Day 37: Gluttony

I woke up to a sore throat, throbbing headache, and stuffy nose.  It took me a while to summon the energy to get out of bed, and now I'm moving at a snails pace.  I've noticed that being tired, and needing self-care and mindfulness strategies has been a common theme of this second round of 21 days.  This afternoon, I may spend some time reviewing the last 37 days so that I can note the highs and lows, and create a plan of how to move forward. 
In Gwen Shamblin's book, The Tablet, she recommends  we make a list of how we feel when we overeat, and how we feel when we don't.  So, here is my list:
When I overeat I feel bloated, tired, depressed, no energy, can't bend over, uncomfortable in my own skin, disappointed, discouraged, jealous, guilty, ashamed, angry.  I hurt.  I can't fit into my clothes.  I get frustrated.  I don't want to go out and do anything.  
When I don't overeat I have energy, and it's easy to move.  I feel excited and determined and successful.  I like fitting into my clothes and I'm not self-conscious.  I feel good about who I am.  I feel determined and want to do more.  
It's really a no brainer!  Overeating only causes pain and misery!  Gwen shared that it takes about 20-30 minutes for our food to breakdown to hit the bloodstream.  It's not until then that we feel satisfied and full.  Today, my focus will be on eating small portions, slowly, waiting at least 30 minutes before taking an inventory on how full I feel.  For instance, 20 minutes ago, I ate 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with peanut butter, a small glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee.  I feel extremely full right now, almost too full.  I probably should have had one slice of bread instead of two.    
Like Toby Mac says, "I don't want to gain the whole world, but lose my soul."  I don't want to gain a ton of weight and lose my soul.  I don't want gluttony (overeating) to take away from the person you created me to be.  How can I possibly be a vessel of your light when my light is buried beneath mounds of food?