21 Days - PLUS!

They say it takes 21 days to create or break a habit. Hmmm.....well, I have not had chips of any kind for over 21 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, No......maybe you don't understand!!! I - ME - MOI - Dale W. Hill - the I-don't-need-dip-just-give-me-the-chips, if-there's-chips-at-an-event-that's-where-you'll-find-me...THAT Dale! I love chips - this includes Doritos, pretzels, Tostitos, baked chips, soy chips, flax chips, blue chips, veggie chips - ANY KIND OF CHIPS! But, again, I repeat, I have not had any chips of any kind for over 21 days. HALLELUJAH! The decision to do such a thing resulted from a conversation that went kind of like this:
Self: Maybe I should just stop eating chips altogether.
Old self: Yeah, RIGHT! SIKE!!! Don't be unrealistic!
Self: But it appears that I cannot control myself when I eat chips...even the ones that aren't that bad for you like the baked ones or the flax ones or veggie ones - over eating is still over eating. Healthy chips or not, I just lose control!
Old self: Who do you think you're talking to?! Hello! You love chips! You serve them at your house OFTEN when you have fellowships in your house OFTEN! YOU buy the chips! No one asks you to! YOU buy them! You love them! AND, your husband buys them a LOT! They're in your house weekly! I think you're really going over board with this 'healthy' thing if you think you should stop eating one of your favorite snacks. You're always telling people to be realistic, and to be balanced.....a few chips every once in a while are not going to hurt you.
Self: That's just it! I can't eat a few! I can't eat just 10! I can't eat just 20! Then, afterwards I feel bad physically because of over-eating, and emotionally because I feel guilty!
Old Self: So, what are you going to do?! You're just going to stop eating chips - just like that!? Cold turkey?!
Self: I did it with pork and beef in 1981! You know how I grew up loving bacon, pork chops, barebecue ribs, sausage, etc, but in 1981 I gave it all up! ( NOTE: Though I still don't eat pork and beef, I no longer think that one needs to give up pork and beef to eat healthy...as long as you're eating lean choices of meat, NOT fried, NOT smothered, and NOT all of the time!)
Old self: That was different!
Self: Exactly! That was actually real food! ....a staple.....with vitamins and nutrients.....We're talking chips here! If I can replace pork and beef with soy and veggie products, surely I can replace chips! I don't NEED chips! They're not nutritious! Look, I can't control myself when I eat them and I don't like that....and when I lose control with the chips it just leads to other things that are not good for me.
Old self: So, how do you propose to do this?
Self: One day at at time....they say it takes 21 days to break or create a habit....If I can do it for 21 days then maybe I can do it for a lifetime! But, I'm no fool. I'll add a PLUS! I'll add a prayer, 'Lord, please take away the desire for chips from me."...just like I pray when I pray for people to stop smoking cigarettes; I ask the Lord to take away their desire for nicotine. Well, I KNOW the Lord is going to have to help me do this, so I'll pray this prayer all of time!

This 21 day experiment has been very interesting and fulfilling. There have been some tempting moments to say the least! The hardest one so far was one evening when I took my son to Subways and he got back in the car with his sandwich and some Doritos! Oh, my gosh! Doritos never smelled as good as they smelled that evening! Before I knew it, I said to him, "Give me one please" and my hand reached for his bag then out of nowhere I snatched my hand back and said, "No!...never mind......" That was close! So far, during this time, when my husband brings chips into the house, I put them away where I can't see them, and if I must, I leave the room while he is indulging. I believe I'll keep praying and keep going without chips. ( I included crackers too - Ritz, saltines, Cheese-its, Wheat-thins, veggie crackers.......I lose control when I eat them too.....and I also haven't had any of them in over 21 days.)

Perhaps you too need to create a new habit or break an old one. Give it a try. Give it 21 days with your own PLUS prayer! Maybe such a 21 day-Plus experiment like mine is a bit too drastic for you, but for me, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do - WITH God's help, that is. And honestly, I don't feel deprived or like I'm missing something, but like I said, I'm no fool!.....Thank goodness for the PLUS! "Cast ALL your care upon him, for he cares for you." I Peter 5:7