Ostracized

Read Leviticus 13-15

Leviticus 13:45 "And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean"

When others are eating and we’ve restricted our food options, we can feel left out. We are eating differently from them and may long for those days we used to enjoy everything no matter the consequences to our health.

When friends, family, and coworkers know we’re trying to lose weight, they may exclude us from eating invitations, thinking they are helping us by not putting us in a position where we’ll be tempted. That only makes us feel more alone because we’re being deprived of their company as well as some of the foods we used to eat.

 

Whether it’s our imaginations or whether we’re really being ostracized, we don’t have to leave things there. We can tell others what we’re going through; we can be the ones who issue the invitations; we can be the ones who bring delicious, but healthy dishes to the party.

Unconventional Eating

Read Leviticus 10-12

Leviticus 11:22 "Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind."

We don’t have to resort to eating insects just to get some more exotic tastes and foods into out diets. Chocolate covered ants always sounded like a waste of chocolate to me.

But we can use stronger spices in our cooking, like curry. We can put together odd combinations of foods, like pineapple on pizza.

 

We can put delicacies like escargot into soups or casseroles to minimize the yuck factor and still have a chance to taste something outside our usual fare. If we use our imaginations we can really rev up our diets.

Atonement

Read Leviticus 7-9

Leviticus 8:34 "As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you."

It’s impossible to make atonement when we overeat one day. We tell ourselves, “I’ll eat this now and skip breakfast and lunch tomorrow to make up for it.

The problem is, our bodies exist in the present. We fuel ourselves with food for today’s activities. We can’t borrow against the next day’s output.

 

But we can start again. We can focus on what we will do from now on. And we don’t have to wait for tomorrow to restart—we can reboot our food plan now.

Ignorance Might Not Be Bliss

Read Leviticus 4-6

Leviticus 4:23 "Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:"

It’s a relief to go to a potluck supper, or a party, or a celebration. The tables are loaded with food with no calorie, carbohydrate, or fat gram labels in sight.

We can enjoy ourselves. Eat what we want. Go back for seconds.

 

But we don’t need to lose control. We can eat what we want, but less than we want if we suspect the dish is high in those uncounted calories, carbohydrates, and fat grams. And those seconds? We can put them on our plate, cover them, and take them home to enjoy another day. We can maintain control of our eating and still live it up—within reason.

Fat

Read Leviticus 1-3

Leviticus 2:7 "And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil."

Pronouncing ourselves fat is what made us decide to lose weight in the first place. We want to get back to the leaner bodies we once had.

Avoiding fat is what we are doing to lose that weight. We’re counting fat grams and avoiding some of our favorite foods in order to ingest less fat.

 

But avoiding fat altogether is not a good idea. A truly healthy diet requires a small amount of fat for our bodies to function best.

Partners

Read Exodus 37-40

Exodus 38:23 "And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen."

Having a partner can be helpful when trying to lose weight. It’s more than simply surrounding ourselves with people who will support our efforts.

We team up with one other person who has similar goals. It might be someone who is trying to eat right, exercise and lose weight, exactly like we are, or it could be someone who only wants another person to go jogging with.

The trick is to choose someone who is not competitive or judgmental. Be sure to choose someone who coaxes and encourages, who commiserates with and challenges us.

Fasting

Read Exodus 33-36

Exodus 34:28 “And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”

People fast for several reasons. They might be trying to cleanse their bodies of toxins or they might be praying for an answer to a specific issue.

Fasting just to lose weight is not usually a good idea. We can get so hungry that we begin to eat everything in sight. Then we feel like failures for breaking the fast and feel guilty for the things we have eaten.

 

Also, there are many physical problems that prevent fasting or that fasting could make much worse. Fasting can help sometimes, but we need to proceed with caution.

Measuring

Read Exodus 29-32

Exodus 30:2 “A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.”

Calorie, carbohydrate, and fat-gram counts listed on food packages or in books also state a portion size. Sometimes it's the number of pieces consumed and sometimes it’s in ounces.

The pieces are easy to count, although it may seem like a pitiful few allowed for all those calories. The ounces take measuring.

