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Healthy Christian Weight Loss: The Weigh Down is Up


"For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want." (Romans 7:19)

It is human nature; when resigned to "dieting", the mind and flesh try to sabotage any efforts made. Food cravings loom larger than life, exerting more power over us than when we're not dieting.   

The solution? "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:8) So I tell myself I'm going to start eating to nourish myself. But I must be on guard against the trappings of my mind, which still might be craving something beyond the nourishment. I must remind myself: Feeding the body what the mind wants is like pumping water into our car because our plants are thirsty. It doesn't work..

Listen to Your Body


"For we do not live by bread alone..." Matthew 4:4  

Ah, to be led by the Spirit, to be led like sheep, to eat what will truly feed us... 

God's Holy Spirit speaks, and our bodies speak to us too! But we don't always listen to what our physical needs are- so different from what the flesh says it needs. The flesh says, "You want that pastry!" But the body knows, "That pastry will be hard to digest, and it won't satisfy your nutritional needs. You'll still need to eat more, but after a pastry, healthy food won't taste as good." 

I'm all for eating somewhat decadent foods on special occasions. But for daily eating, we need daily good habits. If we can take a nudge from the quiet, subtle speaking of our  bodies, we might be that much more sensitive to hear the nudges from the Holy Spirit. But if we grow calloused to what our bodies tell us, how will we hear an even more intangible voice, like that of God's?! 

 "The body is a temple for the Holy Spirit" 1 Corinthians 6:19-20   

We should take care of the body God gave us.  Also, one of the fruits of the "Spirit is... self-control" (Galatians 5:22). Manifest that fruit; pray for that fruit! A recent study revealed that when we have willpower, it encourages others. When we fall short, we encourage our friends to fall short. Having self-control strengthens others' resolve as well as our own.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."  

Food: Not our god


1 Corinthians 8:8 says, "But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do." Food is not a means to salvation, but an opportunity to enjoy one of God's blessings, and to nourish the body. As 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "Therefore honor God with your body..."  

"Bless this Food"  


Our objective can be found in a common table grace, "Bless this food to my body, and my body to your service." If we're feeding our bodies appropriately, then what we eat gives us the energy to complete the tasks God places before us. Some foods instigate unnatural food cravings, and we end up more focused on food than we should be. That reminds me that, "...whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)  


 Natural Foods: God's Provision

 
Fads come and go, featuring supplements designed to aid in weight loss. Most are probably more effectively designed to make their companies money, taking advantage of our obsession with weight loss.

Consider that God made natural foods with countless qualities, only some of which have been defined by scientists. Trusting that the food God put on this earth was perfectly designed by Him, we can trust that that food will help us maintain our bodies.

"On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."(Revelation 22:2)

God's plan: That we be nourished by His provisions! "Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food." (Genesis 2:9)

But how do we get in the habit of eating healthy? Give it a full thirty days; that's how long it takes to establish a new routine. After that, it almost becomes more like auto-pilot. Yes, you can actually begin to crave healthy food!  


On Splurging Sometimes...


"Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

So I do splurge sometimes. I don't want to become so obsessed with food that I can't partake in a community event on occasion. However: "'Everything is permissible for me'--but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible for me'--but I will not be mastered by anything." (1 Corinthians 6:12)

On occasion, I will still choose to eat the healthier choice. I don't want to develop the habit of splurging, either!  


Gluttony in Disguise   


"Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. " - Proverbs 23:2 

But what is gluttony? C.S. Lewis wrote on the subject, saying that even a skinny person might have the sin of gluttony if all he does is think about food all day. The time spent thinking of food (whether it's eaten or not) is time not spent thinking about God and His goodness. We must break free from bondage to food thoughts! 

There are at least three forms of Gluttony:
  • Wanting more pleasure from something than it was made for, going beyond what God designed something to be.
  • Wanting it exactly our way: Prepared just right, or in just the right amount, getting petty with the details, instead of becoming strong by suffering the minor inconveniences of life.
  • Demanding too much from people (excessive desire for other people's time or presence). Others might be expected to provide an unreasonable amount of company.

