Weight Loss Bible Study Day 11:”Losing Weight is Hard” Eating

You’ve seen the headlines: 50 Easy Ways to Lose Weight! How I Lost 20 Pounds in Just 3 Weeks! Eat All You Want and Lose!  

Combine those headlines with our American belief that life should be easy, and we have a recipe for a lifelong problem with weight.

Why? Because we want and expect weight loss to be easy.

When it’s not, we give up. Not forever, mind you, but just until tomorrow. Or Monday. Or better yet, the day after New Year’s.

We’ll have a better chance of success if we drill this truth into our heads: It’s only easy for the type of person who forgets to eat. For those of us who love to eat, never forget to eat, and often turn to food for emotional reasons – it won’t be easy!

Does that mean we should give up following our boundaries? No. It just means we should stop expecting it to be easy. And we should start renewing our minds so we get to the point where we no longer feel the need to eat for emotional reasons.

The “Life Should Be Easy” Bible Study

1. Did God ever say, “Life should be easy?”
2. If not, what did He say?
   1. John 16:33
   2. Matthew 10:38
   3. Matthew 6:33
3. Is it easy to seek first the kingdom of God? Why or why not?
4. What are your own person weaknesses in the idol department? In other words, what do you tend to make more important than God wants you to make it, or what keeps you from loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind?
5. Is it easy to get rid of idols, sins, and bad habits? Why or why not?
6. What do you need to do if you want to get rid of your idols, sins, and bad habits (including the habit of breaking your boundaries with food)?
   1. Romans 12:2
   2. John 8:31-32
7. How is this different than changing yourself in your own strength?
8. How is this different than sitting back and waiting for God to change you?
9. Is it easy to abide in God’s Word and spend the time necessary to renew your mind? Why or why not?
10. Is the easy the life the good life from a spiritual perspective? Why or why not?
11. What would happen if you always did everything you wanted to do and never did anything you didn’t want to do? 
12. Is the easy life the good life from a practical perspective? Why or why not?
13. When you think of what the easy life leads to, both spiritually and practically, do you want to lead the easy life? 

If you struggle with Losing-Weight-is-Hard Eating, use these questions from the old I Deserve a Donut app. If you’re not on a diet (or don’t believe in dieting), just mentally switch out the word diet for boundaries. These questions are similar to the “I’ll Start Tomorrow” Eating questions in the updated app and book.

Losing Weight is Hard Questions

1. Is there ever a good (i.e. easy)  time to lose weight?
2. What would you gain by staying on (starting) your diet today?
3. What do you think will happen if you don’t stay on (start) your diet today?
4. What sacrifices will you have to make to lose weight?
5. Do you have to make those sacrifices no matter when you diet?
6. Do you think it would be better to stay on (start) your diet now and just get it over with, or is there a good reason to wait?
7. When you think of what you feel like on the days you eat everything you want to eat, are there even some advantages to the dieting lifestyle? Explain.
8. What will your life and body look like a couple of months down the road if you continue to renew your mind every time you feel like breaking your boundaries?
9. When you think of all you have to gain, is it worth staying on (starting) your diet today?