Lysa TerKeurst
About the Author

Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author and speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith through following Jesus Christ. As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa has lead thousands over the past 15 years to help make their walk with God an invigorating journey. Not...

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  1. Thank you for writing and putting to words in black and white what I have been feeling – the sea-saw of guilt and depravity, guilt, depravity… It is not about food, it is about something so much deeper,,, and the cycle points to idolatry…. ouch. Would love to read your book and gain more insight…..
    Blessings
    Christina

  2. I am almost finished with a 21 day fast from sugar that I am doing along with my church (each person is fasting from their own individual calling). I have been shocked with how even keel I am – and how my energy level is so, well, level! I don’t believe that I am/was addicted to sugar – but I have sure seen some patterns show up where i would go to food/sweets for an emotional reaction… something I have never really thought I did. Guilty/deprived – hmm – that cycle i have found in other areas of my life – particulary around sleep. Either i am staying up too late (sabotaging myself) or sleeping in and feeling guilty. This is something I need to talk to God about more…

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us so we can learn from you – community is WHERE it is AT!!!!

  3. Thank you for your words this morning… It reminds me of when I fasted from Tea and chocolate for 3 months while i was a missionary abroad. It was my one ‘normal’ thing to do and my ‘comfort’ … after not having it and instead drinking smoothies, fruit juices, eating fruit…and even, yes… drinking water! I felt so much better and i totally get the whole ‘sugar highs’ thing. i felt more even and like i could conquer anything!
    After the end of that fast tho i started to eat choc and tea again but have always remembered the balance and yes…feeling of ‘peace’, I can now recognise when I crave tea and see it for what it is.
    I have just been to a series of fasting lectures and I am so impressed with how much our body can fast from that our minds tell us is impossible.
    All glory to God..
    Thank you again, Grace x

  4. The incessant bouncing back and forth resonated with me the most. I would love to break out of that cycle. I’m very interested in reading your book. Thank you!

  5. The deprived and guilty cycle is all too familiar to me! But it’s not only with sugar, I beleive this can apply to pretty much any soo-good-yet-soo-bad-for-you thing. For me, it’s TV. I went on a TV fast last year and that was the most spiritually energized season of my life. I went into the fast kicking and screaming (and yes, ugly-crying too), but after a few weeks, I didn’t even want the mind-droning junk anymore. Sadly I eased my way back into watching too much of it again and I keep trying to kick the addiction, but I end up in the deprived – guilty cycle again. Well, I’m ready for a mind switch!

  6. The statement that struck me was this:
    “I feel so thrilled to be courageous enough to say no. Shifting from feeling deprived to empowered “…
    I can relate to this statement but not in a diet context but in a relational context. I’ve been struggling to overcome issues in my past with my relationship with my parents, my own marriage that died and we are now divorced. I have had a friend along the way and she has said to me when I’ve had small victories in these battles that I should feel empowered by them. I didnt get it. I had no idea how I was to feel empowered when I felt so alone and lost. She kept telling me to say ‘no’ to these feelings when they started to come into play over and over and over again. There was a day when I did say ‘no’ to these feelings and I changed my thoughts to another direction. I focused on what I did have instead of what I didnt have! It felt so strange and wrong. But I am learning to like the way that feels as the new ‘normal’ for me! My goal is also to find and remain in the peace that God is giving me right now.

  7. “And I can assure you, no treat in this world tastes as good as this peace feels.”

    What a great reminder of how “things” or even FOOD can often cloud our judgment on what makes us “happy” and ” fulfilled” but in the end leaves us completely empty. Your post inspires me to the point that I might just give up (or at least cut back a lot!) on sweets and sugar. I really don’t need it and it isn’t doing my body ANY good.

    Thank you.

  8. In the past months I have come to the realization that my struggle with my weight is as much a spiritual battle for me as it is a physical. So pretty much everything in this post resonated with me. But the sentence that struck the most probably was “I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.”
    Thank you so much for this post! That alone was so encouraging – and I definitely want to read the book now.

  9. “My weight loss goal is peace.”

    I’ve just recently begun reading the (in)courage blog and have looked at your book among the recommended reading. I honestly thought when I saw it, “well, it’s not like I eat that much sugar.” and then today when reading your post, “I certainly don’t need to fast from sugar!” my quick thoughts to question addiction to sugar (specifically ice cream!) have me taking a second thought!

    I love your statement “my weight loss goal is peace.” I wonder how many areas of my life there is a lurking addiction and I’m being too stubborn to change it. When I think of addiction as an area I need to GAIN God’s peace instead of an area I need to REMOVE something that, in my unhealthy routine, seems peaceful I realize what I’m missing out on!

    My second-thoughts tell me this could be a good read for me after all to challenge many areas of life 🙂

    Have a blessed day, thanks for challenging me this morning!

  10. I would just love to have this book… Sugar is also a problem for me. Things did help when I switched from white sugar to raw sugar, but I would love to learn more!

  11. The back and forth litany guilty deprived guilty deprived really stuck out to me–definitely have felt that in my struggles with control (that manifested themselves in self-injury among other things)

  12. Used to be I would always watch every single thing I ate. Somewhere along the line I let it slip and I’ve lived with guilt ever since. I can’t seem to get back to that place in my mind where I have the strength (empowerment) to go at it again. Thanks for the encouragement. i would love the book.

  13. i definitely identify with the cranky moods hitting a sugar low – and the deprivation/guilt cycle, too. i gave up chocolate a couple of years ago and did really well for three months, and then hit christmas, and it all went out the window. now? i’m 15kg heavier, and the guilt weighs more than that.

  14. Wow, how good is God? I think you wrote this for me! I completed a three day fast on Tuesday. I started for one reason and the Lord showed me another reason by the time I was done. What spoke to me was the idea of empowerment over those feelings of being deprived and guilty. I too flip flop between the two, or should I say I did. I don’t want to feel that anymore. I want that empowerment that is my birthright through Jesus Christ! Thank you for confirmation this morning!

  15. The switch to feeling empowered, being courageous enough to say no, and no longer pitying yourself–that hit me. On the suggestion of a friend, a bunch of years ago I tried a very, very low carb diet to try to manage a chronic illness. I gave it 3-4 months, but I spent much of that time pitying myself and feeling imprisoned. I didn’t get any relief from the condition, but perhaps had I stayed on it longer I would have. Reading your post makes me realize that my attitude could and should have been different and wonder whether I should give it another try.

