Provision

Read Job 37-39

Job 38:39 "Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,"

Depending on how tight our budget is, we might be worried about how we can afford healthy food. Junk food can be a lot cheaper.

But God is able to stretch our money to afford to eat healthy meals. We can depend on Him to show us healthy substitutes for things we can’t afford.

He will also honor our commitment to eat right. As we let Him be our provision, we will see the progress on our journey to slender.

Glimmer of Hope

Read Job 34-36

Job 35:10 "But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;"

When we are sticking to our diets and exercising regularly, we still might not see any progress. Our clothes are still too tight, we still huff and puff when we exert ourselves, and our blood pressure is still too high.

What we need is a glimmer of hope. We need something tangible that will let us know we are on the right track and will eventually succeed, despite our current lack of progress.

Sometimes that glimmer of hope can be encouraging words from someone. Other times it will be a slight dip of the scales that keeps us going.

Eating Weeds

Read Job 31-33

Job 31:40 "Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended."

I don’t know about thistles and cockles, but there are weeds we can eat. Those who don’t care for certain greens may think they are served weeds all the time.

But certain weeds, like dandelion greens, are edible. Instead of fighting them in the yard, we can learn to enjoy them at the table.

Not all weeds are edible and not all leaves of edible plants are edible, like rhubarb. If we want to eat something different and be more efficient at using all edible parts of what we normally eat, we will want to do research to prevent accidentally poisoning ourselves and our loved ones.

Using Music

Read Job 28-30

Job 30:31 "My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep."

Food comforts us. Food lifts our mood.

We’re used to using food for everything. We can start using music instead.

Not only can music lift our mood, we can use it to express ourselves. It’s easier and has lots fewer calories—and the right music might inspire us to move more.

Telling the Truth

Read Job 25-27

Job 27:4 "My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit."

When someone asks us a question that we don’t want to answer, we don’t have to lie. We can decline to answer.

We can get into the habit of telling the truth, even about those things we normally would be tempted to lie about, like our weight. Telling the truth can be freeing, because we don’t have to remember the extra things we have lied about.

It’s not only a good habit to get into, it’s pleasing to the Lord. If we don’t want to tell the truth, we don’t have to say anything.

Better Than Food

Read Job 22-24

Job 23:12 "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."

When we’re hungry, nothing but food will do. But for those times when we want to eat but we aren’t actually hungry, we want to find something better than food to satisfy us.

We might want to find hobbies that consume us and occupy our hands so we have to stop what we’re doing to eat. It may help us to wait until we’re actually hungry because it is inconvenient.

Exercising until we experience that aerobic high may also keep us from eating when we’re not hungry. It can help manage our moods so we aren’t tempted to eat when we’re sad or bored.

Eating Disorders

Read Job 19-21

Job 20:15 "He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly."

Anorexia is when a person sees themselves as fat, no matter how thin they really are, and will not allow themselves to eat. Bulimia is when a person eats what they please, knowing they will empty their stomachs before any digestion has a chance to occur.

Overeating is when a person keeps eating even though they are no longer hungry and the food no longer tastes all that great. People may have more sympathy for an anorexic or bulimic, because neither of them get fat.

Onlookers can understand that the anorexic and bulimic have emotional and psychological issues to deal with but can’t understand why the overeater doesn’t simply control themselves. However, all eating disorders are complicated and need understanding and analysis to overcome.

Sorrow and Eating

Read Job 16-18

Job 16:20 "My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God."

Our reaction to sorrow is probably eating. We got into the habit of eating in an attempt to lift ourselves up.

But it never did work. No matter what we ate—from chocolate to comfort foods—our sorrow remained.

So we need to find another way besides eating to cope with sorrow. Fortunately, we can cry out to the Lord and pour everything out to Him, as often and for as long as we like, and never gain an ounce.

Not Inferior

Read Job 13-15

Job 13:2 "What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you."

We are used to being ignored. We get overlooked.

It doesn’t seem logical—an overweight person is bigger than normal, so shouldn’t we be noticed? But it doesn’t work that way.

It makes us feel inferior to others who can control their weight. But in God’s sight, we are not inferior, no matter what the world might think of us.

Why Me?

Read Job 10-12

Job 10:2 "I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me."

Some people can eat whatever they want, whenever they want and never gain an ounce. Some people are trying to gain weight and have to make sure they eat a lot of calories each day.

Those of us trying to diet don’t fit into either category. We can spend our lives wishing our metabolism was faster.

Or we can stop asking why me and accept what we are and appreciate what we have. If we are healthy and able to diet because we want to, not because we need to, and able to do whatever exercise we want without worrying about jeopardizing our health, then we are blessed.

Eating to Sleep Well

Read Job 7-9

Job 7:4 "When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day."

One of the advantages to dieting is that with the shift of foods we are eating, we may have cut out some of the foods that have been keeping us up at night. A better diet may mean we are no longer suffering from indigestion.

If we aren’t sleeping better, we can make more adjustments. Warm milk has long been considered a remedy to induce sleep, but most of us want to add chocolate to it.

