Alpha and Omega

Read Revelations 19-22

Revelation 21:6 "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

Alpha and omega are Greek for beginning and end. Somehow it sounds better when we use the fancy words.

Those who have reached their weight goals are starting the New Year slim and starting a weight maintenance year. Those who have not reached their goals are resolving to pare down in the New Year and maybe meet their weight goal at last.

The year is ending and whatever we did or didn’t do this year is ending as well. The New Year can be the end of excuses and the beginning of a healthy lifestyle, whatever our current weight.

Maintenance

Read Revelations 16-18

Revelation 18:13 "And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men."

A sigh of relief is in order for those who have reached their weight loss goals. A sigh of relief—not a trip to the nearest hot fudge sundae.

Now we want to work on maintenance—we want to keep the weight we worked so hard to lose off. We are ready to add foods, to add calories, but not to get too carried away.

We might be able to have a small piece of our favorite sweet we have gone without—not every day, probably, but sometimes. We want to keep the variety of healthy foods we have cultivated in our diets and then some—we’ll keep watching our weight to make sure it does not creep back up.

Reaping Rewards

Read Revelations 13-15

Revelation 14:15 "And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

If we have reached our goals or if we are close, we are ready to reap the rewards of being slender. We can easily find clothes in our size without going to specialty stores and can even shop in thrift stores, saving money in the process.

We can move about more easily and need less room to squeeze by a row of people when finding our seats in church or the movies. We can fit into one airplane seat without spilling out over into the next person’s space.

We can face the New Year and for once not have to make the resolution that we are going to lose weight and get back into shape. We can focus on keeping our weight off and continuing to improve our newly toned bodies.

The End Game

Read Revelations 10-12

Revelation 11:10 "And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth."

What if we have reached our goal? What if we are at the weight we had hoped to reach, have gotten our bodies back into shape, and have resolved many of our health issues?

We may be tempted to quit at this point. Or we may be too excited to quit and want to keep going.

But our end game is to maintain our new physique. So celebrate and then keep exercising and watching what we eat so we will never find ourselves where we started—or worse—again.

Hunger and Thirst No More

Read Revelations 7-9

Revelation 7:16 "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat."

Hunger and thirst are how we know when to eat and when to drink. Those of us with weight problems are learning to only eat when we feel hungry, because we’ve been eating in response to other cues.

Sometimes we eat when we are really thirsty because it’s not always easy to tell which is which. Nutritionists say if we wait to drink until we feel thirsty, we may have waited too long.

Sticking to a regular eating schedule and drinking often can help. We will be struggling with this until we get to heaven, where we’ll hunger and thirst no more.

Colorful Food

Read Revelations 4-6

Revelation 4:4 "And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold."

Food tastes good, smells good and even looks good. One of the ways to make sure we’re getting variety in our diets is to vary the colors we are eating.

We might have white rice and brown beef, green beans and a red apple. Too much of the same color may signal we are not eating a balanced meal nutrient-wise.

When we look at food guides, we notice that similar foods may look alike, for instance rice, potatoes, and pasta. So colorful food usually means a balanced diet.

Hot and Cold

Read Revelations 1-3

Revelation 3:15 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot."

Children like their food to be cold, or at the most, lukewarm. That includes hotdogs and hot chocolate, which seems unappetizing to adults.

We can give our diets some zing when we vary the numbers of hot and cold dishes we serve. We want our soup to be hot and our salads cold.

We might also want to experiment with switched temperature foods to add variety when we are getting bored with our food choices. We might try a cold soup or a taste of fried ice cream.

Dependence

Read 2 John, 3 John, Jude

Jude 1:9 "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."

We talk about willpower and motivation—those things that will keep us on our dieting and exercising track when we are getting discouraged. We use lots of tricks to keep ourselves going, even when we’re tempted to give up.

But sometimes no matter what we try, we reach a point where we can’t go on. Dieting and exercising just don’t seem to be worth the effort.