 

We may be at a disadvantage if we don’t have a food scale and may not have the luxury of going out to buy one. However, if we look further, we can find other ways to measure, for instance a portion might be the size of a fist. Measuring is a chore and a pain at first, but soon we’ll get used to the new sized portions and along the way, get closer to our goals.

Tell People What You Need

Read Exodus 25-28

Exodus 25:3 "And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,"

Family, friends, and coworkers may want to help us lose weight, but don’t know how. So they’ll come up with their own ideas.

They might try to cheer us up by teasing us only to hurt our feelings. They might seek to strengthen our will power by providing goodies for us to practice resisting, but we end up eating everything we vowed we wouldn’t. So we need to let others know what would be helpful.

Whether we are looking for an exercise buddy or needing someone to just listen while we complain, telling people what we need helps them help us.

Tell Somebody

Read Exodus 21-24

Exodus 24:3 "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do."

We have gone on diet after diet with few results, so we might be reluctant to tell anyone we’re trying to lose weight right now. We want to wait and see if this time it works—this time we’ll stick to it.

We decide to wait until other people notice we’re losing weight. Once someone comments that we look thinner, we can confess we’re dieting and exercising.

 

But we can tell others, even before we begin to “show.” Telling the right people, not the ones who want to sabotage us, but the ones who will support and encourage us, might give us a boost when we need it and keep us going.

Getting Ready

Read Exodus 17-20

Exodus 19:10 "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,"

Whatever we were planning to do once we lose weight, we can do now. We don’t have to wait until we are a size 2.

If we were thinking we would buy new clothes, we can get some pretty things now and at each milestone of our weight loss. If we were going to get a makeover, we can get one now.

 

There is no need to put off celebration of ourselves just because our scales don’t say what we want them to say. We can go ahead and get ready for the adventure that is our lives right now.

Water

Read Exodus 13-16

Exodus 15:24 "And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?"

Water is practically a magical substance. It helps us lose weight and helps us stay healthy.

Sometimes when we think we’re hungry, drinking water lets us know that we were only thirsty. If we drink enough water, it helps curb our appetites and keeps us from overeating. If we stay hydrated, we can often keep colds and other illnesses at bay.

 

Water is not just necessary for life. It helps and enhances the quality of it.

The Last Straw

Exodus 11:8 "And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger."

Our clothes are getting tighter. It’s harder to walk up the stairs. We hardly recognize ourselves in pictures.

There are plenty of signs that we need to lose weight and we have been thinking about going on a diet for a long time, but so many things keep us from sticking to any diet. We’ll diet for sure someday.

 

Then one day something happens that compels us to make that “someday” today. It will probably be a health scare. But we don’t need to wait for that last straw of a heart attack or diabetes diagnosis to motivate us. We can stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan starting now.

Equipment

Read Exodus 5-8

Exodus 5:8 "And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God."

How can we start an exercise program if we don’t have a set of light weights or a treadmill? How can we start a healthy diet if we don’t have food scales or a blender?

It’s tempting to put off getting started on our weight goals until we gather all the necessary equipment. Everybody knows the right tool makes the job easier.

 

But the problem is that excuses for putting off losing weight are never-ending. If we can figure out a way to keep losing, despite whatever we may think we are missing, we’ll figure out a way around other excuses, too.

Manual Labor

Read Exodus 1-4

Exodus 1:12 "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel."

Exercising will only get us so far. We can sneak in an increase in the calories we use up every day by increasing our other physical activities.

Housework uses plenty of calories: vacuuming, mopping, even washing dishes by hand. Other increases can be found outdoors: in the garden—pulling weeds or planting, and washing and vacuuming the inside of the car.

 

Instead of dreading necessary chores, we can view them as opportunities. It’s good for us and every calorie burned doing manual labor gets us closer to our weight and health goals.

Starvation

Read Genesis 47-50

Genesis 47:13 "And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine."

When we’ve overindulged one day, we may try to make up for it the next day. It’s tempting to starve ourselves until we’ve repaid those excess calories.

Anyone who has attempted starving will tell you it’s not effective. Hunger will drive you to eat and being overly hungry might make you eat anything you can find whether it’s a good food choice or not.

 

Then, not only do you feel guilty, you’re right back where you were the day before: overindulged. Starvation is the beginning of a cause and effect sequence that will sabotage your weight-loss efforts.