  16. Thank you for sharing this. My husband and I have been trying to eat healthy and win the battle over our food indulgences for the last 20 months. We have good days and we have days of defeat. It’s nice to know we are not alone. Thanks for sharing.

  17. I love this idea that diet (and life) is about living in peace and removing those things that are stealing that. Can’t wait to read this book!

  18. That your weight loss goal is PEACE. My husband and I together are committed to losing some weight, but I had a really hard time setting a “number” goal — for me, numbers become something to fixate on, something to obsess over, something to cause anxiety. I feel like what you’ve said there, about peace, is my REAL goal: that I would be at peace about my standing (no matter the size of my jeans), and that I would be at peace, knowing that I’m eating and treating my body in such a way that honors God

  19. Great post 🙂

    I’ve cut sugar, too, as the result of medical advice, and have found it so liberating!

    It’s so beautiful how you’ve learnt to crave God, rather than food 🙂

    I know this isn’t the main gist of your post, but I’m wondering if you could give advice on how to respond when you’re invited for a dinner party… and they’ve made a special desert just for you. “Oh, but it’s gluten/dairy/whatever-free” not realising SUGAR is the one thing I’d rather avoid!

  20. “My weight lose goal was peace” Can I confess to feeling crocodile tears as well? I am still in my love affair with sugar and struggling to find peace.

  21. “Nothing tastes as good as peace feels.” This line is meaningful to me. Last year one of my favorite bloggers shared her testimony about a significant weight loss and one of the things she wrote was “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.” As I’ve been on my own weight loss program her line stayed with me many times when I wanted to eat more than I should. I like the change to peace in the sentence. It is a peaceful feeling not to be Out of Control with food. I would love to read your book!

    • I agree, Beth! “Nothing tastes as good as peace feels” holds a lot more power in my mind than “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.” The first is about the heart; and real-deal peace is much more heartening than meeting your own “skinny” standards.
      Lysa, looking forward to reading your book. Your insight is encouraging and thought-provoking.

  22. I long to get to a place where I feel at peace with myself. The inner struggle of highs and lows and the general feeling of being unhealthy makes gets me down more than I would like to admit. I feel too overwhelmed to even try most of the time, I need to start somewhere and I need to do it soon for myself and my children. Thanks for the insight offered in your book, it may be just what I need to get started on the right path.

  23. Deprived to empowered…so encouraging and true! When we redirect our crave to Him, he satisfies. Thank you! Would love to read more.

  24. I can definitely relate to the cycle of feeling deprived and guilty. I’m on that see-saw as we speak. I don’t know if I can wait for the free book giveaway to be over, lol… I may just need to go out and buy one to get started on the road to peace.

  25. Several years ago, I began the WW program to get rid of 25 extra pounds I was hauling around. I started in October, as a huge old bowl sat on my dining room table filled with candy.

    And I was so determined to lose the weight that I never once touched that candy the whole month it sat there.

    I had lost my craving for chocolate, for sugar, for sweets. And not only did the weight come off, but I regained confidence that I could do the right thing when it came to what I put in my mouth. I could take care of this body that God had designed.

    And that confidence gave me peace. And a will to continue to take care of myself, body and soul {well, … at least most of the time!}

    He empowered. He was honored. My faith in what He could do in my life grew again.

  26. “I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.” What an inspirational statement! I never ever thought of it in that way! I feel better already. I am going to use that as my mantra (you know what I mean if I didn’t spell it correctly) and put it on my fridge and bathroom mirror!! Thanks. I want to read your book! I also love love love “Nothing Tastes as Good as Peace Feels”. I am waiting for that to sink in…

  27. After going through a Celebrate Recovery 12-step study (and it took 8 months to finally get this) for this very thing God blessed me with taking the resentment and hostility away. I SO related to the what the author said about feeling either deprived or guilty all the time. It’s still a struggle, but I feel I am on the other side of it, thanks be to God!!!

  28. “Nothing tastes as good as Peace feels”… If I could give my daughter the gift of Peace in her mind (which is an exhausting, constant, scary, daily battlefield for her) …this would be such an answer to prayer and the greatest blessing I could ever give to her.

  29. Thank you for this post. I am coming close to ending a 21-day modified Daniel Fast (I’m healing up from an injury so still have some lean protein with my fruit and veggies) and have not had sugar. Some days I do miss it but I also noticed that I have had fewer mood swings and sugar crashes and am considering continuing on as well. This gave me more to think about as I pray to make that decision.

  30. I gave up sugar on Monday and have had serious withdrawal headaches. I didn’t realize how addicted I was, I just choose to start a diet plan that was sugar free. Your post was very interested to me….I’ll be watching to see if I can “flip the switch” on my thinking.

  31. I know where you are coming from. I have been there, too. I was a sugar-holic for most of my life. It controlled me. I hadn’t realized that I ‘needed’ something sweet after EVERY meal. But that alone would not satisfy. In my mind I would be planning for my next treat. If I didn’t have all the ingredients to make something special, I remember even pouring sugar into cream cheeseand mixing well for my sweet snack attack. I realize it was bad when I would hide the fact that I had baked something again, until it was almost gone, just so I would have to share fairly with the children! NOW THAT IS BAD! My deliverance from it cold narly fingers came as a sudden journey with cancer. I had found out that tumors feed on and prefer sugar. “I’ve been feeding this thing a feast”, I thought. At that moment in time I prayed for God’s help and vowed to stop. God gave me a will-power that I had never before seen in myself. Yes, I had tried to cut down many times before. You know ‘go on diets’. Never worked! But this time it was a though a switch had been turned in my mind. I had absolutely no desire. I went from ‘needing’ it to feeling nothing for it. It has been over a year and a half, and I haven’t looked back. Even the very smell of chocolate makes me nauseous. And yes, I understand the PEACE you are talking about. It is totally a God-given thing. The breaking of a bondage. I love going to functions when every one is there talking about ‘I really shouldn’t, but I’ve just got to have a piece’. I just sit there surrounded by them munching and commenting on ‘I don’t know how you do it’. I just sit there with my peace and feeling good and healthy!

  32. Thanks for this post! I have been thinking about buying your book. Now it’s a no-brainer! Food has become a source of comfort for me, but I know I should be looking to the Lord for that comfort I seek. I loved when you wrote this:
    “Instead of being sad that I can’t have something, I feel so thrilled to be courageous enough to say no. Shifting from feeling deprived to empowered is the most crucial change I’ve made on this journey.”
    I can imagine the thrill of being able to say no…it’s something I am going to work toward. Thank you.