That’s when we need a new source of strength—we need to depend on the Lord to help us. He is infinite strength and we can tap into Him to get back on our diet and exercise regimen.

Lying to Ourselves

Read 1 John 1-5

1 John 2:21 "I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth."

We joke with each other about eating and calories. We say things like, “Cake eaten at a birthday party has no calories.”

We know it isn’t true, but we have fun pretending. The one thing we need to be vigilant against is lying to ourselves.

When we take a little extra, we have to remind ourselves that we are adding calories to our plates. As long as we are honest about what we eat and about our exercising, we can manage our weight.

Knowledge, Temperance, and Patience

Read 2 Peter 1-3

2 Peter 1:6 "And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;"

For those of us who haven’t reached our goal weight yet, this time of year can be disheartening. We’re reflecting on what we’ve accomplished and all that we failed to accomplish.

But just because the year is ending doesn’t mean we have to throw in the towel. We have acquired plenty of knowledge about dieting, exercising, and specifically those times we are prone to go off program.

With the temperance we have learned through trial and error, we are ready to continue to face our challenges and be more successful this time. With plenty of patience, we will reach our goals.

Carefree Weight Loss

Read 1 Peter 1-5

1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

Losing weight can become a burden. We know we need to get down to a healthy weight, but we get so tired of counting calories, fats, and carbohydrates and worrying about not eating what’s outlawed on our diets.

Others manage to stay slim with little effort, so why can’t we? If we want to experience a more carefree weight loss experience, we need to adopt the habits of naturally slim people.

We need to wait to eat until we are hungry and only eat enough to stop the hunger. We need to get away from eating when we’re angry, bored, tired, or even at a set time, if we are not truly hungry.

Doers

Read James 1-5

James 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

Losing weight will require us to be doers. We can enjoy talking about dieting and exercising, but talking won’t get the weight off.

We can collect information about nutrition and different types of exercises, but collecting won’t shed an ounce. We can watch exercise DVDs but unless we get up and get moving, we are not going to reshape our bodies.

We can watch weight-loss shows on television and take notes but until we put that information into practice, nothing will ever change. We have to do what we know to do and keep doing it in order to lose weight.

Shadow of Good Things to Come

Read Hebrews 10-13

Hebrews 10:1 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect."

Dieters need to be wary of putting off our lives until we lose weight. We think, “When I get down to my goal I’ll go after that promotion.”

That’s a mistake on two levels. One is that we put too much pressure on ourselves to be a completely different person once we get thin—it can scare us into sabotaging our diets.

The second is that we don’t have to wait until we’re thin to enjoy our lives. We can go after that promotion and all the other things we keep putting off now and shed the light on the shadow of good things to come.

Easy Measure

Read Hebrews 7-9

Hebrews 8:1 "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;"

Counting calories or fats or carbohydrates can drive us crazy—all those numbers day after day after day. And when we try to keep track of all three we may feel like we’re back in Mrs. Smith’s unholy calculus class all over again.

But Richard Simmons had a great idea when he came up with his deal a meal plan. We can do the same thing using whatever diet we are on.

Once we decide which foods we are going to eat for a meal and find out all the calories, fats, carbohydrates, or all of the above for each, we can write the numbers down on separate spreadsheet lines, 3 X 5 cards, or sticky notes. That way, not only can we easily keep track of what we are consuming, but the information is readily available for next time, and we’ll also know when we have reached our self-imposed limit for the day.

Food Allergies

Read Hebrews 4-6

Hebrews 5:12 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."

Some folks seem to be allergic to everything. No matter what they try to eat, one of the ingredients listed on the package will be something that will make them sick.

Some are born with these allergies. But others develop allergies over time.

Dieters have an advantage in these circumstances. Since we are watching what we eat so carefully, if we have a bad reaction to something we ate we will be able to quickly track it down and identify the culprit.

Five Ways to Resist Temptation

Read Hebrews 1-3

Hebrews 2:18 "For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."

