Thanks everyone for including me. I am excited about this. I am going to get my materials out and start over with all of you tomorrow.

Kellie Yes that is BSF. I found it interesting that when I started BSF that what I got out of it went along with what I was learning on you Biblle study and the small groups Bible study I'm doing at church. I think it will be beneficial for me to do this with y'all. I'll take the lessons I've done and just go over what I wrote when I did it and see if I have any new insights since then.

Bootse I agree. I also think Jesus must want me here.

Ryanne Thanks for starting this thread. Now that we are doing this, I'll admit that I was hoping we would have something like this when Kellie started the Diet Bible Study. I am excited about this.

Gary Thanks for blessing this thread.

Personally ladies, I don't think this takes from Encouragers or the Prayer Warriors threads at all. Hopefully it will compliment them.

Nite all. Have a great Sunday and I will catch y'all tomorrow.

Yes, I think it would be wonderful for you to do the other study and give us all the insight you can. We all can use all the help we can get!

Yes, I think that God has given me my plan and I think that if I get too legalistic, I will ask you all for prayer concerning it, but I do believe that plans are not one size fits all, and I do believe that God will show each of us His plan for us.

Amen, Kelli...That is EXACTLY how I feel! Well, alrighty then, looks like we got a good start here. Can't wait to get to know all of you more!

Gary, thank you for the blessing on this thread, that was sweet.

Cinnamon is good for keeping blood sugar down, thanks Trish I never knew that! I love cinnamon toast and I use the diet sugar with it. I have not had it in such a long time. I am not a diabetic but it runs in our family and so does heart trouble high cholesterol.
I just read something else very interesting in Sugar busters: There is an insulin and cholesterol connection they believe that the insulin must be causing the liver to make cholesterol, which makes sense because the doctor said my body was making cholesterol that I need to be on Cholesterol medicine, but she could not tell me how my body was making cholesterol, hmm...this book is really getting interested. If I know how my body is making cholesterol then I have a 2nd chance at correcting it, through foods I eat. Does that make sense or am I dreaming?

Introduction
God Is Not Mad At You
“UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN”. It’s what the lepers of Jesus’ time had to shout when they walked through the streets. “UNCLEAN!” They were the outcast of society, shunned and mocked by society. People thought God was punishing them, so they thought they would get a special blessing if they helped God by punishing them. They felt they deserved what they got. People shunned and mocked them, looking at them in disgust, thankful and self-righteous.

We, who are overweight in our society, are the lepers of our day. We don’t have to yell out unclean; our bodies do that for us. We are the repulsive joke in shows such as Good Luck Chuck (I didn’t see it, just the previews made me sick). I saw a news story the other day that illustrated one of the many ways we are treated, and it broke my heart. A Rapper was in concert, and he said “all the beautiful ladies in this audience, get up on the stage and dance with me”, so girls started dancing up on the stage. The rapper started to laugh, and said “look ladies, if you weigh 200 pounds get off my stage”.

It was appalling to see the smiles wiped off their beautiful young faces, as the girls tried as quickly as possible to get off stage. They had done such a brave thing in getting up there. They gambled on the risky prospect of human kindness and lost. Any self-respect they might have desperately gained up to that point was shattered, and I know the pain they suffered. You probably do too. We suffer with them, knowing the world thinks of us, that we are gross, stupid, fools with no feelings.

Just as it must have felt hopeless to the lepers in Jesus’ time, we feel doomed to failure. We have tried, and hoped, and hoped and tried. Maybe this one will work; maybe this will be the one. How can being overweight be our fault, when we have tried so hard?

I understand how bad you want to be slim and healthy, I know because the desire to be thin consumed me. I was so humiliated about my weight. I hated to leave the house. I dreaded social situations. Even though he never said a word about my weight, I thought my husband was ashamed of me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lose the weight. Just like you, I felt doomed to failure.

This Bible study will show you the more will power you use, and the harder you try to lose weight, the heaver you will be. Dieting creates two obsessions. One, you become fixated on food, and two, you become fixated on your weight.

Believe me when I tell you, you are strong! You, yes you! You can be the person you want to be. The person God made you to be. It’s not about changing the food you eat. It’s about understanding and fixing the reasons you overeat. It’s about changing your wrong thinking into right thinking.

