Classic or Clunker? [Weird Revelation about Eating]

Just the other day, Mike and I were on our way to the grocery store and saw a gorgeous classic car pass us on the road. We were marveling that it was still on the road when many of the other cars built that same year were in the junkyard or otherwise destroyed.

Classic-clunker
This morning, an image of that car popped into my head again and the words, “classic or clunker” whispered to me.

The main difference in a classic car vs. clunker car is in the maintenance.

It’s not in the washing, oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotations or other maintenance tasks the owner does once and then forgets about it.

It’s about the maintenance tasks the owner does repeatedly over time.

When I was in my early 20’s, I learned a hard lesson about car maintenance. I knew my oil needed changing regularly, yet I kept putting off the task. I even bought the right oil once and put the bottle in my trunk.

However, I never poured the oil into the reservoir where it belonged.

The oil warning light came on in the car eventually, but I ignored that.

Well, one day driving on the Interstate, my car started making a loud knocking noise. The car shook and smoke started pouring out of the engine. I got the car over to the emergency lane and lifted the hood.

I suddenly remembered that I had oil in my trunk. I frantically got the oil and started pouring it into the reservoir, smoke billowing everywhere.

But it was too late. My engine was destroyed and its replacement cost over $1,000.

You better believe I have never allowed that to happen again. I always make sure my oil is changed now.

Unfortunately, it took longer to make that connection when it came to my body.

Instead through my 20’s and most of my 30’s, I expected my body to run well off of junk. I threw sweets, junk food, and snack food into my body with abandon.

Eventually, my body started giving me warning signs that something wasn’t right. It started storing excess fat. My skin didn’t look healthy and broke out. I had itchy patches on my arms and upper back. I got out of breath easily with any exertion. My blood pressure started going up.

I ignored these warning signals. Well, I’d make a half-hearted effort to change, but that never lasted long.

Then one day, I got a warning that was hard to ignore. I had a chest pain that I thought was going to kill me at the age of 38.

I realized that I could not get a new heart as easily as I got a new car engine! Plus, I did not want to endure the pain of a failing heart.

Today almost 13 years later, I am so glad I did not ignore that warning. I made a decision that I wanted my latter end to be better than my beginning.

While aging is inevitable, how we age is largely up to us. I’m challenging us to do what we can to age into classics, like a classic car.

Here are some examples of health maintenance tasks I do daily:

  • Drinking a minimum of 8 cups of water or green tea per day
  • Eating a minimum of 2.5 cups of green vegetables (usually it’s 4 cups). My favorites are turnip greens, broccoli, spinach, and cabbage.
  • Eat minimal sweets and junk. This is the toughest one for me, but experience has taught me that the more I eat of sweets and junk, the more my tongue wants it. That is why I keep them out of the house.

Besides the rest of my body tells me that this is “food” it doesn’t want. After all, eating junk will make my body go “clunk”!

I use the lesson from the old movie, “War Games” when it comes to sweets and junk. In the movie, a teenager almost starts World War 3 through hacking into a government game called “Thermonuclear War.”

But the computer eventually learns that nobody wins when you are dealing with nuclear weapons: “A strange game. The only winning move is not to play.”

Here are some questions I have for you to turn things around:

  • What warning signals is your body giving you or has given you to alert you that you are headed for “body trouble”?
  • What maintenance tasks are part of your plan to age as a classic?
  • If you haven’t established any tasks, then which one will you start with?

Aging well is essential to your purpose as well because you need energy and vitality to do the work the Lord has called you to do.

We admire classic cars because of their beauty and rarity. They have stood the test of time. I hope you determine that your body will stand the test of time and be there for you as long as you need it!

Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,

Kimberly Taylor

Creator of the Take Back Your Temple program

P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?

I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.” – Pastor James MacDonald

The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.

Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off.

Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program

About the author 

Kimberly Taylor

Kimberly Taylor is a certified Christian life coach and has a heart to help others struggling with emotional eating and weight loss. Once 240 pounds and a size 22, she can testify of God’s goodness and healing power to overcome. She lost 85 pounds as a result of implementing techniques to overcome emotional eating and binge eating disorder.

Kim is the author of "The Take Back Your Temple Program," which teaches Christians how to take control of their weight God's way and the books "The Weight Loss Scriptures" and "The Weight Loss Prayers."

Kim has been featured in Prevention Magazine, Charisma Magazine and on CBN’s 'The 700 Club' television program.

    • Just want to give you a quick tip on drinking more water, Michelle! I have a water bottle that is clear and 22 ounces. My daily goal is to drink 4 of these. I drink 1 bottle before 8 am, 1 bottle before 12 noon, 1 before 4 pm, and 1 before 8 pm. For me, I use each of these times as “checkpoints” to be sure I am on track. So if I reach 8 am and haven’t drank my water yet, then I make it a priority to drink that bottle and I fill it up so I can reach the next checkpoint. Plus, it makes it easy to keep myself accountable for staying on track.

