Preparing for the Worst

Read Jeremiah 46-48

Jeremiah 46:19 "O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant."

Dieting may feel like a famine. We don’t eat all the things we would like to eat.

But we don’t want our metabolism shutting down. If we don’t eat significant amounts of food, our bodies may believe we are really starving.

We can prepare for the worst. We can lose weight by eating plenty, but of the right foods.

Doctor's Orders

Read Jeremiah 43-45

Jeremiah 42:3 "That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do."

If we are having health issues, the smart thing is to see a doctor about them. Whatever the diagnosis, she will no doubt recommend a diet for us to follow to avoid future problems.

Even if we have multiple problems, the doctor can come up with the right diet to help treat us. And, no matter what diet that might be, it is likely to be healthy and one that already cuts out the foods we have cut out.

But even if we are not having any health problems that must be treated, we can visit our doctors for a recommended diet. Sometimes we need a second opinion from our own.

Victuals and a Reward

Read Jeremiah 40-42

Jeremiah 40:5 "Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go."

Some of our strongest motivators may be food. If we deprive ourselves now, we hope that one day we will be able to eat as we please.

We might reward ourselves with a one-time treat. We might promise ourselves a brownie before we go to bed if we exercise and stick to our diet the rest of the day.

But victuals may not be good motivators for long. We may too easily find ourselves slipping back into the same food patterns that got us into trouble in the first place.

Sinking Deeper

Read Jeremiah 37-39

Jeremiah 38:6 "Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire."

We may wish we had started losing weight a long time ago. We might remember those days when we were only ten pounds or so overweight.

If only we had gotten serious back then! Ten pounds are easier to lose than the mountain we have to lose now.

But we didn’t take such a small excess seriously. Instead, we sank deeper into the abyss of overweight.

Doing Right

Read Jeremiah 34-36

Jeremiah 34:15 "And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:"

Each time we choose the healthy snack over the snack everyone else is eating, we are doing right. Each time we decide to exercise, we are doing right.

Each time we do right, we put a payment in to the weight loss balance sheets. Each payment we put in builds up and adds up to weight loss.

If we keep doing what’s right, we will eventually reach our goals. Day by day, decision by decision—that’s how we’ll make it.

Efforts Rewarded

Read Jeremiah 31-33

Jeremiah 31:16 "Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy."

Sometimes we can get discouraged. We diet, we exercise and it doesn’t seem to make any difference on the scales or in the way our clothes fit us.

All the sacrifices we are making as we turn down some of our favorite foods or turn down seconds seem to be for nothing. All the time we spend exercising, weighing foods, and reading food labels—wasted.

But we can be encouraged knowing our efforts will be rewarded. As we keep going and stick to our diet and exercise program, we will eventually see the results we are longing for.

Wholehearted Dieting

Read Jeremiah 28-30

Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

People who make a hobby of clipping coupons save astonishing amounts of money. They participate wholeheartedly.

It’s not as easy to make a hobby out of dieting. We have to eat food to nourish our bodies and give us strength to get through our days.

But if we can find a way to be as wholehearted about dieting and exercising, we may find sticking to our diets and exercise programs easier. And of course, the weight will seem to drop off faster.

Cup of Fury

Read Jeremiah 25-27

Jeremiah 25:15 "For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it."

We might wish that our response to fury was to drink water. Unfortunately we are more likely to eat.

But some may respond to fury in even more destructive ways. Some may do more immediate things to hurt themselves.

Whether we use eating or things like cutting to deal with fury and other emotions, we know we need to find better ways to cope. Self destructive behavior only delays our relief and healing.

Eating Dregs

Read Jeremiah 22-24

Jeremiah 23:15 "Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land."

Sometimes it feels like we are eating the very dregs of food, when foods like celery, carrots, and lettuce are so good for us and are on nearly every diet. They may not seem like very tasty fare unless covered in dressing, peanut butter or cream cheese.

