Do you want to live a healthier, happier life so you can be the person God made you to be?
Wondering how to stick to a diet and lose the weight for good?
Maybe you want more energy for your spouse, you kids or your community. Maybe you’re just looking to feel better and you’re tired of feeling tired and worn down. Those are great reasons and it’s great that you want to start!
However, sometimes even when you want to make changes with your eating habits, you find yourself facing temptation or find you are not fully prepared to succeed.
Whether this is your first or 10th attempt to stick to a diet, there are Biblical fundamentals to committing to your diet and losing the weight.
This article is going to teach you the number one thing that holds people back from weight loss success and how to overcome it, what God wants for your health and how to uncover your reasons for striving for a healthier body.
There is also be a FREE Christian Diet tool to help you stay on track, so let’s get started!
Sticking to a Diet Starts With Truth
If you want to lose weight and stick to a diet you have to start from a humble place of honesty.
There are some foundational questions you have to ask yourself and most importantly, you have to be completely truthful.
When it comes to your diet, no one really knows all of the choices you make, that is ultimately between you and the Lord and anyone else you would like to share it with.
In order for you to succeed, you have to be honest throughout the entire journey, and if you aren’t sure if there’s something you’re unaware of that’s holding you back I encourage you to pray about it, because truth is the start of a diet you will stick to.
You will have the opportunity to ask and answer these key questions in just a bit, but before we jump into that let’s talk about the number one reason people give up on their weight loss goals and things you can do to avoid this.
Progress You May Be OverLooking and How to Stay Motivated
It is so easy to say, oh, I have dieted so many times before and struggled to lose weight and keep the weight off.
Or, I was successful for a while and then got back into bad eating habits and doubt your future attempts.
There are many other pitfalls I see my clients face that can really hurt their success.
The number one reason I get from clients for quitting is they are not giving themselves credit for their success.
You have to be mindful of this trap. Any positive change you make is a victory!
Even if you haven’t lost any weight so far or you think you haven’t made enough progress here are some things to look for and feel good about along the journey.
Your Eating Habits Have Changed
If you compare how your way of eating was a few weeks ago, a few months ago or within the last year you will probably discover, it’s changed and for the better.
Maybe you won’t hit every single food goal you have every single day. There’s holidays, celebrations, birthdays and just, well, life. However to be in a place where you can say that you eat differently now than you used to is a big deal!
Don’t forget that if you’ve made changes that is a victory towards your goals!
It’s important to have reasonable weight loss goals, each milestone takes time to reach but forward motion is a victory!
What Can You Do?
- Keep track of what and how you eat.
- Take time to reflect and review your food diary at the end of the week and you will definitely start to notice some big changes.
- Give yourself a pat on the back for adjustments you’ve made both big and small to eat the way God intended for you.
Your Blood Pressure is Lower and You Feel Calmer
When we overload our bodies with processed foods and foods high in salt and sugar our internal systems suffer.
If you’re making positive changes in your diet habits you can reverse weight related symptoms that were a big problem before.
You won’t only be able to see the numbers lower, but you’ll feel calmer too.
Tight blood vessels make it more difficult for the body to transfer oxygen and nutrients to the cells with causes the body to become physically stressed, and you feel it!
Notice how much better your body feels when you eat a healthy diet.
Just as good if not better than the scale moving is for your body inside and out to be healthier!
What Can You Do?
- Whenever you visit your doctor take note of the things that are improving for your physical health.
- Keep this information written down and put it with your Christian diet goals. Being able to see where you were and the direction you are going is a great reminder to your success.
Your Clothes Fit More Comfortably
A lot of people get discouraged when the scale doesn’t budge.
There are reasons why the scale is not budging however it doesn’t mean you aren’t moving towards your goals.
Hormones, exercise and water weight are all factors.
There are times when our bodies retain more water, and muscle weighs more than fat.
If you’re clothes are fitting better, then you are definitely making progress.
Don’t only measure your success with the scale, it’s not always as reliable as you would like it to be.
What Can You Do?
- Only weigh yourself in the morning and don’t weigh yourself more than a couple times a month.
