Are You Feeding Your Need?

Are You Digging Your Own Grave?

Since there are so many variables influencing our body
weight, how do we distinguish whether our problem is rooted in a lack
of self-control or one of the many other factors that play a role in
obesity? In my experience with both my clinical practice and my
church-based weight-loss group, the Ex-Gravediggers, I’ve found that
most women are willing to acknowledge anything but a lack of
self-control when it comes to their weight.

I named the group the Ex-Gravediggers because many of the
participants had serious weight-related medical problems such as
diabetes and hypertension. Instead of losing weight, these women were
digging their own graves, one forkful at a time.

The Ex-Gravedigger weight-loss series includes a session
on self-control. Invariably, most of the women in the group are quick
to dismiss the idea that their problems stem from a lack of temperance.

“But I don’t eat a lot of food,” is the typical response
I receive. In response, I came up with what I call the “Six-S Test,”
which is helpful in determining whether a lack of self-control is part
of the problem.

The Six-S Test asks the following:

1. Do you eat in response to the sight of food? Are you drawn like a magnet to a beautifully laid buffet or a work-of-art dessert?

2. Do you eat in response to the smell of food? Does a whiff from the neighbor’s grill on a hot summer day compel you to grab your plate and ring their bell?

3. Do you pay attention to your serving sizes? Has the fast-food trend of “super-sizing” everything extended into your own kitchen?

4. Are you prone to go for seconds? Is the first plate (no matter how much food you managed to pile onto it) never quite enough?

5. Do you eat on the spur of the moment? Are you able to drive by the local donut shop without pulling in?

6. Are you prone to snack? Is your grocery cart filled with more chips, pretzels, nachos and popcorn than broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and zucchini?

Every now and then, most of us are guilty of one, two or
even all six of these items. But what distinguishes the woman who has a
real problem with self-control from the one who occasionally desires a
second piece of pie is that for the former, yielding to the flesh
becomes a regular and consistent behavior, and she has a difficult time
resisting temptation.

Proverbs 25:28 says that when we lack self-control, we’re
“like a city whose walls are broken down.” The walls of ancient cities
served to protect the inhabitants from the onslaught of their enemies.

When we lack self-control, our enemy the devil has easy
access to tempt us. He slips through the cracks of our broken-down
walls and entices us to yield to the flesh and indulge ourselves with
food. Once we’ve given in, our walls crumble even more.

Eventually, we cease trying to resist, deceiving
ourselves that in our already broken-down state, continuing to indulge
can do no further harm: “As fat as I am, what difference will one more
scoop of ice cream make?”

Steps to Success

If you fit into the pattern of a woman who lacks
self-control, the first step in correcting the problem is to
acknowledge it. As simple as this sounds, I have found that it usually
represents the greatest obstacle. It seems that no one—absolutely no
one—thinks she eats too much. (“The problem is in my genes, not that
extra slice of cheesecake.”)

Acknowledgment of the problem is the step before
confession, and confession eventually leads to repentance. Repentance
simply means that we agree with God that our behavior is not pleasing
to Him—and then we change.

But keep in mind that in and of ourselves, we are weak.
We must learn to rely totally on the power of the Holy Spirit if we
want to achieve long-term success. And one of the Spirit’s attributes
is self-control.

Self-control, like David, comes last in the list. But
David didn’t stay in the background forever. He came out of the field,
was anointed by Samuel and went down in history as the greatest king of
Israel, a man dear to God’s heart.

It’s time for Christian women to bring the “last” fruit
of the Spirit—self-control— out of the background. It’s time for us to
line up every aspect of our lives (including our plates) with the will
of God and subject ourselves to His precepts. Then we’ll be equipped to
take control of our weight and reap the benefits of better health.

Kara Davis, M.D., is a physician who specializes in
internal medicine and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at
the University of Illinois in Chicago. She combines medical knowledge
with biblical wisdom in her approach to patient care and is writing a
book on a method of spiritually based weight loss (Charisma House).