Christian By Choice

5) The Blame Game

Gen 3:12-13 And the man said, The woman whom thou gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

The dieter did not create the blame game. Adam and Eve thought of it first, but as dieters we utilize it the most.

I have heard the best and worst of excuses why someone cannot lose weight, and the majority of the time it is put upon someone else. The food pusher, the one that is not supportive, the result of childhood raising, a poor marriage, or living in conditions with others that are not perfect, and last but not least, the often repeated excuse, this is the most difficult thing I have ever had to face in my life, it is unfair. That really boils down to God placing a heavier burden on someone they can't possibly bear, and it is exaggeration to the max to think dieting is the hardest suffering one will be burdened with in their life.

When we cut the excuses, kick out the crutch, take full responsibility for eating far more than the body requires, we have to look squarely at ourselves and determine to do what we know needs to be done. We cannot lose weight by exceeding the feed limit each day. We have so much information available and often free on how many calories we need to lose weight, what the size of a portion really is, what foods boost health and what doesn't, and basic childhood remembrances of activities that burn calories that prevented the majority of us from childhood obesity.

No matter how much you have to lose, or how little, as long as you continue to play the blame game, the pounds will pile up and a year from now you'll wish you had done something sooner. And the next year, and the one after. You must invest time in exploring the thought that no one force fed you or held a gun to your head. Whatever you have done to your body, you have done it willingly. God will surely help you on your journey to weight loss, but not without an earnest and honest confession of your part in this and your plea to Him to break the bondage which has held you captive. There is no other way around it.

6) Is an appetite out of control on its way to disorder/addiction?

Amazing how we do not really fear our disorders. Our addictions. Our obesity. We fear bad news, stress, loss of loved ones, but usually we do not fear the very sin that is dragging us down.

Proverbs 23:2 And put a knife to your throat, If you are a man given to appetite.

We should be experiencing, anxiety, guilt and many other emotions when the scale, or mirror begins to alert us. But oftentimes we wait until it is a full blown disaster.

The Bible has warnings about one given to appetite. The outlook is grim. God will not punish as much as he pleads for you to get your appetite under control.

We need to be alert over our vices considering food, at the top of the list rather than the bottom. As Americans, we have an over 60% obese rate, yet it is not yet alerted as the fasting spreading disease in our country. Little is said. Most of the things we are anxious about never happen, yet we have a blind spot in this arena regarding the consequences.

Begin to dispel ignorance and lack of knowledge about eating disorders and obesity. Begin to acknowledge you have an appetite which has gotten out of control. Begin to see the log in your eye. Begin to react to the alarm signals your body is sending to you.

Turn to the Lord. Turn to others with knowledge. Turn to your inner man who has been trying to alert you. If you want to know the truth, let today begin with honesty.

Prayer: O Lord, I can trust You and turn to You, and yet I lag in this area. I want to be free from this burden. I don't want further entrapment. I cannot deny what is happening in my body. Set me free as I become educated. Help me to not only seek truth, but protect me from the consequences of my past denial, though Christ Jesus. Amen

7) Have you ever been in a food stupor?

Jonah 1:6 "What do you mean, Oh sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not."

When we come out of our food stupor long enough to realize we must react and recover from our problem with food, we absolutely need to call on God. And not merely a one-time 911 call. We must persevere. We are told in Scripture to pray without ceasing. That is a ready state of action. An awareness not only that we need help, but that God is ready to help us in need.

When we have been praying for a long time about something and don't feel as if our words are going anywhere, that is not the time to quit. That is not the time to return to our slumber. If God has given you the knowledge and revelation that you do have an eating disorder or a problem with bingeing, it is time to persevere in prayer.

Let it be known though that God is not a bellhop. He doesn't jump to His feet to carry your baggage. You have to be willing to leave go of that baggage you have been bearing so long. You have to fill in the void and loss that you will feel from missing a habit that has bound you for so long. You have to replace the disorder with healthy habits.

