Weight Loss Hope for Christians — Guide to Lasting Change

Discover a faith-filled guide that offers weight loss hope for Christians seeking lasting change towards a healthier lifestyle with God’s unwavering support.

Have you ever felt that no matter what you do, you just cannot lose weight?

I have been there for most of my life. I would lose some weight, just to gain it back plus extra. After decades of trying to lose weight, I ended up at 349 pounds.

I had given up hope. I resigned to having a life where I was unable to sit in typical chairs, unable to walk without pain,where I had to take medications for high blood pressure and borderline diabetes (that I was sure was going to be diabetes very soon). I knew I would die early, but that was the way it was.

I had given up hope.

That is when God introduced me to Bible verses that inspired me to prayer which inspired me to hope again which inspired me to find my group of believers to help me through this process. 

God brought me to two scriptures repeatedly.

“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy: 1:7

God can renew your hope as well. He can show you how to lose weight through a holistic approach that aligns with His word and show you how to keep that weight off.

Understanding Weight Loss from a Christian Perspective

The first thing I had to recognize was that my body is a gift from God. 

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

God gifted me with a functional wonderfully made body. I had abused it over the decades of life and was left with a 349 pound burden. 

God did not do this to me. He wanted and still wants what is best for me and all of us, but I had to learn from my mistakes.

God gave me this gift and wants me to be a good steward of the gifts He gives me. Recognizing this fosters a sense of responsibility for me to treat my body with respect and care. I had not been doing this.

How do I treat this body with respect and care? A body that doesn’t allow me to do anything, but be in pain?

God showed me how to honor this body.

I needed to honor it through healthy living —such as diet, exercise, rest, and avoidance of harmful substances—as acts of worship.

I needed to worship and trust Him.

When we neglect our bodies, we may hinder our ability to fulfill God’s purposes for us, whether in service, relationships, or personal growth.

I know my weight and health kept me in my home and away from any relationships and growth.

I could do service only online. I couldn’t travel outside my home to serve anyone.

Practicing healthy living not only benefits us individually but also serves as a witness to others. It reflects our values and can inspire those around us to consider their own health and well-being.

I recently began a new job. This is a state job and I am not to outwardly mention or have any written acknowledgement of God in my office. 

I am very open about God to my supervisor as He does make all possible and there is no way I can go through a day without saying so. 

She began by telling me the rules. Recently, after months at this job, she has come to me and is starting to mention God herself. 

I am forbidden through the rules of the establishment from verbally modeling God, but she is getting closer to Him through my model of trusting God and showing what God can do daily.

God wants us to show others to Him. We can do this through being a model of healthy living physically and spiritually.

When we treat our bodies with respect and love, we show gratitude to God for the gift He gave us in our bodies.

I had to get over the anger for letting myself go so far away from health. 

Once I was able to forgive myself and start to show respect and love to myself through proper nutrition, movement and rest I was able to have gratitude. 

God had to help me. Help me to forgive myself repeatedly. Guide me to learn about proper nutrition, movement and rest.

Once I followed God’s lead, gratitude bloomed.

There are scriptures that helped me through each part of living healthy.

Scriptures about food:

“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

Genesis 1:29

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 

Corinthians 10:31

“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”

Proverbs 23:20-21

Scriptures about exercise:

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

1 Timothy 4:8

“The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.” 

Proverbs 24:5-6

Scriptures about self-control

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” 

Proverbs 25:28

Scriptures about gratitude

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

As we embark on a journey to better health and weight loss, we all deal with temptation and emotional eating.

I used to think I was not an emotional eater. When I felt anxious or angry I would not eat. I actually couldn’t eat, it was like my stomach shut down. 

But I would eat out of habit and boredom and comfort. Those are also emotions. Any time we eat for any reason other than because our bodies need sustenance to live, we can contribute to an emotion.

When dealing with emotional eating, seek comfort in scriptures that remind us of God’s presence and love during times of emotional distress or boredom. 

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” 

Psalm 34:18

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10. 

Pray as a means of managing emotions and finding solace in God’s peace. Ask for guidance in recognizing triggers for emotional eating and for strength to seek healthier coping mechanisms.

As we are tempted, draw strength from scriptures that address temptation. 

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:41 

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it”.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Pray for strength and discernment when faced with temptations. Ask God for the willpower to resist and the wisdom to make healthier choices.

Prayer and Scripture is always the place to begin. Then we can: 

• Undertake a daily devotion of prayer, reflection and Bible reading.
• Seek support from fellow believers who can pray with you and encourage you in your goals.
• Cultivate a habit of gratitude towards God for the strength and progress achieved, recognizing each step as a blessing and an opportunity to glorify Him.