You have a problem with your weight because you eat more than your body uses, and in truth the answer is, stop eating more than your body needs. Don’t you wish it were that simple?

Diets try to convince us that we need to change the food we eat. They over simplify, and, over complicate the whole process. Wouldn’t it be easy if we could all just decide which diet was best for us, and then do it? If it was that clear-cut, obesity wouldn’t be the second highest preventable cause of death in America. I knew all that, but I couldn’t stop myself from overeating. I needed to find the reason I was overeating and why I couldn’t stop, that’s why I started to write this study. I was desperate, I always felt like I was in trouble with God. Writing this study I have come to know the character of our loving father and through studying His word, I found God is not mad at me at all.

A definition of sin as an act that hurts you or someone else, Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Notice the prerequisite for loving your neighbor is to love yourself).

Before I knew Him, I thought God was up in heaven somewhere saying, “FOLLOW THESE RULES BECAUSE I SAID SO, AND I -AM –THE- BOSS.

God has a plan for your life, and that plan includes you being joyful, and successful. He understands our weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15&16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

God says gluttony is a sin (Proverbs 23:2) for good reason. Being overweight is a serious health condition that can lead to early death. People who are twenty percent heavier than their ideal weight are considered obese (determined by standard medical and insurance data). For example, the normal weight for woman who is 5’7" is 143 pounds, but they are considered obese if they weigh 189 pounds or above. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

There are a so many medical problems associated with being overweight, including high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, and arthritis. These problems increase as your weight does. The heart of an obese person has to work harder causing congestive heart failure. Cardiovascular problems are common among obese people. High blood pressure can lead to the development of heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke.

God designed our bodies to need only so much food. Overeating puts too much sugar and fat in our system and our bodies can’t handle it, increasing the risk of developing type II diabetes.

My husband and I participated in a medical study at a University on how marriage affected blood pressure. They sent us to a lab for blood work. The lab was also conducting a five-year study on the morbidly obese. I had been on a diet and was almost at my goal weight (naturally, I gained it all back and more). The technician who was taking our health histories, said, “How refreshing, I’m used to patients having so many health issues because of their weight” she told me how much they suffer.

Hearing this broke my heart, because the memory how much it hurt being overweight was still fresh in my mind. How trapped and desperate I felt. How my ribs hurt how my knees and feet hurt. I was so tired and I hated myself, I knew the world thought I was just lazy and stupid.

I wanted to defend myself to everyone “I am trying to lose weight”, “the person inside here isn’t the person you see out there”, “and I’m trapped.” I felt like I wasn’t considered valuable. I felt useless and unloved, because I didn’t love myself. The world reserved its goodness for thin people, and the way most people treated me intensified my feelings, I felt people either dismissed me or patronized me. There were times I tried to dress up my fat and say I didn’t care. There were times I just gave up, and I would wear an old holey tee-shirt shirt and comfy bleach stained sweats everywhere. I hated how I looked, and felt, every moment of every single day.

God doesn’t see you that way, He sees the person He created in His image (Genesis 1:27). He sees the value of your eternal soul (Psalm 139: 1-18). You are important to God and He doesn’t want to see you live like this. It doesn’t make Him less of a God if you sin. If God didn’t love you, your pain wouldn’t hurt Him in the slightest. It’s your self-imposed suffering He labels as sin, God doesn’t condemn you, (John 3:17) All of us have sinned (Romans 3:23) He loves you.

Being overweight is not a sickness or an inherited problem. It’s the result of eating more than your body needs. You may say you have a slow metabolism, and it could be true, but it isn’t your get out of jail free card. It isn’t an excuse to eat more; it means your body doesn’t need as much food to maintain it.

I know the excuses from the medical world make us feel justified, but it doesn’t help our problem. If you think about it, and are honest with yourself those excuses dash all hope of ever being thin and healthy.

You are probably saying to yourself “I don’t need something else to make me feel guilty, I already feel Hopeless”, but I am here to declare to you that there is hope! You are going to tap into the power of the almighty God who created heaven and earth. The good news is because gluttony is a sin and not a defect; you have control of whether or not you participate in the sin. This Bible Study will help you understand the difference and apply the principles from the Bible to recognize and overcome Satan’s deception.

