So I want to give you something to consider instead of asking yourself, do I really need this? Because it comes from a beautiful spirit. It comes from this place of checking in to discern. If this will get me closer to my goal.  

In fact, your brain probably thinks, do I need this calorie wise or am I actually hungry? So I think it comes from a really beautiful spirit of trying to be more intentional, trying to stop and to not make impulse behaviors. And I think that that is amazing. 

But what can also happen is a lot of women are using this pause as an opportunity to just connect with their mean girl. Instead of a real true connection to themselves, sort of like, do you need this? Is this gonna get you closer to your goals? There’s sort of that like finger shaking, finger wagging, question instead of, Hey, do you want this? 

And I think that even just trying to change the meaning of do I need this might be a little of an advanced skill to coach yourself. I want to offer you something else that you could do instead that might help you and be more beneficial. And so often we’re trying to make a food decision about food, whether we eat it or don’t eat it. 

So I find people are asking themselves this question when they’re trying to make a food decision whether they should eat it or not eat it. And you know, it doesn’t really matter if you eat it or don’t, but asking this question, and I believe, is actually really distracting. You from the real question that you could ask yourself that would reveal to you an answer that would help you. 

And so that question is, what do I really need right now? What do I really need right now? What do I really need right now? And I think it’s super fun to articulate the word that stands out the best for you, and what helps you feel seen. What do I really need right now? What do I really need right now? What do I really need right now?

So here’s what you can do during that time. What do I really need right now? I’ve been doing this with a client who eats her dinner and then she wants to eat more after she eats her dinner. I think it’s interesting to say that this is a woman who’s consecrated her life to the Lord. She is a nun, and so there’s meal time. And she finds that what happens is she eats her meal and then she wants to eat more.

And so we’re just trying to help learn a little bit about what’s happening during this time. And so you can do this as well. The first one is you stop. You ask the question, what do I really need right now? What do I really need right now? What do I really need right now? And you might not have an answer, but wait one to two minutes.

We are all picking up our phones. Pick up your phone. Use your Apple Watch. Use a timer, watch a clock. Challenge yourself to wait one minute asking yourself that question. One minute, what do I really need right now? What do I really need right now? It’s totally fine not to have an answer, you guys. It’s totally fine, but I promise you, the more you ask that question, the more you’ll be able to have an answer, and it’s totally fine if the answer is food.

You could even say, what do I feel right now? But it’s one minute. It’s a one minute pause. A one minute pause. Now I challenge my client to do two minutes. I challenged her to get two minutes. I wanna tell you what’s gonna happen. I want you to be prepared for two things. Be prepared to initially feel unsure, uncertain.

Maybe confused feeling like you’re doing it wrong because you don’t have an immediate answer. Also, expect some feeling to surface. You might get a little weepy. You might notice some fatigue or weakness. You may feel a wave of sadness or loss. You may feel bored. You just have no idea what’s happening in that one minute. 

So I want you to just look at it as an exciting time to experience something that was happening in you that you didn’t know. And so just allow yourself to be open and accept whatever happens in that minute. And if you’re like my client, I challenge you to do two minutes.

Allow it to come. And as it comes up, you’ll notice that you’ll wanna push it away. You’ll notice that you’ll want to end the time, and I want you to say it’s okay to want to end this time. It’s okay to feel this. I’m a little uncomfortable. It’s okay to feel weepy. I’m safe to feel sad.

So you can allow it with those two phrases that are really helpful which are, it’s okay to feel, dot, dot, dot. And I’m safe to feel, dot dot . I’m safe to feel bored. I’m safe to feel tired. I’m safe to feel scared.

And then the final thing that you’ll say. Is, can I just, and then just fill in the blank. Can I just, and whatever you think would be a good thing for you, a loving kind thing for you. Can I just wait one more minute and then eat? Can I just put this food on a plate? Right. Instead of eat out eating outta the package, can I just take this food and sit at the table instead of the couch?

Can I just recognize that? That was really cool. And then just go on to do what you were going to do. Can I just recognize I did something really new that was new for my brain? Can I just go ahead and eat, but this time, invite the Lord to eat with me. 

Can I just give myself permission to eat absolutely anything? Anything that I want right now in as much quantity as I want? As long as I write it down. Can I just say to myself, hi, I heard you. I’m here for you. I see you. 

You guys for a long time, I couldn’t say I love you, but I could say, I see you and I hear you. I see that’s what you want. I’m here for you. You can tell me anything. And so I hope you can see that in this. Do I need this? Do I need this? Instead of saying, do I really need this? Do I really need this? 

Because you’re going to spend one to two minutes doing that little mental chatter with yourself anyway. Do I need this? I could, I couldn’t. And then you go through the mental calculator of what you ate today, and then what you’ll eat later, and then how you’re going to like, maybe adjust what you eat later because you really want this now.

So I just want to show you right now, you’re going to be spending the one to two minutes doing some brain work anyway. And I want to point out to you that the brain work that you’re used to doing is very distracting to you and not helpful. It just kinda keeps you stuck and spun up. 

But if we could take that same time, ask yourself one question, just like you did before, pause, not try to figure anything out. Use that one to two minutes to just be. Experience, live, breathe. Notice how your brain wants to keep doing the mental calculator, and then when that one to two minutes is over, you have nothing to do other than just ask one more thing, which is, can I just.

Can I just write it down before I eat? Can I just recognize I’m amazing for taking that one minute? That’s a little tool that I hope is very helpful for you today so we can use this pause to connect truly and authentically with ourselves instead of that critical mean girl, you know, she’s trying to help you, but it feels horrible.

So if you want more of this work, if you want to learn how to walk closer with the Lord to take the phrases that you’re already asking yourself. But just don’t seem to be working. They just don’t seem to be motivating you. I will show you how to talk to yourself in a way that does motivate you to give you tools that do lead you to your healthy weight. 

Our doors are open right now for 63 Surrendered. 63 surrendered is a 63 day challenge where you practice four daily disciplines, and those four daily disciplines are what is necessary for you to do your part in allowing the Lord to come into your food and weight struggles.

After 63 days, you will feel so much food freedom. You will no longer feel controlled around food. You will feel like you can trust yourself around food. You’ll learn how to eat the food that you love without guilt or even fear of overeating it. That in and of itself is a miracle.

We’ve had women lose up to 15 pounds in these 63 days. It’s just incredible. It’s just a miracle. I want you to come and experience the miracles the Lord has waiting for you in 63 surrendered. So go to weightlosswiththeholyspirit.com and get signed up today.