• Practice mindfulness during meals, focusing on nourishing your body and being aware of hunger cues rather than using food as a response to emotions.
• Establish healthy routines, including regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate rest, supported by prayer for discipline and perseverance.

Practical Steps for Christian Weight Loss

Many of these ideas, we have heard before. Eat a balanced diet, eat fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, and eat only when you are physically hungry.

So, how is this article different from the tons of other articles on healthy eating? 

We focus on God.

He is the center of why we choose to eat whole foods most of the time, why we move our bodies, and why we listen to the body that He made for us.

Nourishing Your Body God’s Way

We should focus on whole foods to nourish our bodies and get the proper amounts of nutrition and vitamins. 

Whole foods decrease the likelihood of being diagnosed with cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. Whole foods can also reverse some of the harm we have done to our bodies. Whole foods were part of the solution to reverse my ailments. 

God provided whole foods to us so that we could eat bountifully. 

Does this mean we can never eat processed foods? No. Plan them into your meals as needed, but try for most of your foods to be whole and minimally processed.

It is not just about the food we eat, but also when we eat. Listen to your body’s hunger cues. 

At my high weight I didn’t know my hunger cues. I thought I was hungry all the time, but honestly my body had never felt true hunger. I didn’t know what the cues were.

This is a great article on how to find your hunger cues.  Eating according to hunger cues is often referred to as intuitive eating. 

The phrase, intuitive eating, scared me. How would I know if I were truly hungry and what if I didn’t get hungry for a long time, how could I go a long time without eating? At 349 pounds, 2 hours without food was a long time.

I began by planning out my meals and times and ate on plan.

 After a while my body adjusted to my plan. At first, I was hungry all the time, or so I thought.

Once I learned what my hunger signals really felt like, I realized I wanted to eat all the time, but was not truly hungry.

I prayed for God’s strength daily, still do, to know my true hunger cues and not let my head take over. My head always wants food.

It is like Sara with the Holy Mess and Faith Finish lines taught me. You have an adult brain and a toddler brain. The toddler brain always wants food and will even throw a fit to get it, but the adult brain needs to lovingly discipline that toddler and keep him/her in line.

My toddler brain was out of control. 

My first steps in finding my hunger cues was to realize that it wasn’t going to be easy, and I would have to act first.

My first action was to plan my meal times and the food I would eat. I knew that I wanted to eat always, so I started with 6 small meals a day: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack.

I took my total calories, which I learned from the free app, MyFitnessPal and divided them by 6. 

I then went to healthy meal plans at the Holy Mess and started planning out my meals and snacks. The Holy Mess has many meal plans to choose from and to gain ideas from. 

Her meal plans follow Christian principles and are often simple and time saving examples. 

Once I was in the habit of meal planning and eating only when the time and food was on my plan, I then began to move my body more. This first phase took me years. 

You don’t have to wait years, but my journey was a complex one. God ended up leading me to have bariatric surgery paired with following the Christian guidelines in Faithful Finish Lines. You can read my weight loss surgery story here. 

Once I felt secure in my nutrition journey and had lost about 100 pounds, I was able to start on my movement journey. I was no longer in constant pain. I was off all medications with no high blood pressure and no diabetes. 

Moving Your Body For God’s Glory

God wants us to move our bodies. Does this mean we need to lift heavy weights and do cardio for hours each day? No.

Find an activity you enjoy, maybe swimming or gardening, or dancing. For me, I love to walk, especially in nature. 

My main movement is walking, but I also do some strength training in the mornings. I only do about 10 minutes each morning to keep my muscle and maybe build on it a little. 

What helps me is listening to worship music while I move or praying while I walk. I don’t move because a health regime says I must. I move as a form of worship and gratitude to God for allowing me to be able to move now without pain.

You could do Christian based movement through Youtube. You can also do challenges and online movement with Get Fit With Ashley ; while this program is not Christian based, it is a great program and you could listen to worship music while doing movement.

Whatever program or movement you decide on, remember to celebrate small victories. Every small step leads to big changes.

Celebrating will help you stay motivated. We all want to do what we are good at.

Renewing Your Mind for Lasting Change

We are now eating healthier and moving more. But we are still dealing with negative self-talk.

This was one of my biggest hurdles. 

I had to replace that negative self-talk with positive weight loss affirmations, positive healthy eating affirmations and positive fitness affirmations. 

I posted the affirmations around my house so that whenever I saw them I would read them out loud. This helped to secure my mindset for lasting change. 

As weight is lost, depending on the amount of weight, you may end up with loose skin and a body that does not look like the societal influenced image of the perfect body. 

We need to retrain ourselves to see ourselves as God’s creation and embrace a healthy self-image. 

