If you are trying to live as a follower of Jesus according to the bible should you be concerned about weight loss and is there any bible verses on the subject, or is it just another entrapment of the flesh?
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans strive after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. – Matthew Cht 6 Vs 31-32
https://berean.bible/
What Does The Bible Say about Weight Loss?
It’s true God tells us directly through scripture that we should not worry about what we eat as such is the detestible practice of the gentiles. But that scripture points more directly to God being the provider for our lives. If we have trust is him the good shepherd we provide all we need for our lives.
In Matthew 15:11 we are warned, It’s not what goes into a mans mouth that defiles him, but what comes out.
So does that mean we can eat what we want and forego what condition our bodies are in, and rely on being so super-spiritual the condition of our bodies don’t matter? Not at all. Remember the bible also says in Romans 12 vs 1, our bodies are temples of the holy spirit, and we should present them as a living sacrifice to God.
The thing that goes to far with todays weight loss and health obsessed societies is we go to far, we push too far into the realms of vanity and obsession. The idols of today’s world are more subtle than in the Golden Calf years.
We are the new icons, we worship ourselves, by putting our own agenda above everything else that should be important in our lives, we become the new idols. Muscle worship is rapidly taking over the entire world. Weight loss is the new religion.
God is pushed to the background, used only anecdotally as a reference point, and not the center of christian living. Remember the first comandment that states you should have no other God before him?
Jesus referenced this when he said the greatest comandment was to love
thy Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Specific Weight Loss Bible Verses
Should we therefore abandon all efforts of being healthy in the face of worshipping our bodies? Absolutely not. Although there are no specific weight loss bible verses we are living in a fallen world and subject to the laws of the physical universe just like everyone else, and with the risk of nearly every disease known to humankind being elevated by obesity, junk food, sedantary lifestyles and stress, we have to manage our bodies health.
Remember Paul using the analogy in Hebrews 12 to run the good race of faith, with endurance, staying true to the end so we shall receive the crown of life? In Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul talks about disciplining the body and uses the analogy of a marathon runner who must train hard and discipline himself so he can finish, with the ultimate goal of winning the race.
The analogy of a long distance runner was used. Sacrifices had to be made, a strict diet and exercise program would have to be maintained. Does this mean we all should abandon normal living and become obsessed with running and diet? No but it shows what must be done to achieve a goal.
If you are over weight you are risking your health, and the only thing to do is get healthy with sensible diet and exercise choices. The bible does have a lot to say about the reasons we are struggling with obseity, it may be addiction, and it may be wea re looking to food and entertainment to satisfy us or to replace the God centered hole in our lives.
Did you know we are the only generation that has to go to the gym to walk, or thinks of walking as an exercise? In the past we just did it. Exercise was part of our daily lives, not an add-on.
Weight Training Can Reduce Your Risk Of Alzheimer’s Disease
According to the National Institute on Aging, It’s a sad fact of life that 2 people are diagnosed with Alzheimers disease every minute approximately in the United States. This disease prematurely ends the life and is an agony for family members. It causes more deaths than prostate and breast cancer combined. Two-thirds of the population with Alzheimers in the U.S. are women.
Weight training is not just for muscle-clad bodybuilders, studies show there are exceptional cognitive benefits associated with training with weights. Depression and memory function can be improved, which can potentially keep Alzheimer’s disease at bay.
Training with weights improves your circulation and one of the positive trade-offs from this is the increased supply of blood to the the brain. This circulates fresh oxygen and the chemicals in our bodies that are designed to protect the brain. Amen to that.
Why Looking At Your Diet Is important For Health And Weight Loss
Having a good diet is just as, if not more, important than getting regular workouts. especially as we age. Weight is easier to put on and harder to shift as we age. The negative trade-offs between a drop in testosterone in men and hitting the menopause in women make it harder to shift the bulge from our unwanted areas.
Love handles, pot bellies, heavy thighs, saggy arms and posteriors, talking about adding insult to injury as we age. A healthy diet is one of the greatest tools against the breakdown and fat accumulation in our bodies as we head over the forty mark. Weight fluctuations are a lot easier to reign in comparitively to this age.
To offset the chances of getting into more difficulties in the arthritis and osteoporosis territories it is essential you consume a diet rich in Vitamin D and calcium to maintain bone health. Bones naturally weaken as we age, as they start to thin from the age of 30 on.
Bible Confessions For Weight Loss
Ok dislaimer alert- this verse can be used for strength training –
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me – Philippians Ch 4 vs 13
Now for the analogy- this verse says all things, but what is the “all things” referring to? In the modern watered down commentary of the bible promoted by prosperity pimps and feel-good christians, the “all things” has been taken to mean virtually anything in the “name it and claim it” fashion:
- Money – wealth – security – happiness (fake)
- Health – weight loss, muscle, fitness , perfect body….
- Job – satisfication, fulfilling dream, happiness (jobs bring none of these, – status (never equate status with titles)
- Relationship – the perfect partner (when there is none)
What Paul was referring to is to do the good work Christ has called each of us to do.
The “all things in Christ” is a direct reference that we cannot carry out the work or even transform our entities from earthly beings into spiritual beings without God’s help. It’s true that even if you have taken the wise decision of giving your life to God, willpower can only take you so far.
The bible does not call us to directly engage in weight loss programs, no no prayer given out by any website or ministry can claim this is exactly promoted by God. The bible does command us in Romans 12:1 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. That is because we now are the temple- God’s Holy Spirit and presence lives in us and not a building as in Old Testament days.
Therefore we ought not to defile our bodies with excesses, but the same is also true of our minds. In an age where everyone is now obsessed with their bodies and images, not many sadly are obsessed with their souls.
Christian Weight Loss Plans
There is no such thing as a christian weight loss plan. Food is food, excessive consumption leads to weight gain (compounded with sedantary lifestyles). Food is food, it’s not the food that is evil although some of us would like to believe that. Especially those oh so delicious sugary treats….
The only thing that be classified as a christian weight loss plan is one put together by a christian PT or group. The same laws of exercise and the body apply to us all. I myself am a christian, but hey I’m human like everybody else. If you want some weight loss routines that can be done in and out of the gym, check my articles here. They all include HIIT training.
3 Exercises to Reduce Muffin Tops
Weight Loss Workout For Woman Over 50
HIIT Workout You Can Do At Home
These HIIT (high interval intensity training workouts will give you the best results in the fastest time. 2 minutes a week has even proven to be successful. They can also be done at any age. Well as long as you are over 16 to be on the safe side (I doubt any of my readers are).