To overcome Gluttony, we need to deliberately reduce our use of pleasurable things, not eliminate them. When eating, we quit before feeling stuffed. If the toast is a bit too brown, we eat it anyway. With people, we allow time together, and time alone. (Although, if we're too happy being alone, we ought to get out more often!)

It helps to have faith in God's provision. And when God blesses our food, it tastes so good. We don't have to be held hostage to diet plan that dictate every move, overwhelm our thought life, and lead to obsessing.  


"If Any of You Wants to be My Follower..."   


Jesus spoke clearly: "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me." Mark 8:34 "

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

A certain ruler asked Jesus, 'Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' The man had kept all the commandments found in the law of Moses. But Jesus said to him,  'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth." Luke 18:18-23 

 "And what must I do to lose weight?" 

"And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature, with all its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24

"And he personally bore our sins in his own body on the cross, so that we might be dead to sin and be alive to all that is good." 1 Peter 2:24a

"If any of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn't he first sit down and work out the cost of it, to see if he can afford to finish it? Otherwise, when he has laid the foundation and found himself unable to complete the building, everyone who sees it will begin to jeer at him, saying, 'This is the man who started to build a tower but couldn't finish it!'... In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:28-33  


Bread of Life


Seek nourishment from God Himself, from His Word, from having a grateful attitude of thanksgiving.

"For we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

Remember that God provides for all your needs. "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'" (John 6:35)

Ask God to supply. "Give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11)

And amidst any struggles, remember: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) 


"Living Water" 


"...but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)    


About Health: Seeking God's Answers 


So, what's the recipe for health? We all have our genetic predilections, and ought to structure nutritional plans accordingly. And yet, as healthy as any one of us may eat, we can't always improve our health through nutrition alone. I personally have found that, above all, an active, living relationship with Jesus keeps me connected to the vibrancy of life God has designed for us. 

I worked at a health food store for years, reading every health book in the store's library, trying many panaceas, adopting many nutritional programs, applying many diet plans... And yet, perfect health eluded me.

At the age of 48, I woke up one morning from a dream about death, about sinking in a pile of quick sand. I "heard" my thought: "If only I don't move at all, I will survive." Another audible voice (God's?) said, "That would be impossible."

The next day, I went to the doctor, who discovered that I had the worst thyroid levels he'd seen in thirty years of practice. He said, "I'm surprised you can even walk around." He prescribed thyroid, which changed my life.

No amount of "perfect" nutrition on my part had been able to resolve my thyroid problem. But a simple pill worked wonders. A simple (but scary) dream woke me up from a belief that I could resolve my health issues on my own.

God doesn't want us to think we can solve all our problems on our own. I thank Him that He used a dream to literally "speak" into my life. We dream of asserting ourselves, of seeking the best exercise program, eating the best foods, taking the best supplements. But our very lives are in the hands of our Maker. First and foremost, we'd best look to Him for the answers.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13   


Excuses?


"But I Have to Feed the Family" 

Simple solution: Make the family the same food: Bountiful portions of freshly-prepared veggies, whole grains and salads, with lean proteins and fresh fruits on the side. When a member of the family lacks the appetite for healthy food, I remind myself, "...to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet." (Proverbs 27:7b)   

"I Hardly Eat Anything" 

A recent study just revealed: Calorie count has less impact than the kind of calories. A high-fat, high-sugar diet changes the balance of bacteria in the gut, favoring one that is very efficient at converting food into calories that the body absorbs. Yes, you can practically apply that food to your hips. Yes, your body can become a weight-gaining machine, readily absorbing the calories, instead of actually burning them for energy. This study (by Washington University scientists) found that folks with a preponderance of the less-efficient Bacteroidetes (another bacteria potentially found in the gut) could maintain a leaner physique. Healthy foods that promote the healthier bacteria in the gut also promote a better burning of calorie energy. Yes, we are what we eat, and how we process what we eat may depend on what it is we're eating.


Soul Food

Matthew 4:4:

"For we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."