Weight Loss: Christian
3 Reasons Christians Struggle With Their Weight.
Have you noticed the growing trend of Christians struggling more and more with their weight? The surge in Christian weight loss books (some good and some not so good!) attests to the growing need for Christians to get a handle on ever increasing waistlines.
This struggle can be upsetting since, as Christians, we’re supposed to have God’s power to overcome obstacles in our lives.
It’s one thing for the world to struggle with weight loss, but as God’s children, aren’t we supposed to have the answers? Aren’t we supposed to have a solution, both for ourselves as well as to help those who may not know Christ and are strugging also?
I believe that we are to be lights in the world and to know how to claim victory in this area. There isn’t anything in the Bible that says God wants us to be miserable and unhealthy (would you want that for YOUR children?)
So what’s the problem? Why aren’t we claiming victory in the area of weight loss and using it as another way to help those who don’t yet know Christ’s power to overcome?
Here, in my opinion, are the top 3 reasons Christians struggle with weight loss.
#1) Lack of Information
When was the last time you heard a message about weight loss, overeating or gluttony in church?
It’s simply not addressed. There might be many reasons for this and, to be fair, a pastor should not be expected to be a doctor, nutritional counsellor or personal trainer.
In addition, you have to realize that a message on gluttony to a room where some people may be less than thrilled with their bodies is asking for trouble. (them’s church-splittin words!)
And there’s not much in the Bible about weight loss either. Of course there are those verses that say gluttony is a sin, but, after all, isn’t gluttony just something we do on Thanksgiving? (And holidays don’t count right?)
Regardless of why, the point is that weight loss and eating isn’t addressed in many Christian circles. Consequently, Christians turn to the same solutions that the world turns to. (diets, surgery, shots…)
While sometimes these methods do work and are necessary, if these ’solutions’ were, in fact, SOLUTIONS, we would have solved our weight problem by now, instead of getting bigger.
The point is not to condemn anyone, just to raise the possibility that worldly solutions aren’t working. Which brings us to the second reason Christians struggle with weight loss.
#2) Failure to Call it What It Is
It’s important to realize that overeating is, in fact, a sin - just like stealing or getting drunk or swearing. I realize that this isn’t a popular stance to take in a world where nothing is ever our fault and everyone is encouraged to be a victim. But, to quote Dr. Phil: ‘You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge’.
If you want to be free of your weight problems, it’s important to realize that you may be contributing to them. (This is not for those of you who are dealing with medical issues or medication that may cause you to gain weight - please talk to your doctor if that’s the case)
For a Christian who is caught up in a cycle of eating too much, it’s important to realize that this is not pleasing to God and it should be dealt with.
The Bible tells us that we are to confess our sin and that God is faithful and just to then forgive us our sin. That’s the first step to healing. But you can’t heal if you won’t acknowledge and confess, then ask for God’s help to turn away from the sinful behavior.
This brings us to our last reason Christians struggle with weight loss.
#3) You Can’t Go Cold Turkey with Food (no pun intended)
We all know we shouldn’t get drunk or smoke. We know that we shouldn’t gamble or look at pornography or have sex outside of marriage. That’s pretty clear in Christian circles.
In order to confess and repent of these things, it’s pretty basic: you have to stop them altogether. Cold turkey.
But you have to eat right?
You can’t just stop eating (except for fasting and even then, you’re going to have to start eating eventually).
Food and eating falls into the category of blessings that God WANTS us to enjoy but learn to handle appropriately (like money, sex, etc).
Because of this, overeating can actually be one of the more complicated sins to deal with for the Christian. But it can be done. Instead of going cold turkey with eating, God’s wants his children to learn to handle food in a responsible, balanced way.
When you sincerely make the commitment to do this with God’s help, the extra weight will come off.
The point here is NOT to condemn in any way shape or form. Instead I want to encourage you that losing weight is NOT a losing battle. You CAN lose weight and you can have the victory - but you have to make a commitment to do it God’s way. That’s when you’ll see permanent results.
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Kathryn O’Neill is a Certified Nutrition & Wellness Specialist and has a degree in Behavioral Psychology. She helps Christians lose weight without dieting. For more information Check out her website at:
