Freedom from Gluttony

Hey there - it’s Don.

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone is having a great week.

To borrow Jerry Bridges’ phrase, today’s issue is on one of the “respectable sins” of our modern age… gluttony.

We’ll look at what it is, getting free from it, and then some very practical stuff to consider with it.

Let’s jump in!

🔎 Inside

• Freedom from gluttony

• History of portion sizes: how they’ve changed over time

• 30 day fighter pull-up program, 20 healthy condiments (and 8 unhealthy ones), and more

First time reading? Sign-up here.

💪 Deep Dive

Click here to read this on the Layman’s Fitness website

Shadowy Seasons

In 2020, I was in perhaps one of the most stressful seasons of my life.

We had just moved states for a new job.

We sold and bought a house during that time.

Within 3 months of starting that job I found out there was going to be company-wide layoffs.

The new job I had was already requiring more of me than I had ever given before (time, energy, worry, etc…)

We were having fertility challenges in our marriage.

We had several family sadnesses pop up unexpectedly.

Oh and remember COVID?

The compounding effect of all these things made me both anxious and sad.

And here was my routine on the way home from work:

• I’d eat in the car

• I’d make a beeline for the pantry when I got home

• I’d snack on something after dinner

Mind you, I wasn’t eating apples. It was chips, cookies, pastries, ice cream, or the like.

While I didn’t recognize it at the time, in hindsight I look back on those eating decisions and it’s clear why I was making them.

I was habitually overeating to remove pain from my life. But it didn’t work.

Freedom from Gluttony

In the letter to Titus, Paul gives his friend some instructions on setting up churches on the island of Crete.

And what were the Cretans like?

Sounds like a rowdy bunch to have as your neighbors, right?

The Cretans had desires that were out of control.

And one of those desires was a sinful desire for food.

What is Gluttony?

The word used for “glutton” in Titus 1:13 means “belly”.

For a glutton, the belly is his defining characteristic.

He is enslaved to the whims, desires, and wishes of his belly… and it just so happens to show.

But gluttony is not always the same thing as feasting, enjoying food, or even the number of inches around the waistline.

For instance, there were 7 annual feasts that God’s people celebrated that came with enjoyment of a larger meal.

There are also some prescriptions in Scripture to enjoy what we eat:

So what exactly is gluttony?

Gluttony is when the belly becomes the god (Philippians 3:19). It’s marked by enslavement to the desire for food.

At its core, gluttony seeks to get something out of food beyond what God intended food to give.

God gave us food for our fuel, replenishment, and as a good thing for us to enjoy with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3-4).

But gluttony goes beyond this.

What are the reasons we habitually and excessively overeat?

It’s probably not hunger, replenishment, or thanksgiving.

If you’re like me, it’s probably one of these:

• Anxiety

• Anger

• Boredom

• Fear

• Moody

• Sadness

• Social pressure

• Stress

• Tired

So, we go to the belly to solve this problem.

But then the belly demands more… then more… then more… and then more to fulfill it.

And before you know it, we’re in captivity to our appetite.

Other sins, such as lust or drunkenness, follow a similar path. It begins as a way to soothe the pain, but ends with enslavement to desires.

So in the ultimate sense, gluttony is distorted worship.

Instead of going to the Lord with our needs, we go to the belly for deliverance.

As Matthew Henry puts it -

And gluttony is served with a side of consequences… from chronic diseases, digestive issues, and guilt to just name a few.

Warning us against gluttony is truly merciful of God.

He not only helps us reorient proper worship towards Himself so we can experience true joy, but He also helps protect us from ourselves.

Freedom from Gluttony

Notice Paul’s command to the men in Crete.

This word for self-controlled, sophroneo, is also translated as “sober-mindedness”.

The idea behind this word is to be able to curb your passions and desires.

It’s when you are the one in the driver’s seat when the engine of your belly’s desire roars to life.

This word also shows up in Mark 5, in the story of the man possessed by Legion.

After Jesus casts out the demons, the man was described as “being in his right mind” (also sophroneo).

Under possession, the man had no control over himself. He was under control of the malicious whims of the demons.

But after his freedom through Christ’s deliverance, he had a clear, free, and sober mind.

This story helps us piece together how to have true freedom from gluttony.

#1) Pray

Sober-mindedness is the pathway to freedom out of gluttony.

But sober-mindedness is not about gritty willpower, having the right hacks, finding the right systems, or just summoning up some internal feeling.

It begins and ends with a humble admission that we need God’s help and His grace.

It’s a belief that finds our hope in Christ and Him crucified and resurrected for our sins.

It’s going to Him in our times of trouble or worry.

Then it’s stepping out in obedience through faith, trusting that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to make the next decision.

Here’s how sophroneo is achieved in Titus 2:11-12

And here’s how a similar word, “self-control”, is achieved in Galatians 5:22-23

The grace of God trains us to put off our old selves and then step into the new life of the Spirit.

True mastery over desires begins on the knees.