When I started writing this Bible Study I was well on my way to becoming another sad statistic. I weighed over two hundred pounds, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Food was the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning and the last thing I thought of when I went to sleep. I desired it beyond reason. The yearning to chew was irresistible and I couldn’t control it, I didn’t want to. The more I ate the more I needed. My desire for food was voracious and no matter how much I ate, the empty longing was never satisfied. Then one day my beautiful teenage foster daughter Mylissa walked through the front door, upset, with tears streaming down her sweet face, she told me she was hurt and humiliated, because a group of teenage boys drove by and yelled something about her being overweight. This beautiful sweet young girl, who had overcome so much in her life, was so wounded by these foolish boys, who had no idea of who she was as a person. I could feel her hurt and I wanted so much to help her.

I found a book on using the Bible as a diet guide. We started to read it, and even though I found the diet to be quite sensible, I realized the religious part of it was based on works. I found myself trying to explain why so much of it wasn’t Biblical and we finally gave up. I thought, "Somebody needs to write a real born again, Spirit filled Diet Bible study". I decided to write one for Mylissa and myself

I pray it will help you to find the truth about the emptiness we try so desperately to fill.
Understanding the things of the Spirit

You can’t understand the things of the spirit if you haven’t been born of the spirit, so having a relationship with Christ is a pre-requisite for this study.

I Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) says, 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I am not talking about religion; I mean having a relationship with Jesus Christ. God loves you so much He wants a relationship with you, and He has a plan for your life, but you need to be born of the Spirit. How do you become born of the spirit?

John 3:1-21 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Let’s take these verses one at a time. Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions, and at first Jesus, answers confused him. He asked, “How can a person be born again? Go back into his mother’s womb?” Jesus answer was “unless one is born of the water” (the womb) “and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Take note of verse nine, Nicodemus says, “How can these things be?” He wanted to know how to be born of the Spirit, And Jesus gives him the answer, gives all of us the answer in verse fifteen.

“Whoever believes in Him (Jesus) should not perish but have eternal life.” God tells us in His word, He wants us all to be with Him in heaven (II Peter 3:9), yet heaven is a perfect place. God won’t let it be corrupted by sin, any sin. (Revelation 21:27), So unless you are perfect, without sin you are not allowed in heaven. However, we are all sinners and separated from God, so now what do we do? Jesus is the perfect Son of God and He took the punishment paying the price for our sin, because we couldn’t afford it, we can’t be perfect. It’s important we realize our need for Christ and accept Him as your own savior. Confess your sin and need for him.

Romans 10: 8 & 9 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
It’s as simple as acknowledging you are a sinner and believe in your heart Jesus died on the cross for your sin.

II Peter 3:9 God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance.

Pray a prayer like this, to Jesus, in your own words, and mean it with all your heart.
~Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I receive You as my Savior, and ask You to forgive my sins. I acknowledge You are the Lord of my life and I turn my life over to you, and ask you to help me turn from my sin and turn to You.
Thank you my Lord in Jesus name amen. ~

Now you have prayed this prayer and meant it, God will begin to change you from the inside out; He will change your desires. In fact, your desire will be for the things of God.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

By grace you are saved—a gift from your Lord!

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The cost of sinning (wages) is death (separation from God) but the Gift is eternal life. You can’t be good enough to get to heaven on your own. It’s a gift!

Flowers Over the Wall
Week 1: Day 1

Isaiah 49:23b (NIV) Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

It had been a rough week for me. I was sitting in church and I was mad at God. I was mad at the world, and I most of all I was mad at myself, in fact I hated myself. I thought the reason I hated myself was that I was fat. It was sometime in the early 1990’s, I hadn’t been saved long, and all my self worth was centered on what I looked like.

As I sat there, I thought about how I had run into an old friend and the thought hurt because I still had his words ringing in my head. He had introduced me to a buddy of his, and his comment to his friend was “She used to be real good-looking until she had a kid and packed on forty pounds.” Apparently, he didn’t think that should hurt a fat girl.

I had met this old friend at a disco I worked at before I got married, and in that environment, around closing time, the compliments come in fast and furious. The only positive reinforcement I got was from men about my looks, and when they faded, as they always do, I was worthless in my own eyes. The sexual abuse I had endured as a child only reinforced my feelings. What made it worse was my highest level of education was seventh grade, so I knew I didn’t have a leg to stand on there.