Avoiding caffeine later in the day, avoiding spicy foods later in the day, and other eating adjustments will help with sleep. In fact, most of the food connected sleep advice holds true for dieters and non-dieters alike.

Tasteless

Read Job 4-6

Job 6:6 "Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?"

One of the hardest things about dieting is the tastelessness of diet foods. There is no doubt about it: sugar and fat add flavor.

So we have two choices to deal with the taste. We can either get used to it or figure out a way to make it better.

Getting used to it requires the least amount of work on our part, but we might get tired of the effort before it happens. Trying to make things taste better requires experimentation and we might get tired of the hard work before we hit on the right combination.

Hibernation Mode

Read Job 1-3

Job 3:25 "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me."

Animals who hibernate eat too much in preparation for the months they will be asleep and no longer eating regularly. Their bodies need something to use as fuel during that time.

So we might feel a need to eat up our favorite foods when we anticipate going on a diet. We think we need to create memories of the enjoyment of the goodies before going without them

Maybe our hibernation mode kicks in when we know we’re coming to our last meal for the day. We might eat extra at suppertime, trying to prevent getting hungry later, but we need to identify our hibernation mode moments and eat normally instead.

Empowerment

Read Esther 7-10

Esther 8:11 "Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,"

We may think the ultimate power is when we can eat anything we want, any time we want. But sometimes the food seems to control us.

When we regularly give in to our cravings or to the food cues like seeing something delicious on television or the wonderful smells from a bakery, we may realize we are trapped. We have let ourselves become victims of our desires and of the consequences of eating everything in sight.

The real empowerment comes when we use our brains to decide what we eat and when. Food no longer controls us—we control the food.

Delayed Gratification

Read Esther 4-6

Esther 5:8 "If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said."

When we are hankering for goodies but deny ourselves, we might end up consuming too many calories anyway. We might find ourselves eating and eating because we did not allow ourselves the one thing we really want.

We are trying so desperately to stick to our food plan, we don’t realize we are sabotaging ourselves. It might do us some good if we give in to cravings once in a while.

If we want a certain food, we might use delayed gratification to meet our need and keep from overeating. We might tell ourselves we will have the goody later and then later we can decide whether or not we still want it.

Fancy Plates

Read Esther 1-3

Esther 1:7 "And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king."

Sometimes when we are having a particularly hard time sticking to our food plan, what we need is a change. Serving our food on a fancy plate can be a boost for us.

We usually only break out the good china when company is coming or for a special occasion. So bringing out a few pieces for our meal can make us feel special.

We can use the fancy dishes only for a particular meal we’re having a hard time controlling ourselves at, or a certain time of day, when old habits are tempting us. The dishes give us something to distract our appetites with.

Good Outweighs The Bad

Read Nehemiah 10-13

Nehemiah 13:14 "Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof."

We have good days and bad days. We have days when we stick to our weight loss plan and days when we blow it.

When we mess up, it’s easy to get discouraged—especially when we see the scales creeping back up. We may be tempted to give up, but we need to start again, every day if we have to.

The trick is to have more of the good days than bad and let the good outweigh the bad. It may take longer to reach our goals, but it will still happen.

Unqualified

Read Nehemiah 7-9

Nehemiah 7:64 "These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood."

We are used to being judged by our appearance. We no longer blink when we are turned down for something we are qualified for.

We know that some people looking at our weight think we are unqualified, without even looking at any other criteria. They don’t realize that our weight struggles give us an edge.

We have had to work harder and longer, not only to keep our weight down, but often just to prove our worth. And we aren’t going to let snap judgments defeat us.

Mocking

Read Nehemiah 4-6

Nehemiah 4:3 "Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall."

Most of us lived through some form of mocking when we were kids. Even if we weren’t teased about our weight, we were teased about something.

Kids are supposed to grow out of the urge to mock others. And we expect to grow out of the hurt that mocking causes.

But whether it’s subtle or open, mocking hurts at any age. We can take courage in knowing by losing weight, we are giving mockers one less thing to tease us about.

Keeping It To Yourself

Read Nehemiah 1-3

Nehemiah 2:16 "And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work."

There is great value in sharing our journey. We want those around us to understand the changes we have made and be an encouragement to others also trying to lose weight.

But there are times when it’s better to keep our diets to ourselves. We don’t want to give ammunition to those who would sabotage our efforts.

Also, others may be getting tired of hearing about our new healthy life changes. We can keep up our efforts, but make conversation about other things that are going on in our lives and that might be of interest to others.

We Can't Do It All In One Day

Read Ezra 7-10

Ezra 10:13 "But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing."

It’s discouraging how long weight loss takes. The more weight we have to lose, the longer it will take.

Those of us with a lot of weight to lose might find the first five pounds come off more quickly than the person who only has five pounds to lose. As we diet and exercise diligently, we can become discouraged that the progress does not reflect that diligence.

We have to embrace the fact that we can’t do it all in one day. We will get there eventually, but it will take time.

Have What You Need On Hand

Read Ezra 4-6

Ezra 6:9 "And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail:"

Once we’ve decided on a diet and exercise course, it’s important to have what we need on hand. We want to make sure we keep the right food around and have whatever exercise equipment we need.

