There’s Strength in Numbers

By Julie Morris –

If you have been in a Christian weight-loss group, you already know. If you’re just getting ready to join, you are about to find out first-hand: It will be life-changing! With the help of your group, you’ll be able to do things you would never be able to do alone. There is strength in numbers.

Do you know why?

In your group, you have friends who love you unconditionally. They won’t judge you, give unwanted advice or talk about you behind your back. They are like the family you may have never experienced. They encourage you to make healthy life-style changes even when it’s hard and you want to give up.

That’s why God exhorts us to get together with others when he says: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25 NIV).

You have two very important things in common with others in your group: a problem with food, and a desire to get to know God better. You don’t have to pretend with each other. You have hidden your hurts, but now you can relax. You’re among friends. It’s a relief to find others who think the same way you do, have struggled with the same things and have made the same mistakes.

You come from all denominations, different backgrounds and various ages. It doesn’t matter. When you relate without masks, you understand each other. When you walk in someone’s shoes, you know them and appreciate them. When you look at life through their eyes, you are able to see your own better.

Your goal is not just to lose weight, it’s to draw closer to God and become more like the person you’ve always wanted to be.

In Christian weight-loss groups, growth is contagious! You inspire each other. You see how God has helped those in the group and what they are doing to know him better, and your faith grows. You hear yourself say, “If they can do it, so can I!” You want to change, and, because you have a mighty God and the encouragement of your group, you know you can.

The love in Christian weight-loss groups is a real example of Christian community. You listen, empathize, pray for and help each other. You don’t take responsibility to “fix” each other or carry other members’ burdens because you know you have a wonderful God who is far better able to do that. You care about each other and share what God is doing in your lives. You study His Word together and confess your weaknesses to each other. And, together, you recognize choices where you thought you had no choice. You grow and learn and face the future with a new sense of expectancy because the love and acceptance in you group free you up from things that have held you prisoner.

There’s something else special about each Christian weight-loss group: it’s a safe place. Because you don’t judge each other and are careful with confidentiality, you can be yourselves, take off your masks, be honest about your mistakes–both accidental and premeditated–and no one will criticize you or gossip about you. Even better, no one will make you feel guilty or (heaven forbid) lecture you. You are loved and accepted just as you are.

Now that fall is in the air, why don’t you consider joining a weight-loss group or even starting your own? There are many groups available to choose from. What do you have to lose… besides extra pounds!

Julie Morris (julie@guidedbyhim.com) is the author of 12 books and founder of two Christian weight-loss programs: Step Forward (www.stepforwarddiet.com) and a lighter and easier version of Step Forward, Guided By Him (www.guidedbyhim.com).

Fuel-up with “Cross-Bearing” Veggies!

By Laurette Willis –

It is recommended we eat 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables every day to nourish our bodies, prevent disease and control our weight. For most Americans, that means another helping of French fries and tomato ketchup, but not for those of us seeking godly fitness! Read more

Going Solo

By Don Otis –

I set out on a mountain bike ride recently on the back side of Pikes Peak in my home state of Colorado.  It was atop this behemoth of a mountain that Katherine Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful” in 1893, first as a poem. The peak dominates the west side of Colorado Springs and is the easternmost 14,000-foot mountain in the United States. Read more

Hope for Hungry Hearts

By Julie Morris –

I bought every diet book I could find, desperately searching for something that would give me hope as I struggled to lose weight. Little did I know that the book I needed most was sitting right on my bedside table. Read more

How’s Your Relationship with Food?

By Courtney McArthur –

Are you an emotional eater? When you’ve had a hard day, nothing sounds better than a brownie loaded with ice cream, right?

That was me! Whether it was stuffing my face when I had a bad day or starving myself because I had splurged the day before, I never had a good relationship with food.

In high school I was surrounded by my gorgeous stick-figured friends. They could eat whatever they wanted and not gain a pound. I was an athlete and I tried to stay on a strict diet in order to keep in shape for swimming, but I got tired of having muscles and broad shoulders. I wanted to be a size 0 and be a good swimmer too. That was pretty unrealistic, but in my mind, I envisioned myself being “perfect” by losing an unthinkable amount of weight. I started starving myself in order to lose the weight faster. One time, I made it three days without eating while doing two practices a day. After the third day, I felt sick and couldn’t stand it anymore so I ate everything I could find in my kitchen until I was literally stuffed!

That’s when I knew I had a problem and I couldn’t keep torturing myself. I didn’t want to tell my parents or anyone else for that matter, so I turned to God.

I had forgotten that God is there for us every second of every day. No matter how small the problem, God wants us to turn to Him for guidance. I was horribly mistreating my body that He created in His image. I didn’t talk to Him about my problem at first because I was embarrassed. I guess I wanted Him to think I was perfect. One day I was talking to my friends who were non-believers, telling them about how God is everywhere and sees everything. Something clicked in my mind that seems obvious to me now: God already knew I was starving myself and then bingeing. I didn’t need to hide it from Him; instead, I needed to ask Him for help. I needed God to be my crutch, not food!

When I turned to Him, I discovered that He will meet me in the dark. Without His purifying work on the inside, I will be miserable when problems and weaknesses bombard me. As soon as I told God about how upset I was, He showed me how to start handling my problems without starving myself or overeating.

One thing that helped me tremendously was looking at the world through God’s eyes. I started looking for one thing that was beautiful about everyone who walked by me. And I tried to look at every person with the love and compassion that God has for us. Once I saw the beauty in others, I began seeing the beauty in myself.

I learned the hard way that my relationship with food could turn into an eating disorder if I didn’t put a stop to it. Even though I am nowhere near where I used to be with this disease, I still struggle with it. It is a daily battle for me not to fall into my old habits. However, God is now with me, helping me fight it. His Word encourages me to treat my body as His temple, and I’m doing better at that. I still work out daily and eat well-balanced and healthy meals most of the time. And I pray for my relationship with food—that God will give me the willingness and ability to make healthy choices.

How is your relationship with food? If it’s not good, I hope that you can learn from my mistakes, and ask God every day to help you to make it better.

Courtney McArthur is the newest member of our Health and Fitness Team at TCP. She is a junior at Auburn University and a work-out enthusiast who is interested in sharing her testimony in order to help others who are struggling.

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