Overeating

Read Genesis 43-46

Genesis 43:34 "And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of their's. And they drank, and were merry with him."

It should be easy to avoid overeating, but it catches us too often. All we have to do is control our portions, so why is it so hard?

We overeat during the holidays and special occasions. We overeat at restaurants because we want to get our money’s worth. We overeat at parties and potluck dinners because the food is so good and we won’t get another chance at it.

 

Knowing the danger is coming gives us the opportunity to prepare. We can ready ourselves for the temptations, make a plan to survive with our diets intact, put that plan into action, and avoid overeating.

Dreams

Read Genesis 40-42

Genesis 40:5 "And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison."

As the reality of diet and exercise closes in on you, it’s easy to forget your dreams. You get bogged down in the sameness and the routine of new healthy habits.

You might have had dreams of what your life will be like at the end of this year, when so many pounds have dropped off. You might have had dreams about what you yourself will look like and feel like.

 

Sure, a healthy diet and vigorous exercise should become your new normal, but don’t let those dreams fade. There will be times when you will need the motivation.

Treat Yourself

Read Genesis 37-39

Genesis 37:3 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours."

While concentrating on what you’re eating and how to fit more exercise into your day, don’t forget to treat yourself. It doesn’t need to be expensive, it just needs to be something to make you feel pampered.

You might give yourself an extra ten minutes at the end of a hard week to take a long soak in a hot, bubbly bathtub. Maybe you enjoy watching a favorite TV show while you workout.

 

Whether it’s something nice you do for yourself every day or a special treat once a week, you can keep your spirits up if you take time to indulge yourself.

Make a Fresh Start

Read Genesis 34-36

Genesis 35:2 "Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:"

It is never too late to make a fresh start, whether we started the first of the year, the first of a month, the first day of a week, or at the start of a new day.

No matter how many calories we consumed yesterday, we can begin a diet today. No matter how many days, weeks, months, or years it’s been since we last exercised, we can start again.

 

No matter what mistakes we’ve made, we aren’t defeated yet. We can always begin again.

Bad Food Associations

Read Genesis 31-33

Genesis 32:32 "Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank."

There are lots of reasons why we avoid certain foods. We may not like the taste of them. We may not like the smell of them. We may think they look too weird to be tasty.

Maybe we associate them with punishment or traumatic events in the past. Maybe we associate them with good memories but can’t bear to revisit the memory because of recent loss.

We just need to be aware of why we avoid a food that otherwise might be a healthy choice for us. In the search for nutritious variety in our diets, we might take a second taste and find a new addition to our dining repertoire.

Sleep

Read Genesis 28-30

Genesis 28:11 "And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep."

It seems logical that the more you stay awake, the more calories you consume and the more weight you lose. Even if you’re not very active for that extra time, you still expend calories.

But any article you read about sleep and weight loss tells a different story. The less sleep you get, the less weight you lose.

Maybe it’s because that extra time is spent eating to try to stay awake and keep your energy levels up—extra calories you don’t even realize you’re eating. But whatever the reason, add getting enough sleep to cutting calories and exercising as the ingredients to effectively losing weight.

Don’t Starve Yourself

Read Genesis 25-27

Genesis 25:30 "And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom."

When we start a diet, we’re not surprised to be hungry—at first. We figure we’ll get used to the new eating patterns and our bodies will adjust and we won’t be hungry all the time.

But time goes on and we’re still hungry. It’s time to look at the diet we picked. Some diets are not good for us no matter how faithfully we follow them. If you’ve already stuck to a starvation diet, you’ve probably made a lot of progress in a short time.

 

It’s time to switch to a nutritious food plan. If you keep starving yourself, you will soon wear your determination down and before you know it, you’ll be back to making poor food choices. You might find yourself trying to make up for all that suffering and could end up worse off than when you started.

Bargaining

Read Genesis 22-24

Genesis 23:15 "My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead."

We’re tempted to try bargaining when we’re trying to lose weight. We’ll tell ourselves things like, “I’ll walk an extra mile tomorrow and have these brownies today.”

Then the next day comes and another temptation entices us to more negotiating. Plus we still have to make good on that extra mile we promised ourselves yesterday.