When we need to resist temptation, we will want to come up with ways that work for us because not every idea is a possibility for every one but here are five to try. One is to make sure the foods that tempt us are not even in the house.

Two: if our family members resist having a house free of temptations, at least keep the ones that tempt us most out of our sight. Three: substitute low calorie, fat, and carbohydrate versions for the full calorie, fat, and carbohydrate versions—for instance, sugar free candy.

Four: substitute foods we don’t care for but our family loves in place of the foods that tempt us—for instance, if we can’t resist chocolate covered peanuts, but despise chocolate covered raisins and our family loves them, get the raisins. Five: don’t even think about food until we are hungry and then go to our list and choose an allowable food to satisfy our hunger.

Overnight Fat

Read Titus 1-3, Philemon 1

Titus 3:3 "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another."

Ever had the feeling that we got fat overnight? Just yesterday we were experiencing a little water retention weight or that the dryer shrunk our clothes and today we caught ourselves in one of the full-length mirrors at the mall and felt sorry for that poor fat person, only to realize we were looking at ourselves.

We didn’t realize how fat we had become. That’s when it feels like we got fat overnight.

Of course the logical part of our brains knows that obesity doesn’t happen overnight, but the shock of seeing ourselves clearly can happen all at once. We can use this phenomenon in losing weight when we keep dieting and exercising, but don’t weigh or measure ourselves. One day the difference will be so noticeable we will catch ourselves in that same mirror and not recognize the newly slender version of ourselves.

The Good Fight

Read 2 Timothy 1-4

2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"

Even when we have gone off our diets and even when we have skipped exercising, we have fought a good fight. We haven’t let those failures keep us from starting again.

Each meal we eat and each day we go through without cheating or slacking off is one more step towards our goal. Each day we do our planned exercise and each time we choose to squeeze in more exercise one way or another gets us closer and closer to where we want to be.

And we will eventually reach our goal. It may take us longer than we planned, but if we don’t give up, we will succeed.

Tighten While We Trim

Read 1 Timothy 4-6

1 Timothy 4:8 "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

If all we do is diet, we will lose weight. But exercising helps us use up calories and speeds the weight loss along.

That’s not the only reason to exercise. Depending on how much weight we have to lose and our age, when we lose weight, we may add wrinkles and sags to our bodies.

After all that hard work to lose weight, it would be a shame if we were still disappointed with how we looked. So we will tighten while we trim and make sure we do both aerobic exercises and molding exercises to accomplish it.

Obtained Mercy

Read 1 Timothy 1-3

1 Timothy 1:16 "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."

We have all sorts of reasons for what started us on our diet and exercise program. Some may have had a health scare, either a stroke or a diagnosis of diabetes or other health issue.

Some of us looked at recent pictures and didn’t recognize ourselves in them. We are so much heavier than we realized.

Still others just wanted to get back down to the weight they remember being the most comfortable at. But all of us have obtained mercy to be able to make these changes in our lives for whatever reason.

Reward Progress

Read 2 Thessalonians 1-3

2 Thessalonians 3:13 "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing."

We may not have reached our ultimate goal yet, but we have made progress. When we acknowledge the progress we have made, we encourage ourselves to keep going.

So we may want to reward ourselves for the progress we have made. We can celebrate certain milestones of our choosing, but we will want to stay away from rewarding ourselves with edible goodies.

It will be tempting to treat ourselves with a hot fudge sundae or other calorie, fat, and carbohydrate loaded food we have been missing, but we will want to make a list of other things to reward our progress with. We might treat ourselves to a new outfit or a day off from household chores—things like that—depending on the size of our progress and our budgets.

Plateau

Read 1 Thessalonians 1-5

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

The dreaded plateau is when we stop losing weight, even though we have not stopped dieting and exercising. Many dieters give up at this point, because it can be discouraging.

