I was jumping rope this morning and in the middle of it, hot and sweaty, an image suddenly flashed into my head.
I saw a scoop of shortening melting on a hot griddle. It made me smile because I suddenly saw my muscles as like that griddle: the only way they are going to be able to melt fat is if I heat them up!
Now the reason I brought this up is that I know plenty of people who say that they can’t lose weight. They say they walk for exercise, but nothing seems to be happening.
Yet when I see them in action, their walking pattern is like a Sunday stroll and their muscles never heat up.
So my question is, are you working hard enough to turn up the heat in your griddles (muscles) to melt the grease (excess body fat)? If you want to melt a lot of grease, then you’ve got to use big griddles. In your body, those griddles are the muscles of your backside and your thighs. You want to work out at a level in which you feel challenged, but still comfortable.
If you are challenging yourself enough to melt grease, but still not seeing results then you need to take a look at your eating pattern. Are you adding grease back into your body as fast (or faster) than you melt it? Are you eating excess fat in the form of fried, fast, or junk foods? Are you eating or drinking a lot of sugar? Those excess calories will be stored as fat if you don’t burn them off. Usually, all it will take is keeping a food log for a few days so that you can become aware of what you are really doing nutritionally rather than what you think you are doing.
It is very easy to deceive ourselves. I know one time, I thought I was only having a candy bar once in a while. Yet when cleaning out the trash bin in my car, I was startled by the number of candy bar wrappers I saw. It’s really hard to deceive yourself when the evidence is staring at you in the face.
So I urge you this week to start thinking of ways that you can get rid of some of the extra grease in your body. Do you need to heat up your griddles through exercise?
Stop piling on additional grease? Just a few simple steps practiced consistently will yield amazing results over time.
But don’t take my word for it; prove it to yourself and I guarantee you will have a lot less grease to haul around this time next year.
Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?
I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.”
The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.
Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off.
Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program
Thank you all for your responses. Kim, I know you are probably tired of my singing praises of you, but it has been good for me to interact with you and others who are using your program (well, God’s program). For those who have prayed for me, Thank you! Maybe that is why I have been trying to workout more and have journalled my food intake recently. I have even rejoined Sparkpeople.com where I am recording my daily actions. I have been smaller (size 10) and it allowed me the opportunity to experience people’s feelings toward me in both states. Slimmer I was treated as if I (my life) had value. Fatter I am invisible. It was as if people did not want me to exist.
Kim, you bring up an interesting point. You mentioned in your responses that you felt self-conscience as a large person. My question is why? Why must the fat person feel this why? To feel this why implies a lower value of your person as it is. Did not Paul say that it was good to be content in one’s present state. I know that does not excuse the gluttony or slothfulness, but I am sying or trying to say_Why must the fat person be devalued, mistreated, ridiculed, and have their livelihoods sanctioned because we look unpleasing to the eye?
I did not appreciate my good health when I was thick and healthy. I walked miles daily yet was over 200 pounds. I was in very good condition. Now, I am so large that my joints hurt in certain places and I have edema. I don’t like this at all. Thank you al for responding and caring enough to respond with Christian concern and wisdom. Some of the advice has been hard to hear, but the Bible says that a wise man hears rebuke and rejoices in it. I am trying to rejoice. Keep praying.
Hi Patty,
That is awesome that you are taking steps to take care of yourself. I know Sparkpeople is a great site and you’ll find lots of support there.
I do want to address something you asked me in your post. You said, “Kim, you bring up an interesting point. You mentioned in your responses that you felt self-conscience as a large person. My question is why? Why must the fat person feel this way? To feel this way implies a lower value of your person as it is. Did not Paul say that it was good to be content in one’s present state.”
Obviously I can’t speak for every obese person – I can only speak about how I felt during that period of my life. While I didn’t devalue myself as a person, my self-respect was impacted. In my mind, I was keenly aware that my binge eating and poor health habits that caused my obesity was destroying me. I knew better, but felt powerless to do better. I knew I was settling for what was easy instead of what was best for me. Now if I had decided to continue binge eating and was willing to accept the consequences of that (for me – living in an obese body, having to pay more for clothes, having health problems, worrying about fitting into average-sized chairs) then perhaps my self respect may have remained intact.
But Patty, I did not want to accept that life. I wanted to become a better steward of my body and appreciate it as a precious gift. I knew if I did that, my weight would take care of itself. Even if I remained a larger size than I wanted, at least I would know I was doing my very best with what I had. I wanted to be able to climb stairs without getting out of breath. I wanted to be able to run, jump and play. I wanted to send a message that I am worth the effort – no matter how hard it got or how many times I stumbled in the attempt.