Even though my husband constantly reassured me that he loved me, I was always afraid he would leave me. I didn’t believe he could still be in love with me He had married me when I was skinny. I was desperate to be thin again.

As I sat in church waiting for the service to begin, I thought back and remembered why I was mad at God. I decided I was going to pray and have faith God would do a miracle and make me skinny –down to a certain weight in exactly one month. I was used to getting on the scale every day, sometimes three or four times a day, but I decided for that month I would stay off them. I had a hard time waiting, so by the time the day came I was excited, I just knew God would do a miracle. I stepped up on the scale and… it hadn’t moved one millimeter. I was bitterly disappointed and furious with God. I was crying and praying, I opened the Bible and read,

Isaiah 49:23b (NIV) Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

I remember being enraged. I called God a liar. I was so mad.
I was disappointed; I felt He had let me down. I remember saying to Him, I did hope in you, this is your Word, and You promise we won’t be disappointed, You let me down!

I was still mad at God when the church service began. I couldn’t even get into the worship; usually the part I love the most. The Pastor started reading the text for the sermon that day, I was surprised because it was the same text I had been reading when I got so mad at God,

Isaiah 49:23b (NIV) Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

I was shocked when, in that church with over five-hundred people listening, the pastor said something along the lines of “somebody sitting here today, read that scripture this last week and was mad at God. It’s not acceptable to talk to God like that, you need to respect Him, but still, He wants you to know He will answer your prayer, not because of your righteousness, but for His Glory, and you will not be disappointed, but He will fulfill the promise in His time. Then he went on with his sermon, it was about trials and the blessings that come from trials.

The pastor related an incident in his life. He said he used to love to look at the fields out his back window. He loved to sit at his kitchen table and watch the wind make the stalks sway, so he was particularly disappointed when a contractor started building a subdivision right behind his house. Where lovely swaying grass once grew, was torn up, the ground full of pockmarks where foundations for new houses were being dug. He tried to give it to God, but the more he thought about it the angrier he got.

He knew it was silly to be so upset about an earthly thing, but he just couldn’t help it. He had enjoyed his view so much. He finally started becoming used to the idea, when his new neighbor moved in; he thought that maybe they could become friends.

Imagine his disappointment when the neighbor started building an ugly, Grey, ten foot, cinder-block wall. He built his wall so tall, my pastor could barley see the roof of this neighbor’s house. The pastor was ashamed to admit it, but he felt bitter against his neighbor every time he looked at the wall.

However, something started to happen over time, little flowers started peeking up over the wall, and then more flowers of different types and colors started to spill over. Slowly but surely the ugly wall became a mass of beautiful flowers. He said the effect was breathtaking and priceless. It was the focal point of his whole yard, and was so much better then the wheat grass that had him so enamored. He felt grateful to his neighbor for this wonderful gift.

He said sometimes God works like that, He may not take the problems away immediately, but like flowers over an ugly wall our problems can bloom and grow and fill us with joy. At the time, even though I knew God was talking to me, that sermon didn’t hit home. I thought Okay now I will be healed of my eating addiction because God spoke directly to me… but no I was still as addicted as ever.

Many years later when God did heal me, I recalled the sermon and gratitude overwhelmed me for the trial of being overweight. The flowers I have enjoyed through the years, searching for an answer to my problem, have filled my life with beauty. I am so grateful that God gave me the gift of being overweight. My weight problem brought me unimaginable joy, it brought me to my knees, It made me seek God, It made me see the beauty is my soul, the eternal part of me. The reason outer beauty is so important to the world is because Satan makes the least of us the most important part.

So here it is, I offer it to you, just as it is, seventh grade grammar problems and all. I would have been too embarrassed a few years ago to present such a deformed offering, but now I know God will use it, because in my weakness He is strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Let’s Get Started!

I struggled with my weight for seventeen years, I prayed every single day many times a day that God would help me lose weight. At times, I thought it was a test and in Gods time, He would make me thin, I thought it was God making me overweight. I would try to smile, and say, “I need to be happy with the way God made me.” The whole time feeling miserable, because the last thing I wanted was to be overweight for the rest of my life. This way of thinking also meant there was no hope of me ever being thin.