This is an ongoing work for me. Even though at the beginning of my journey I knew I would never be a size 6 tight body young girl, in the back of mind was that self-talk that said that is what I should strive toward. 

I have lost 145 pounds. I now weigh 205 pounds.I no longer have any high blood pressure or diabetes concerns. I no longer have pain with movement. I am healthy and strong. 

I am not a size 6. I have a lot of loose skin on my arms, legs, belly and hips. This is not the image I wanted to be at when I began.

God has shown me that I am His. He created me and has given me an inherent worth and dignity that comes from being a part of His divine-creation. 

Embracing myself as God’s creation has given me self-acceptance and self-love. It encourages me to appreciate my strengths, talents, and potential, all God given. I am flawed and that is okay.

Being that I am created by God is my source of resilience during difficult times. It instills a sense of confidence in facing challenges, knowing that God is always with me and supporting me.

God is there for you as well. He will see you through your journey; through the good times and the difficult times.

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Psalm 139: 14.

We all need God, but we also need God’s people. We need that supportive, encouraging physical presence that carries the same values as we do.

You can find support in your church, with local Christian groups and online. 

I would encourage you to join a free Christian weight loss group. This is a fabulous group hosted by Sara, from the Holy Mess and Becky from So Very Blessed. 

This group along with Faithful Finish Lines helped me to stay accountable, supported me through surgeries and difficult times and celebrated with me through weight loss and health gains. 

Overcoming Common Challenges

Even if you do every recommendation in this article, you will have plateaus and setbacks, they are normal. 

With the help of my tool, bariatric surgery, and lots of prayer, I lost fairly regularly for the first year. Once I arrived at 205 I stopped losing. I have gone between 205 and 208 for the last several months. My goal is 180.

Yes, I get discouraged, but I keep following the sound advice from this article. I keep planning my meals, eating healthy, planning snacks and treats, moving more, and following God’s guidance. 

I do have to deal with emotional eating. 

I can go through periods of “why try” I’m not losing any more. I then follow the guidelines again. 

I celebrate my 145 pound weight loss, I thank God for the body He gave me, I replace negative self-talk with my positive affirmations.

I will lose again and I will arrive where God wants me. Does this mean I will be 180 pounds? Maybe, maybe not. 

I have to surrender to God and follow all the healthy guidelines and I will end up where He wants me.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you”.

Jeremiah 29: 11-12

Maintaining Long-Term Success

Many, if not all of us, have done a fad diet to lose a few pounds for an event. As soon as we lose those pounds, we are done with the diet and celebrate our victory.

We then wake up several days, weeks, months later and all the weight has returned and brought friends.

We don’t need another diet. We need a new lifestyle.

I used to think that if I just tweaked a little I’d be fine, but I have learned that if you want a different result you have to change what you are doing. 

Do you have to change it all at once? No.

One small change at a time will lead to huge changes. 

As you implement one small change, keep that change as you move on to another small change and overtime you will create a new lifestyle that you can just live and not always be on the diet cycle.

This is the same for including God. If you do not consistently turn to God for your health, have a daily devotion, move as worship, just do one small thing each day, keep the small thing and add one small thing over time.

You will find yourself in the habit of going to God for celebrations as well as for help.

As you put in place the one small diet, movement and devotion changes also look for a Christian weight loss group to help you through these small changes. 

When I began with Faithful Finish Lines and the Christian weight loss group, I needed so much. I was posting what felt like daily to get ideas and help. I asked and received an accountability partner for encouragement and help. 

Now, after losing 145 pounds, I am still with these groups. I need but also give. 

These articles help me to give to all of you. To give you ideas and encouragement so that you too can reach better health and be closer to God.

I pray this prayer for each of you

Heavenly Father,

I come before You with a heart full of gratitude for the gift of life and the opportunity to seek Your guidance in every aspect of it. Lord, I lift up every woman who reads this article, knowing that each one is uniquely cherished by You. I pray, Lord, that You would draw her closer to Yourself, filling her with Your presence and peace.

Father, You know the desires of her heart, including her desire for improved health and weight loss. I ask that You would grant her wisdom and discernment as she makes choices regarding her physical well-being. Guide her in making choices that honor You, whether in diet, exercise, or lifestyle changes.
Lord, I pray for strength and perseverance for her journey. May she find comfort and motivation in Your Word, knowing that her body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Help her to treat her body with respect and care, seeking to glorify You in all that she does.

Father, I also lift up any struggles or challenges she may face along the way. Provide her with courage and resilience to overcome obstacles, and remind her that with You, all things are possible.
Above all, may she experience the depth of Your love and grace throughout this journey. May her pursuit of improved health and weight loss be a reflection of her desire to honor You with her whole being.
In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Find Your Faith and Fitness with the New COURSE SUNSET

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