Most of all, I wanted to have the ability to look at myself from the neck down and that was something that I could not bring myself to do for a long time when I was obese. When I looked in the mirror, I focused on my face because at that time I did not want to face the truth of what my eating was doing to my body. Now I see that I avoided making eye contact with others because I was sure I would see in their eyes the condemnation that I was already heaping upon myself.
Because I became an invisible woman in my own eyes, others saw me as invisible too. Now – was this right? No…but it is the truth of where I was at the time.
You also asked “Why must the fat person be devalued, mistreated, ridiculed, and have their livelihoods sanctioned because we look unpleasing to the eye?” I think it is a byproduct of our fallen world. The bible says that man looks on the outside but God looks upon the heart. People do make judgments by what they see – particularly people who look different from them. We all do it. The fact is that some people are prejudiced against obese people, the same way some are prejudiced against the disabled, some against women, and some against minorities. We live in a fallen world with sinful people in it.
The only hope any of us has for redemption is in the person of Jesus Christ. He can give us a new heart and mind. There is no condemnation in him. The key to my turnaround was learning to see myself as he saw me…and projecting that to others while I was still in my larger body.
While we can’t control what others think about us, we can control what we think about ourselves and that should be in line with what God thinks about us – because his thinking about us is the truth – regardless of what other people think, say, or do.
So ask yourself: “Do I mentally or verbally devalue, ridicule, mistreat myself or restrict my livelihood options because of the way I look?” Because again, you can never control THEM – you can only control YOU.
God bless you on your journey, my Sister!
Patty,
I want to comend your courage…..This is my first time posting a comment as well. In Feb. I decided to stop trying to use the ‘get thin quick’ tricks and do it God’s way. My sister told me about Kim’s website and we have now decided to do this together with God’s help. I am struggling with insecuries and low self esteem but I am determined to win this race. Please keep me in your prayers and will be sharing my progress…….Be Blessed my Sisters
Patty,
You rock! Thanks for being so open and real.
Jon
Patty,
All my life I have allowed fear of what others may think of me to limit my choices. I let insecurity stifle creativity and chose to use my obesity as an excuse to limit my activities. But the real bottom line is that it was fear and insecurity that held me back.
This past year I have allowed God to renew my mind with the truths from His Word (see below for examples)and now I am able, with His help, to admit the truth about my fears and insecurities. I haven’t “arrived” yet, but praise God, I’m not where I used to be either! I have lost 47 lbs. and am on my way to losing another 50 lbs. one choice at a time. That’s right – for me, losing weight can be reduced to making good choices. This is not a “diet”. This is more than just choices about what I eat. It is what I choose to say and do, what I wear, my thoughts and attitudes, etc. It is about living my life in such a way that I honor God. It is about letting Him shine in and through me with each choice I make and allowing Him to change me one choice at a time.
Romans 12:1&2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
2 Corinthians 10:3,4&5 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
When people ask me how I’m losing weight, I am quick to point out that God and I are in a partnership. I am eating less and moving more but most of all, I’m learning to lean on Him and allowing Him to change me one choice at a time.
I found this in a book I was reading, and I love it!! I know I am more than my size and the neat thing is that the more I realize that I am a child of God and He does love me, the more it makes me want to be a healthy child of God!! I now know that when I am weak He will be strong for me in my weight loss journey!!! I know I do not have to be alone in my struggle!!!
“One of the most comforting things I learned was that who I am does not equal my dress size. I am a unique woman, a child of God, with talents, gifts and abilities that reach beyond the superficiality of size. I hope that when I’m gone, the things said about me will never be about me will never be about my weight, the size of my jeans, or what color lipstick I wore. Instead, I hope they will say things about my character and that I was a good mom and a good friend. I am blessed with friends and family who love me as I am. “ from the book Body Clutter
My dear friend and sister, I feel your pain. I too suffer from the looks and comments. More from myself than anyone else. I beg you to please forgive. Though this pastor may have appeared to be coming at you personally that may not be the case. I know in my own personal life I perceive things and it really isn’t at all what they are thinking. God’s word tells us if we can’t forgive others we cannot be forgiven of the Father. If you do a study on unforgiveness you will see it leads to alot of ailments. My dear, I love you with the Love of Christ, I don’t know you but I do know you because you are me in another shell. I am still battling the battle and though it is not about how big I am but am I using food in place of God. I can say I do. I turn to food before I turn to God. This would be my sin. I am placing another god over the One only true God, my stomach and food because not always is it my stomach that is leading me it is my emotions. I encourage you not to focus on you size but why you eat. What makes you do what you do? What is your motive. I want to pray for you now.
