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Where There's a Will There's a Weight

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To me, DIET is a four-letter word. My mother started me on my first one at age fourteen. Through the years, all the experts and my mom urged me to be strong and use willpower to control my food. In truth, permanent weight loss comes from giving up and admitting powerlessness.

Willpower drives us to eat more and more. When we feel we can’t control much in our lives, we cling to the notion that no one can tell us how to eat. No one can. We are the captain of our ship. We hold the fork. We make the decisions, but where there’s our will, there’s a weight to our efforts.

USING WILLPOWER TO CONTROL EATING IS LIKE POURING GAS ON A FIRE

I succeeded with many diets through my strong will, but then my will drove me to regain the weight. I once lost one hundred seven pounds, bought the diet franchise, and ran it for three years until I regained my weight and was forced by the mother company to close. I reached lifetime status with Weight Watchers but didn’t continue the meetings or the way of life. Whatever diet I tried, I longed to get back to eating “normally.”

When I finally kneeled before God and said, “Lord, I’m powerless over food. I can’t do this anymore. If you don’t change me, I will one day weigh five hundred pounds.”

At that time, I weighed two hundred fifty pounds.

One day at a time, I saw miracles.

Several times, I drove toward work intending to stop for doughnuts, only to arrive at work, having forgotten them. Believe me, that was God. I’ve entered a store planning on buying a package of candy. God would bring a friend into my path, and I would check out without my treat. One step at a time, He took control.

One week at a time, pounds began to drop.

Two years after that first prayer, I realized God had even stopped me from biting my fingernails. When God heals, He does it completely.

Remember Jesus, in human form, prayed, "Not my will, but Thine be done."

HOW TO BE STRONGER THAN YOUR DIET WILLPOWER

To become stronger than our willpower, we must disregard the devil's lies.

Satan seeks our destruction. When we say aloud, "I'm fat. I'll always be fat," he jumps on those words and magnifies them in our thinking. He defeats us through our mindset.

HOW YOU CAN BE STRONGER: Apply truth to your self talk.
 

I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.

We might say to ourselves. “I’ve worked hard. I deserve something sweet.”

Apply truth: We don’t deserve anything but death. Jesus took our place on the cross.

We might say, “I’ve never kept off the weight, and I never will.”

Apply truth: This could be your time. It happened for me. It could happen for you.

TO BE STRONGER THAN YOUR WILLPOWER, PUT YOUR EMPHASIS ON DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD

Count me in as a yo-yo dieter. A lady in my weight controllers class told me she'd tried every weight loss plan known to man. Why do we do that? When we lose weight but then go back to "normal" eating, we gain again. Common reasoning tells us to join a group, research the latest fad, or seek out the new diet plan.
 

HOW YOU CAN BE STRONGER: When you're faltering, start reading your Bible and inspirational books. We must have the power of God.
 

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Anytime, we find ourselves returning to the old mindsets, draw nigh and seek the mind of God. Healthy eating for a compulsive overeater or food addict is directly contingent on his/her spiritual condition.                                                                                                    

BECOME STRONGER THAN YOUR WILLPOWER – LOSE WEIGHT BY SEEKING BALANCE NOT RIGIDITY

Years of study in nutrition and weight loss drives us to find an eating program and follow it exactly. We fear that if we eat anything not on our list, we ruin it all and can't lose. We think we must exercise each day for thirty minutes, or we’ll regain our weight.

God is the author of freedom. To please God takes faith, not obsession in either overeating or dieting.

HOW YOU CAN BE STRONGER:  Seek a balanced life, not overdoing activity, or obsessing over every bite eaten or not eaten.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

When we surrender our eating to Christ, we will choose to change our way of cooking. I love shrimp but always ate it breaded and fried. Don’t be afraid to try new seasonings. Cooking can be exciting again.

 

From Faith & Fitness Magazine June/July. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © Faith & Fitness Magazine and Lifestyle Media Group. Faith & Fitness Magazine is a lifestyle resource to build physical and spiritual strength. It helps readers make connections between the Christian faith and the fitness lifestyle. To contact the publisher of Faith & Fitness Magazine, Brad Bloom, for reprint permission, e-mail brad@faithandfitness.net.

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About The Author

Janet K.
Brown