Diet is "Die" With a "T" -- What Are Your Best Weight Loss/Management Stories and Strategies?

Hi Everyone,

Here in the Miscellaneous Forum, we've previously explored topics like favorite breakfast foods, lavish lunches, and cookies of choice.

Inevitably, after all this outstanding food, we need to talk about the flip side of the table -- keeping our health in check. What are your best tips?

Many years ago, I attended a cooking class with a beautiful, wonderful Christian lady who was well-known throughout the church to be a fantastic cook. And indeed, during the weeks I attended, I ate far better than I had for years in my normal everyday life. But I also earnestly listened to the great struggles she was having as someone who was very gifted in the kitchen.

She told us how she'd spent all of the last year losing 40 pounds, was trying to lose another 40 pounds this year, and then would have another 20-30 to lose the next year in order to try to get back to a healthy range. It made me think about my own tendencies to gravitate towards the yummiest thing in the fridge, of which I will overindulge every time. I knew that if I started cooking in this way, it wouldn't be even a year and I could easily find myself in a similar situation as this precious lady.

I have family members who have near-perfect self-control in this area. They refuse almost all sugar except on special occasions, and even then, are most likely to have fruit. They never skip meals, but almost always choose healthy things. One eats heads of lettuce as a favorite snack, similar to how others would down a bag of potato chips.

Unfortunately, I don't have nearly this level of discipline around food. I also have a medical condition in which I'm not diabetic, but am advised to eat like one. And so, one of the things I decided was best for me is that I try to stick to plain, healthy foods (spinach and egg whites are a typical meal for me,) and go walking 3-4 times a week (more if I have the time and am feeling ambitious.)

I love amusement parks and travel by plane at least once a year, so I try my best to stay a size that will fit in the seats. I have clothes from 10-15 years ago that still fit, because if possible, I don't want to have to buy new clothes because I outsized them. But as I get older, the more of a challenge it becomes -- NOT because I'm trying to stay a certain size, but because I don't want to give up the things I love.

I have friends of all sizes who share both trials and triumphs, all while encouraging each other to try our best in a food-driven society.

I would like to know how everyone else here deals with these challenges.

I am especially interested in hearing from talented Godly cooks who have found ways to stay at a healthy weight while cooking amazing food!

* Are you trying to lose weight? What things have worked, and what things haven't?

* What are your best tips and tricks that you've learned over the years?

* What do you do for exercise? How do you keep fit?

* What advice cand you give for having more self-control around food?

* When you've prayed to God for help in this area, what kinds of answers have you received?


I'm looking forward to hearing from other Christians regarding how to tackle these issues.

God bless you on your own journey!

That d**t word is a four letter dirty word. Go wash your mouth out with chocolate.

My lifetime diet is the See Food diet. Pretty much means I eat whatever I want, whenever I want. In more recent years I've shifted to more protein and natural fats in the diet and less carbohydrates, but aside from that I don't give too much thought to what I consume. My body tends to self-regulate... if I put on a couple extra pounds I tend to develop less appetite and enjoy eating less, and when I'm down a bit my appetite increases. I try to log about 25 miles a week which keeps my appetite healthy.

Most diets don't help. When you cut down on your calories your body's basic metabolic rate slows for self-preservation. If one wishes to lose weight the ideal way is to fast (no calories) for 36 hours or longer at regular intervals. When you go all out like that your metabolism will speed up, again for self-preservation. Your system is kicking in extra energy so you have the strength to hunt and gather so you can eat.

I have often asked God why there seems to be a great number of talented cooks, especially in churches, but not so much diet and fitness plans/leaders to help keep people healthy. I've seen reports on some churches trying to pioneer faith-based weight-loss programs, but with minimal results at best, or even the world would be flocking to them.

I was in college when Fen-Phen was toted as the latest weight-loss miracle -- but it became associated with so many cardiovascular problems that it was taken off the market.

I am watching the news about Ozempic and Wegovy with great interest. I can't help but wonder if it's going to suffer the same fate as Fen-Phen. I had a family member who was interested, but after researching the possible side effects (like stomach paralysis, which can be permanent,) not to mention the cost, we decided against it.

I feel deeply concerned about these matters as a society. Not only for the sake of individual quality of life, but what it will cost everyone as a whole, because of course, in one way or another, the everyday person will be the one paying for it (taxes, higher insurance costs, etc.)

Not sure this one applies to me or not. I like to bake and my weight isn't where I want it but neither is it terrible. I make a point not to fix the fun stuff very often. Mostly just for special occasions, but not entirely since sometimes I just have it in my soul to make something.

Yes. To some extent I'll let you know. Honestly, though, what really worked for me was God doing something in a yearlong journey of my life that He took me on. Aspects of this journey, though, were a bumper-crop of squash (especially zucchini) in the garden that year that I would eat with tomato sauce and meatballs with a little cheese - where the meatballs made it easy to get the serving reasonable without even realizing it, a lot of working in the garden and yard because I like it, and, well, a crush on a contestant on The Biggest Loser. Initially I wasn't even trying to lose weight, it was something God was doing. I can't say I learned all I need to know but I did learn a few things through this.