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for showing yourself mighty and with power. I am asking you on behalf of Patty, There are many hurts and pains in her life. Lord I pray and ask you to deliver freedom and comfort to her. I pray for deliverance. That you would deliver her from her. We can be our own worst enemy and I ask you now to be placed in the reigns of her heart. I pray she will lift you up higher that any other. I am praying you will fill her every need. Remind her that you are her comfort and peace. I ask you to carry her in you loving arms and let her find her refuge in you.
In Jesus Name,
Amen,
I encourage you to go to….
nothingstoohardforgod.org
I encourage anyone to go on this web site there are incrediable testimonies of God’s grace and goodness and know nothing is to hard for Him.
Blessings and Grace to you.
Kristina
Hi Kim & Gals, I, too, carry excess poundage, but am, like you, convinced the answer lies in Jesus. Last year, on July 4th, He gave me https://www.Marnie.com. It has been quite a year, learning to focus on Him as I take each bite — and I’m not there yet. Where I am, however, is to a point where I now clearly see rebelliousness and self-gratification in some of my bites. The bites I eat with Jesus, I fully enjoy, and they satisfy! The bites I take when stressed out, upset or feeling sorry for myself are bites that bring no one pleasure, rob me of joy and prevent my body from being what God intended it to be. Kim, I read your stuff often and am so grateful for your consistent, clear and comforting messages of hope in GOD and not DIETS. I like to say, “Diet is the word ‘die’ with a cross at the end… and there was ever only supposed to be One person who died on a cross for our sins.” Onward Christian soldiers! It’s work the battle to bring glory to God in our bodies, as they currently are, and as they will be. Thanks, Kim!
Wow, I have never commented on anyones sites before, i have always been a reader looking for someone who has a story like me that i can relate to and get me motivated. Well, todays the day!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a 255 lb. business woman and from what people tell me, i don’t look the 255 lbs at 43 yrs old but it is still there. I am 5’9 and carry it proportionately from what i am told. I have not always been heavy and was very thin in high school. After 2 kids, a rollercoaster of a 17 year marriage and now remarried after 5 years, GOD is the ONLY thing that has been constant in all those years. Once we lean on him and give him everything, the rewards are so wonderful. As of today, the light is on and i truly believe that from this “morsel” forward, i am going to pray harder, stronger and with more conviction every time i sit down to eat, that i am truly putting my weight in GOD’s hands. I don’t think that GOD wants us to have any battles without him by our side. He wants to be our strength. He is our FATHER. I feel bad it took 43 years for me to see the light but from now on, it is ‘All About Him’ which in turn makes it easier for it to be ‘all about me’ and getting my life (and body) right with the world. I want to be the best and look the best when i make my grand entrance into his kingdom, so he can say, ‘Well done, they good and faithful servant’!
Wow, Patty’s telling statement is something that has crossed my mind and your thought about being a “loose” woman too. I am not afraid of that anymore because that is not me and because my body is going to change and become healthier does not mean I will not be the person that Jesus saved and bought with his blood. I am eternally grateful for his salvation and never ending presence in my life. Your website and daily scriptures have been such a blessing and support in my weight loss. I have lost close to 40 lbs now and many more to go. I just realize that I am not the only one that has thought such things. Kim, your answer to Patty was definitely knowledgeable and spirit-led by your experience and life. Thanks. Will comment more in the future and let you know how the lbs are melting.
Do you really answer these emails? Are you for real? Was that really you in that before “fat” photo? How long did that take? What is the purpose of losing weight when we all meet the same end anyway? I am morbidly obese and I have been watching thin and fat folks most of my almost 43 years and I can tell you that there is no difference in us. If people truly knew what was within me that my fatness holds back, they would prefer me fat! I went to bible study last night for the first time in years. I have stayed in the Bible and have tried hard to walk in the word daily. I had been feeling “pushed’ mentally to gather with others and improve my walk with the Lord. Well, the first thing out of the preacher’s mouth is, “Do you have the right mind?” he then goes on to say,” I am not trying to pick on anyone here, but I am saying it is like when you are 500 pounds overweight and you keep doing the same thing and expecting something different to happen.” Now, you tell me, as I look around this church there are all together 4 fat people in the building. Where did that come from? it would seem to me that if the people had things they needed to correct, obesity wasn’t one of them. He went on to discuss how members treat one another and that sort of stuff.