But it’s natural and an expected part of weight loss. Those of us who can, stick to the already proven diet and exercise program.

But those of us who might need to see some progress have other options. Some go on a fad or crash diet for a few days and some increase or change up their exercise program.

Special Occasion

Read Colossians 1-4

Colossians 2:16 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:"

We don’t mind going off our diets on special occasions. We may even plan ahead so it will not disrupt our weight loss plans too badly.

But there are times of the year, and this is one of them, where the special occasions are too close together and eating like we’re not dieting may undo all the good we have worked so hard for. That’s when we want to incorporate our diets into the special occasion fare.

If we have the opportunity, we may be able to bring a diet-friendly dish to a party that everyone can enjoy and our fellow dieters will appreciate. Another strategy is to ignore the fat, calorie, and carbohydrate rich foods and drinks and scope out the vegetables, fruits, and any other offering on our weight loss plan and stick with that.

Content During the Process

Read Philippians 1-4

Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

Since losing weight takes such a long time, we are doomed to be unhappy if we focus on how much longer the diet will last. We don’t want to lose motivation and we don’t want to lose sight of our goal, but we can learn to be content each step of the way.

At the beginning, we can be happy because we will probably lose a disproportionate amount of weight at the beginning. Half way through, we can be glad that our bodies are being remolded by the exercises we are doing, even if we are at a plateau weight-wise.

Close to the end, we can be glad we are almost finished and be grateful we stuck to it and made it happen. In-between, we can be content that we can wear smaller sizes than we could before.

Not Losing at the Planned Rate

Read Ephesians 4-6

Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

When we are brutally honest with ourselves, we know when we haven’t been eating and exercising like we should. So when we find we are not losing at the planned rate, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

But there are people who have stuck to the diet and exercised faithfully who are still not losing like they should be. If we were losing and then stopped, we may have reached a plateau and that is normal.

However, if we are being faithful and diligent in diet and exercise and have never lost an ounce or an inch, we may need to do some research. We may need another trip to the doctor to make sure there is no underlying medical concern for the lack of progress.

Workmanship

Read Ephesians 1-3

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Workmanship lets us know how we’re improving in what we do. In our cooking, baking, and meal creation, we get better with practice.

The more we have to lose, the more practice we get. But we ourselves are also God’s workmanship.

From the way our bodies drop the pounds and inches as we diligently diet and exercise, to the efficiency of our metabolism, we show God’s handiwork. Reaching our weight goals is one of the ways we can show off the Lord’s workmanship.

Goal

Read Galatians 4-6

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

When we weigh ourselves, either daily or weekly, we may not see much progress. When we measure ourselves we may not see much difference in inches.

We may become discouraged at our lack of progress. We may also be discouraged by all the weight and inches still needing to be shed.

But if we don’t let discouragement keep us from acting out our weight-loss plan, we will eventually reach the goal we have set for ourselves. We can keep our eyes on that goal and not on the slowness of the progression towards the goal.

Equalizer

Read Galatians 1-3

Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

No matter how rich we are, some of us have weight problems. The same goes for poor, tall, short, and all races.

Weight issues are great equalizers. We can’t be immunized for it and not everyone around us struggles like we do.

We don’t have weight problems because of something we have done, but we may need to lose weight because of our poor eating and exercising habits. We’re not alone with our weight problems.

Thorn in the Flesh

Read 2 Corinthians 10-13

2 Corinthians 12:7 "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure."

Charlie W. Shedd referred to a weight problem as a thorn in the flesh. Those of us who struggle with weight issues will probably agree.

As we stick to our diet and exercise plan, we will eventually get down to our weight goal. Unfortunately, our battle will not end there.

We will have to be vigilant about continued exercise and carefully watch what we eat or our weight may creep back up. The good news is our bodies would be an advantage in a famine, but the bad news is we will always have a weight problem—under control or out of control.