  33. Wow Lysa, breaking up a love affair with what is still being sweet to me… The continual wrestling in my heart for what appears sweet, but is unhealthy vs the good wholesomeness of what my FATHER gives. This doesn’t just apply to my love/hate relationship with sugar, chocolate.

    This defines the struggle in my heart to be content in what HE gives, it is the best of what is good, and to find peace in letting all the rest go.

    And nothing feels as good as peace…Well, I want to not only experience that, but to offer it to my beautiful daughters!

  34. I can definitely relate to the yo-yo of feeling guilty and deprived. I am at a point right now that I have just given up and just eat what I want when I want. None of it brings me any fulfilliment though. I would love to read this book. And I will definitely check out your webcasts!

  35. I’ve barely gotten into the study and already I had a HUGE epiphany….I’m a glass half full gal but with eating/weight loss I was totally defeated in my thinking. “As a man thinks in his heart so is he”……that was me. I suddenly realized that my thinking did indeed need to be changed….that this area of my life was NO DIFFERENT than all the others where God had transformed me. I don’t have a clue how He will do this but for once I have the littlest inkling that it can happen for me.

  36. Lysa, I can totally relate! I love what you said about changing your thinking from deprivation to determination. Also, how you became courageous when you walked passed the pastry counter instead of feeling deprived. I am trying to get on that track of thinking — thanks for your encouragement!!

  37. Your title really moved me when you said it during the webcast on Monday night!
    It hit me right between the eyes actually.

    NOTHING tastes as good……as peace feels!
    I’m a slow learner. 😉

  38. Peace? Im still in the deprived/guilty stage. A year ago, I lost 58 lbs doing WW, cutting out sugar and I did feel that empowerment. then one slip up and i was right back to eating sugar and have bounced back and forth since then. Looking forward to reading your book!

  39. What resonated most with me is that we as Christians have the power to say no to sugar! That may sound silly, but it’s true! I know I can be tempted to go by my feelings. I’ll commit to being healthier, then something will happen and I’ll react by getting upset, then I go for whatever food I want, like a drug! Ugh! I should be going to God, my Father!

  40. I’m twenty-three years old. I have struggled with my weight and peace since I was young. However, I have never connected the two. My hypoglycemia has always been my excuse for my suger cravings. I thougth the cravings were just too strong. Somewhere along the way I thought that was a good enough reason not to control myself, which is dangerous way of thinking. Now I understand a little better why I have no peace….”Nothing taste as good as peace feels” Amen.

  41. What resonates with me the most bouncing between feeling deprived and guilty. Back when we had cable I would feel so guilty for not watching TV since we had paid so much money for it. For me when we got rid of it was a relieved not to have to watch. My husband has more a problem not haveing TV than I do. Now I want to get rid of soda. Thank you for writing these post they have been very encourageing to take that next step.
    Holly

  42. Definitely the deprived, guilty cycle. It’s usually all or nothing with me but I have yet to get where I’m willing to do nothing for too long. I’m looking to be convinced about the peace on the other side.

  43. The title resonates with me the most. “Nothing Tastes as Good as Peace Feels.” I struggle with titles. I can write a beautiful blog post, feature story for work, etc. but I never know what to title it. I never know how to draw others in to read what it says on and in my heart. You captured me with your title. And it is your title that I will remember, along with everything that goes along with it!

  44. WOW… I never thought of “Peace” as a Weight goal. That is Mind and heart changing… instead of thinking of what you don’t get to eat you think of Peace…
    I have Diabeties only while Pregnant so I totally have done the Sugar fast for months on end. Only to GORGE my self after I have the baby! I really want to have another baby but I really need to get my weight in check or I could remain a Diabetic.
    Thank you for writing this book and I really hope I win…
    Thank you for your beautiful words of “In”couragment!

  45. Wow, what didnt I relate to….except the success….i gave up sugar once in my life and I know the difference in how I feel….I dont know why its SO hard for me now….I just cant do it…..I am miserable in my body and in my Spirit because it IS a stronghold …..I choose junk over self control…..momentary pleasure over feeling good and healthy….not sure if your book will even help me “get it” but I’s sure like to try…..its been on my wish list at amazon for a while…:>)……oh, I think my coffee cake is done….LOL….I need help!
    Amy M

  46. Wow! I really appreciate how you have connected emotions with actions. My journey to eating healthier and taking care of my body in sleep and exercise has moved from dragging feet to being up in front of that fitness group. I love it! Now. This transformation HAS been a journey.

  47. The sugar fast, I have been there and it is pretty hard at first.
    I have been hearing about this and would love to read it.

  48. “nothing in the world tastes as good as peace feels…” I crave peace in my daily life. And not just with eating unhealthy things. It’s everything… Mothering, schooling, marriage, friends… Peace.

  49. Loved the title! Peace is the best feeling in the world!!! I’m proud of you for giving up sugar & all the treats. I still can’t give up sugar – like it in my teas – have given up almost all other sugars except for dark chocolate.

    Like you trying to get healthy and maintain a good weight. I would love, like Lysa, to go from deprived to empowered about something in my life!

    Thank you for inspiring all of us to get rid of something & change our lives for the better!

  50. Thanks for this great post! Last year in July I started on a journey to get healthy and start exercising. While I didn’t cut out sugar completely I cut out alot of the crud that I’d been filling my body and mind with for so long. It was so cool, 4 months later, to realize that I had actually lost weight and gained some sense of control over my eating habits. The past few weeks though I’ve been struggling. Getting back into bad habits. I really needed this today. And be reminder that the peace and empowerment I’ve been feeling since July can be a life change that lasts forever. Can’t wait to read your book!

  51. Deprived to Empowered. # on the scale to Peace. I long for those emotions. Enjoyed your last podcast. I would enjoy reading your book.

  52. As usual, God has chosen one of the (In) Courage blogs to confirm what He convicted me of recently. About 3 years ago I went off of sugar completely and not only did I lose 40 pounds in three months, but my headaches stopped within a day – I could literally feel the grip loosening from my head and I could think better, I felt better, I was better. Then after 6 months I was recovering from a foot surgery that required 100% non-weight bearing, so all my meals were prepared for me. I slowly slipped back into my old lifestyle and I have not been able to do it again…it’s SO hard for me now. I just know that no matter what, it’s time to do it again and it makes me anxious just thinking about it, but it’s time. Truly the hardest first step I’ve ever taken.

