The Power of “I Can”

Reaching my weight loss goal is a precarious place for me, a blessing entangled with a curse. The curse is the dangerous assumption that freedom now means I can return to all those things I’ve given up for the past months. The sacrifices, the missed treats, the deprived taste buds high on salad and low on French fries. I’m tempted to celebrate, live it up, and invite all those foods I’ve missed to a little welcome-home party.

Yet I can’t fling open the door to all of those missed foods without welcoming back the excess calories, fat grams, cholesterol, sugars, and addictive additives. Most of these destructive guests fall under the category of junk foods. The interesting thing about these guests is that they send out little signals to our brains, begging us to party with them again and again. A welcome-home party becomes an invitation to be roommates again, which spells disaster for what we hoped might be a lifestyle change.

A chips-and-chocolate girl like me can find it hard to uninvite certain foods to the party, especially ones that have been regulars for years. It’s even more difficult to acknowledge that they aren’t really my friends. Some can be casual acquaintances on a very limited basis, but others need to be banished for good. Only you can determine which foods are allowed back, and which are not.

One of my favorite Scriptures for navigating this process is: “ ‘Everything is permissible for me’ — but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians 6:12a NIV 1984). I quote it over and over, reminding myself that I could have that brownie or that cheese dip, but they wouldn’t benefit me in any way. That powerful thought has helped me focus on being empowered to make a beneficial choice, rather than wallowing in feeling deprived of an unhealthy choice.

So, lest we start mourning what will be lost, we must celebrate all that’s being gained through our healthy lifestyle. “I can” instead of “I can’t” is a powerful little twist of phrase for a girl feeling deprived. For example:

“I can” helps me walk into a dinner party and find the conversation more appealing than the buffet.

“I can” helps me stay on the perimeter of the grocery store where the fresher, healthier selections abound and smile that I know this tidbit.

“I can” helps me reach for my water bottle and find satisfaction in its refreshment.

“I can” helps me look at the McDonald’s menu and order a fruit tray without even giving a thought to the Happy Meals that used to be snacks.

“I can” reminds me to look up a restaurant’s nutritional information on the Internet before going out, ensuring wiser choices.

“I can” reminds me that no food will ever taste as sweet as peace!