Weight Loss

I have tried to lose weight so many times before and failed. What can I do differently to help me succeed?

I don’t know what you have done in the past, so I can not tell you exactly what to change. What I can tell you is, in order to change our behavior, we have to change our mind. In Proverbs 23;7 it states, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” NKJ Our thoughts are important. Many of us have herd the saying, “whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”. New results are achieved by new ways of thinking and new behaviors. Repeating the same behaviors and expecting new results is insanity. Diets are not the answer, life style changes are. Changes in our thinking produce changes in our behavior. When I need help changing my mind I call on God Power not will power. I open the Bible, find a verse that applies to my situation, memorize it and ask for His help. Asking God for His help to change my mind empowers me. Let go of the behaviors that do not work and focus on what will. Set your mind on new desired healthful lifestyle and live it. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. I think of Philippians 3:13-14 when I need help changing my behavior.

Philippians 3:13-14 NKJ “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

What is the easiest way to lose weight?

Fasting! I do not recommend fasting during the day. I recommend eating your required nutrition between 6am-6pm, and fasting while you sleep! Many of us pack in the calories at night and then sleep on them. Break that cycle, fast and do it unto the Lord.

Personally the only way I have control to fast is when I am fasting for the Lord.

Matthew 17:20-21 NKJ “So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

What do I do when that strong food frenzy desire is overwhelming?

Soothe your soul. When the food frenzy attacks me, it is usually when I feel empty inside or I have just experienced a trigger(something that ignites the desire for your undesirable behavior). At that moment I need to do something to sooth my soul. If I don’t, I will fall into the frenzy. Things that sooth my soul, in addition to prayer and reading the Word, are listening and dancing to music, laying down to rest, relaxation breathing, calling a friend and exercise. We all have our own soul soothers. Fight the food frenzy with a soul soother.

Proverbs 27:7 “A satisfied soul loathes the honey comb. But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

What is the simplest thing I can do to lose weight?

Sleep. Sleep between 8-10 hours a night. People who don’t get enough sleep tend to be 25 lbs. or more over weight. One of the first steps to losing weight is to make sure you get enough sleep. Try to sleep at the same time daily. Sleep in a quiet dark atmosphere in a bed if possible. Good quality sleep is very important to maintaining your health and weight.

Proverbs 3:24 “When you lie down, you will not be afraid, Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.”

It seems that I am on edge since I started trying to lose weight. Do you have any suggestions?

Absolutely. When I try to change my lifestyle I spend much time wanting the old back, romancing the thought of the old.I often forget why I felt it important to change in the first place. When I sabotage my new plans, I get angry and frustrated. This leads to self destruction, hopelessness and failure. I have learned through behavioral science that I need to watch out for H.A.L.T. (hungry, angry, lonely, or tired). When I feel one of those feelings I am opening up the door for backsliding. I try not to let myself get to hungry by eating all the food on my nutrition challenge, in timely intervals( five small meals a day). I focus on nurturing loving, kind thoughts, in all situations vs. anger. I trust that God is always with me, always loving me, to avoid loneliness. I make sure to prioritize 8-10 hours of sleep each day. When I make sure I am not hungry, angry, lonely or tired I am less likely to desire to backslide and less on edge.

Jeremiah 3:22 NKJ “Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings.” “Indeed we do come to you , For You are the Lord our God.”

I always try to give something up for Lent but I lack discipline a few days into it. What do you suggest?

I too like to honor God by fasting during Lent.I am not Catholic. I was raised Lutheran so I don’t know what the Catholic Church teaches on this. I personally started fasting during this time because I wanted to know what my Catholic friends were going through. Now I look forward to it.

I fast one thing that is important to me. (Personally, that is ice cream or cheese.) I then say to myself, when I am tempted to eat that thing, “I am fasting. No! I love God more than I love ice cream. I can give this up for Him.” When I do any behavior unto Him it gives me power. Not will power, but God power. God power helps me conquer the urges to backslide. During Lent, only 40 days, it seems easier to hold on to a change. (I have struggled after Lent by over indulging. I do not think this is pleasing to God.) Ultimately I want to treat my body like the temple of the Holy Spirit. The extra motivation during Lent usually helps me.

