Did you make a New Year's Resolution to go on a diet in January, but find that your resolves have already dissolved? If so, I want to tell you three little secrets I discovered 25 years ago when I lost my weight.
I am not another diet guru who wants you to buy expensive pills or do exhausting exercises. I'm just someone who cares because I've been where you are and I know your frustration. And I've learned some exciting things that will help you, which are too good to keep to myself.
Here are three little secrets I learned that make a big difference. They're simple. They're free. They will make your life a lot better, so give them a try!
#1 Don't diet! Instead, make the healthiest choice you can each time you eat. Keep lots of low-calorie snack foods around and get tempting "goodies" out of the house. Listen to your body. When you eat something, if it causes you to crave more and more, limit that food. The cravings make you miserable, get you off track, and will go away if you don't eat foods that trigger them.
#2 Don't depend on willpower! Instead, depend on God's power. Jesus says that if you stay close to him, he will produce fruit in you. (He's referring to the fruit of the Spirit-love, joy, peaceand self-control.) And he says that, without him, you can do nothing (John 15:5). That's why I struggled to lose weight for so many years, and maybe why you struggle too. I was trying to do it without him! Over the years, I learned many practical ways to be guided by him throughout each day and experience his fruit of self-control in my eating. Here's one practical tip that will help you to do this: have a 10-minute quiet time almost every day journaling prayers and thoughts about a few verses in the Bible.
#3 Don't do it alone! Instead, get together with others who want to lose weight like you do-depending on God's power instead of willpower, and making healthy choices instead of dieting. You can get together during lunch breaks at work, neighborhood get-togethers or with small groups at church. You can get together with just one friend or twenty, but the important thing is that you're not doing it alone. Tell your friend(s) how you are doing with your eating. Be honest. Be accountable. Be real. Tell them about things that drive you to the refrigerator. And tell God. Study the Bible together because it is the greatest weight-loss manual there is.
If you keep making healthy choices, relying on God's power and getting together with others who want to lose weight, by this time next year you won't need to make a New Year's Resolution to lose weight because you will have already lost it! These three little secrets will have made a big difference in your life and you'll want to tell everyone because they're just too good to keep to yourself.
About the Authors: Julie Morris is a nurse, author, mother and teacher. During her years as an RN she struggled to control her weight. The truth of high blood pressure, overeating and her weight, sent her searching for a solution. After discovering the Christian 12 steps she began seeking God's guidance toward health and wholeness. Now, 25 years ago, she's excited to share these tips with others. She is the founder of the Step Forward weight loss program. Guided by Him is a lighter, easier version of Step Forward, for today's busier lifestyles.
Sarah Morris Cherry is a wife, new mother and Licensed Professional Counselor. She has counseled people from two to 92. Whatever the age, she enjoys teaching people new ways to deal with stress, facts about healthy living and simple things they can do to help them become more like the people they want to be. She speaks from experience, having overcome many overwhelming health problems by putting these ideas into practice.
I am not another diet guru who wants you to buy expensive pills or do exhausting exercises. I'm just someone who cares because I've been where you are and I know your frustration. And I've learned some exciting things that will help you, which are too good to keep to myself.
Here are three little secrets I learned that make a big difference. They're simple. They're free. They will make your life a lot better, so give them a try!
#1 Don't diet! Instead, make the healthiest choice you can each time you eat. Keep lots of low-calorie snack foods around and get tempting "goodies" out of the house. Listen to your body. When you eat something, if it causes you to crave more and more, limit that food. The cravings make you miserable, get you off track, and will go away if you don't eat foods that trigger them.
#2 Don't depend on willpower! Instead, depend on God's power. Jesus says that if you stay close to him, he will produce fruit in you. (He's referring to the fruit of the Spirit-love, joy, peaceand self-control.) And he says that, without him, you can do nothing (John 15:5). That's why I struggled to lose weight for so many years, and maybe why you struggle too. I was trying to do it without him! Over the years, I learned many practical ways to be guided by him throughout each day and experience his fruit of self-control in my eating. Here's one practical tip that will help you to do this: have a 10-minute quiet time almost every day journaling prayers and thoughts about a few verses in the Bible.
#3 Don't do it alone! Instead, get together with others who want to lose weight like you do-depending on God's power instead of willpower, and making healthy choices instead of dieting. You can get together during lunch breaks at work, neighborhood get-togethers or with small groups at church. You can get together with just one friend or twenty, but the important thing is that you're not doing it alone. Tell your friend(s) how you are doing with your eating. Be honest. Be accountable. Be real. Tell them about things that drive you to the refrigerator. And tell God. Study the Bible together because it is the greatest weight-loss manual there is.
If you keep making healthy choices, relying on God's power and getting together with others who want to lose weight, by this time next year you won't need to make a New Year's Resolution to lose weight because you will have already lost it! These three little secrets will have made a big difference in your life and you'll want to tell everyone because they're just too good to keep to yourself.
About the Authors: Julie Morris is a nurse, author, mother and teacher. During her years as an RN she struggled to control her weight. The truth of high blood pressure, overeating and her weight, sent her searching for a solution. After discovering the Christian 12 steps she began seeking God's guidance toward health and wholeness. Now, 25 years ago, she's excited to share these tips with others. She is the founder of the Step Forward weight loss program. Guided by Him is a lighter, easier version of Step Forward, for today's busier lifestyles.
Sarah Morris Cherry is a wife, new mother and Licensed Professional Counselor. She has counseled people from two to 92. Whatever the age, she enjoys teaching people new ways to deal with stress, facts about healthy living and simple things they can do to help them become more like the people they want to be. She speaks from experience, having overcome many overwhelming health problems by putting these ideas into practice.
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