But if we do that to improve the taste, we negate their diet-friendly value. So we eat them as plain as we can stand.

But other times, we decide to go on a cleanse, hoping that will help speed up our weight loss. The ingredients for a cleanse are even more likely to feel like we are eating or drinking dregs.

Drastic Measures

Read Jeremiah 19-21

Jeremiah 20:2 "Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord."

Some people get so tired of fighting the weight battle that they resort to drastic measures. They do things that force them to stick to diets.

Some get their stomachs stapled or get a bypass or get bands put in. Some get their mouths wired shut so they can only ingest fluids.

These methods certainly work to get the weight off initially. But the problem with losing the weight by these drastic measures is we will still have to change our habits and lifestyles in order to keep the weight off—this just delays that process.

Mourning

Read Jeremiah 16-18

Jeremiah 16:5 "For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even lovingkindness and mercies."

There is a reason why we have not been able to lose weight before now. The reasons aren’t limited to diet and exercise program failures.

Backwards though it may seem, our fat protects us. We might not want to be noticed or we might be afraid to try something and we can stay hidden or have an excuse if we stay fat.

So we may need to face the loss of our protection and excuses and allow ourselves to mourn the old life and the old weight. Then we will be able to embrace a new and thinner life.

Storage

Read Jeremiah 13-15

Jeremiah 13:12 "Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?"

Whether we’re packing our lunch to take along to work or keeping leftovers, we have lots of choices about what kind of storage we will use. We want to maximize the storage, refrigerator, and freezer space we have.

We can find containers to fit our every need. We might be looking for something that stacks.

We might be more concerned not to smush the food. On the other hand, smushability might be exactly what we are looking for.

Flowing With Milk and Honey

Read Jeremiah 10-12

Jeremiah 11:5 "That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O Lord."

Milk and honey sounds like something we would take when we’re not feeling well. But in Biblical terms, a land flowing with milk and honey refers to prosperity and plenty.

When we are restricting what we eat, we may forget that we do have prosperity and plenty. Even those on a tight budget, living paycheck to paycheck have more milk and honey moments than most people living in other countries.

We may think that our times of plenty will come when we can eat whatever we want again. Unfortunately, even when we reach our weight goal, we will be wise to keep a lid on our celebrations of prosperity.

Preserved Food

Read Jeremiah 7-9

Jeremiah 8:20 "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."

When the harvest passes and the summer ends, the wise among us have saved some of the fresh fruits and vegetables. Some can and some freeze, but if we have the space, we will want to have done some food preserving.

After all the preparation we have to do to freeze or can, using the food is often a lot easier than when we used the food fresh out of the harvesting. We only need to open a can or defrost a package and reheat.

Those of us who don’t have gardens or fruit trees in our yards can still use pre-prepared foods throughout the year. We are blessed by all the companies who make frozen and canned foods.

Fed to the Full

Read Jeremiah 4-6

Jeremiah 5:7 "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses."

Some women stay slim by staying hungry. Chances are that method won’t work for those of us who have weight problems.

We can eat whether or not we are hungry. We have a habit of eating to sooth our emotions.

And if we get too hungry, we are likely to eat without thinking and without regard to what is on our food plan. So we need to be fed to the full and find a food program that doesn’t leave us hungry.

Plentiful Country

Read Jeremiah 1-3

Jeremiah 2:7 "And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination."

A character on a popular television show laments that when there is a buffet in his country, all the food provided is Indian food. We don’t have that problem in this country.

In fact, it would be difficult to limit food choices to a single country. We eat foods from Italy, China, Israel and more every day.

We have a plentiful country, not only in the amounts of food we have available, but in the diversity of food we can choose from. We need never become bored in our diets.

Cooking Clean

Read Isaiah 64-66

Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

Most of us know someone whose cooking we avoid because we are not impressed with how clean their cooking areas are. We don’t know what we might ingest and have no intention of finding out the hard way.