This process can take a long time. But stepping forward by faith is the only way out.

#2) Moderation

Armed by faith and winged by prayer, the next step is to make the next sober-minded decision about food.

And sober-mindedness in motion looks like moderation.

Moderation curbs the desire for food back to it’s proper place - a deep thanksgiving that God gave us our daily bread.

It allows us to enjoy food… but with limits.

Here’s how Proverbs puts it:

#3) Worship God by eating

Lastly, as Christians we don’t eat to please our bellies… we eat to worship God.

And He has given us amazing foods to eat and be thankful for (1 Timothy 4:3-4).

Getting really practical

This is great and all…

But what does this look like on a Tuesday at 9pm after a stressful day of work and my kids were rowdy and sick and the last thing I want to do is eat a piece of broccoli?

Here are some questions to ask.

• What causes you to overeat?

• What foods do you typically overeat?

• When do you typically overeat them?

• What are you going to do about it?

• What are replacement foods?

• Who is helping you?

Here’s what this looks like in my own life.

Might look different for you.

Here’s what causes me to overeat:

I overeat when I’m anxious or sad about something in life.

Gluttony has been like a shadow in the background during these darker seasons of life.

Practically, here are some other reasons I’ve overeaten:

• When I haven’t planned out the foods in our pantry

• When I don’t have a healthy snack in the afternoon

• When it’s 8pm and I’m watching something at night

Here are the 5 foods I will overeat:

• Pizza

• Tortilla chips

• Ice cream

• Breads

• Cookies

Here’s when I will overeat:

• 2-5pm (before dinner)

• 7-10pm (after dinner)

What am I going to do about it?

Pray. Ask the Lord for help. Especially if it’s anxiety or sadness.

And here’s what moderation looks like for me right now:

• 80-90% of my foods during a week are meats, fruits, vegetables and legumes without refined carbs

• Typically one day a week is “treat day” (Friday or Saturday)

• On the treat day I’ll eat pizza, tortilla chips, ice cream, bread, or cookies

• Exception to the one treat day are special occasions that happen about one or two more meals during the week (invited over to friends, family’s over, friend’s over, birthdays, etc…)

• We try to eat an earlier dinner (5:30pm) and go to bed earlier (9-9:30pm)

• My wife and I are working on reading more in the evenings and watching less shows

And when I fail (because I most certainly do), I just move on and focus on the next decision.

What are replacement foods?

Since I typically overeat between 2pm-5pm or 7pm-10pm, here’s what I’ll replace it with.

1. Greek Yogurt (plain, unsweetened), apple, 1 tbsp of peanut butter

2. Handful of nuts

3. Decaf coffee in the afternoon with a bit of milk

4. Decaf tea in the evenings

Who is helping me?

My wife. What a gift she is here.

We’ve had several, specific conversations about food in the home, like:

• “Here’s the mission/vision here on what we are trying to do with food in our family, for the Lord, for each other, and for our kids”

• “I can’t have chips/cookies/pizza regularly around because I don’t always have the self control needed”

• “Here are the favorite healthy foods we all enjoy as a family, and let’s try to just have those”

• “Here’s how many times we’ll eat out as a family each week, and here’s what we’ll get when we do that”

These conversations have simplified our food decisions for her, for me, and the kids.

Guys in the KB Strength System

There are ~20 guys in this program, and I see their efforts everyday to make improvements on what they eat.

That alone provides an immense amount of accountability for me.

And yes, I do fitness coaching for a living now… so I guess eating healthy is part of my job description.

But it also makes it a matter of personal integrity.

And it’s the Lord who sees everything.

Your answers to all these questions might look different than mine.

But I hope this gives you a head start.

➡️ The Takeaway

Gluttony is when the belly becomes the god (Philippians 3:19). It’s distorted worship.

The way out is not gritty willpower, but a humble admission that we need God’s grace and His Spirit.

Then, we can step out in obedience through faith by the Spirit’s power into a life marked by new desires.

And we can enjoy the wonderful foods God has given us with a clear mind as a way to worship Him.

🔎 Finds

Here are some of my favorite finds/resources this week.

Top find

The history of portion sizes: how they’ve changed over time (more)

Other finds

• 30 day fighter pull-up plan (more)

• Ligonier Article - What is Gluttony? (more)

• DesiringGod - 4 signs food has become an idol (more)

• Kettlebell windmill 101 (more)

• This steak and shrimp stir fry recipe (more)

• 20 healthy condiments (and 8 unhealthy ones) (more)

👍 Thanks for reading!

Here are some other ways I might be able to help:

• The Home Gym Equipment List - here are 5 pieces of equipment I recommend for the home gym (after spending $1,000+ on equipment)

• 30 Day Weight Loss - Here’s a step-by-step guide on losing 5-10+ pounds in the next 30 days

• KB Strength System - 1/1 coaching to give you everything needed to get strong and lose weight at home

I’ll see you next week.

Be strong,

Don