Self-Control

Read 2 Corinthians 7-9

2 Corinthians 8:15 "As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack."

We have to exercise self-control in every other aspect of our lives. For instance, we can’t act on our anger at another driver who cuts us off, we have to rein it in and let it go.

So it would seem like we should be able to do as we please when it comes to eating. At least one thing in our lives should be relaxed.

But self-control is even more important when it comes to diet and exercise. Self-control is the only thing that will keep us on our weight loss plan when we lose our other motivations and incentives.

Renewed Day By Day

Read 2 Corinthians 4-6

2 Corinthians 4:16 "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."

Sometimes hunger drives us to consume most of our daily food allowance early in the day. That same hunger may keep us eating, even when our calorie, fat, or carbohydrate limit has been reached.

Our only alternative may be to stay hungry rather than keep eating, but that’s what drove us to eat in the first place. We don’t want to be hungry and we don’t want to overeat.

Whatever we decide the good news is that another day brings another opportunity to eat and exercise to maintain health. Our resolve is renewed day by day.

Sweet Savor

Read 2 Corinthians 1-3

2 Corinthians 2:15 "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:"

When someone’s nose is plugged so they can’t smell anything, supposedly an onion tastes no different from an apple. Once that person is allowed to use his sense of smell again, hopefully he does not pass out if he has been unlucky enough to be the one who ate the onion.

If we are missing the great tastes of our formerly favorite foods, we may be able to enhance the smells of the foods on our diet so we miss the former foods less. Or, if we are having a hard time choking down allowable foods, maybe we could downplay the smells and make it easier.

Once we have done all we can to augment the smell of our food, whether to make it better or lessen the offence, we can create a sweet savor elsewhere. We can make the room where we eat smell better or maybe eat outdoors, weather permitting, to take advantage of the good smells of fresh air.

Exercise

Read 1 Corinthians 7-9

1 Corinthians 9:24 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

Setting aside time to exercise isn’t always easy. Our schedules are already full to overflowing.

But we will lose weight better if we work aerobic exercising into our lives. Some of the best aerobic exercises, like running, may not be a possibility for us because of other health or time reasons.

If we can’t earmark some time for exercising into our day, we may need to use tricks. We can try things like parking at the back of a parking lot to force ourselves to walk or jogging back and forth to the kitchen to meet our diet’s aerobic exercise needs.

Purging Old Leaven

Read 1 Corinthians 4-6

1 Corinthians 5:7 "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:"

When we get ready to do some serious cooking, whether it’s making a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings or a marathon baking of Christmas cookies, we will want to take stock of what we have before we purchase more supplies. We may be surprised at how many of the things we need we already have.

We may be more surprised at how many duplicates we have. It seems easier to just buy from a list than to take stock of what we have beforehand.

We may be even more surprised at how old some of the spices and other ingredients in our pantries and freezers are. We will want to purge out old, expired leaven, yeast, and any other old ingredient to make room for newer ingredients and to keep from accidentally using something that no longer works and may not be safe.

Able to Bear Meat

Read 1 Corinthians 1-3

1 Corinthians 3:2 "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."

There are vegetarians who don’t eat meat on principal. For the rest of us, our meat consumption is only curtailed by two things.

Our food plan most likely limits the kind of meat we eat and how much we can eat. There are some fad diets that allow unlimited amounts of meat at meals, but they are unlikely to be considered healthy.

The other thing that limits meat is our budgets. No matter what our food plans allow, we can only get the kinds of meat we can afford.

Greeting With Food

Read Romans 13-16

Romans 16:15 "Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them."

One of the best ways to greet a new neighbor is with a dish in hand. Baked goods are one of the most popular dishes to bring, but other foods will do, too.

If we are starting a new job, we may want to bring some goodies along—though probably not the first day. Once we see how to share food with our new fellow workers, we can bring our specialty and either set it in the kitchen, the lunchroom, or in the office.

We don’t even have to cheat on our diets to greet others with food. We can bring something delicious and diet-friendly that we have found and share both the food and the recipe with others.

