Health & Wellness Wednesdays

"Learn to treat your body like a temple, not a trashcan!"

Have you been searching for a viable christian weight loss solution for a long time? So many women try all sorts of fad diets. Sometimes, the fad diets don’t work at all – the only thing they do is make you miserable. Other times, women lose a bit of weight, only to gain it all back and a little extra as soon as they quit the diet.

So what makes christian weight loss different? It’s about inviting God into your whole weight loss journey. Let’s take a look at how we can make God the center of your christian weight loss journey.

How Is Christian Weight Loss Different Than Other Diets

Like I said above, christian weight loss is different than all of the fad diets around because we are inviting God to the table to join us on our weight loss journey. This means that we rely on Him through our struggles and our weakness. This means that we treat our bodies like a temple, rather than like a trash can. It’s really about committing to loving our bodies and viewing our bodies as images of God’s great creation.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Unlike other diets, christian weight loss focuses on transforming the relationship we have with food, rather than just restricting our intake of different foods. 

In our program, the Food Freedom Workshop, we actually teach women how to transform their relationship with food. Over the course of five days, we cover topics like:

• Emotional Eating
• Why cheating is the wrong way to approach treats
• Understanding that you are crafted in the image of God – you are BEAUTIFUL
• Celebrating progress rather than expecting perfection
• How to actually fire your diet and start enjoying the foods God created for us

My Christian Weight Loss Journey

I don’t know about you, but I have never found a diet that actually helps me transform my relationship with food. Before my mom and I started the Weigh Down Lifestyle, most of the diets I tried never even looked at changing my relationship with food. More often than not, the diets I was on were making me avoid certain food groups and count calories. Other diets I tried, I was eating rabbit food and birdseed every meal of every day.

So, back in 2019, I was pregnant with my first child, Jordyn, and I gained a whopping 85lbs. Ouch. But it gets worse…

The day I got home from the hospital after giving birth, I actually weighed more than the day I went to the hospital. That one really hurt.

I remember a day about a week after giving birth where I tried on a pair of my pre-pregnancy pants… I couldn’t even get them up past my knees. That was one of my lowest points.

That was when I went to my mom – I was desperate to find a viable solution to lose 85+ pounds. I knew it had to have Christ at the center of the journey, so my mom and I got to work developing a new plan that started with God. That was when the Weigh Down Lifestyle was born!

Over the next 18 months, I lost my 85lbs of pregnancy weight, plus a few extra pounds for good measure! I did it by inviting God into my weight loss journey, and by focusing on my relationship with food, rather than my relationship with diets.

What Does The Bible Say About Weight Loss

One of the ways that I have heard it best described is this: the Bible is not a weight loss guide, but it can definitely guide your weight loss. 

I believe that God cares about every part of your life. I also believe that God can speak to us through His Word, and He can teach us about living a healthy life. Part of living a healthy life is being a healthy weight, and loving your body.

In Romans 12:2, Paul teaches us to “not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” In Genesis 1:27, it says that “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Lastly, in Psalm 139, it says “For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

I believe that God’s will is for us to be happy and to be healthy. He has blessed us with an abundance of goodness. But he has also given us a responsibility to treat our bodies properly. That means that we need to eat healthy foods. It means that we need to exercise our body, mind, and spirit. 

And lastly, I was listening to a podcast recently where the speaker was talking about the image of God. We are made in the image of God, which means that we are responsible for showcasing God’s Image to the world. You have a huge responsibility, because your body is representing God’s kingdom.

I wrote another blog going into more detail on this, titled “You Are Not An Accident.”

Christian Weight Loss Program

We have a program, called the Food Freedom Workshop, where we teach you all about how to transform your relationship with food and take back control that food has over your life. It’s a 5 day workshop that takes about 20-30 minutes each day. Each morning, you’ll receive an email with the daily content. We have a video for you to watch, and a worksheet for you to work through at your own pace. Here’s a sneak peek at what we cover:

Day 1: Emotional Eating

Have you ever heard the term emotional eating? Lots of women (including myself) do this. It’s where we turn to food whenever an emotion comes out. Sometimes it is Joy or Happiness where we celebrate with food. Other times, it can be stress induced where we stress-eat. 

This is a problem, and the first step of the solution is to recognize that you are an emotional eater. Once you understand when you emotionally eat, then we can start teaching you ways to gain back the control over your emotions.

Day 2: Treats and Cheating

This is my least favorite part about dieting. It’s where you are so restricted in what you can and cannot eat that eventually, you end up cheating. Every diet I have ever been on makes me feel so terrible and guilty every time I cheat.

However, you need to stop telling yourself that you cheated. You didn’t cheat. You actually made a cognitive decision – a choice – to put that food in your mouth. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but telling yourself that you cheated is a bad thing. We’re going to teach you how to give yourself good treats, and to STOP saying “I cheated!” 

Day 3: Your Self Talk

Self talk is one of the most crucial things in your weight loss journey. When was the last time that you looked into the mirror at yourself and said something nice? For me, it was a really long time. Instead, I would always hate the way I look and looking in the mirror just made me feel miserable. 

Think back to what I said earlier… God created you in His own image. You are beautiful. He made you exactly the way he wanted you to be.

Day 4: Progress Over Perfection

This is a really important transformation that you need to make in your thinking. For example, if you weigh yourself every morning, does the number on the scale determine your mood for the day? My guess is that it probably does.

However, recognizing that you are starting to make healthier choices and decisions regarding the food you are eating is a huge step! You should celebrate that. You are making huge progress.

The number on the scale isn’t everything – each day of progress is another success. Your christian weight loss journey does not require perfection… it just requires progress.

Day 5: Fire Your Diet

On the last day of the workshop, we teach you how to actually fire all of those fad diets, and start losing weight by fuelling your body with the proper nutrition. It’s about changing your lifestyle for the long term, rather than continuing the dieting hamster wheel.

If you want to find out more about the Food Freedom Workshop, click here.

Christian Weight Loss Conclusion

Inviting Christ into your weight loss journey is crucial as a christian woman. With His guidance, you can renew your mind, transform your thinking, and start losing weight in a healthy way.

Have you prayed for your weight loss? Check out our Prayer For Weight Loss here.

If you like our christian weight loss blog, leave a comment below! How have you invited God into your weight loss journey?

Diet & Nutrition

Do you believe that faith/belief systems have a place in weight loss? Why or why not?