  53. “My weight loss goal is peace.” Yep, that guilt and feeling of disgust in myself when I go for the ice cream then get mad at myself for bulging out of my jeans…. that is definitely the weight I’m trying to lose. I discovered your writing through a mutual friend, Suzie Eller, and girl, I’m so excited to find a kindred spirit in this sugar/weight issue. If I don’t win the book, I’m getting it anyway 🙂

  54. The constant feeling of deprivation or guilt and how this robs me of peace. Wow. Putting words to my feelings. I feel as though my relationship with sugar is standing between me and God. There are times when I know that to eat that sugary treat will do harm to my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and I can’t stop myself from having it even though I know I’m hurting the place God dwells. And to see myself choosing something over God and to know that it is wrong and to know that I can’t stop myself, that hurts most of all. I know it’s a heart issue, my sin of the flesh, my idol. And I can’t seem to knock it off it’s pedestal. Thank you for having the courage to write about something so emotionally wrenching for so many women.

  55. What resonated? You gave up sugar – ugh! How in the world are you doing that? It’s in everything!!! I was just reading Jorge Cruise’s Belly Fat Cure yesterday (totally unspiritual lol!) and trying to get this concept.

    I’ve always watched calories and grams of fat -and I’ve never done the low carb/sugar thing…so I’m just trying to wrap my brain around what “low fat” things I’m eating that are sugar laden – and it’s killing me! lol! I’ve had it all wrong!

    Congrats on making it to the New York Times Best Seller list – so proud of you! I’ve watched you go from Oprah to blogging, many of your other books and now this amazing book! You go girl!!!! It’s WONDERFUL to have a Godly woman pierce the darkness of our culture with a relevant message for all women – while still drawing them in to the only word we have from God on this planet – the Bible!

    Keep it up! You inspire me!
    Courtney

  56. “I was either feeling deprived because I was trying to watch what I ate or feeling guilty because I’d slipped back into the ‘eat whatever I want’ phase. Deprived. Guilty. Deprived. Guilty.”

    “I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.”

    I’ve made a transition throughout the years, and I’m a pretty big “health nut.” I know all the right things to eat and what is good for me, but I still struggle with food, because I do love it. The two phrases above really struck a chord with me. I look forward to reading your book. Thanks for being obedient and writing it.
    Blessings,
    Christy

  57. Being in bondage to the back and forth swing is what I really could relate to in this post! Really looking forward to reading this.

  58. I love that you said you went from feeling sorry for yourself to proud of yourself for being able to say no! That’s a mental switch I need to figure out how to make!

  59. This book keeps following me 🙂 I have a HUGE love/hate relationship with sugar. I read this post and think, “how can I possibly live without sugar – ever?!” I feel nudged by God to let go of this strong-hold.

  60. Since the end of my pregnancy and having a baby I have craved sugar like never before. I know it’s bad for me and a bad example for my kids. I need to find some self control. I would love to win a copy!

  61. I so understand that bouncing back and forth between guilt and depravity… I live there. And while I know how good it feels to come out from under it, I find myself back in the trap. My body pays, my family pays, but most of all my heart pays during the times when I slip back into not doing what I know is God’s best for me. Thanks for your words… hopefully today I will find some courage to take back control from my desires and give it to God!

  62. Oh my gosh! This is me…so struggling with sugar cravings and feeling guilty and then deprived. I can not seem to get a handle on this sinful behavior and yet I never put it together. That vicious cycle that plays over and over is contolling me.

  63. I agree wholeheartedly with what you are saying, although for me it is wheat not sugar that calls me (but sugar isn’t far behind). I don’t have weight issues, but it isn’t good for my body and that shows on my skin and in my moods. I just haven’t gotten beyond the phase of denial or guilt. Thanks for the insight of peace as a goal rather than focusing on eliminating a food.

  64. Crave is such strong word and it has been showing up everywhere I turn! This morning, my prayer was to crave God – to NEED him and be completely aware of that need. As strongly as I am aware of the call of M&Ms at 3pm! To get the “sugar rush” from being in His presence. To KNOW that He is my everything. I can’t wait to read your book!

  65. What resonated the most with me was that taking a ‘fast’ doesn’t have to be all about taking something away but feeling free and empowered.
    Empowered to fill with the Lord the cravings of my soul

  66. I love the idea of being empowered instead of deprived, as I feel the latter when I can’t have a food that is my fav. This sounds like having your mind renewed!!

  67. Dear Lysa, thank you for giving me the freedom to sacrifice for me. I am an addict. A sugar addict, yes, and I know too well the ups and downs of your story. For years, my feasting was married with time spent with her partner in crime, the porcelain receptacle. Praise Jesus, the two were divorced, although my euphoric recalls tempt my thoughts of reconciliation. Sadly, sugar is still a big part of my life. My binges are all too often — and frankly, if there’s no sugar available, a carb is a carb is a sugar…I have sacrificed sugar (to drop a few) but, feeling the need to make my fast “spiritual” , used the excuse of someone elses greater more honorable need. Never did I think to fast for my own need! My own desperate sin. Yes, of course!! God draws us in through personal connections, (I care about my Jean size) only to show us, in His power, He will deliver us from what’s keeping us in darkness. Hallelujah!! You have given me permission to give up my sweet idol, not only for my own personal desires, but to enrich my relationship with the lover of my mind, body, spirit and soul! Bless you, Lysa- bless You LORD!!!
    Love, tasting freedom in sacrifice!

  68. “no treat in this world tastes as good as this peace feels” is definitely resonating with me. I recently started really focusing on eating better and being more active, so I’m going to be repeating that to myself a lot in the beginning. 🙂

  69. I’ve recognized that food has become an idol in my life – but to think of it as a “love affair with sugar” really stuck with me. In a bad way! Ick, how silly is that to be turning to food instead of the Savior. I so desire to have freedom in this area once and for all!

  70. I would love to have that type of courage – I’ve eaten way too much sugar my entire life, and am just having my eyes opened to the effects it is having on me. I am obsessed with food – not with God, as I should be. ..

  71. “Shifting from feeling deprived to empowered is the most crucial change.” I need to reach that place still, but I’m on my way.

