I have been accused of being militant. 🙂
I have also been accused of waffling around…of not being committed enough!
So, is Thin Within the only way to lose weight? What about if you are a Christian?
In my life I have lost 100s of pounds including 105 lbs. with Weight Watchers…most of which I promptly gained back once the accolades stopped coming and an overuse injury stopped my obsessive exercising.
And, as you may know, I released 100 pounds with the Thin Within approach — eating between physiological hunger and physiological satisfaction — between June of 2006 and September of 2007. I went a bit too far in my thinness and now I am a healthy size for my stage of life, but still working on being consistently active to fend off all the aches and pains that assault my body.
So, what do I believe? Is Thin Within the only approach that is suitable for a Christian?
I think I would have to ask what a person’s highest desire is. If we are going to answer that biblically, we would probably say that our highest desire should be, even if it isn’t, to be like Christ, to make him known, and glorify him.
So then, whatever we do in life…whatever we do…the question can be asked, “Does this glorify God? Do I enjoy Him in this?”
And: “Am I becoming more Christlike through this endeavor?”
Diets are designed to have rules to follow. The approach to most diets is “Follow these rules and you will lose weight.” “Do these things and you will win the reward.” Much of the time, it is prescriptive. Little attention is given to hunger or satisfaction. A lot of attention is given to the food, manipulating it, counting it, preparing etc., etc.
How like the Law this is!
My personal struggle with this is that with the focus being on food and on rules in dieting, I am not sure how dieting can actually move me forward in my desire to be Christlike, to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. For me, dieting is like the law…I have been set free FROM these things!
So I say, live by the Spirit,and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit,and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.They are in conflict with each other,that you do not do what you want.But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.~ Galatians 5:16-17
Thin Within is about nothing if it isn’t about learning to listen and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as He directs you personally and specifically.
As you progress through Thin Within, you will discover that because there are no laws and rules to follow, your dependence on the Lord can grow–if you let it. Nothing else has done for my personal walk with God what the Thin Within approach has.
So, for me, I can say with confidence, Thin Within IS the only way. My focus on the Lord has intensified, my worry and concern about my size, shape, weight, and food has dissipated. I have been able to enjoy freedom that I could have only dreamed exist.
Which is most consistent with my godly goals of becoming like Christ and to glorify him?
For me, the answer is clear–depending on God for courage, strength and wisdom to know what he is leading me to eat, why he is leading me to eat, and when he is leading me to eat–is God’s answer to me about my weight and eating problem.
Dieting actually totally 100% counter to it.
How about you? Do you still feel like dieting is a viable alternative–one that you may yet return to? Why do you think dieting still seems inviting to you, if it is?
