Before the tips, a quip:
“The spiritual journey is individual, highly personal. It can’t be organized or regulated. It isn’t true that everyone should follow one path. Listen to your own truth.” ~ Ram Dass.
Weight loss works the same way! We all have different paths, weight loss goals, and lifestyles — which means you need to try different ways to drop the excess baggage until you find what works for you. I hope these spiritual tips help you find your best path to weight loss. To learn more about spirituality and health, read The Lord’s Table: A Biblical Approach to Weight Loss (Setting Captives Free)
And, here are my spiritual tips for losing weight…
Christian Weight Loss Tips – Spirituality and Your Eating Habits
Don’t just say grace before a meal; pray from your heart. My husband and I pray before every meal, but it’s not exactly a prayer for weight loss! He can’t afford to lose an ounce; he’s one of those lucky lean people who can eat whatever he wants (I think my Quips and Tips for Spiritual Seekers blog partner, Gini Grey, is the same way. O Lord, help me not to covet their lean frames….). Don’t just say grace before you chow down. Connect to God with a real, heartfelt prayer.
Say a specific prayer for healthy weight loss and better eating habits. Here’s an example of a prayer that could help create healthy eating habits: “Dear God, sit with me as I eat my meal. Let this food nurture my physical body the same way you nurture my soul. Help me to be satisfied with this portion. Help me leave this table without physical or emotional hunger, and also without feeling physically stuffed. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” An effective weight loss tip for Christians is to connect with God with a heartfelt prayer before eating.
Remember how you feel after eating certain foods. What are your weaknesses – are you a “salty snacks” or a “sweet treats” person? I crave sweets more than savories, but find the sweet-salty combination particularly irresistible (chocolate-covered pretzels, caramel popcorn, salted popcorn mixed with chocolate chips. Yum!). What helped me lose weight (besides marrying a lean man and doing my cardio Pilates DVDs) was recalling how heavy, bloated, tired, and gross I feel after gorging on treats. A bite or two or three is fine, but overeating isn’t Godly! To bring spirituality into your eating habits, remember that you’re called to treat your body like a temple. You need to fill it with nutritious foods that keep you strong, healthy, and well-balanced.
Join a Christian weight loss program. When I was in university, my roommates both went to a weekly TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) weight loss group. I thought it was a Christian weight loss program, but now I don’t see anything about spirituality and weight loss on their website. Nevertheless, ten years ago both my roommates really liked going to those weekly meetings. One lost a lot of weight, the other didn’t – but they both treasured the spiritual and emotional support. If your church or spiritual organization doesn’t have a weight loss program, start one up! Ask a couple of fellow Christians to join you as you set and achieve your weight loss goals. Pray together, share your struggles and achievements, and support each other as you strive to weave spirituality into your eating habits.
Have you tried Centering Prayer to help with weight loss? It’s about praying with your whole heart, and it may be one of the best Christian weight loss tips I can offer!