Reasonable Service

Read Romans 10-12

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Not everyone is born healthy. Some may battle health problems all their lives.

It may be harder for those of us with health challenges to lose weight. Food choices may be dictated by a disease and exercise all but impossible.

But even with these issues to deal with, we can figure out a way to lose weight and be as healthy as possible. We can’t let our limitations define us—we will want to find out what we can do, not worry about what we can’t do.

Contrariness

Read Romans 7-9

Romans 7:19 "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

This spells out the dieter’s dilemma: we eat what we shouldn’t and don’t exercise when we should. It should be a lot easier to lose weight than it is.

Why is it so hard to resist temptation? If we know we only have to deny ourselves for a little while, shouldn’t we be able to stick to a diet for a few months or so?

If we know how good exercising is for us, shouldn’t we embrace our workout time each day? Unfortunately, our contrariness has us acting the opposite of our own best interests.

Stretch a Meal

Read Romans 4-6

Romans 4:17 "(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

The day before grocery day often is a time when there is little left in the pantry. We could run to the store and get a few things or we could see what we can make out of what we have on hand.

If we have soup, stew, or chili, we could pour it over rice or potatoes. If we have flour, we could make some kind of bread depending on what other ingredients we have on hand, like baking soda, salt, eggs, etc.

Even if we have no pancake mix, we might be able to make pancakes, if we have flour, eggs, etc. We can take inventory or what we have and research on the internet what those ingredients will yield.

Excuses

Read Romans 1-3

Romans 2:1 "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."

We don’t always feel like sticking to our diets. We don’t always feel like exercising every day.

When the situation overwhelms us, we fail and eat what we shouldn’t and skip exercising. We may make excuses because we can’t face our failure.

But we have to get away from making excuses and find ways to work some freedom into our weigh loss plan. If we allow ourselves a day or a meal to eat whatever we want or cut our exercise days down by one day, we can look forward to those lax times and not only stop making excuses, but stop feeling guilty and still lose weight as we buckle down on the rest of the strict regimen days.

Clashing Advice

Read Acts 25-28

Acts 27:11 "Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul."

Is bacon bad for us? It’s full of fat and even lean cuts and baking instead of frying doesn’t negate it.

Is bacon something our diets need? If we are on an all-protein crash diet, it might be listed as one of the foods we should seek out.

If we read widely enough, we will find clashing advice for almost any food available. It is up to us to use our common sense and experience to figure out what works best for our weight loss plan.

Food Vows

Read Acts 22-24

Acts 23:12 "And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul."

Dieting is hard enough without making crazy vows like the one in this verse. Chances are we don’t hate anyone enough to risk going to jail for killing, let alone starve to death over.

But we can spice up our diets with food related vows. We might vow to only drink water and no other fluids like diet sodas, until we reach a certain weight milestone.

We can try it whenever our motivations are wearing thin or when we want to challenge ourselves. We just don’t want to get into the habit of using it as a punishment for ourselves.

Eating Proof

Read Acts 19-21

Acts 20:11 "When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed."

It’s never been clear whether the saying is starve a cold and feed a fever or feed a cold and starve a fever. But it is clear that when we don’t feel well, our eating habits suffer.

Some react to sickness by being unable to eat. They don’t have much of an appetite and can’t seem to force themselves even when they know they should.

Others eat uncontrollably in a misguided effort to make themselves feel better. But once we feel better we have eating proof: we feel well enough to go back to eating healthy meals.

Soothing Food

Read Acts 16-18

Acts 16:34 "And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house."

When someone we know is hurting, there is usually very little we can do to make them feel better. We can’t undo whatever happened or go back in time and prevent it from happening.

So we do what we can to make their lives easier. Bringing food is often our go-to response.

If they have meals already prepared, at least they don’t have to cook. And if we have brought them food they may be more likely to eat, even if they don’t feel like it, if all they have to do is warm up something nutritious.

