AGTG Diet

Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do, whether word or deed, do it all for the glory of God

In middle school, this was my go-to verse. I even made it my phone password, and “Colossians3:17” was not something anybody could guess.

To me, this verse simplified everything. All things were for God. It was like I could just focus on this verse, and I’d be set for life. I loved the way it was worded, how it sounded, and the purpose. I still love this verse today. No word or deed is left useless. Any small word or deed can be counted for God’s glory.

1 Corinthians 10:31 has a similar message: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.”

How I Got to Dieting

Today is Day 4 of my AIP diet. I’ve never dieted before. Sometimes, I’ve even looked down on dieting. I remember my mom doing Weight Watchers, and I thought she was crazy to purposefully limit food. I would think something along the lines of, “There is no way I’m taking away my freedom to eat any kind of food.”

One day on my summer mission trip to Arizona, we went to GoodWill. That is when I realized how cheap used books were there (not that I like reading). As I browsed over the selection, that is where I was first exposed to a certain concept. I don’t remember the title or author of this book I glanced through, but its concept has stayed with me to this day. The doctor author was writing about how a healthy gut leads to “curing” chronic illnesses in a sense. She made promises of relieving nearly all symptoms of several cases of autonomic dysfunctions. While you may not be able to solve the problem at its source, you could change your diet and be able to function in a completely different way. I was so shocked and skeptical. I remember even sending a picture to my parents asking if this was real. Over the past few years, I have seen this solution advertised over and over.

I’ve referenced my physical limitations on this blog several times. I’ve been diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) since the 9th grade. Unfortunately, it’s still something I struggle with and don’t completely understand. As analytical as I have been, I can’t identify patterns or solutions to ensure I’ll be at my best.

This has been one of my biggest complaints to God. I remember days feeling defeated and ready to cry. Before I was diagnosed, I was already passionate for God. I was actively making my life purposeful. My whole testimony is wrapped up in that theme. I would question, “Why me?” Why would God limit one of His servants?

This has also been one of my biggest surrenders to God. To accept this as God’s will for my life and that I can still glorify God with my weakness has been and continues to be a challenge. I’ve thought and prayed and journaled so much about this. A full year ago, I even wrote a blog about how Paul encouraged me to pursue excellence in my health for God’s glory.

All Glory to God

Since that blog, I’m proud of my efforts to maintain my health. I believe I have given God glory with my lifestyle choices and where I steward my energy. However, I still have struggled this past year, and there is still something I haven’t tried. There’s still something I hadn’t fully surrendered to God: my diet.

I love food, and I hadn’t been willing to give it up in such an intense way until now. My coworker Lindsey has been on a similar journey recently, so I watched her say a lot of no’s when it came to food. Now, another friend is starting a diet, so I decided to join Emily-Kate, knowing that I probably would never do this on my own.

By now, you might have noticed that the title of this blog is “AGTG Diet” while the diet I’m going on is called Autoimmune Protocol or AIP. This is on purpose, because AGTG stands for All Glory to God.

Getting Answers

If this diet actually leads to some insane health self-discoveries, praise the Lord! I could give glory to God in new ways with increased stamina. I’m so thankful for the two instances in my life that have given me just enough motivation to attempt this.

If this diet has no effect on me, praise the Lord! I can still give glory to God, as I have been with less-than-ideal energy and health levels. This is still a big win because this is a big step of surrender.

I definitely have struggled to have the right mindset around health and fitness. With other health practices, I would still take advantage of any reason (positive or negative) and use it just so I could muster enough motivation to continue on.

This is something new; a hopeful endeavor that brings me back to the days where I’d do exercises in my bedroom, run (very slowly) in my neighborhood, bike when my shins hurt, pop salt pills, carry 5-7 water bottles in my backpack (until I gave into drinking fountain water at school)... all in effort to improve my well-being. My physical state limited almost every area. If I could improve POTS, I could improve my quality of life.

Perhaps, with this new diet, I can achieve my well-being goals. At the very least, I’m training in discipline and sacrifice: not eating what I want, taking the time to research and check labels, budgeting for expensive grocery trips, and spending time planning and preparing meals. I’m learning a lot (nutrition and skill-wise)! I’ll also be able to empathize in the future with any who experience something similar.

God is Worth Glorifying

As for God’s hand in this, I see it. I see it in how my co-worker friend took healthy meals to work and said no’s to coffee and sweets. I see it in how someone close to me is going through this process, so we can stay accountable, talk about our progress, and not be alone in this endeavor. I see it in the timing of the diet because it’s after Christmas and more convenient for me. I see it in my finances because I’m in a good spot to spend extra money on this. I see it in how it lines up with the New Year, and I was just wondering on how I stay disciplined with a God-honoring mindset.

Trust me, I was almost ready to give up before I even started. I write this to encourage you to take your next step towards glorifying God better. Your next step of obedience could be eliminating or adding something to your life that would help you stay focused. Hebrews 12 says to eliminate any encumbrance or sin that would prevent you from running your race well and to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Some choices are easy, but some require a lot of effort and sacrifice. Our role is to obey, not to doubt the Creator, even in difficult circumstances.

I also write this to give you an update on my life and to ask for prayer. I have DNOW this weekend, and I’m just praying that I’ll have enough food and energy without the coffee and caffeine I can’t have. I’ve been nervous about meal prepping, but the world will be fine if I don’t do that perfectly. In fact, the next step may never be perfectly convenient. That’s why I didn’t wait to start my diet. I needed to go ahead and rip off the bandaid. Of course, please pray that I may find some health solutions one way or another. You can pray for my friends Lindsey and EK, too, as they are on a similar path.

I’m excited to see where this journey leads, even if it doesn’t improve my physical state but builds my character. I believe either result will give God glory.