I occasionally have a desire to stuff food down my throat as fast as I can. I am not eating because of hunger.  Stuffing food into my body never satisfies me.  My body does not need this food, but I have a spiritual need only God can fill.  I avoid overindulgence by turning to God to meet this need.  During the times I have given in to this urge, I do not enjoy the food I gorge on.  I use food to meet a need only God can fill.  Since food never fills this craving, I continue to overeat.

Only God can satisfy these deep spiritual urges that I have tried to fill with food.  Psalm 34:8 is, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996, 2004, 2007).    I have tasted the Lord and experienced Him filling me like food was unable to. To avoid overeating, I must feed my spirit. I  do this spending time with God by reading my Bible and praying.  Now that God fills me, I use food to satisfy hunger and can enjoy every bite I eat.

I do not “count calories”, but listen to my body for signs of hunger. When I crave something sweet, I would rather have a bite of cheesecake than an entire box of cookies.  Most of the time, I enjoy what I eat and savor each bite.   I am the only person I know of who does not like potatoes.  I no longer force myself to eat them.  Instead,  I choose from foods served and enjoy balanced meals.  God has changed my taste buds where I now crave broccoli and spinach, when I once craved junk food. Allowing God to fill my spiritual needs has taken away my urge to stuff food down.