- Keep track of your food intake so you can go back and look to see if there are any patterns for when you are experiencing water retention.
You Notice a Difference in Your Skin
When we do not consume enough wholesome, nutritious foods it can be reflected on the outside, and not just around our waistlines!
Our skin is affected too.
By consuming more vitamins and minerals along with healthy fats, your skin will begin to reflect this change!
What Can You Do?
- First, remember that it does take time for all of your skin cells to be replaced. The outer layer or, epidermis takes about 2-3 weeks to regenerate. With that in mind notice when your skin looks healthier, brighter and more lively. This is such a victory and wonderful sign that you are feeding your cells what they need.
You Have More Energy
This one is one that everyone can appreciate.
Extra pounds are a strain on your body. It puts unwanted stress on your bones, your joints and everything else seems to always be working over time.
Every single pound taken off is a relief to your body too!
Slowly, over time you will start to notice a change in your energy levels.
If you already are, that is fantastic!
Being able to improve your health and have more energy is truly a blessing and is a great sign of progress.
What Can You Do?
- Make sure you are getting enough sleep and reducing the amount of caffeine you have (if any at all). Drink lots of water too!
- Use that energy for something good. Be of service to someone or fit in an activity that you enjoy doing or add one more lap to your walk.
Remember to celebrate the small stuff and recognize where you are hitting goals and give yourself credit. Remind yourself you are doing well and if you fall off your plan, get back up and keep going.
To do this and to really stick to your goals I have found that it is very important to be in the right frame of mind.
So I am going to ask you some questions about your goals that I want you to answer truthfully.
Before we do that:
Other Great Non Scale Victories to Feel Good About
- Less Cravings
- More Compliments
- Less Physical Pain
- Better Mood
- Being Able to Add More to Your Workout
Don’t forget that it’s not just about the scale! Give yourself some credit when you have non scale victories too!
Important Questions to Ask Yourself About Getting Healthy
I want you to be prepared to take the first step.
There will be temptations, you may come against hurdles but having the right kind of thinking will really help you to overcome any dieting obstacle.
First, I recommend using a notebook and some note cards that are solely for your diet journey.
Then, write down three separate questions in your notebook.
1. Do you Truly Desire Change
Do you really want to be healthy?
Do you really want to lose that weight?
The very first step is answering this to yourself honestly.
Do you really, truly desire change in your life?
Not because another person wants you to, or for an unhealthy reason but because you are ready. Your reasons for wanting to lose weight need to be from you.
If you really really are ready to change and desire it in your heart, write down in your notebook, “I desire change.”
This is a pretty powerful declaration!
You’re the only one who can take action
The Lord will help you with any struggle you have, anything that keeps us from him or doing his will.
We will never be alone.
However he also gives us the tools we need to succeed and we must be the ones to take action.
It has to be you.
You are the only one who can take action in your health journey.
This first question is so important because if you are not truly ready, it will be much easier for temptations and setbacks to get the best of you.
2. What Would It Feel Like to Succeed
The second question I want you to answer is all about how getting the weight off will make you feel.
How will you feel emotionally? Will you have more confidence, will you feel happier?
What about physically?
Will your clothes fit better? Will you have more energy for your kids, grandkids and family? Maybe the result would be having more stamina to bike ride or go on hikes.
Write down your answers in the notebook.
The Better You Feel The Better You Live
I don’t know about you but I love seeing 60, 70 year olds water skiing or out doing what they enjoy.
Wouldn’t that be amazing for you too?
Everyone desires to age gracefully, the better we care for our bodies, the more energy and longevity we have and the rewards are well worth our efforts.
3. Why Does It Matter to You
The third question you want to ask yourself is why a healthy life matters, to eyou.
Why does losing the weight matter to you?
This is again a personal question for you to reflect on, it can’t be someone else’s reason, it has to be yours.
It Matters to God Too!
When we don’t feel our best it is hard to do our best for God.
We want to be able to get out there and do the work of his heart.
Being able to live out the fullness of the gifts he has for us and being able to mission, serve and witness is what we are called to have and called to do.
