The Basics of the Christian Weight Loss Plan

That is the question being posed by many devout Christians who need to lose weight. A new form of dieting method, known as the Christian weight loss plan, is now gaining popularity throughout the world. The Christian weight loss plan aims to help obese people lose weight based on the same religious principles they believe in.

About obesity

Obesity is a condition affecting about 64% of adult Americans. This percentage is increasing every year. In recent years, it has also started to affect children, causing serious health complications such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Motor problems like difficulty in walking and breathing are also normal.

An extreme form of obesity is morbid obesity. Morbidly obese individuals are more than 100 lbs overweight, or have a body mass index (BMI) of over 40 (normal BMI is 18 to 24).

Taking measures

Because of the threats posed by obesity, Americans are now taking a proactive approach to losing weight. An estimated $56 billion is being spent every year by Americans on weight loss methods like dieting, exercise, and surgery. Weight loss programs have also popped out everywhere, claiming to provide the best, most effective, and quickest way to lose weight. Sadly, though, as much as $6 billion is being spent on fraudulent or ineffective weight loss methods. Some of these can even cause serious health complications and side effects.

Adding Jesus to your diet

A Christian weight loss plan is similar to regular dieting methods that include everything from calorie counting to carb limiting, and gentle exercising to full-on gym programs. So what makes it Christian? A Christian weight loss plan encourages you to "include Jesus in your diet"--by constant prayer and reflection.

Obesity is a sin

Proponents of Christian weight loss claim that being obese is a sin because it is the result of gluttony. The goal of a Christian weight loss plan is for people to not be satisfied with material food but with spiritual food. Religion will not count the calories for you, but it will help you stay on track and keep you motivated.

How they work

As mentioned, a Christian weight loss plan is similar to a regular weight loss plan. Some programs provide you with a week's menu, while others require you to exercise at least 30 minutes daily. But the added bit is that this plan is mixed with spiritual teaching. Christian weight loss groups include bible study, prayer meetings, and meditation, during which they require members to "repent" on their sin of overeating.

Pros and cons

As far-fetched as it may seem, a Christian weight loss plan does have its benefits. The main advantage of joining a Christian weight loss program is having a support group. The overall theme of serving God can be an added motivation to individuals to help them lose weight faster. Not only that, the group provides a great atmosphere for consultations, knowledge sharing, support, and a wide range of weight loss resources.

Of course, Christian weight loss also has its disadvantages. Relating weight loss to religion can bring in feelings of extreme guilt to individuals who fail to meet the group's goals. This is not only unhealthy, but can also lead to even more weight gain because of depression.

Secular vs. Christian weight loss

Is the Christian weight loss plan more effective than a secular one? At present, there are no studies conducted to claim that one method is better than the other. However, it is something that needs to be studied, not only in the medical realm but also in the theological realm.

The whole concept of Christian weight loss is copied from Jesus' lifestyle. However, his lifestyle was radically different from 21st century individuals. For one, Jesus was a traveler, so his diet was mainly shaped by what people offer him to eat. Being constantly on the move also helped him maintain his weight, regardless of what he ate.

The best solution

In the end, the best weight loss solution is this: eat less, exercise more. No amount of religious teachings should blind you o lose or gain weight. Before joining any Christian weight loss group, it is best to study your options first. Consult a specialist on what steps you should take and what method you should adapt to lose weight efficiently without the health risks.

6 Tips For A Weight Loss Plan

The first step for healthy weight loss is to create some sort of weight loss plan.

I know that sounded a little vague, but your weight loss plan does NOT have to be something that only NASA could understand or approve.

YOUR weight loss plan should include such simple things as what activities (exercise) you are going to indulge in, when, where, and so on. You will want to outline your goals, both long term and short term goals You will definitely need to outline what your strategy will be for nutrition...notice I DID NOT say "diet"!

Why have a formal, or at least semi-formal, weight loss plan?

It has long been known to those who are successful in business, sports, entertainment, motivation, and other areas, that one way to improve your chances of success is to sit down and write out where you are, where you want to be, and how you are going to get there.

It is easier to plan for losing weight, or any other goal related activity, if there exists a clear picture of starting points, ending points, and how you intend to move from one point to the other. It is very easy to start a weight loss program or any other activity with intense motivation and a flurry of lofty plans only to lose site of the objective or to be led down unproductive paths by daily activities and the blurring effect of time.

