“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 16:25)
There were multiple times I found myself slugging up endless mountains, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere, only to finally reach the summit and find people in their nice clean street clothes and shoes, smelling of soap and shampoo; and lacking the dirty, smelly, sweat, just inches from their vehicle, enjoying the same breath-taking views I just spent hours and tons of energy to get to.
But I have to say, probably every single time the feeling of satisfaction I experienced to get there was unmatched with the thought of taking a short cut by quickly driving up a mountain for a brief view. Somehow the appreciation of the majestic view was far more rewarding, greatly appreciated, and most likely forever lived in my memory in its entirety, than that of a short-lived, quick drive. I know, I’ve done the quick drives as well. There truly is just something missing when you take the short-cut, primarily the experience of the journey itself, but the results even more importantly. It really instills a feeling of unending empowerment, control and freedom when you pursue the accomplishment through the journey.
There is no question we are a quick fix society. What does the Bible say about taking short cuts? Proverbs 16:25 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” The latest and greatest gadget, plan or device are touted as seamless, timesaving, and no effort. But how has that been working for us, especially as it pertains to our health? I think if we were all honest, we would at least say there are pluses and minuses to most things of convenience. And not everything that is quick and fast and effortless is better. Sometimes it’s even harmful. Today I would like to talk about the magic diets, pills and procedures for weight loss and why it hasn’t been working.
Weight Loss is NOT About a Magic Pill
Years ago, when I had my practice, on more than one occasion I would have patients come in and ask me with hope in their voice about the validity of the latest weight loss pill they just saw at Walmart of all places. Now I really shouldn’t even have had to go into any further explanation if they had just stopped to think a minute about what they were asking. First, if there truly was a magic weight loss pill don’t you think we would all be skinny? And second, if there really was a magic weight loss pill, I doubt we would find it in Walmart, wouldn’t you agree? But we seem to be so desperate to do as little work as possible (including some research) for the greatest results that we are willing to believe almost anything. What does the Bible say about disregarding truth? 2 Timothy 4:3 says “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold…”
And therein lies problem number one. We are not thinking critically through the whole perceived promise – in this case, weight loss. Instead, we pursue whatever perceived magic pill supports our wants, even if the benefits are unfounded, or worse, even harmful.
Now this doesn’t just apply to the magic weight loss pill in Walmart. This also applies to all those hundreds (yes, I have no doubt there are hundreds) of weight loss plans. Let’s take a look at that deception next.
Weight Loss is NOT About a Magic Plan
We have become so desperate to avoid hard work, and the time that it takes to put into being healthy, that we will buy almost anything to avoid it. And worse, we will spend our hard-earned dollars on some magic plan that is perceived to do all the work without much commitment on our part. You know, the hard-earned dollars that you said you don’t have to buy real food because “it’s too expensive?”
There have been magic weight loss diets, plans, potions and protocols for as long as I’ve been alive, and I’m sure even far longer than that. Here is an example of blatant deception and yet we so desperately want to buy into the deception. There is a certain weight loss plan that has been around for decades advertising on T.V. And part of their advertisement is basically sublimely telling the viewer they can “eat anything they want” while pictures of all kinds of desserts and other unhealthy foods go scrolling by on the screen. Deception at its finest.
And a lot of these plans come in the form of some multi-level marketing program that costs even more money than the true value because you are paying for the “up line” person to be paid by the person you have just been hooked into buying from – usually a “friend.” We should have a thin society by now if all of the magic weight loss pills and plans really worked.
And here is the excuse I hear all the time from those promoting these magic weight loss plans “they need to start somewhere with taking care of their health. Once they lose the weight they will be motivated to do other things for their health as well.” Maybe for some. But not for most. Because their goal was never to be healthy to begin with, it was to look better by losing weight. Once the weight is off the motivation is gone.
Why Even Lose Weight?
On the flip side to all of the quick fix dieting is this new trend that “fat is beautiful.” And affirming women who are obese and even encouraging them that they can be just as beautiful and fashionable as their thin counterparts and to eat whatever they want – the fatter the better. This is first of all appalling to me and is just enabling the greatest laziness if not downright unhealthiness. It literally is self-sabotaging. This is not a criticism or degradation of the appearance and certainly not the value of women who are overweight. The richest, most touted beautiful, over-weight women, does not over-ride the fact that these women are extremely unhealthy and heading to their graves far too early.
In fact, there are actually fashion magazines, blogs, support groups and wherever else people turn to for affirmation these days, that are actually promoting being overweight as good – “big is beautiful” — and should even be strived for!
The need to lose weight has absolutely nothing to do with how a person looks, it’s about how unhealthy they are. Just because an obese woman finds clothes that make her look beautiful, in spite of her excess weight, does not negate her unhealthiness. It seems to simply lend to ignoring the fact that a person is very unhealthy regardless of how “beautiful” they think they look.
