Things Christians Learn From This Is Us- Splurge When You Can

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”- Romans 12:2
 
Diets. Don’t. Work.
There, I said it.
Diets don’t work because they cause you have to give up immediately the foods you are in a habit of eating all the time. Eating is not only a physical activity, but also a mental one. When you eat a food high in sugar, chemicals that cause a pleasurable response are released in the brain, causing your brain to send signals to want to eat that food again. If you refuse it, a tension between your brain’s pleasure and your nutrition to be at odds with each other. Your brain likes it, but due to the high sugar content, your body stores it as fat because it can’t convert a high amount of sugar into energy (unless you are exercising to burn it off.)
 
 Just like in the Christian life, you must renew your mind slowly in order to change your eating habits. If you want to make life long changes, train your brain to require less and less of the chemical causing food so you won’t crave it as much. Dieters do best when they wean themselves off of sweets and high fatty foods, only allowing them a treat once in a while, rather than quitting cold turkey.
 
Kate understands how hard dieting is and how much of a mental battle it is. When she puts herself first and tries to lose weight, eve though Toby has fallen off the dieting wagon, she still stumbles into temptation. After catching Toby binging on snacks in private, she goes to the gas station and binges on mini powdered donuts in the car. Downing one after another, she hates herself for giving into temptation. But really part of the blame was on Toby for not supporting her on her weight loss journey.  Additionally, Kate blames herself for her father’s death, an unnecessary guilt that is contributing to her love/hate relationship with food.
 
By changing her thought patterns and renewing her mind regarding her view of herself, she can hold the true key to her success. The real first step on her weight loss journey is forgiving herself for what she believes is a role in her dad’s death.
 
What do you have to renew your mind about in your life? You looks? Your failures? Your mistakes? What can you do to change your outlook on these things today?