Cleaning product manufacturers would have us believe that all our cooking surfaces are doomed with bacteria and germs. It is only through the purchase of their product that we and our families can be safe.

It may all be true, but most of us take reasonable measures to make sure we are cooking clean. Our food preparation is careful enough that no one ever need avoid our dish at the party.

Dressing in Finery

Read Isaiah 61-63

Isaiah 61:10 "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

We relax in sweats, jeans, and shorts. The heavier we are, the more necessary those comfortable clothes become.

But we don’t need to avoid going to fancy affairs, knowing we have nothing appropriate to wear. If we look hard enough, we can find pretty clothing in our sizes, no matter what size we are.

Then we not only have several nice outfits to choose from when we go out, we can upgrade our comfortable wardrobes as well. We can find clothes that feel good and look good.

Chosen Fast

Read Isaiah 58-60

Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"

Fasting usually means no food. That is not always possible or healthy.

There are other kinds of fasts. Common ones still refer to food—for instance fasting from anything that contains caffeine.

But there are other kinds of fasts that could benefit us greatly. One example of a chosen fast it to fast from getting down on ourselves—we could decide that for one week, no matter how we might fail food-wise, exercise-wise, or any other way, like losing our tempers, we will forgive ourselves right away and not beat ourselves up about it.

Mysterious Ways

Read Isaiah 55-57

Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

A rock is stronger than water, yet water can cut through rock. We can’t understand how God’s principles work when they defy logic, but He gives us these examples to demonstrate His mysterious ways.

For instance, when we stop obsessing over our weight and our diets and just stick steadily to our food and exercise plan, the weight will eventually come off. We don’t have to worry it away.

We don’t have to keep track of every ounce and we don’t need to keep weighing ourselves several times a day. We can relax and focus on living our lives and pretty soon we’ll see progress as clearly as water cutting a path through a mountain.

No Beauty

Read Isaiah 52-54

Isaiah 53:2 "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

One of the reasons we want to lose weight is so we will look better. We want to look better in clothes that are many sizes smaller than what we wear now and just look better in general.

We may have a picture in our minds of what we will look like when we are slim. Unfortunately, that picture may be based on what we looked like the last time we were thinner—and younger.

We may forget to take aging into consideration as we strive for a goal of beauty. So we will want to adjust our vision of what we will look like when we lose the weight we want to lose so we are not disappointed if we don’t look like what we had hoped.

Hungry or Thirsty?

Read Isaiah 49-51

Isaiah 49:10 "They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them."

We need a certain number of calories each day to fuel our bodies for the tasks ahead of us. We also need a certain amount of water to keep us going.

There is more agreement about how many calories we need than there is about how much water we need and whether or not it actually has to be water. Do some of the fluids we drink add to our liquid requirements or do they sap fluid from our bodies?

So there are times we feel like we are hungry when we are actually thirsty. Before we grab something to eat, we may want to drink some water to make sure we’re hungry, not thirsty.

Declaring the End from the Beginning

Read Isaiah 46-48

Isaiah 46:10 "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"

When we set out to lose weight, it helps us to declare the end from the beginning. We need to be clear how much weight we want to lose and what we are willing to do to reach that goal.

We want to be realistic and we want to be healthier. We may decide on a modest goal at first—something we know we can reach.

Once we reach that goal, we can decide if we want to continue or if we want to maintain that weight until we get used to it. The most important thing to remember is that we don’t want to go too far and jeopardize the very health we worked so hard to achieve.

Witnesses

Read Isaiah 43-45

Isaiah 43:10 "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."

Sometimes when we are struggling with our weight, we feel very alone. No one else has ever needed to lose weight as much as we have and no one else has had as difficult a time with it as we have.

But if we look around, we will find books and articles written by and about people who have taken our journey and reached their weight goals. We can take encouragement from them, because if they can do it, so can we.

And we can be witnesses to others. Even when we fail, we won’t give up—we get back on our diets and exercise regimens and will continue to work at it until we reach our goals.