  72. Breaking up with sugar. That definitely resonates with me. Going on a sugar “vacation” and giving up the daily urge. Feels IMPOSSIBLE. But it must be possible.

    Would love to win and read a copy of this book!

    readingtoknow (at) gmail (dot) com

  73. I am in the cycle. It is so encouraging to know I am not alone. I only pray I can break out of this.

  74. Sugar…. sigh… isn’t that a love-hate relationship? We’ve been working on easing off it around here, trying to set the kids on the right track to start with. It’s a challenge, and some days I think it’s harder for me than it is for them!!

  75. What really grabbed me didn’t even resonate with me because of its association with food. “I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.” This is so applicable in our entire daily lives. When God takes something away from me, it’s because of His great love and plan for me. I should feel empowered to know my God cares about me, not deprived that He took something away.

  76. I think what resonated with me is how we don’t believe in what we can do in Christ’s strength and how something so terrible as defeat can be turned around into empowerment. I would love to read your beautiful book that empowers us to look up instead of in. Blessings,

  77. Thanks so much for sharing!!! This is what hit me “I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.” Wow!!! Craving HIM…the only “thing” that truly satisfies, AMEN sister!!

  78. I love the thought of being empowered;beingthrilled at the thought of being strong enough to say “NO”!

  79. It it truly the battle that wages in my brain. I cannot tell you how many times I have put that sweet something in my mouth believing that I deserved it, but knowing I wasn’t even remotely hungry. And my body pays the price; the health effects continue to pile up, and I still find the battle in my brain, and my heart.

    I cannot wait to read this; I know I need it.

  80. That peace you talk about my friend is SO IT. My story takes a different twist than yours, yet still about food. I battle anorexic thoughts, still the same end result, still a similar struggle. I hit a rough spot again a few months ago, only to help me realize that I hadn’t had the thoughts in quite some time. As the healing process goes, His truth came into play to set me free, yet in such a triumphant way this time. This will be my battle, but the peace that He brings is WORTH it’s weight in gold. Hadn’t stepped on a scale in a year, just wasn’t mature enough yet. I did the other day, in complete freedom, Satan’s words no longer had its grip on me, weird, strange, I almost wanted to pick them up again and mull them around for ol times sake, they just didn’t stick. God does work miracles. Thanks for being His messenger of peace. God bless!

  81. What stood out for me was the statement regarding the switch in the brain. It reminds me of the “renewing of the mind” in the Word of God. That’s where change occurs. Setting the mind on things above.

  82. “I realized after fasting from sugar for a month, my cravings started to release their awful grip on me.” and “And I can assure you, no treat in this world tastes as good as this peace feels” . I want to be there!

  83. I can totally relate to bouncing back and forth between feeling deprived and guilty. I really want a copy of this book! While it would be great to win it, if I don’t win it, it will be on my birthday wish list!

  84. Oh my, too many things have resonated. I am at a healthy weight (going on 10 years now and 4 babies later! It is truly God’s grace from the inside out), but I thought that losing the eight would bring me peace…and it has to some degree….but what jumps off the screen at me is the sugar highs/lows. This is not the first time this thought has crossed my mind. I would love to win your book and dig a little deeper. Thanks for the chance to win.

  85. I like the key part of going from feeling deprived to feeling empowered. I did a “detox” at the beginning of the year, and those DEPRIVED feelings were raging. I don’t know if I am at a place that I am ready to let go of “sugar” but I am ready to listen (read) and learn more…..I would like to feel EMPOWERED with my food choices daily!

  86. Last June I started avoiding sugar, and actually following a low carb eating plan. After a few weeks, I felt so much better, and the cravings went away. Unfortunately, during the holidays I decided to take a break. Now, I am right back to fighting the cravings. Thankfully, I haven’t regained the weight I lost, but I do feel that struggle again. I loved what you said about feeling empowered instead if deprived! I am going back on my plan and remembering that nothing tastes as good as peace feels. Your book is at the top of my need/want to read list!

  87. Yesterday was Day 1 again of trying to come off of sugar. I’m very familiar with the guilt / deprivation cycle, but I desperately need to overcome this. It’s affecting my health, my walk with God, my marriage, my parenting…our struggles, even with food, have an impact on our families and those around us not just ourselves like we often think. Along with sugar, I have to give up gluten and have very little dairy if any. It’s not easy, and I’m hoping I can find that switch to empowerment as well. And then maybe I can help my kids who also have food allergies/addictions.

  88. Three and a half years ago I had gastric bypass surgery to literally save my life. I have lost over 150lbs and yet I still feel the battle rage within me. Constantly giving in to what I know I shouldn’t eat and still carrying a secret love affair with sugar and the foods that make me crazy. Only now, it’s not just the deprived,/guilty fight, it’s also the physical punishment that my body retaliates with when I am not being “good”. I thought losing the weight would give me peace, and now I am finding that I won’t have peace until I have the courage to live differently. Your story is the third this week that has resonated some part of that message to me, the difference is, yours spoke of peace and that word made me cry. It’s what my heart longs for, and what I need in the deepest part of me. Not only to be a better mom and wife but to be a better me. Thank you so much for sharing.

  89. One week ago tomorrow, my doctor challenged me to give up sugar all together, for my health. I shared with her how I had been “cutting back” for some time and how I only “splurge” every now and then. She just shook her head and said, “I’m not talking about cutting back, I’m talking about cutting OUT!” I’m at 5 1/2 days and so appreciate this perspective that each chance to say no to sugar is a chance to choose victory through Him!

  90. Wow. That post really made me think. I think that this book would be just what I need right now. Thanks for the chance to win!

  91. a “switch” went off in my brain as I was reading this – seeing the difference between feeling deprived of something versus feeling empowered – and then recognizing the peace that comes from that. Nothing can beat that Godly peaceful feeling! Amazing.

  92. Wow- I love when you say that nothing tastes as good as peace feels. I couldn’t agree more and have just recently realized, thanks to God’s amazing grace, how His peace can satisfy like nothing else. It’s like you said, it’s a mindset switch that really makes all the difference. When we finally get to the place where we realize how much nourishment God has given us through His word and time in His presence, our desire for unhealthy physical nourishment diminishes significantly! I love this post! Thanks for speaking about a topic that I think all women deal with, whether they are overweight or not. We all struggle with the number on the scale but God only sees His beautiful reflection in the mirror. I’m so grateful!