1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do your not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is from God, and you are not your own?”

I know that you say “God power” not “will power,” but I still fail even though I pray. What am I doing wrong?

Yes, God power not will power is my motto. Change is difficult. When I need to change a behavior I have to change my thinking. I try to let God in right away when I recognize a destructive thought (ie. I can’t do this. I need the cookie). I immediately ask God to change my thoughts. If I continue to think about the behavior I want to avoid, I want that behavior more. The more I think, the more the craving grows. If you think about something four times you will get an action (according to behavioral science). I ask God for the strength to do an alternative action if it gets this far. A good alternative action for me, instead of eating the cookie, is to drink a glass of water and go chill. If I still have an overwhelming desire for the cookie I will eat a tastee yogurt or something else that is safer and less destructive than the cookie. Mainly I call on God constantly to help me in my choices. The more days I string together in a row of good behavior the easier it gets. Some times I pray for the strength to just get through the moment. I often pray for the strength to make it until I go to bed. I then go to bed early if I am struggling, constantly asking God for strength. This is how I employ God power not will power. Try it. I bet it will help you too.

Galatians 5:16 NKJ “I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”

On your Wellness Challenge you have a place for cheats. When is a good time to cheat?

I enjoy a good cheat once in a while, when I decide it is worth it. I call this my worth it philosophy. If I am going to cheat, I want to make sure it tastes great and I take the time to savor the flavor! To me there is nothing worse then shoveling in about 500 calories and being filled with regret. If I plan my cheats and enjoy them, I don’t feel so deprived. I also try to get in all my required nutrition first and a workout.

I use my “worth it philosophy” in many areas of my life. I make sure I will enjoy what I am going to do, that it is not against Gods word, and that I won’t regret it. How I spend my time, my finances, my calories or my cares…everything comes with a price. Thank God, His gift for us is FREE. I do find that accepting His gift makes me desire to give up the ugliness of the old.

Romans 5:19 NKJ “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

I don’t think I can do this weight loss taking care of myself stuff. I want to but, it is so hard! I have so much weight to lose. I feel like I don’t know where to begin. I think, what’s the point? Who cares? Then I eat the fourth cookie. How do I get going and stay going?

One day at a time, one choice at a time. When I first quit drinking I really struggled! I told myself, “I can do this, until I go to bed tonight”. I often went to bed early.

Change is difficult even if it is good for you. Moment by moment call on Jesus for strength and say NO! To the bad things in life. Do what you need to do. One step at a time one thought at a time! Practice forgiving yourself continually and keep on keeping on! Do a little everyday and you will get there!

Small consistent changes will get you to your goals. Here is an example; if you want to lose weight, reduce your calorie input by 300 calories a day and increase you caloric output by 200 calories a day. If you do this consistently for one week you will have lost a pound. 5 weeks =5pounds. Nice and easy, you will develop manageable life style changes and you will feel better in all aspects of your life!

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

I recently started counting calories again. I find I am at 2100-2500 calories a day. I understand why I am not losing weight and in fact gaining a little all the time.

We do have to be smart about balancing out our caloric consumption and expenditure in order to manage our weight. Most of us middle aged women only need about 1500 calories a day to maintain a 150 pound body. (Your exact caloric requirements can be determined by a registered dietician or a good on-line source is mypyramid.gov.) When we were younger our bodies required more calories, as we age we lose muscle. The average person loses 10 pounds of muscle every decade after age 40. We can combat this loss with strength training. Having muscle increases our basil metabolism. Limiting ourselves to a reduced calorie diet can be a difficult transition and it certainly doesn’t feel fair!

We have to change our thinking regarding food consumption. The first step to understanding how many calories are in a serving, is to be a label reader and count them. Once you educate yourself on caloric content you will be more able to make healthier choices naturally. I don’t recommend being obsessive about calorie counting that will feel like a diet. Shoot for healthful lifestyle changes and not diets. Try counting calories for 21-28 days as an educational tool. Knowledge is a good foundation to build your strength upon.

Proverbs 10:14 “Wise people store up knowledge. But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.”