One of the nice things about most weight loss books is that they have a specific eating plan for you. That’s nice because you don’t have to go to all of the trouble of making your own decision.
Unfortunately, those weight loss plans don’t always transition well into regular post-diet life because we’re not willing to follow the plan for the rest of our lives.
Instead, we go back to eating what we want when we want and end up gaining all of our weight back.
If we want to lose weight and keep it off, we’ll need to come up with a set of lifelong boundaries. And that can be hard to do.
Today I’m putting the finishing touches on Taste for Truth: A 30 Day Weight Loss Bible Study (which I still hope to have out by the end of the year, maybe even in a couple of weeks) and it occurred to me that it would be nice to have a set of questions to help people choose boundaries.
Since I don’t have time to test them out before I publish the book, I thought I’d post them here. If you’re struggling with which lifelong boundaries to choose –or which weight loss plan to go with–would you mind testing these questions out for me and telling me what you think? You can either leave a comment or email me at the contact info under the about tab. Thank you in advance!
13 Questions That Will Help You Choose a Weight Loss Plan
- Why are you having a hard time making this decision?
- Do you have enough information to make a good decision? If not, what information do you need to gather?
- Is it possible to choose a perfect set of boundaries that will be easy to follow in every situation? Why or why not?
- What are your options for boundaries?
- Would one set of boundaries fit better into your lifestyle than another set of boundaries? Explain.
- What boundaries would you be willing to live with for the rest of your life, if any?
- Do you think God would prefer one choice over another? If so, why?
- Are you choosing this set of boundaries because it’s expected of you, or do you actually think this is a good set of boundaries for you?
- Is this one of those situations where you can’t really know what’s best?
- What’s the worst thing that can happen if you make what appears to be the wrong decision?
- Can you change your boundaries later if you decide another set would work better?
- What will have to accept to make this decision and not keep second-guessing yourself?
- What can you thank God for in this situation? (Note: Once you make your decision, focus on being thankful for the good things about the option you chose.)
2016 Update: Taste for Truth: A 30 Day Weight Loss Bible Study is now available. I’ve also done some YouTube videos on the subject of boundaries. Here are some you may be interested in:
Good ones. I’d like one of them to be about the long term effects of not deciding on a lifestyle change.
Thanks, Floyd – that’s a great idea. I appreciate it!
Point 3 in particular is going to have me thinking for a while. I can sometimes swing from being fairly healthy to being quite a bit on the excessive side (chocolate is a weakness). Finding a way to keep on an even though pleasant keel is something I want to give thought to.
I think that’s a problem a lot of us have, Micah – swinging from healthy to excessive. I like your even, though pleasant, keel idea!
Great questions, Barb! I think I struggle most with question #1 I flip back and forth between eating right/working out and not eating right/working out. I guess a balance of both is something I’m striving for.
I think we all struggle with that balance, Dan. I’m trying to develop a habit of never eating one bite outside my boundaries – I had that habit for a long time, but started being careless once I got to the point where i could eat outside my boundaries without going overboard and gaining a bunch of weight. But even if the weight gain is only a couple of pounds, I’m still happiest – and even enjoy my meals a lot more – if I just eat three a day with no nibbles in between.
That’s a good goal. My wife and myself try not to eat out a lot. But it can be difficult due to our busy life. When we do eat out we try to chose the healthy options.
I like this perspective, Barb. I especially like question number 6. It hints at this being a lifestyle and not a quick fix. I think that’s a crucial mindset shift.
Thanks, Loren. I’ve been trying to decide on what boundaries to use for the internet – checking emails, pinterest, etc. It occurred to me as I read your comment that that’s the question I need to ask to come up with those boundaries as well.
I love the questions and like Floyd’s addition. I already had decided on my boundaries, and I’m joining Heidi’s Thin Within Bible Study, but this helped firm some things up, it was a good renewal of the mind, reaffirmed the decision. Thank you.
Glad this helped, N! Heidi is such a great encourager plus the Thin Within group seems to have such great fellowship together – I think you’ll really enjoy the study over there. :)
I just want you to know that in my 52 years I have bought and tried every diet book and diet out there. I came across you 30 Bible Study and have been doing it for several weeks now. This is the most profound study/work I have ever done.
You get me, and I am so happy that I found you and your book. I am thankful to God that he used you to help others.
Sandra from Georgia
Yay!! So glad the study is helping, Sandra! Praying God will help you as you continue going to Him for help with all of these issues! And thanks for the encouragement!
I like that you talked about how you should consider asking yourself if you have enough information to make a good decision in choosing the right weight loss program for you. My sister is interested in losing weight because it’s unhealthy for her to gain so much weight due to health reasons. Since she doesn’t have the resources in finding out the best weight loss program for her, it will make sense for her to visit a professional to get help. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Hi Latoya! A professional can be a great help in choosing a program, especially if the person concerned already has health issues. I’m praying she’ll be able to find a program that works for her!