Let me ask you a question. When you’re trying to lose weight, do you usually wake up in the morning, all excited about the process?
Do you think about how great it will be to lose that weight?
How good it will feel to fit into those clothes you’ve been wanting to fit into?
How wonderful it will be to break free from a habit that has been plaguing you for years?
Or do you instead wake up and think, Oh no, another day of depriving myself? If only I could eat what I want today, life would be so much better!
I’m afraid I usually focus on how crummy life is because I have to deprive myself.
It occurred to me that losing weight would be so much easier if we developed a thankful attitude about the process.
Here is a list of 10 things I thought we could be thankful for when we’re trying to lose weight.
10 Things to Thank God For When We’re Trying to Lose Weight
- That we get to eat so much. (We would be eating less if we lived in many parts of the world.)
- That we’re on our way to a healthier lifestyle.
- That we aren’t bingeing.
- That this will help us break free from the habit of turning to food rather than God for help with life.
- That we can wake up tomorrow and feel great about what we ate today.
- That we will be able to fit into those skinnier clothes soon.
- That we’re breaking free from an overeating habit that has made us miserable for a long time.
- That we’ll have more energy when we lose this weight.
- For each bite we get to eat today and how great it tastes.
- For how wonderful it will be to break free from the control of food.
P.S. If you’d like a weight-loss Bible study or weight loss renewing of the mind resource to help you with your weight loss efforts, check out the following resources:
Taste for Truth: A 30 Day Weight Loss Bible Study is focused on the lies that make us eat, body image, and the weight loss process. I wrote this Bible study to go along with the questions and Bible verses in I Deserve a Donut, and although you can do the study without I Deserve a Donut, it’s best if you have both books.
I Deserve a Donut (And Other Lies That Make You Eat) is a renewing of the mind resource to use in the midst of temptation and also to prepare yourself for temptation. I use it all the time, just for regular life. It is filled with 36 sets of questions and over 150 Bible verses that you can use to have conversations with God about life and food. The questions and Bible verses will help you renew your mind, taking off the lies that make you eat and putting on the truth that will set you free. It’s also available as a free app.
Freedom from Emotional Eating: A Weight Loss Bible Study is more focused on emotional eating. Although there is material on boundaries and breaking free from the control of food, most of the book is devoted to learning how to let go of negative emotions. The comment I get most often with this book is that yes, it helped me with eating, but it helped me even more with letting go of my negative emotions.
Discussion: Can you think of any other reasons to thank God when you’re trying to lose weight (or break some other habit)?
Oh, Barb, getting up each day, thanking Abba Father God, for Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, Wonderful Counselor, and Savior really helps me stay focused upon Him, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, in this spiritual battle against the idolatry of food!! Doing this keeps me ever mindful that He is my Savior and Refuge, my all, and not the food, His creation, that I have run into in the past to find comfort, relief, satisfaction, and delight!!! Jesus, just give me You, Jesus; may I appropriate all I have in You, the fullness of God’s grace and Truth, every spiritual blessing in the heaven lies!! May taste and see that You are good, may I run and hide in You, may I abide in You, and rest in You!! Thank you, Barb, for this reminder of thanksgiving in all things!!! Truly, may we glorify You, LORD, in all!! 1 Corinthians 10:31
Love what you wrote, Pamela! And the Bible verse is perfect! I’ve been trying to focus on thankfulness lately and it makes such a huge difference in all areas of life. I just need to keep remembering!
It’s all about perspective, that’s for sure. This is a good reminder of how much we gain when we lose something that keeps us from living the life we want and the one God intended.
Yes, now if I could just keep my mind on the gain and not the loss!!
What a great way to look at dieting. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked God for a “day of depriving myself.” You’re right, living where we have the opportunity to make healthy food choices is a huge blessing. I think I will also thank Him for the health to eat what I choose. So many people find themselves on restrictive diets due to health problems.
Oh, that is a great one, Deb. I have several friends who can’t eat wheat and other things. I am very thankful I don’t have health concerns that limit my food choices!
I like your #1 reason I also thank God that I even have to think about losing weight when much of the world struggles with hunger!
Yes, hunger and so many other things!
Oh Barb, I sure need prayer on this one…losing weight is a tough. Probably one of the toughest one I have faced in my personal life. My husband has lost almost 65 pounds with weight watchers. He is such a testament to me…I am losing but it is not coming off as fast. I do thank God I live now in a country with so many choices and I have the freedom to make good ones or bad ones. I need to come often to your posts, you are encouraging and helpful. Now to not snack tonight I need to make some different choices. Thanks.
It is tough, isn’t it? I also think as we get older that it comes on much faster and goes off much slower! Plus men always seem to lose it faster. (Those men!) But that is so great that your husband lost 65 pounds! What a huge accomplishment!
Barb, these are excellent encouragements for losing weight. I will use these as I work to lose 30 lbs. Thank Him that my blood pressure and cholesterol levels are excellent.
And that you only have 30 pounds to lose and not 130!
That’s how many pounds I had to lose years ago before I started truth journaling, but I am probably a lot shorter than you are. :)
Very encouraging.
One thing I go back to is that God is a God of second chances. As long as we have breathe, we have the opportunity to change and grow. Mistakes are in the past, keep moving forward.
That is very encouraging and comforting advice, TC. Thank you!
I love all the points Barb..# 5 is my favorite. I like that feeling of waking up in the morning knowing that I did right yesterday..from my food choices to other choices. There’s less stuff to process and work through!
Hmm, I’ll have to remember that when I’m wasting time! In fact, I need to remember that right now as I have been procrastinating finishing my writing for the day for the last 45 minutes or so. Although one of the things I procrastinated with was your great blog. :)
So at least it was high quality procrastination. :)
Haha, I love “high quality procrastination” . I am filing it away for later use! :)
I like #2 the most, living a healthier life style is so important. It allows us to live a full and long life. Great post!
I know this sounds radical, but I read Prison to Praise and he thanked God for the problem, which didn’t make sense, but then again, if you thank God for something satan brings, I think that satan will back off because he doesn’t want God to be praised. The Lord inhabits the praises of His people, and where God is, satan cannot be.
I definitely think there’s something to be said for thanking God for problems – after all, James tells us to count it all joy when we have trials. Whether those trials are caused by our own bad choices, life, or spiritual attack, they all have the potential for good since God uses them to train us. It’s one of the things I love about God. He can (and wants to) redeem all things, even attacks by Satan.
Thank God for my family that supports and encourages me while I’m trying to lose weight.
Love that, Sabella! Another great thing to be thankful for as you try to lose weight. Thanks for adding it to the discussion!
Through this study, I realized that I have spent more time overeating than renewing my mind. By renewing my mind, this was my very first Thanksgiving that I DID NOT overeat and I feel I finally have gained control over food!! Thank you, Jesus!!! I’m thankful for this study!!! <3 <3 <3
Yay!! So happy for your victory, Pat!! I know how hard it is to not overeat on Thanksgiving! The Word is life changing, isn’t it? Thankful to God for how He uses it to transform us, and so glad He helped you this Thanksgiving to avoid overeating!
One thing that I am also thankful for is the extra time that I have now that I no longer eat so much.
That’s a good one!
I am thankful that I dont have to do it alone. God is always with me, He is helping fight this good fight!
Yes, He is! And that’s comforting!