1) It must come from love, not self-hatred. Otherwise it will go off in the drama triangle or some such thing.
2) Your body is not the enemy. Love it. Take care of it. Don't go around starving or abusing it. Work with it. Enjoy it. Listen to it.
3) You need to do it with God. This is a big one since He can help in so many ways! He can help you with the psychological and physical blocks. I have heard that He can even put you in helpful spiritual currents or something.
4) The best exercise is in living life to the fullest. Find what you enjoy. For me this has meant things like, gardening, dancing, and swimming. There is a place for dedicated exercise, though, but make it more an issue of goals and achievements, not punishment.
5) Real, sustainable change involves a change in how you see yourself. After several months of being on a weight loss journey with God, I was thinking of eating some unhealthy snack and found myself thinking something like "I don't do that anymore; I'm a person who makes healthy choices." This might have even been Holy Spirit, but what I then realized was that my identity to myself had changed. I saw myself as someone who was living in victory on this issue, so that is what played out. Its like the verse about how from the overflow or the heart the mouth speaks - My heart overflowed with belief that I could do it, so I did.
6) Sometimes the answer is to die to the thing you want so badly. I am currently exploring this with my weight, but this is the lesson people at church have been sharing about where God is taking them of late. For example, an elder at my church has long struggled with her blood pressure. God took her through a battle that caused her to die to worrying so much about her health, and her blood pressure responded by falling down to a healthy range.
7) It doesn't hurt to live where the only fast food is picking peaches or wild berries. Even kale was a more desirable snack when it took most of an hour to drive to McDonalds and back. Other ways to get similar effect are to make the unhealthy stuff inconvenient. My roommate speaks of a woman who would only bake 6 cookies at a time, then put them in her garage freezer so she she had to put in some effort to go get one. I have also learned that when I get too much candy and goodies at holidays, it is perfectly fine to throw out anything I don't really want; either the giver didn't mean for it to be a curse, or I should REALLY get rid of it because they did.
8) Yeast infections are a real, though not yet fully recognized issue. This wasn't about me, but there was a period when God showed multiple members of my church that this was an issue for them. Last I heard, standard medicine does not yet recognize yeast infections of the inner digestive system, though they will recognize it in the mouth as thrush. The symptoms are cravings for sugar and not much interest in regular food. Probiotics and a special diet, at least for a time can help, but really you probably need healing for leaky gut too if this is you. God's healing is very much available when the right timing and faith are present, so be sure to ask. There are times He does say 'No,' though, so lack of healing doesn't necessarily mean a lack of faith (just ask Paul).
9) Sugar is an evil invention of man. That is a direct quote of a prophetic word. Basically, minimize it as much as possible and lean more on natural sources like honey and maple syrup when you can. Don't go to extremes, but realize it wasn't part of God's design and you are better off getting off.
10) Check in on the details, but don't obsess. Don't let anything become an idol. I have historically found it helpful to do a diet log for like 3-7 days every once in a while, but more than that and it takes over one's life. I'm currently exploring this with the scale and possibly my Fitbit, as I want the instant gratification of daily measures, but I think it is becoming mentally unhealthy to give myself this false sense of control. Others may have had different experiences with frequent measurements, but we need to not let anything get out of place. There was a time I even felt the need to fast from exercise because it was becoming an idol.

I walk everyday, though with my household members that are almost twice my age, so I don't get enough intensity. Therefore 2-4 times a week I do Zumba or swim laps. I also do other things as the opportunities arise, like aqua aerobics (though I doubt they are really aerobic for me) and I work in my garden. Lately I have been telling God that I don't like feeling a slave to my body that wants to move all day long and run a marathon at night. I think this is why I was made aware and able to downgrade my carb ingestion of late (less potatoes, no cereal at night unless I really need it). I don't have 5 acres to run around on all day like I once did.

Flee temptation, or as they say, set yourself up for success. Don't buy it. Don't have it in the house. Make it inconvenient to get. Set boundaries like some things only being for special occasions.

God provided access to a swimming pool when I couldn't find one. God has shown me diet tweaks. I lost 10 pounds. Still a work in progress.


Me too. I know I still have things to learn. And may we all find victory in Christ over our health.

? A question I would like to ask, is where is a godly stance on motivation to lose weight? Obviously we want to be healthy, but I find myself more concerned with my looks and then I get paralyzed to try to move forward in purity.

Hi Ballaurena,

Thank you so much for this well-thought out post. I'm going to be going back to read it through a few times because there's so much good information to unpack.

Great question about keeping a Godly motivation to lose weight, as I think there can be a very fine line between God wanting us to take care of our bodies, and then slipping into vanity or self-absorption.