  • I’m 52 and in good shape overall. I am over weight. I started your program a week ago. I know that I will have to keep moving as I age to stay young. Also I know I have to get rid of sweets for a while and not go back to making them a habit!!

  • Wow, lots of warning signs. Pre-diabetes. Very bad knees. Aching back. Skin rashes. Acne. Dark circles under my eyes. Exacerbated neuropathy & fibromyalgia. Fatigue. Depression. And much more. I need to start listening to these warning signs God has designed our body to give more seriously. I’m trying…making some progress…but need to get even more serious…before time runs out and I’m even MORE sorry. Thank you Kimberly for this eye-opening wisdom. xoxoxxo

    • You are welcome, Kathleen. If you haven’t done so already, I recommend writing a vision of yourself healthy, healed, and whole. Write about it from the perspective that your daily life has changed. That will help make your changes doable. I recommend changing 1 or 2 habits to start and work your way up – the ones that will make the biggest immediate impact. With God, all things are possible!

  • Nothing can ” buy” or ” fill in” or ” exchange” anything when there is a Love deficit. I must recognize the whole uncompromising, unchanging Love of God for me. He loved me before I was born, He loves me now and He will continue to love me in eternity,. Nothing shall separate me from the Love of God. So I must not agree with the deceptive lies of the devil, that I am unloved and that Food, Alcohol, Shopping ,etc.will fill the void I FEEL, of being unloved. My feelings will also lie if I am not full of Gods Word. My FLESH lies ALWAYS! The only thing that can subdue my flesh and my feelings is overflowing with the word of God. I overcome by the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus) and the word of my testimony and I love not my life to the death ( behead me lord so that Christ can be my head and rule over me not vice versa) that is the death I speak of not physical death but spiritual death, so Christ can live and rule over me. It is not me but Christ IN me the hope of glory.
    Then I will have learned to stand the test of time as a healthy ” classic” mature Christian.
    Kim you have inspired me this past year to dig into the Word of God daily this past year, thank you sweet sister in Christ. In Him, Sherry

    • All I came to say was Amen! Well articulated Sherry. I love Him and I’m growing in revelation of His love for me…it surpasses understanding & my spirit clings to His..Abba Father.

  • Some of my warning signals are weight gain and lack of energy. I eat good but I overeat. Trying to control the times I am stressed and discipline myself to find something else to do besides reach for food. Habits are so hard to break. I know I need to move more. I sit too much in the evening. Also trying to get a lot more fiber in my diet and recognizing what foods and how much works for me. It’s a struggle.

    • Hi Cynthia – as I wrote Taylor, some of these habits have probably been with you for YEARS! There is a saying that “By the mile, its a trial. But by the inch, its a cinch.” If you focus on the daily journey and making steady progress with each choice, you will be astonished at your physical results in the fullness of time. Glad you are on this journey!

  • Thanks once again Kimberly, I to realize that I can not continue to eat the same old unhealthy way(sugar, fried foods ) and feel better. For too long I have did this and hoped for different results. All I got was joint pain low self esteem and anger.All while asking God to help me. Yet I didn’t listen. .I found your web site and each day when I let the word of God and your encouraging words into my heart I have hope and I starting to change.I realize I can’t keep doing the same thing and get different result.I have to tune up my temple and change my oil regularly. May God continue to bless you .

    • I am so glad I happen upon your website starting today on my journey to a knew beginning please continue to encourage and be blessed

      • Keep encouraging yourself with the material on this website, Gwen! Most importantly of all, remember that the Lord is with you every step of the journey. He will see you through 🙂

    • I can totally relate. For years I suffered from low self-esteem and it is through this program, that I am learning about GOD’s plan for us to take back our temples. I am learning that it’s ultimately up to me to be responsible for my own body. I really do need to cut back on the sweets and junk food and start doing what I need to do. It will be a challenge, but the results will be rewarding.

    • Thank you Irene – all glory to God! With each positive choice, you “back away from the ledge” so to speak. Be sure to celebrate each small victory because that will give you energy to take more positive steps. God is with you 🙂

  • given you to alert you that you are headed for “body trouble”?
    I think I need I need to have protein in the morning and lunch and have veggies for lunch and dinner. But maybe allow a little pasta for dinner.

    What maintenance tasks are part of your plan to age as a classic?
    Figure how to loose weight by not gaining. I found out I gained 6 ounces yesterday!!

    If you haven’t established any tasks, then which one will you start with? Protein and fruits in the morning and lunch so I have energy and veggies for lunch and dinner. But have a little pasta maybe for dinner? Or whatever me or my boyfriend makes.

    • Sounds like good steps, Linda! Watch out for weighing yourself too often and when the scale isn’t moving as fast as you’d like, check for other positive signs that you are moving in the right direction, inches lost, clothes fitting looser, etc.

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