Christian diet advantages and disadvantages.

“Pray Your Weight Away” was founded by Rev. Charlie Shedd’s and there were other titles like “Fat is in Your Head” and “Devotions for Dieters”. These books spurred support groups, e-courses and church based weight loss programs. These types of programs have began in 1957.

Thin Within is a “grace oriented” approach to weight loss founded by Judy Halliday. Halliday says “Slim is how God meant us to be”. The group claims to have more than 170 support groups around the world. This program is said to show people “how to reconnect with God and achieve the weight that God meant for them to be.”

People are born with different sizes, colors and shapes. The “ideal” body size is determined as much by prevailing fashion. Our differences are a great gift from God.

The Weigh Down Workshop is a 12 week Bible study offered at 35,000 churches around the world. This Tennessee based program has more than a million people in 70 countries involved. A dietician named Gwen Shamblin founded the program. The program states that overweight people have mistaken a spiritual emptiness for a hunger for food. The goal of the program is to “learn how to replace head hunger with the will of God so that you transfer this urge for a pan of brownies to that of hungering and thirsting after righteousness.”

The “Christian diet” is like other diets in that it is chalked full of low carb, low fat, calorie counting, fruits, fiber, whole grains, and vegetables. It also includes exercising on a regular basis.

The “Christian diet” has great advantages, in that the support group is large and you are doing something for God. The disadvantage is if you don’t reach your goal, you could feel more guilt and shame than with other programs.

When you ask the questions, “What Would Jesus Eat?”, it sends mixed signals. His lifestyle included lots of traveling from village to village on foot. He did not have a home. His diet consisted of whatever he was offered by temporary hospitality. This involved, as you can imagine, a large amount of walking. He was not tempted by the fast food that we have in front of us now.

The bottom line is that you need to eat less and exercise more.

Just keep track of what you eat and then subtract one or two of the more calorie rich items as part of the daily routine. Then add regular exercise which could be a long walk three or four times a week. Reduce the number of calories you intake and then burning off the calories that you intake.