Now, I get gluttony and slothfulness. However I do not remember fat being declared a sin in the Bible. Yes, it is not pleasing to the eyes, but neither are broken homes or children who hate their parents because they don’t treat them right and they neglect the child emotionally. Being a teacher I come into contact with that often.
I am very tired and frustrated with thin people trying to dictate my life by their hateful words. It is true that I prefer the taste of chocolate to an apple. when I feel like cursing but don’t choclate makes it a whole lot easier to keep my peace.
My email seems to ramble, but I do want to say that I like your work that I have been reading so far and after 39 years of trying to battle my weight, your work is actually something that I believe that I can see being worthwhile and doable. I had truly given up and decided to accept me as I am, but with what you have written in your pages, I can see calming my soul and focusing on God’s words in order to straighten out my dependency on food. I hope you are for real because it would be good to have a person like you to communicate with. After last night, i was so frustrated that I went home and devoured a plate of spaghetti with two cheese slices on top. I didn’t even want it.
Bless you and I hope that you prosper in your efforts because what you are doing makes so much sense, because it is built on God. I can attest to the fact that the ONLY thing that has been true and magnificent in my life has been how He comes through for me when I just feel about to explode in anger or sadness. I don’t know how I got to your site. I started out googling “gluttony” and found you in the results!
Hi Patty,
I can tell that you are passionate about this subject and you certainly have a lot of questions! Obviously since I am responding to this post, that answers the “Are you real?” question. Yes, that is me in the “before” picture. It took me a total of 18 months I’d guess between the before and after picture but that wasn’t consecutive. Rather I lost 70 pounds my first year and then lost 2-5 here and there to reach my total of 85 pounds lost.
You asked an interesting question: “What is the purpose of losing weight when we all meet the same end anyway?” Here are my thoughts: Everyone has a beginning (birth) and an end (death). Life is the part that happens in the middle. How we choose to go through “the middle” is up to us. I spent over 20 years obese and it was seriously impacting my middle, literally and figuratively.
I had low energy, tiredness, felt self-conscious, felt out of control with my eating, didn’t feel attractive, worried about whether I was going to fit into certain chairs; felt squeezed in airline, sporting events, and movie theater seats; couldn’t ride certain amusement park rides because the seat belt wouldn’t fit around me; hated being limited to two stores for shopping – who only offered over-priced, “old lady” clothes; was having high blood pressure problems and had to be on medication that was expensive and made me feel worse than the high blood pressure did. Had frequent bouts of depression and seething anger inside. That was my life – my middle.
It took a chest pain to make me say “enough is enough”. I decided that I wanted a different life than the one I was living. For me, my love of chocolate, fast food, and junk food was not worth trading the quality of my “middle” for, not worth my life. Everybody has to make that choice for themselves though. I ultimately figured out it wasn’t about the weight but how I was managing my life…or in my case, not managing it but hiding out in food.
It is true that God does not care about your weight – I wrote a whole article about it called “Does God Care About Your Weight”. Look it up if you haven’t read it – It’s on the home page now but you can always use Search on my website to find it if it is ever taken off. God always deals with people on the heart level rather than appearance. It’s man who judges the outside.
In my case, God had to heal my depression and anger. I found it interesting that you said “If people truly knew what was within me that my fatness holds back, they would prefer me fat!” Wow. That is a very telling statement. I remember when I was heavy, I thought if I lost weight, I would become Alexis Carrington from Dynasty and people would hate me. I would become a witch. Not only that, but I thought I would turn into a “loose” woman!
Neither of those happened. I did not shed my morals along with my excess fat. But what did happen was that I stopped being passive and letting people walk all over me. I stopped being a people pleaser. And you know what? I discovered that you can stand up for yourself without being nasty about it! You can treat people with love and respect, but you can still say “no” and set boundaries. God taught me balance in my weight loss process.
So see, Patty, you get to choose how you are going to live your life. If you are content with the way things are, then accept your weight and the consequences that go along with it. I can’t tell you how to live and neither can anyone else. God gave us all free will.
One thing is for certain though. If you never make another right decision in your life or never do anything right again, you have already made the most important right decision – accepting Jesus Christ as your savior. You are loved and accepted by God on that basis alone. Everything else pales in comparison to the richness of that relationship.
That is the essence of life anyway!
God bless you!
My pleasure Christy. I’m only sharing with others what God teaches me 🙂
Kim
I really enjoy reading your articles, especially this one. Great metaphor 🙂 Thanks for motivating me and others to truly do what’s right for our bodies and honor God.