There is no shortcut. When you call upon God, recognizing your need you will be helped, but you need to seek avenues where that help will readily come to you. We first look outward to God, and then we look inward for the strength He will provide. God says, "Call upon me in your day of trouble and I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me." (Psalm 50:15) Your work then is revealed in those last for words. "You shall glorify Me."

Make it your goal to glorify Him, each and every day, each and every meal. Take the first step and you will see God is not a reluctant God to help.

Prayer: O Lord, it sounds like work is ahead for me, but I do desire to be set free, and I do want to honor and glorify You. Help me to do my part in my deliverance. Help me to do that, this very day, that which will please You. Amen

Thankyou Editor.

8) Bet You Can't Eat Just One

A well know slogan for Lay's Potato Chips was, "Bet You Can't Eat Just One." Pretty safe bet and especially for the overweight. Our weight crept up as we had more than our fair share of food. When we munched it wasn't a one or two ounce portion, it was always a whole package or bag. We see other thin members of our family be able to do this without consequence, but we can't get away from it.

For some it is genuine binge, and a genuine problem to be met head's on and overcome. We must accept that we simply can not eat this way and disguise the pounds, let alone the upset tummies afterward. Some reputable diet programs tell us to amputate offending binge foods from our lives. Others tell us we can eat all things if we do it in moderation. Both make sense, if you know what category you need to fall into.

If you are blessed enough to know what category you do need to fall into, then next time place a favor in your odds, Bet, You Can't Eat Just One and decide what an odds maker would ahead of the time. Be wise. We have to change certain habits and destructive patterns to lose weight. Next time you say that the munchies have hit, determine if it is a simple and reasonable snack or if it will be a binge. Only you know the answer.

9) The Complaint Department Is Closed

I'll be more than surprised if any reader might remember when department stores actually had a complaint department. That disappeared just before the lost and found did. I remember because I worked at May Company which actually had a service area for this.

So we learn from this complaints are no longer recognized or viable to the business man. And they should be a forsaken area to dieters as well. We can lodge all the complaints we want about the difficulty of losing weight and sticking to a diet plan, but no one is there to listen or care. Our voices bounce of an empty wall.

What is one to do then? Quite simply put we must bite the bullet and pay the price if we desire to lose weight. We must do an attitude adjustment and accept the fate of all dieters. A tad of inconvenience must be met with head on. They say a diet is the price one must pay for exceeding the feed limit. Those complaints lodged will in no way benefit and aid you in losing weight. Your acceptance and self-discipline is the only thing that will shed pounds. Perhaps inconvenient, yes, but the complaint department is now officially closed. Do your part to lose the weight and soon you will notice that a praise department has been opened as others see your effort extended and begin to congratulate you. Which department do you want to visit?

10) Scale Phobia

Scale phobia is not an actual diagnosis or affliction that we could run to a professional and receive therapy and counseling for. It is a fear and obsession many of us dieters have.

We either worship the scale when it rewards us with a loss, or we let the scale torment us and dispose us to the poorest of moods when it doesn't treat us kindly. Scale phobia is not defined by how often or how little we step upon it. It is defined by how much it affects our well-being or lack of it.

Should such an inanimate metal monster be our refuge or our tormenter? Has a scale become our source of affirmation or critisim so much so that we let it dictate who we are or will be?

Society may well judge you on your body size. The scale certainly does and now we even have scales that measure fat and water and what not to make our readings more in your face. You can be as some that I know that actually throw their scale away or at least hide it from sight, or you can be an obsessive who stands on it up to 5-6 times a day and languishes over the typical water weight and stomach content fluctuations each day. Either personality displays and out-of-order neurosis that needs attention.

Perhaps that is what we should fix first. It is wrong to define ourselves as to what the scale's opinion of us is. When we can find real contentment in who we really are within, perhaps losing the weight will become easier to digest. Just a thought, as one of many that we will have on our journey to wellness. We are body, mind and spirit. Let us be whole in all areas.