No matter how close it gets to grocery day, we will want to plan ahead so we don’t run out of low calorie, low fat, and low carbohydrate choices. We already fight temptation nearly constantly.

Also, we want to have available comfortable exercise clothes, good supportive shoes and any DVDs, light weights, or other things that will make exercising fun and keep us motivated. We don’t want to give ourselves any more excuses for going off our course.

Confusing Jumble

Read Ezra 1-3

Ezra 3:13 "So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off."

Celery sticks are low calorie, low fat, low carbohydrate snacks we can eat a lot of. Celery stuffed with cream cheese or peanut butter may sound more appealing, but aren’t low in calories, fats, or carbohydrates.

It can be confusing when we finally find a tempting way to prepare foods we ought to be eating, only to find out we have negated their benefits. Too many of the wrong additives can easily turn low calorie foods into high calorie foods to be avoided.

When we are getting tired of the diet foods we have been eating and want to spice things up, we just need to be careful what we add. If we make sure the add-ons are also low in calories, fat, and carbohydrates, we’ll be able to avoid the confusing jumble.

Plenty to Eat

Read 2 Chronicles 34-36

2 Chronicles 35:7 "And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance."

While we’re trying to retrain our bodies and our appetites, we might be hungry often. We may be trying to only eat when we get hungry and then fix something to eat.

We’re trying not to eat too much of certain foods, so when we get hungry, we may not have the healthy foods readily available. We might be in between grocery store trips and have run low on foods.

But there is plenty of food at banquets and potluck celebrations. All we have to do is control our choices.

Right Choices

Read 2 Chronicles 31-33

2 Chronicles 33:12 "And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,"

We are all too familiar with wrong choices. The temptation of our favorite goodies is hard to resist.

So we minimize the availability of calorie, fat, and carbohydrate loaded food and fill our cupboards and refrigerators with healthier food. We give ourselves fewer chances to make poor choices.

We also keep good taste in mind. If the food we can eat without guilt is also delicious, it's easier to make right choices.

Follow the Rules

Read 2 Chronicles 28-30

2 Chronicles 30:19 "That prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary."

The rules of losing weight come down to using up more energy than we take in. If we begin cutting down our calories, fats, and carbohydrates and start exercising, we should be able to lose weight.

Using up more energy than we take in isn’t restricted to formal exercising. If we sit less and move more, we will add to the energy output and hurry our weight loss along.

If we find more ways to cut down on the calories, fats, and carbohydrates in the food we have chosen for our diets, we will lose weight faster, too. When we follow the rules for weight loss, we can make them work for us.

Imperfect

Read 2 Chronicles 25-27

2 Chronicles 25:2 "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart."

When we’re in school, there are right answers and wrong answers on our tests. The more questions we answer correctly, the higher our scores and the better our grades when report cards come out.

We find out where we fall in the perfection list when we compare our grades to classmates or siblings. So we fall into the habit of trying to get one hundreds on our papers.

We strive for perfection and then we carry that into everything we do as adults, including dieting. But even if we are not perfect, even if we don’t follow the food plan exactly every single day, even if we miss more exercising days than we complete, we imperfect dieters can lose weight if we keep trying.

Food Repairs

Read 2 Chronicles 22-24

2 Chronicles 24:4 "And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord."

How frustrating Murphy’s Law can be! If anything can go wrong, it will.

We might get the full blast of it as we prepare dishes to take to public celebrations. A dish that has turned out perfectly when we fix it at home falls apart when we want to present it for company.

So we need two skills. We need the ability to make something good out of a failure and the flexibility to bring another dish if all else fails.

What Next?

Read 2 Chronicles 19-21

2 Chronicles 20:12 "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."

What do we do when we’ve tried everything to lose weight and get in shape and nothing is working? It is tempting to give up, but that is not an option.

We can’t give up because we will just fall back into those habits that caused us to gain weight and that put our health in jeopardy in the first place. This is not time to compound any damage we have already done to our aging bodies.

What we do is keep going. If we have to subtract calories or add foods to keep to a healthy diet, that is what we need to do, no matter if we ever lose any weight.

Disease

Read 2 Chronicles 16-18

2 Chronicles 16:12 "And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians."

Obesity is listed in the causes of so many diseases. Family histories also serve as a warning that the weight must come off.

Some have reported that diet and exercise have caused health improvements, even for those already diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure. The most extreme stories tell about diseases that disappear once the person reached his weight goal.

That’s not to be confused with a promise that it will happen for us, but losing weight and exercising can only improve our over all health. It certainly might prevent diseases.

Inspirational Rally

Read 2 Chronicles 13-15

2 Chronicles 13:4 "And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;"

When we go to diet-related meetings, we might go to get weighed or to report our progress. But the best benefit of all is to hear some inspirational words from the speaker.

We want to hear from someone who has been through our journey and can tell us it was worth it. We are hoping to get some motivational tips from someone who has lost weight and kept it off.

We can get a similar inspirational rally cry from our diet and exercise buddies. As they encourage us when we have a down day, we can encourage them.