I also wonder if God would tell us that His standards are the same as what the medical field presents or not. I'm certainly not trying to promote body positivity to the point of excusing unhealthy behaviors, but I often wonder what God's range of "healthy" for so many people who are so different really is.

After all, everything is relative.

My Mom is a natural size 0, and has been all her life. She's smaller-framed, doesn't like sugar, never skips meals, but always gravitates towards healthy things. I have two female relatives who around that size as well -- even after having 2 babies.

I'm wear a size 6 jean but larger sizes in tops because I have broad shoulders -- and so, compared to the other ladies in my family, people have always seen me as fat, even from the time I was a kid. My doctors say I should lose 20 pounds, but I've never been able to shake them.

A quick Google search said that the average American women is around 5'3" and wears around a size 14/16 and is 5'3".

I'm 5', and even though I'm less than half this size, the medical charts always put me at being heavy to borderline obese. It's not a good feeling and I've been self-conscious my entire life. I get nervous meeting people from the forum because I'm wondering if I'll disappoint them.

Over the years, we've had people on the forum who heavily promoted spiritual fasting, but I think there really has to be an awareness that "going on a fast to get closer to God" can also very quickly slide into eating-disorder behaviors. I went through a time when I was always trying to "go on a fast to seek the Lord" because I thought it was a two-fold solution: 1. Maybe I would finally stop being seen as fat; and 2. I'd get closer to God at the same time.

It seemed like a win-win -- until it wasn't, and the next thing you know, you're sliding into purposeful starvation.

For myself, I always feeling like I'm walking a fine line...

But hopefully, prayerfully, and with friends who are going through the same thing, we're doing our best to walk in God's will and true purpose for eating and health.

Thanks very much for sharing your thoughts!

I've been eating less and losing weight. Need to add exercise to that to lose even more.

I am chronically underweight. I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want and won't gain a pound.

I wish you could bottle that and pass it around!

Jim Beam, Texas Longhorn, Jambalaya, bayou wine and whatever grows in my garden.

Thank you. You hit on a lot of things I have thought at times.

First off, there are so many measures of 'health' precisely because none of them tells the whole story. For example, one guideline says the waist should be less than X inches (I am intentionally withholding the actual number because of its deceptiveness), while another says it should be half your height (didn't know how to avoid the problem there). The first guideline ignores height entirely, and the second ignores that height doesn't tell you everything about a person's proportions. For example, I had a friend (with Jesus now) that was born with significant handicaps, and he couldn't find a shirt to fit because, a bit like you, he was built with the same breadth as a healthy man (not that you are a man), but his developmental condition made him short. Plus he worked in manual labor so was muscular. Anything that fit around his shoulders would go down almost to his knees for length. It was very frustrating trying to help him shop. I can't imagine the BMI charts would have been meaningful for him either.

And yeah, that fine line between self-care and vanity! And I definitely agree on the fasting to loose weight thing, at least for me.

According to your report, though, I am perfectly average, so good or bad, at least I'm in good company on the health stuff.

Eating small portions in general, eliminating sugar (soda, donuts, etc.) and reducing other carbs (breads, pasta, specifically processed carbs) help a lot. I lost some weight awhile ago just by diet changes and no exercise. I have also lost some weight through regular exercise and eating more (but still being watchful) of what I want. My experience is that food has more impact on weight, if you have to choose one or the other. If someone loathes exercise, they should make more diet changes.

If I was able to I could easily retire.

If you could bottle "The Ultimate Metabolism" as you seem to have and sell it, I would surely be a lifelong customer!

I’ve got some fasting stories if that counts.

With a nick like Burn, I'd expect you to have a great metabolism!

Sorry... Language nerd humor. Ignore me.

Four days on full keto, three days off low fat moderate carb.
Free form aminos if you are training heavy to maintain a positive nitrogen balance.

IF you are looking for a "crash diet" and are serious about it, then I suggest the one I went on several years ago.

What you can eat and drink:

Solid white Albacore Tuna
Saltine Crackers
Sweet Gerkin Pickles/or sweet pickle relish

(3 times a day)

NOTHING ELSE!

What you can drink:

Black coffee
Sprite Zero
Unsweet tea
Water

You may have ONE SMALL treat twice a week ONLY!

I went from 238lbs to 168lbs in six months. When I reached that weight, I started eating a healthy diet again and went back up to between 180 and 190lbs, and stayed there for years until I had my violent reaction to Prevnar 13. Old timers here remember what I went through back then. The pain was so bad that I had a heart attack and did not even know it, nor did the Doctors. It took two years for them to decide to do all the tests on my heart and discover that I did suffer a heart attack. My health went down hill in numerous ways, and I was put on a strict diet, and now my weight hovers between 158 and 165.

one thing- processed food.

if you lay off chips, crackers, cookies, etc.. you will lose weight.

and don't even go there with frozen meals. look at the nutrition label on the back of them at your own risk!!