CHAPTER 1: Hunger vs Appetite

Appetite - instinctive desire / craving
Hunger - a physical reaction / a protective mechanism

It's been said that obese people eat to satisfy their appetite instead of their hunger.
In fact, most people eat to satisfy their appetite.

Hunger is based on NEED... Appetite is based on DESIRE...

When I started this journey, I needed this understanding. It was a revelation that made me analyze what I was eating and how much I ate. The awareness was important, but more pressing was how to overcome my appetite and eat ONLY because of true hunger.

I turned to the scriptures for insight. I looked at a very familiar story and saw it in a whole new light. Allow me to share with you some truths from a journey taken long ago.

Exodus 16
Just to set the stage, remember that the Israelites were just led out of Egypt where they were in bondage as slaves. Moses and Aaron were leading the people through the desert to the promise land. A month and a half into their journey, they began to grumble against their leaders. They complained, "...back in Egypt we sat around pots of meat and ate all we wanted. Have you brought us out into this desert to starve the entire assembly to death?"

One thing that amazed me when I read this was the name of this desert where the grumbling began. It was appropriately called "...the Desert of Sin".

The Lord knew the people were hungry. So he rained down bread from heaven. The people were instructed to go out each day and gather only what was needed for that day. God was testing their obedience. They continued to grumble that they had no meat. So the Lord gave them quail in the evening and bread in the morning so they could satisfy their hunger. But the people took more than what they needed and the food actually turned to maggots and smelled up the camp.

In Numbers 11 the Israelites said, "If only we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost - also the cucumbers, melons, leeks onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite, we never see anything but this manna."

The truth is that the Israelites didn't give a thought to the fact that they were slaves in Egypt. They were willing to go back to bondage, just to have the FOOD they wanted to eat! This makes me think of what we are willing to do to fulfill our fleshly desires. We'll sacrifice our health just to have something that tastes good.