Weight loss success: Day 25

Maintain clear reasons why you want to control the behavior and remind yourself of these reasons continuously. For example: Susie is determined to quit her sugar addiction – she has had enough of the destruction.

In her diary she writes: “It is 1:30 – why can’t I think about the right things. I must change, my daughter needs a healthy mom. 2:10 – nothing I really want to do and I’m ready to pull my hair out. But, I need to pull it together, I have been good for 2 days and I have to get my blood pressure down. 3:05 – no one wants to do anything and I am going crazy. But, if I slip up once it will be 5 then 7 times then who knows. 3:54 – bad mouth mary is calling. I know all about the bad things that will happen if I answer. Let it go to voice mail. I really like the person I am starting to be, who will avoid the total jerks who don’t care about my issues.

4:30 Mom calls and complains. Temptation hits and Susie writes: I must change, my daughter needs a healthy Mom.

You may ask – how many times do I have to remind myself about the things I already know?

One of the reasons Susie is determined to do this is because her new husband said he did this for months and that is how he quit gambling. She thinks it is sort of funny that he still writes in his diary at odd times while they are together. But he says that every penny (plus more) used to go to gambling. Now he actually has a few dollars in his pocket.

Now his ex – friends are starting to like him again. He is not using them like he used to. He says “if I have to write my reasons for quitting a million times it will be worth it. I have my life back.”

When we remind ourselves continuously why we want to control our behavior- things will start to make sense.

Coca Cola is the highest selling brand of beverage in the world. In the 80’s Pepsi came out with the Pepsi challenge. They said try Coke and Pepsi in a blind taste test and see which one is better. 57% of people who took the test said they liked Pepsi more.

Pepsi sales shot through the roof and Coke panicked. They quickly came up with a sweeter New Coke. But within a few weeks Coke drinker complained. They did not like the sweeter Coke. Coke changed again and brought back old Coke now called Coke Classic bringing joy to the world again.

Was Pepsi better than Coke? Why did so many Coke lovers choose Pepsi in the test? It was because the first sip of Pepsi is sweeter, but when you drink the whole bottle the sweetness is a negative for many people.

Sin and addiction are exactly the same way, the first sip is sweet and fun. But quickly we remember we are again on the road to the Law of Diminishing returns.

When heavy temptation hits always pause to think about two things you can do right now that will give you increasing returns this week. If your life stinks right now you need to do things that will give you increasing returns and make your future better. Memorize the 3 P’s – Pause, pray, plan.

Key Point: When temptation is tough pause, pray and plan what you can do right now that will give you increasing returns this week.To quit addiction you need to understand how your mind works. On your way home from work you pass the doughnut shop. You want to go in – that is the trigger. You think about how great it would be if you could have your favorite one. The trigger leads to thinking about wrongs things. Now you start to crave sugar – your thinking about it leads to a feeling that you have to have it. You go in and since you were not supposed to do it in the first place you buy a couple extra. The craving has led to behavior. Now you are upset that you are doing the last thing in the world you planned to do so you feel bad. Since you feel bad you can’t stop at one. Your actions have consequences.

Know exactly what your triggers are. You have to develop the habit of instantly changing your thinking when the trigger starts you down a slippery road.

How to lose weight: tip #18 Keep a food journal – people who do this lose twice as much weight.

Checklist for avoiding relapse:

1. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Have an all consuming goal that will help other people and that will use up a lot of the time you used to spend on your addiction.
2. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Even during times when you are succeeding, prayer urgently often each day to overcome addiction – to develop habits that you may very well need during seasons of difficult temptation.
3. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Always practice moderation in all things and always try to identify what activities you tend to overindulge in which lead you down a wrong trail.
4. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Write down what attitudes and beliefs led you into addiction. For me the love of pleasure was a priority. That attitude brought about a lot of pain and destruction. I am currently focusing on being very aware of how great things are when I worship God vigorously and pursue the correct passions and purpose. If I improve my awareness of how great things are when I am vibrantly living life God’s way, the next time I fall into heavy temptation I will have more bullets in my gun to fight back.
5. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Write down places, people and activities that you need to avoid to stay off the slippery path that leads you back into addiction.
6. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Form a plan with new places or people or activities that will help you avoid relapse. Have a list of people that you can reach out to for support when times get tough.
7. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Go to support groups – either to get help or to do your part to help others.
8. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Make disciple and structure and planning a priority. Both to keep your addiction at bay and to aggressively find your purpose in life.
9. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Realize that you have become stronger now. Your life may spin out of control for a bit and you start to slip up. You have crossed the line you know you should not cross. We know people who just can’t have that one cookie, it leads to others. But you were not trying to set loose boundaries, you just honestly screwed up. You are now strong enough to stop and avoid destruction. Tell yourself and God “I am not trying to set loose boundaries, I am going to stop this binge right now and fulfill my purpose and find joy”. You are stronger now!
10. Checklist for avoiding relapse: Develop positive addictions. Exercise every day, pray every day, read the Bible every day, help others every day, fight to find your purpose every day, turn aggressively from smut every day, determine to treat people with love and respect every day, become more disciplined every day, develop more expertise in moderation every day, learn how to love and worship God more every day. Develop positive addictions.

We struggle with temptation because we think there is that huge thrill or high or win that we can have if we just go back to the vice again. But the only pleasure that will be huge and great is found in a burning fire for Jesus. All other pleasures are short term with little to no satisfaction.

Jesus has something for you to work on or do today. Get the fire burning by getting started doing what He wants you to do. This if the key to the huge pleasure you are searching for. This is the pleasure that satisfies.

Top 10 prayers for overcoming addiction

1. Pray: Father help me to continue to realize that 12 step programs and help from Pastors and sponsors are vitally important to my continued recovery.
2. Pray: “Father help me to make it a habit to always plan my next few days. It is vital to plan because boredom is a trigger to relapse. Routine and concrete scheduling can be a lifesaver for an addict. A schedule, coupled with passion for a new hobby or sporting activity, allows people to successfully and happily break the cycle of boredom.
3. Pray: Father help me always to be balanced. Be balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually.
4. Pray: Father help me to focus on the fact that indulgence causes destruction. It always has and it always will.
5. Pray the Lord’s Prayer 4 times a day (if you can do it each time sincerely) or as often as you can sincerely pray it.

The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

6. Pray: Father help me to increase my toughness to be able to say no to my habit.
7. Pray: “Father, help me to quit my addiction, and to learn how to think about other things instead of indulging and to learn what to do instead.”
8. Pray: Father, start to take away my eating urges and help me to worship and praise you so that I will become more disciplined and stronger.
9. Pray: “Father give me the wisdom to write a prayer that will help me to start overcoming my addiction.” For example – you feel like your addiction has hurt your ability to be a great parent. You might pray “Father help me to care more about my kid’s future than I care about lust/pleasue.” Once you have that prayer that really speaks to what will motivate you – start praying it in earnest. You can pray it as many times each day as you want as long as you are sincere in increasing your desire to change with each prayer. God is not counting how many times I pray my prayer. He is looking at how my heart changes as I sincerely pray it each time and how I allow him to lead me to better choices because now (because of prayer and extra effort) I am starting to see reality clearer.

10.Pray: Father help me to be moderate in all things (being moderate in all things will help you stay away from your main addiction).

The Freedom Prayer

By Tim Hofflander

Father, give me wisdom to acquire techniques to quit my addition

Help me to fulfil my God given purpose in full, or to aggressively train to achieve it

I plan to obey you today and I ask that you would see my sincerity and help me to not only change my eating/exercise habits but to also quit other addictions/sins that keep my blessing far away

I will do my part in helping others and I humbly ask that you would start to bless my health and to give me a chance to help others long term

Feel free to repeat this course as many times as it takes to develop the habits and discipline you need to suceed both with your habits as well as with life.