable with my body as it is. What I'm not okay with is letting some craving make my decisions for me, especially decisions that are really bad for me physically. God wants us to control our appetites, rather than letting them control us.

Over the last few years, the "fruit of the Spirit" I've been trying to cultivate the most has been patience. Maybe it's time to start praying for some self-control as well.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:16 (NASB)