Here are a few tips to consider when putting together YOUR personal weight loss plan:

1. Make your goals realistic:

Wanting to weigh what you weighed in high school is, for most of us at least, unrealistic. Using some movie star's weight or a relative's weight as your goal is also possibly detrimental to actually accomplishing effective weight loss. Each of those people arrived at THEIR weight by a combination of genetics, diet, and exercise which may not apply to you at all!

Most people do not realize that a healthy weight loss program should, for most people, result in a weight loss of only a pound or so a week. To many who have been striving for years to lose weight, this may seem a depressing statement. However, let me put it in perspective.

I have a close friend who was so desperate to lose weight that she opted for gastric bypass surgery. She weighed 340 lbs at the time of the surgery. When the doctor was briefing her on what to expect, she learned that even with surgical intervention, she would probably only lose about 70 lbs in her first year. That works out to 1.35 lbs a week, which would be a healthy weight loss that most people could achieve through a combination of physical activity and proper nutrition. The doctor also informed my friend that she would continue to lose weight over the following years until she reached some new level which would be determined by genetics, nutrition, and activity. This is the same expectation that anyone bypassing the bypass and opting for a healthy weight loss program could expect.

Finally, unrealistic weight loss goals insure failure, while an average of a pound a week over a period of a year is relatively easy to attain with motivation and effort.

2. Do not focus on weight loss:

I know that sounds strange since your goal IS weight loss, but it is easy to see failure if you are only looking for weight loss. For example, people's weight fluctuates from day to day and even within the day itself. A temporary setback where weight is regained becomes inflated if viewed against the background of only weight loss. However, if your goal is to do the things which are going to make you healthy, for example, then those few days of overeating at Thanksgiving may be more excusable in your own heart if you know that you have been taking your walks, or have cut your use of sugar, or are still taking action in some other form.

This is something that should be considered in your weight loss plan. How are you going to make your life better overall? How many ways can you approach "weight loss"? Do not make it your goal to lose so many pounds this week. Rather, set a goal to walk so many minutes, lift so many pounds, garden for so many minutes. That way, even if your weight does not change that much in that period or even goes in the wrong direction, you still know that your body is benefiting from the parts of your weight loss plan that you are still in touch with.

NOTE: People who begin exercising as part of their weight loss program often experience a weight GAIN somewhere in the first few weeks of their new exercise experience. THIS IS PERFECTLY NATURAL! If you have just begun exercising to lose weight and experience a weight gain, this should be only temporary, and is most commonly caused by your body adding muscle mass faster than it loses fat.

3. Plan to go slow:

I don't know if there is a statistic somewhere that demonstrates how many people drop out of their weight loss program due to stress, strain, pain, or just plain burnout. However, I have experienced it myself, I have read about it, and I know people it has happened to. Sometimes the simplest statements are most true. One that you will often hear is, "It took years for your body to get this way, and you cannot change it overnight." This is so true. Also, take into consideration that, even though you might not be SEEING significant changes, if you are taking the steps that you have outlined in your weight loss plan, your body is adapting inside, in places you cannot see, but it is repairing and preparing to move to higher levels of fitness and health.

4. Plan to measure your progress:

I know I said not to stress so much about the weight loss, but you do need to see what is going on. You don't have to concentrate exclusively on pounds lost, however. If you can walk farther this week than you could two or three weeks ago, you are progressing. Hopefully, in another two weeks, you will be walking farther, or faster. If, at the start of your weight loss program you could only exercise for five minutes at a time, and now you can exercise for 15 minutes, that is progress, isn't it? That's an accomplishment and is something you should be proud of.

NOTE: One measurement of progress in a weight loss program is quite simply "size". Two weeks into a weight loss program, you might actually have gained weight, for example, as I pointed out a few paragraphs ago. However, if your clothes are looser, or you need to buy smaller clothes, or friends are coming up and asking, "Have you lost weight?" these are good signs that your program is working even if your scales haven't gotten the news yet.

5. Plan to stay motivated:

One of the most common obstacles that knock people off their weight loss program is loss of motivation. The drive and excitement that gets you started is very seldom still around when you lace up your walking shoes for what seems like the millionth time and have only lost two lbs.

Including your reasons for losing weight, the emotional and perhaps physical triggers that got you started in the first place, as part of your written weight loss plan gives you a means of reinvigorating your desire to achieve your goals. We often forget how we felt and what we believed at the start of such a journey, and being able to pull out the paper and review the dreams and expectations can bring us back up to that original level, or at least remind us of what we are enduring this for.

I used to be an instructor for a major national corporation, and one thing that I and other instructors would tell our students was, to achieve their goals, they had to, "plan their work, and work their plan."