Many people in today's society base their identity on how they look, making weight loss a significant concern. As a Christian, it's important to pursue better physical health and a positive body image without making it an idol. This article explores a Christian approach to weight loss, providing guidance on how to stay motivated, manage slips, and honor God with your body.
Putting God First in Your Weight Loss Journey
Christian dieting is based on putting God first, not out of obligation, but because personal pursuits often lead nowhere. As stated in Matthew 6:25, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" A Biblical eating plan isn't about labeling food as "good" or "bad," but about partaking of the Bread of Life (John 6:25-59).
Weight loss from a worldly perspective often focuses on things that don't matter to God. Focusing on eternal perspectives, such as having a healthy body to serve others, love your family, and resist temptation, is independent of body weight.
Finding Freedom in Christ
No weight loss program or goal number on the scale can give freedom in Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ, we can embrace God’s help to learn to let go of past mistakes. It’s never about searching for the perfect diet plan or specific foods; it’s about finding what’s right for you. Pray for direction and peace, and if you’re not sure how to eat better, start by eating more whole foods or tune into your hunger and fullness signals.
Grace and Managing Slips
God's grace is found when we miss the mark. The key is learning how to manage slips. A slip shouldn't be a reason to indulge further. Each food choice should be independent of another. The here and now is the only moment you have control over.
Read also: Is the Bible Diet Right for You?
Intentional Eating: The 7 Ps
To adopt the habit of Intentional Eating, consider the following 7 Ps, which provide a daily structure and teach a godly mindset toward food:
- Pause: Before you decide to eat, pause and ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you’re just feeding your emotions, boredom, or stress. This will stop impulsive eating and eating while on autopilot.
- Pray: Pray before meals. Thank God for the meal before you. Invite Him to the table. Ask God to help you eat the right foods in the right amounts and for the discipline to take care of your body (His temple). Pray to surrender your appetite to Him daily.
- Prepare: Prepare food ahead of time and learn how to prep your meals. Batching meals is a great way to always have something healthy on hand. Pick a day of the week to shop and cook. Collect favorite recipes and learn healthy ways to make all your unhealthy favorites.
- Portion: Portion each meal. Challenge yourself to measure everything for one week to learn what proper food portions look like. Be mindful of the amount of food you’re eating, and remember-small changes in your portion sizes equal big results over time. Eat from smaller plates and bowls.
- Practice: Practice being mindful and eating slowly and without distraction. Turn off the TV and your phone. Take the time to enjoy your food. Take smaller bites and chew them ten to twenty times apiece. Try setting your fork down between bites and thinking of food as fuel and nourishment rather than comfort or reward.
- Plan: Plan ahead. Make healthy meals as often as possible, and always have healthy snacks. Don’t wait until you’re hungry to find food. When you’re going to a party or a restaurant, set a godly intention to enjoy what you’ll have and be satisfied with that.
- Persist: When you eat something you wish you would not have, write down how you feel; refer back to this when you’re tempted to do the same thing again and do not give up after a bad day. Recognize that this is not a perfect journey; we are not perfect-only Jesus is perfect.
Spiritual Warfare and a Renewed Mind
As Christians, it’s important to understand that there are spiritual battles going on when it comes to eating, and spiritual battles cannot be solved with worldly answers. We need to retrain our brains from the dieting mentality we’ve been taught.
The Bible says in James 4:7 that we are to “submit [ourselves] therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from [us].” Submit to God’s Word, rather than relying on the strength of your flesh. In Galatians 6:8, the Scripture says, “he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.” Every time you eat food to meet what is really a spiritual need, you are sowing to the flesh.
Biblical Health Principles
When seeking weight loss, consider these biblical health principles:
- Seek wisdom from God: James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
- Consider starting a whole-foods, plant-based diet: According to the book of Genesis, humanity’s original diet came from plants.
- Don’t overeat: Proverbs 23:2 says, “Put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.”
- Limit sweets: The Scripture advises, “It is not good to eat much honey” (Proverbs 25:27).
- Avoid rich foods: The Bible advises, “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you … Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food” (Proverbs 23:1, 3).
- Get up and move! Exercise is an important factor in weight management. 1 Timothy 4:8 confirms that “physical training is of some value.”
- Minimize anxiety: Instead of automatically eating when you’re worried, try praying first. Philippians 4:6, 7 advises: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
- Make choices that honor the Lord: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
- Deepen your relationship with God: Spend time daily with the Lord and focus on His grace and love for you.
Avoiding Obsession and Finding Balance
Being obsessed with what we eat, how much we weigh, or what we look like is not only disordered-it’s idolatry. All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. Allow nothing to enslave you in sinful habits.
Read also: Food and Faith: A Biblical Perspective
Take note of how you think and feel when you eat. If you feel guilty or condemned, these are worldly dieting teachings and not of God. Jesus was tempted just like we are, but He overcame the temptation-and in Him, we can overcome it, too.
Sowing to the Spirit
Quit desiring to be thin and start desiring to be like Jesus. Confess that what God calls you to do, He anoints you to do. If He called you to be conformed to the image of His Son, then there is an anointing available to help you do that. Instead of sowing to the flesh by eating food when you weren’t really hungry, begin sowing to the spirit by exercising your faith in God’s ability to help you eat right and be faithful to exercise.
When thoughts of food would come when you weren’t hungry, take those thoughts captive and cast them down with the Word. Say, “Self-control is in me and I have dominion over food. I sow to the spirit by yielding to self-control. I consider myself dead to the urge to overeat. I am not a slave to food, but God gave me dominion over food.”
The Importance of Community and Prayer
There are others who, just like you, are going through similar experiences. To achieve success and lasting results, you need to put in the work. Remember that things are not going to be quick and easy all of the time. This is where prayer and community come in. Put your health on the table of prayer.
Read also: Faith and Physical Health