When weigh-in time comes, we wonder why we’re not making the progress we want to make. Then we remember all the haggling we did and know the reason why.

If we have to bargain with ourselves at times to keep from giving up completely, so be it. Slow progress is still progress.

Don’t Look Back

Read Genesis 19-21

Genesis 19:17 "And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."

“Look not behind thee” is good advice. Our consequences are not as catastrophic as Lot’s family's was, but looking back can hinder our progress.

We wonder why we didn’t start losing weight sooner. We wonder how we ever let ourselves get to this point. We wonder why we didn’t keep up with the exercise program we started last year.

Blaming ourselves doesn’t encourage us. We can become so distressed, we abandon our new habits and next year will find ourselves in the same predicament or worse.

 

So, don’t look back. The past is over. Forgive those shortcomings and focus on the present. Keep going and be surprised at the progress we make.

Be Perfect

Read Genesis 16-18

Genesis 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."

It sounds unreasonable for God to expect Abram to be perfect, but don’t we often expect perfection from ourselves?

We expect to look perfect, act perfect, and make perfect choices every time.

When we’re not at our best and just not up to exercising that day, or see some signs of aging we swear were not there yesterday, or make mistakes at home, or have a bad day at work, we want to drown our sorrows in sweet, fatty foods. And that makes us feel worse.

So forget perfection—it’s a delusion. Find other ways besides comfort foods to deal with shortcomings. Stay on course and don’t let unreasonable demands of ourselves keep us from getting back on track.

Rebellion

Read Genesis 13-15

Genesis 14:4 "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."

It doesn’t take twelve years of strict dieting to rebel against the restraint. It can happen at any time.

Even with the encouragement of seeing the pounds drop off, or of fitting into smaller and smaller sizes, or of cheering family and friends, sometimes we just can’t take it any more.

So give yourself a little break whether it’s a meal or a snack or skipping exercises for one day. Enjoy the mini-vacation, don’t feel guilty, and then get right back into your weight loss regimen.

 

A little rebellion doesn’t need to completely derail our intentions.

Lying

Read Genesis 10-12

Genesis 12:18 "And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?"

We might be tempted to lie when we’re trying to lose weight. And there are plenty of things to lie about: how much we weigh, how much we’ve been eating, whether or not we’re eating what we’re supposed to be eating.

What difference could it make to the people we lie to? It doesn’t hurt them if we ate a whole bag of potato chips yesterday and don’t want to tell them about it.

But it can hurt us if we lie to ourselves. There will be consequences if we aren’t honest in private. Those calories will add up, even when we eat them in secret.

 

We don’t want lying to sabotage our weight-loss efforts.

Signs

Read Genesis 7-9

Genesis 8:11 "And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."

When we’re trying to lose weight, we look for signs of progress. Our primary measuring instrument is the scale—the numbers are supposed to be dropping.

But what if our numbers aren’t dropping fast enough? We need to look at other signs to keep from getting discouraged.

Our clothes might be getting looser. We might feel better. We might have more energy. We might find it easier to move around or to fit into tight places.

 

Look for progress signs all around us and don’t get derailed by the numbers on the scale

Fruit and Vegetables of the Ground

Read Genesis 4-6

Genesis 4:3 “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.”

Most diets and eating plans allow us to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits.  The healthy ones certainly do.

If our favorites are not in season, we can probably pick them up canned or frozen.  If we get bored with our usual, there are so many other kinds to try.  And we can revisit those we tried and hated as children. Maybe we'll find some new favorites.

 

What a blessing to have such a variety to choose from!

Forbidden Fruit

Read Genesis 1-3

Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Before the serpent tempted Eve, the Bible doesn’t say Adam and Eve had a problem resisting the forbidden fruit. They probably never even thought about it.

But for us, when some food is forbidden, we can’t stop thinking about it. We see it everywhere, hear about it constantly, and it’s offered to us daily. We can’t get away from it.

Eventually we give in and indulge. Then we feel like failures.

It’s much better to include everything we like in our diets. Unless health issues demand we give up certain foods, we can eat whatever we want.

All we need to do is limit the amounts and occurrences--eat one Oreo once a day, instead of a whole package every day.

When no food is forbidden, guilt won’t have a chance to derail our journey to slender.