If something like food is holding us back, this is something we have to tackle in faith.
The good news is that with God you can overcome any challenges in your life!
I’m going to next take you through an exercise I do with my clients so we can bring all this reflection and everything learned around full circle.
Create Advantage Cards to Help Keep You On Track
The answers that you wrote down in truth are going to be important now and later on.
One of the things I have my clients do is to take their whys and write them down on the cards.
These are what I call “advantage cards”.
Write down your top five advantages for losing weight. In addition to what you have already written down, here are some other things to think about.
- What will you gain from your success?
- How will your success glorify God?
- How will life be different for you
Lasting change comes from meaningful reasons behind the desired change.
You are going to keep this as a reminder and motivator for daily use.
Easy Ways to Stick to a Diet and Glorify God
Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.”
This is such a beautiful reminder that God has so many gifts in store for us and wants us to have the desires of our hearts. He is there during the struggles, and the successes.
Something to keep in mind is that we don’t want our eating habits to hold us back from our relationship with the Lord.
This is tough to hear for a lot of people but remember that God wants the best for your life and wants you to be free from anything keeping you from serving him.
Buffet lines can not be more important than serving the Lord.
If we are emotionally eating because we are upset about something, that is a problem.
God wants you to come to him with matters of your heart, not food.
I’m going to share with you what I take my clients through to help them stick to their diet plans.
It’s simple to do, easy and Free!
The Satisfied Testimony Journal Free Tool to Help You Stick to Your Diet
If you download the 7 Steps to Amazing Biblical Health you will find a Hunger Satisfied Worksheet.
On the worksheet you will find:
- A way to keep track of your food intake
- Questions about how hungry you felt before and after your meals
- How much water you have drank
- Any supplements you took that day
Once you download the worksheet, what you do is fill out what you plan to eat for the next two days.
Plan out each meal, a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner ahead of time and then follow the menu plan you have written.
It is very important that you are honest and not recording what you should have eaten or some other variation of the assignment.
You can do this!
Fill out the date at the top to help you keep better track and do not forget to put in the times you are eating each meal.
For days 3 and 4 you simply cut your portions in half.
It’s really that simple!
This is going to help you understand the difference between true hunger and feeling satisfied.
And that is what it is all about, learning what satisfied is and what that feels like.
Stick to Your Diet By Understanding This One Word
There's one word that wraps it all together and is a word that can set us free with our weight.
The word is satisfied.
Like I said above you have to know the difference. A lot of weight gain comes from mindless snacking and overeating and we don’t really ever give our bodies a chance to stop and heal.
It's that simple.
John 15:11 says, “ I have told you this, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Now, when you recognize that Jesus is your savior, that is the foundation that can only come from him, has nothing to do with how you eat or how you live your life.
It can only come from him, but we can experience the full joy of what God has to offer through his instruction and comfort.
If our minds are foggy, we have no energy and aren’t healthy this can hold us back from what God has to offer. If we choose to eat poorly, over time we can develop anxiety and even depression.
So how we eat actually is a way to become satisfied and to experience more joy in our relationship with the Lord and I just cannot impress on you too much the how true this really is.
Conclusion
I have helped so many of my clients overcome their struggles with dieting and witnessed a shift in them as they draw closer to the Lord on their journey.
God want us to be healthy and experience full joy! We need to be healthy to be able to share the gospel, help others and step into the roles we were meant to in order to glorify God.
Sticking to a diet can be challenging, but if you ask yourself why you will find your motivation. When you document your progress you will become so much more involved with the process.
Eventually, you will be on your way to overcoming emotional eating, binge eating, and similar setbacks that get on your way to achieving health! You may want to check out this post on how to overcome binge eating, from Never Binge Again, which I find quite helpful, as well.
When we learn to be satisfied and do all things for the glory of God we have happier, healthier lives just the way God intended.
If you have any questions on the free satisfied testimony journal or would like to share how God has helped lead you to better health please leave a comment below.
Hello, I been following you for a couple of months just love your videos. I’m learning how to be healthy God’s way because of your videos. Thank You!!!
You are so welcome – I’m so glad that it has been helpful!
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