The bottom line is excess weight is a strong indicator that a person is unhealthy, and their body is totally out of balance. If you were to take a comprehensive health assessment of anyone overweight you would certainly find signs of establishing, if not already established multiple chronic degenerative diseases in the works. Things like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hormone imbalance, mental health imbalances, auto-immune conditions and cancers. Is the need to be beautiful and affirmed worth acquiring these death decrees in the process?
And just because you have “tried” to lose weight, using the artificial programs, diets and protocols – including surgeries – does not mean your body is unable to do so. The key here is all of these weight loss approaches are just that — artificial and unnatural to the body. That is the primary reason they don’t work – they are unnatural and artificial.
And worse, ignoring the problem by affirming, and even encouraging obesity instead is truly assisting in suicide. Ecclesiastes 2:11 says “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
The truth is every single person, obese, underweight, normal weight – all have a unique, divine, purpose and reason for being here on this earth. But we each need strength, stamina, energy and clarity of mind in order to fulfill that purpose to its optimum.
So How Do You Lose Weight?
The first thing that needs to be understood is excess, or even insufficient, weight is simply a symptom of your body being out of balance somewhere or possibly even diseased. The key is to determine the root cause of the imbalance and start healing the body, using natural approaches. And before you whine about it, I’ll say it for you “it’s not easy!” But nothing worth having ever is, and you and your health are both highly valuable assets.
The goal should never be to “lose weight.” It’s not about how we look, and we certainly shouldn’t be chasing after the symptom of being over-weight or obese, just like we shouldn’t chase after any other symptom. The problem is excess weight is an outwardly noticeable symptom, where most other symptoms are not near as obvious to ourselves or others.
We have become so short-sighted that the only reason we think we need to address our weight is so that we can look good. Or worse, have the approval of others. It’s used far too often as the measuring stick of whether we are healthy or not too. If we don’t have a weight problem, we think we are healthy as well. It’s all using the wrong measuring stick.
Start With Your Metabolic Type
A good first place to start is with your diet. No, not by lowering your calories (or increasing them if you need to gain weight), but by consuming, from real food, the right nutrients for your body. This is not accomplished through synthetic dietary shakes, or a handful of synthetic vitamins or minerals, and certainly not through surgical procedures. But from real, fresh, food based on your body’s metabolic needs. Ideally organic. And everybody’s dietary needs are different. Your own metabolism is as unique as your fingerprints. There are multiple factors that need to be taken into consideration regarding your metabolic type. One of those is how your body burns fuel. Are you a “slow burner” – does your body do best when it eats more carbs like fresh fruits and vegetables, and less on the heavier proteins and fats? Or perhaps you are the opposite – you are a fast burner, so your body needs the fuel that burns more slowly like proteins and fats. To learn more about metabolic typing go HERE. Or pick up a copy of Dr. William Wolcott’s book “The Metabolic Typing Diet.”
It also takes time. Your weight didn’t just jump on you overnight. It was accumulated over time. Now for some, it might have happened quicker than others, but the underlying root cause has been manifesting for quite a while – even before you noticed it outwardly. So, it is going to take time to come off. But here is the key – our health plan should be for a lifetime. This is not a one and done approach.
Other Steps to Take for Weight Loss
Another thing you must do, and this won’t cost you one red dime is to stop eating:
- Fast food
- Fried food
- Packaged and Processed foods
- Sugar
Gradually start replacing these foods and drinks with real food and water.
- And speaking of water – drink, drink, drink!
- Of course, move, move, move – primarily through cardiovascular exercise, but resistance work is good too.
- Rest is also vital to the healing of the root causes of all chronic diseases, including obesity.
- And most of all pray. Invite God into the process of healing the body He created just for you. Ask Him what the root is and how to bring your body back into balance the way He designed it to be.
In Summary
- There is no short-cut to weight loss. No magic pill or program will bring you long-lasting, healthy results.
- Weight gain or loss is simply a symptom like all the other hundreds of symptoms one can experience. It’s simply your body’s way of telling you something is out balance with your health.
- Start by uncovering the root cause of your weight imbalances.
- You lose weight not by cutting calories, but by eating real foods that are right for your metabolic type.
- Your metabolic type is as unique for you as your fingerprints are – this is the best place to start uncovering the root cause – eat real foods that support your metabolic type.
- Don’t use “fat is beautiful” to affirm your looks, or worse as an excuse not to work towards being healthy. Accepting, and feeding into this mantra is a self-sabotaging death sentence.
- You have a unique, divine, purpose and reason for being here on this earth, but you need strength, stamina, energy and clarity of mind in order to fulfill that purpose to the fullest.
I give a whole presentation to show you how you can restore your body back to good health using natural approaches, wholistically.
go to : https://jackiemckool.com/schedule-jackie/
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