Have you ever said something like “I’ve had a long day, I deserve that bowl of ice cream” or “Just one more, I deserve it” or “Why not? I work hard” ?? . I know we all say things like this from time to time but I want to caution you with it. Statements like this breed an attitude of entitlement towards food and we veer on the side of distortion when we start to reward ourselves with it.
Rewarding is typical in our culture where good behavior or achievements are reinforced with food. Take a look at who frequents ice cream parlors and pizzerias. Isn’t it always a ball team of some sort? Or maybe parents rewarding a child for good behavior? It’s starts at a young age for many of us and turns into a pattern in adulthood. We also live in one of the most entitled societies in the whole world. We are accustomed to having anything we want and we want it RIGHT NOW. We expect a reward. We are entitled to food and are always wanting something MORE. The truth is, this attitude is killing us.
My encouragement to you is to let the benefit of your hard work be enough reward. If you’re taking care of business with your workouts and eating healthy let FEELING GREAT AND LOOKING GREAT in your clothes be the reward. Why do you need ice cream?
And if you are using a reward system keep it to something that’s healthy and beneficial towards your goals. Like a massage or a new workout outfit. It doesn’t have to be a bottle of wine and brownies. How about a new life giving book? Don’t sabotage yourself by tricking yourself to believe you DESERVE anything that’s going to derail your progress.
Remember,
Food is fuel and nourishment. Enjoy it and be GRATEFUL for it but don’t center your whole life on it. That’s idolatry. Hear me on this, what you idolize you will eventually demonize. We are seeing just that. Our culture is centered on food so much that it’s killing our quality of life through obesity, diabetes, etc. We become so obsessed by counting calories or the newest diet craze that our view of food gets skewed and we are miserable. As I’ve said before focus on the fellowship not food. Take the emotion out of it and the obsession.
Be different. Be set apart. You can do it!
Speaking The Truth In Love,
Lindsey Nadler
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