  93. At the beginning of December I purposed to be Facebook-free for a whole month. Me. The college student who is glued to a computer every day to complete homework, email professors, read blogs galore, and keep in touch with friends and family. I took the plunge and decided that Facebook would not be king of my free-time.
    This post really resonates with me because in the beginning, I thought it would be excruciating. Maybe the first few days it was..but then I realized that people didn’t need me (or want to hear my posts) as I thought they did. Weight loss has been my goal for years, but somehow it always seems out of reach. Fasting from sugar like fasting from Facebook seems doable. It doesn’t seem scary. That surprises me.
    Finding peace in weight-loss is one of those things that I’m going to have to ponder, turn around, inside out and backwards. I never considered that the two would go hand in hand.
    Thank you for being an encouragement!
    It’s the almost the end of January, and I still haven’t been on Facebook. 🙂

  94. What great timing! I just started a 28 day challenge with my husband to start living healthily. This is a big deal for me. I’m 37 and can’t remember a day that I didn’t battle with my weight. Not that I’ve always been heavy – but even as a slim teen I thought I was fat! You had me when you said “you and sugar had a long time love affair.”.. That’s where I am. But, I’m not able to give it up yet. Keep doing what you do – you’re inspiring people like me. 🙂 Tx.

  95. I have a terrible sweet tooth too. I realize that I go to the donut, and chocolate for comfort, not because I need to eat them. What type of sweets did you fast from? Did you cut off sugar all together? I am going to start a sugar fast in Feb.

  96. I can really resonate with the deprive/indulge issue. Having lost 90 lbs approx 4 yrs ago I find I spend alot of time figuring out what I can get away witheating and how much exercise I need to do to “lose more”. Hope to be able to read your book and learn more:)

  97. I love your word “Empowered.”..I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…I have struggled with being overweight since my mid-twenties…sadly, 20 years…yoyoing up and down…I have belonged to over ten weight loss groups in that time to lose, to regain…just this last Monday my sister in law invited me to rejoin ww with her…I know the key is Jesus…I have seen that I need more than a “program”. I often run to food to comfort me, rather than running to Jesus. May that change and may I start running to Jesus, instead.

  98. Thank you for this. I was on a 6 month sugar fast and did so well – AND THEN THE HOLIDAYS knocked me off. Or I let them, I should say! Now I am struggling to do again because I am over stressed and over worried. I appreciate the boost. So well said.

  99. . Shifting from feeling deprived to empowered is the most crucial change………….this is the part that resonated the most with me. I do feel deprived when I am without my “precioius” (Lord of the Rings thing). 🙂

  100. Definitely the bit about how peace feels. I make so many bad decisions, and have so much resulting guilt and frustration, but I have such a hard time stopping myself anyway.

  101. I went without processed sugar for about six years—and, yes, the weight came off. I’ve been eating sugar again for about three years and gained 15lbs, which I can’t seem to take off. I’ve tried to go off the sugar again, but I cycle also between deprived and guilty. It’s an ugly, vicious cycle.

  102. I am new to incourage, andI have never heard of this book before, but your video resonated with me. For so many years, I have played the guilt/depravity game and I’m always on the losing end. In the last year, the Lord has really taught me that if I lose 100 pounds, or gain 100 pounds, His love for me will not change. Finally believing that I am loved for real–FOR REAL–I have decided to trust Him with this area of my life. I enrolled in an exercise class that is encouraging and motivating and in God’s divine providence, is led by a Christian! I am changing what and how I eat and truly feeling satisfied. It’s hard sometimes, but worth it. God has never proven unfaithful to me, so why would he start now? Your book sounds like it would be a great tool for me to use in this new phase of my life. Thank you for your perspective!

  103. How you talk about sugar is how I felt about TV and movies and recently did a 40 day fast from them. Amazing sense of freedom and so much more energy! Very interested to read your book.

  104. Thanks so much for this.. I am one of that does pretty good for a little while and then I’m back to my old habits again.. I need to get healthier.. I need to also fast on sugar too for not only weight issues but just health issues.. Thanks again!!

  105. THANK YOU – Guilt, it is always the guilt with me. This made so much sense, and it helps to know that I am not the only one who feels like this. I think it is something we mention to each other from time to time and never really go indepth with. I can’t wait to read the book. Thanks!

  106. “I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.” I would love to have this victory over food! Thanks so much for the enouragement Lysa!

  107. “My weight loss goal is peace.” I’m still mulling over this, but I’m imagining that probably the emotional weight of depravity and guilt are what we are really in need of losing.

  108. Thank you for so aptly writing what I have felt for quite a while! The beginning of the year, I began a journey in which I have broken my long, long standing love affiar with sugar, and have been cultivating rather, a love affair with Christ. I find as I pursue God, that my cravings diminish, and I am stronger, more able to resist the lure of temptation.
    I would love to read your book, and no doubt, it would encourage me to continue the journey, and to continue the clean break from sugar!
    God bless you, and keep you ‘sugar-free’. 😉
    Sue

  109. for me this is it…
    Slowly, I made a crucial switch in my brain.

    I’m not struggling with the sugar thing, but other things. And it is about making a switch in my brain, to not allow those things to take root.

  110. I think you’ve touched on something near and dear to many of us– GUILT. I love that your new-found courage is so thrilling. I think if more us focused on being courageous instead of feeling guilty we, too, could experience the thrill. Something to strive for. 🙂

  111. “Nothing Tastes as Good as Peace Feels” — WOW, what a title, what words! They resonated the instant I saw them. I’ve ridden the rollercoaster of yo-yo dieting for decades. Yes, decades. And now just from reading this post, I realize the depravity I’m feeling is not from not eating certain foods, but the lacking of something else, something bigger than me and all of us. Can’t wait to read this book. I want Peace — and making it a weight loss goal could just possibly make a huge difference.

  112. The thing that resonated the most with me in your blog was changing from feeling deprived to empowered. I usually focus on feeling deprived when I’m trying to lose weight and then think that it’s ok to have a treat because I shouldn’t be deprived!!! I’d like to feel empowered and change my mindset. I’ll have to read your book to see how to do that. Another new complication for me is that I have just moved into a community situation where meals are served in the dining room and this includes all kinds of yummy morning teas. I don’t get a salary but I do get meals free so I have to eat them….right?