Fruitful Seasons

Read Acts 13-15

Acts 14:17 "Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

Going into the winter and holiday seasons, most of us have a history of gaining weight during this time. We cozy in and cooking, baking, and eating just seems like a good way to spend our time, so the weight piles on.

Animals gain weight before hibernating, so why shouldn’t we? We may not plan on sleeping our way through the winter, but with less sun, sleeping also seems like a good way to spend our time—and more weight piles on.

We can have a fruitful season in the winter just as much as we will in the spring and summer. We can use the additional time indoors and holiday parties to use energy cleaning our houses, maybe for a party or for the Christmas decorating and doing more will help stop weight gain and may even mean a few extra pounds will come off.

Indulging

Read Acts 10-12

Acts 10:14 "But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean."

Hopefully after months of turning down the opportunity to eat certain foods that we have been known to overeat in the past, we no longer have a taste for them. We may still have cravings since we remember how good they tasted once upon a time.

We may have reached the point in our weight loss where we are simply trying to maintain the loss and don’t need to lose any more. Maybe we have decided to indulge in a food we haven’t had since our diet started.

The trick is, if the food doesn’t taste as good as we remember, we don’t want to keep eating and eating, trying to get the experience back. We will want to rejoice that we have lost the taste for the food and celebrate that one less food has a grip on us.

Finding the Bargains

Read Acts 7-9

Acts 7:12 "But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first."

It’s easy to find bargains. We have newspaper advertisements and direct mail advertisements.

We can look on the internet and find even more bargains. It can be overwhelming and confusing.

When we are hunting for the best price for food, a big thing to keep in mind is if we have to drive too far to get it, the item may end up costing us more than the same product closer to home. One way to take advantage of the best prices is to cluster our purchases in one store in one location that we would be near, anyway. If we are driving out of our way for another reason, we can ferret out what stores nearby have irresistible bargains and shop at that time.

Filling a Need

Read Acts 4-6

Acts 4:35 "And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."

We can usually tell if we are hungry or not before we eat. But it isn’t always easy to tell when we have eaten enough to stop being hungry.

If we are eating something we love, it might not even occur to us that we are full. We are caught up in the experience of eating something that tastes so good.

But one of the things that will help us lose weight is trying to stop eating after a reasonable amount of food has been eaten. Measuring and using smaller plates will help us not to take too much food and getting into the habit of waiting before taking seconds will also help make sure we are only filling a need.

Eating With Singleness of Heart

Read Acts 1-3

Acts 2:46 "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,"

We have a lot of motivations for trying to lose weight. We want to be thinner and stronger.

We want to look better. All the motivations we can think of keep us going when we get discouraged.

But too many motivations can also become jumbled and stop working. We may need to eat with the singleness of heart that we are going to eat right because we want to get and stay healthy.

Try the Other Side

Read John 19-21

John 21:6 "And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes."

We base our decisions on evidence and experience. If something has failed, we will be reluctant to try it again—that’s just being smart.

So when we have failed to keep up with our diet and exercise program so many times, we may be ready to accept we will never be as thin or as healthy as we would like to be. Diets just don’t work for us and exercising only tires us out—it never makes us stronger.

But we can’t give up. We have to keep trying a different approach, different kinds of exercises and a different healthy diet until we find something we enjoy, something we can stick to, and something that works.

Habits

Read John 16-18

John 18:2 "And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples."

Our habits can get us into big trouble. When we’re tired and hungry, we might fall back on grabbing the snacks we used to eat so freely.

We might sleep a little later like we used to, instead of getting up in time to put in our exercise time. At holiday and potluck tables we might go back for seconds like we used to, without stopping to think whether or not we are still hungry.

But the good habits we have been cultivating can help us out. As we replace the bad habits with the good habits, we may be able to channel our behavior into the better new habits instead of falling into the old bad ones.

Appearances

Read John 13-15

John 15:2 "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

One of the big motivators for our dieting and exercising is that we are concerned about our appearance. We don’t like the way we look in our clothes.