Power to the Faint

Read Isaiah 40-42

Isaiah 40:29 "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."

When our diets are going well, we might find ourselves with a dilemma. Sometimes our restrictions turn out not to be that good for us.

Some restrictions are good to get us started, but depending on the deprivation, we may find ourselves getting weak instead of strong. If we find ourselves growing faint, we need to power our bodies up.

We can still be smart and make the right calorie, fat, and carbohydrate decisions. We’ll just need to make sure our diets are helping us, not hurting us.

Don't Listen

Read Isaiah 37-39

Isaiah 37:6 "And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me."

We look for advice about how to lose the maximum weight in the quickest possible way. We look for low calorie, fat, and carbohydrate recipes to give variety to our diets.

We look for others to notice our weight loss and encourage us to keep going and keep losing. But sometimes the information bombarding us is not helpful.

Sometimes it makes us fearful and other times it can discourage us. When that happens, we want to make an effort not to listen—to ignore those things that will bring us down.

When Fat Was Good

Read Isaiah 34-36

Isaiah 34:7 "And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness."

Once upon a time people wanted to be fat. Being fat meant they were prosperous, so fat was in.

Even now, there are some places where fat is considered beautiful. The musical “Fiddler On The Roof” refers to how wonderful it would be if the hero’s wife was fat.

We don’t know how healthy those folks were, but we do know that fat is no longer considered a desirable state. Even if we are still not as slim as we want to be, we can be as trimmed and toned as our exercise programs allow.

Eyes on the Prize

Read Isaiah 31-33

Isaiah 33:16 "He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."

We don’t want to put off living while we reach our weight goals. We want to begin doing all the things we are losing weight to be able to do, so there won’t be more changes than we can handle at once.

But some things aren’t possible until we are finished. Those are the things that help keep us motivated to keep going when we get discouraged.

Whether it’s getting into a fancy dress of a certain size or going to our next reunion at a smaller size, we can use this to keep our eyes on the prize. As we check off our progress, we can stay motivated for the long term.

Little By Little

Read Isaiah 28-30

Isaiah 28:10 "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:"

When we have a lot of weight to lose, focusing on how much farther we have to go before we reach our goal can discourage us. No one can possibly lose that much weight.

Not all at once—not in a healthy way. But we can lose a few ounces, maybe a pound or so.

And if we can focus on losing a tiny bit of weight, we can keep from getting discouraged as we meet each mini goal. Then little by little, we will lose that mountain of weight.

How to Think About Something Besides Food

Read Isaiah 25-27

Isaiah 26:3 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

When we’re dieting, it’s easy to keep focused on food—what we can eat, when we’ll eat next, what is still left on our daily food portion, and even nostalgia over what we no longer include in our diets. The trouble is, for those of us with weight problems, thinking about food makes us want to eat, whether or not we are hungry.

But God has given us a way to escape this trap. We can keep our minds on the Lord and He will give us perfect peace.

We already have our food lists and have planned our meals, and we don’t have to think about food all the time. So we can keep our minds on the Lord by repeating to ourselves scripture we have already memorized, by memorizing new scriptures, by quizzing ourselves on what reference goes with what verses we are familiar with, by singing hymns and other spiritual songs to ourselves, even by changing the point of view of the hymns we know (changing Thee to Lord or changing our to mine)—whatever it takes for us to keep our minds on God.

Why Bother?

Read Isaiah 22-24

Isaiah 22:13 "And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die."

One hundred years from now, what difference will it make how much we weighed? Who will care how many times we tried and failed to lose weight?

Perhaps we will be part of a statistic taught in history classes: how many people in 2013 were obese. Or how often people in 2013 tried and failed at diets, or how many exercised.

That’s why we want to be dieting and exercising to become healthier, not just to get down to a certain size. That's because we want to live our lives to the fullest, not bogged down by insecurities or limitations.