  113. Before my sugar fast, I was constantly bouncing. I’ve been off sugar for five weeks and
    have been wondering where this goes.

  114. The feeling moving from being deprieved to empowered spoke to me. My Mother and grandfather have diabetes. My mother is consumed by the sugar that she can’t have. I want to not feel deprived as I walk a journey to finding health before diabetes finds me. This excerpt from the book sounds great! I long for peace.

  115. I was taken with the word “peace.” I struggle with the food issue all the time. I know what to do but doing the right thing is another issue. This book sounds like just what I need. Two friends have written to recommend it to me.

  116. “My weight loss goal is peace.” Yes! I have so often been caught up discontent and even anxiety over my body, and I came to a place where I realized I couldn’t go on that way anymore! I found where I was at peace, and I strive to stick to it. It’s hard to block out the world telling you to be thinner, more beautiful, younger, smarter; that you aren’t enough. I KNOW that in God’s eyes, I am enough, I am His.

    I have heard wonderful things about this book, and read the blog posts on K Love Radio. This book is on my wish list!

  117. The statement that “no treat in this world tastes as good as this peace feels” just keeps rippling through my thoughts. Also, I appreciate your candor in saying that you never thought this would be possible for you. We were indeed made to crave and Satan has done a great job convincing us that we crave many things, all of which are poor substitutes for the One our soul truly longs for.

  118. I love the feeling deprived to feeling empowered. I’m ready Beth Moore’s So Long Insecurity right now and she talks alot about not allowing others to steal our security. For me that was really empowering. I can still feel, but I alone to to choose how I react. It’s one thing to know it, but it’s another to hear it and have it stick.

  119. What is my deepest desire? . . . I am not sure what that is, but I can tell you that food is not satisfying it! The internal struggle has been going on a long, long time. Maybe your book is another answer to the prayers I’ve been praying.

  120. I don’t feel I am addicted to sugar but I do like sweet better than salty for sure. But a bite is enough to keep me happy. I’d like to know how to get away from the craving for sweets.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

  121. I need to make the switch from feeling deprived to feeling EMPOWERED!

    I am on day 5 of no sugar, and I’m ready to step out in power, not deprivation!

  122. The title grabbed me and drew me in: “Nothing Tastes as Good as Peace Feels”… Almost daily I see a magnet that says “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” Hmmm, I have never thought of food vs. peace…..I will read on.
    As I read about sugar – that you went on a fast for 3 MONTHS! and turned it into 2 YEARS!!!! Wow! God? Are you answering my prayer whispered to You last night as I repented from the sugar overload and asked for help?
    I continue reading…Energy crashes (me too!) Feeling deprived then guilty (I can relate!) Then the switch – THE SWITCH-from deprived to empowered…That’s it! (I was there once. HOW DO I GET BACK?) Losing weight isn’t the most important thing….being free from food cravings and living in peace is…. Your whole post resonated with me….Thank you.

  123. Thank you for your post. It is all about our attitude towards things, and not something that our body actually needs…we don’t NEED sugar to survive, but sometimes our state of mind takes over. I think you are so right about moving from deprived to empowered, and shifting that place in our minds so that we now have the power instead of our impulse. I have not quite seen this in my life…it’s something that I “know in my knower” but not in my heart…but I am encouraged by your post and am realizing things in my life that I need to take more action in…and not just eat it because everyone else is, or because my cravings are overwhelming. Can’t wait to read your book, too!

  124. Ah, the bouncing back and forth, yes. I have my days where I feel confident and think “I can DO this, I can resist temptation!” The next day I give up, thinking, “Oh, just one treat will do…” One turns into two, turns into three….
    I would love to read this book. I’ve stuggled with food issues all my life.

  125. Talking about the sad cycle I go through and knowing that someone else has been deprived/guilty lets me know I am not crazy because that is what I too name the emotions. Thank you for the chance to read this book, for the chance to read “help”.

  126. This is another way of saying you have to let go of some things to empty your hand so that you can get what is better than the things you let go.
    You cannot have it when your hands are full.
    Let go. Say no. It is your brave self talking here – standing for what you really want, for what you know is best for you.
    And there is peace. Because you are no longer with yourself.

  127. This is another way of saying you have to let go of some things to empty your hand so that you can get what is better than the things you let go.
    You cannot have it when your hands are full.
    Let go. Say no. It is your brave self talking here – standing for what you really want, for what you know is best for you.
    And there is peace. Because you are no longer struggling with yourself.

  128. Dear Lisa,
    My name is Lisa too, and I can so relate to what you are saying. My weight has bounced up and down for years. Right now I have come to peace with with it, and I am making healthy eating choices, not for a number on the scale, but because I want to have a healthy body.
    For myself I had to admit that I was powerless over sugar and junk food, and that those foods were no longer a choice for me. I cannot have one bite of those foods or I will want to go back to those old ways of of eating. I can look at them and say “no thank you” but once I start eating them it takes me weeks to get back to the healthy way again. I feel so much better when I don’t eat sugar, I don’t deal with depression as much or confusion, mood swings, or endless hunger. To me sugar is a drug that I don’t want to use.
    I have to ask muself if I am truly physically hungry, or if I am hungry for something else.
    Thank you so much.
    Lisa

  129. It struck me that fasting also makes this link between the spiritual and physical…probably because I’m nearing the end of a fast right now!

  130. Gave up sweets for lent and decided to keep going for a year. Haven’t made the switch yet though. Still struggling sometimes well and sometimes with slip ups. Praying for the switch!!

  131. This was the part I liked best: “Now my goals have nothing to do with a number on the scale. My weight loss goal is peace.”

    I have reached the same point in my weight loss journey & mentality — it’s not about the # or even the size of jeans I want to wear, it’s about how I feel about myself. It’s about feeling confidence and at peace.

  132. Made to Crave has helped me on my journey to be OK with who I am. It’s true. The sense of empowerment is amazing. My weakness, well, one of them, is chocolate. I never felt like my meal was done until I had some. I had some M&Ms in the afternoon for a snack. I drank hot chocolate like others drink coffee. I love love LOVE me some chocolate milk. So when Lysa talked about the possibilities of turning from some foods forever, I immediately thought of chocolate and immediately after that thought “NEVER! Not chocolate!” That is when I realized, yes. Yes, it must be chocolate. I am now a month into my no chocolate season of life. There have been so many times I have almost eaten chocolate out of habit (how sad!) and yet, every time I tell myself no, I feel just a little better about who I am, and the fact that I really can do all things through Christ. I am horrible at remembering Scripture word-for-word, so my go-to verses are more like this…”permissible, NOT beneficial”. But it works, because it means I am giving God the final word on my situation.