We don’t like the way we look period. We don’t like having to find clothes in larger sizes.

Even when we find something that fits, we still don’t look the way we want to. We know that the only way to feel better about the way we look is to do something about it and change our dimensions.

Who to Trust

Read John 10-12

John 10:5 "And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

Name brands spend a lot of money trying to convince us that their product is superior and worth the extra money they charge. Generic brands are often just as good as the name brands.

Some name brands might even be inferior to generic brands or get a certain batch recalled because of tainting. However, sometimes their claim is legitimate and we may find they are better than the generic we can afford.

We have to decide whom we are going to trust to have a good product. Even if a name brand is slightly better, we may find the generic is good enough for our dieting purposes.

Flowing From the Belly

Read John 7-9

John 7:38 "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

We want for the fat to be flowing from the belly—and off our bodies. We can get discouraged when we micromanage our diet and exercise program.

We might not see progress on a day-to-day basis. Differences are so miniscule that they don’t show up on our usual measuring tools—the scale and the measuring tape.

But as we stick to our regimen, day-by-day and meal-by-meal, one day we will see the differences. We’ll see the changes in the mirrors and in the fit of our clothes.

Meat From Afar

Read John 4-6

John 4:8 "(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)"

“Tastes like chicken” is a running joke that we use when we’re trying to describe a new type of meat to someone who has never tasted it before. Not everything tastes like chicken, of course, but it is one of the most familiar meats people consume.

We might be trying to eat game that someone has provided, whether it’s squirrel or pheasant. Even snails are presented as a delicacy and called escargot so we won’t get creeped out by what it is we’re eating.

Others stretch their meat-eating muscles by eating the less popular meats from otherwise familiar animals. Someone might eat tongue or brains, even gizzards and enjoy the taste.

Beginnings

Read John 1-3

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

When we start a diet and exercise program, we feel good. It feels good to finally be doing something about our weight.

We feel smug because not everyone who begins dieting and exercising will keep at it until the goal is reached and then beyond to maintain the healthier weight and lifestyle. But we know we will.

We’re on a high. If we can maintain these good feelings, we can continue to motivate ourselves all the way to the end, no matter how long it takes us.

Follow the Water

Read Luke 22-24

Luke 22:10 "And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in."

Water is supposedly the best liquid we can consume and something our bodies need. Some diets even say we can lose extra weight by drinking a certain amount of water daily or drinking a cup or two before each meal.

Unfortunately not all water is good for us since there are chemicals that find their way into our water supply. Bottled water is popular and a way to make sure we are drinking the best possible water we can get—also the from-the-tap purifiers give us the same thing.

But lately there have been flavors we can buy to make plain water taste better. Those of us who drink diet sodas, juice, milk, coffee, and other liquids because we don’t care for the bland taste of water are finally vindicated.

Self-Invited Guests

Read Luke 19-21

Luke 19:5 "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house."

Most people wait until they are invited before coming to our home. They don’t want to impose or presume upon our hospitality.

Others are the drop-in types who come over when it’s convenient for them with no regard for what we might be in the middle of doing. The first time it happens, we will probably stop whatever we were doing in order to entertain and feed them, treating them to our warmest welcome.

However, when people begin to be regular self-invited guests and come too often, we may need another way to greet them. Putting them to work alongside us as we continue to do whatever we had planned to do that day before they interrupted us is one way to handle it.

Every Day Eating

Read Luke 16-18

Luke 17:28 "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;"

The hardest thing and easiest thing to do is when we’re dealing with our everyday eating. It’s the hardest thing because our habits are entrenched and not easily changed.

It’s the easiest because if we can make changes in our everyday eating, our diets seem less like an ordeal. So the trick is to break bad habits and replace them with new ones.

It’s usually less traumatic to change one habit at a time. If we can work good eating choices into our lives, we can keep control of our weight with little effort.