    I am so thankful that Lysa wrote this book. Pracitical, empowering, organized and ready to use (I love the scripts and scriptures organized together!) no matter if you are just starting a healthing eating plan, or starting one again, this is the must-have companion for success.

    If you have walked with God for years, just started your journey, or are trying to figure out what God has to do with anything, this book is for you.

  133. I have three kids under five and I have been coping with Nutella and peanut butter. Of course I know it isn’t the answer to attempt to cope with something that at most gives me a 30 second thrill… it is a desperate habit that needs to be altered. When I saw the title of your book it was almost as if I let out a sigh and felt the wind at my back. Thank you for writing the book and for having the courage and the faith to get control by giving the reins to the King.

  134. I found through this post that my goal should not be to lose weight, but to gain peace with myself!

  135. “…from deprived to empowered.”
    What Energy is most at work in me?
    Is it the Energy of Christ or
    is it my own frightful energy pulling myself up by the bootstraps.
    If it’s coming from a good place in my heart, and I hope that it is,
    it is the Energy of Christ that is so powerfully at work in me.
    The Empowered Energy of the Eternal.

  136. Dear Lysa,
    I am curious about your fast from sugar…it is all forms of sugar or just processed sugar? Do you eat fruit or any simple carbs which can readily turn into sugar in your body? Unfortunately, I have missed the webcast for the last two weeks so I haven’t seen whether you have this discussion. I look forward to learning more in the coming weeks. God bless you Lysa!

  137. Great post What resonated with me the most is we as christians have the choice to say no to food for comfort and yes to God. Hallelujah Kathy Mills

  138. Peace….never thought of it that way. It makes total sense. I look forward to reading this book.

  139. So much of this post resonated with me Lysa. It hit home when you wrote about how sugar can have a hold on us and I would so love to ‘switch from feeling deprived to feeling empowered’. This is going to be my year! 🙂

  140. What an amazing way to think about something like giving up sugar. This entry really spoke ot me. The past three weeks I have FINALLY made working out a priorety in my life, not for weight loss but for taking care of myself. When thinking about giving up something like sugar, there has always been the “poor me” mindset. But to change that to empowerment resulting in peace – sonds blissful. Thanks for sharing!

  141. Wow…I gave up sugar at the beginning of the year….almost a month, and YES….I too am crying those crocodile tears at times. Part of me feels like a hero for making it so long, and part of me feels like one of my passions has been taking away….baking. This too shall pass, but I am prayerfully searching for the feeling of empowerment instead of feeling depraved. Thank you!

  142. ” I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered…..” I love that line in your article. For the past 6 years I have felt deprived and powerless in almost every area of my life. The sense of powerlessness I felt was overwhelming, especailly in relationships and eating. Something very painful happened about 5 months ago that has caused me to “let go and let God”. Since then I have felt that sense of powerlessness start to lift, and have started making some changes in my life. Would love to read your book for a much needed boost of inspiration! Thanks!

  143. Peace—-how wonderful it would be to not feel guilty after eating something I probably shouldn’t have, but did it anyway in the moment…

  144. “I switched from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.”

    That is what resonated most with me. I remember a time where I felt that way about food and am ready to be there again. I’m so tired of eating for the wrong reasons.

  145. the goal being peace, not striving for a perfect body or anything, that’s what hit me most! i’d love this book!

  146. Nothing tastes as good as peace feels really resonated with me. I would like to feel empowered instead of defeated and guilty. Thank you for this post!

  147. Oh…I got to the end of the post and I read…”my weight loss goal is Peace”.

    That completely resonates with me. So many attempts…so many short term success…no peace.
    I want the peace that only God can give me…an eternal victory.

  148. I love the line “I went from feeling deprived to feeling empowered.” That is going to be a motto! I also like thinking ~ Peace as a weight goal? I can do that!

    CeCe

  149. WOW!!! You are an inspiration for me to try it too, with no sugar for at least a month. You think I can do it? oh I hope so. Its sounds so hard, so trilling, so invigorating. I think I will need to buy your book for sure now. Thank you for such wisdom!

  150. “My weight loss goal is Peace.” That’s what spoke to me the most on this post. I have not had peace with myself ever that I can remember. Even in my single, apartment living, starvation days when I was fitting into my high school jeans again did I feel thin and healthy. I had moments of joy here and there (like wearing my first and only 2 piece bikini for 1 summer), but never a peace. I long for that and am looking forward to it. I know it is possible because with God, all things are possible! Thank you Lysa, for taking on this subject and giving us a life-changing book to take us on this journey!
    Peace and God Bless! ~Becky

  151. I remember feeling that “empowered” feeling when I’ve been watching what I eat in the past. It’s so liberating. Somehow I’d forgotten how good that feels. I saw your book on Amazon just today and almost ordered it, but left it out of my cart, thinking I didn’t need another book to tell me what to do. I’d love to win a copy and learn how to be free from the control food has over my life. Thanks for a chance to win.

  152. Oh, this brought tears to my eyes. To know someone understands this feeling. I wake up sometimes in the night, my first thought is sugar. No kidding. Would love to be entered, thanks.
    Christa

  153. What really hit me was thinking about what would, what COULD, happen if we all replaced our desire of food and time spent thinking about it, with GOD. Time in His Word, time praying, thoughts about how we could serve or worship Him. THAT is amazing.

  154. “bouncing between depraved and guilty”…….that is how I feel so much of the time. And as if I’m a slave to these desires as well – which is a sucky feeling. I’d love to read your book.

  155. PEACE! I am in desperate need of peace. And I’m trying to learn how to find it, instead of letting life take over. I know that I’ve been addicted to sugar and have myself started a ‘fasting’ period, giving up many of my sugary ‘things’ (coffee and soda). And it is amazing what you can do when your mindset changes. I’m not doing this because I have to, I’m doing it because I WANT to. I made the choice, it wasn’t made for me.

  156. Wow, thank you, thank you, thank you, for putting those feelings into words! They are so true that I kept nodding and smiling while reading your post! So that’s what has been happening to me while I change my eating habits! I love it! Plan to share this with a friend who is on this journey with me.