Almost every diet I tried started by telling me how their diet is different. I would always hope this one was different. I tried almost every diet on the market, praying that God would help me stay on them, and then I would fall short again. After so many failed attempts, I felt God was inaccessible because He wasn’t answering my prayers. I felt hopeless, like such a failure because nothing worked for me. I had a love hate relationship with food and was afraid of it, I would deny myself the foods I loved then “blow it” by binging.

Then at some stage during this confusion and sadness, I started realizing diets don’t work, because they don’t address the real problem they just cover it up. I had to figure out what my problem was. Why did I run to the refrigerator whenever I was bored, sad, tired, or when any other unpleasant emotion struck me?

I found that when I overate I was trying to dull pain. Food gave me temporary satisfaction. As I was swallowing massive amounts of food, I could zone out. I ran to food trying to fill a need, I found it didn’t work. The more I ate the hungrier I was. I found that running to anything other than God for fulfillment is spiritual Idolatry.

God created us with a need for a relationship with Him. We try to fill the God sized desire with food and it won’t satisfy our need, no matter how much we eat. Let me say that again, food will never satisfy that longing need, you can eat, and eat, and eat, and you can get fatter, and fatter, and fatter.

God created foods that taste good for our pleasure. However, He never intended for us to over indulge, lust, bow down, think about, and be greedy for food. Overeating will never satisfy and will lead to discontentment and hurt. That’s not God’s will for you.

The desire to be thin is not vanity. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit your good stewardship of it is as important as anything God has given you. God says in the Bible, gluttony is a sin. However, dieting only exacerbates the problem. Diets only work on changing what foods you eat. We have to change the content of our hearts. We need to find the reason we are overeating. God’s made our bodies with a perfect system for regulating how much we should eat and when we over do it, our stomachs become numb to being full and our hearts become hard and insensitive.

READ: Hebrews 3:12-15 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
It is hard to think you are sinning when you are so sad. You already feel condemned and I understand how bad you want to stop and so does God. You have had these habits for so long, they are so ingrained in your mind that you think it is something happening to you. How can it be a sin if you are a victim? Remember the definition of sin is an action that hurts you. We will use the Bible to understand and fix your compulsion to overeat.

This study will examine the Bible to find the answers to our dieting dilemma. The Study is designed to do five days a week, for about Thirty minutes a day. Don’t try to breeze through it quickly, it’s meant for study and contemplation.

Some of the points used in this study may seem redundant. I have found it easier to understand a concept if I hear it more than once.

At the end of each day’s lesson, there are three activities. I have a scripture passage that relates to the study. You should use your Bible and study it.

Then I’ll ask you to memorize one scripture a week. This is a very important step in your recovery because the Bible is the weapon you use to fight Satan and is the only thing that can break the bonds Satan has you tied with.

I have a difficult time memorizing anything so every day I’ll take out words. Try to fill in the blanks with out looking at the scripture. I have found this is useful for me. If you are one of those blessed individuals who find it easy to memorize then use your own method, whatever is easier for you, do.

The next activity is to review the lesson pray, and ask God to show you one or more statements or Scriptures from the study He wants you to understand, learn, or practice. This is a personal question and applies only to you it has no right or wrong answer.

The last question is asks what steps of faith God wants you to take toward him today. Spend a little time praying; ask God how He may want you to respond to this question. Then I’ll also ask you to reword that statement or Scripture into an expression of faith. That simply means you affirm your belief that God will give you the strength and faith to take those steps. This should become a time of prayer and meditation each day as you ask God what He wants you to do in response to each days study. The following is an example of the way I might have responded to today’s study.

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? God created food to taste good for our pleasure. However, God never intended for us to over indulge, lust, bow down, think about, and be greedy for food.

What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? He wants me stop thinking about, worshiping, and being greedy for food.

Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith: God thank you, for creating delicious food for me to enjoy. I believe you have given me self-control so I will not bow down and worship what you have created for my pleasure. I’ll only worship you.

God is brilliant, and His Bible is our Manual, by following God’s Holy Book, we find the answers for life’s problems.

We have to surrender our weight problem to God. When you stop running to the refrigerator for physical pleasure and comfort, you will start eating normal foods God created for you to enjoy. You will be eating only when you are actually hungry, you’ll be eating about half, or even less of what you have been, and you will lose weight.

Read Matthew: 6:31-34

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________ _________________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________

What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________

Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________
__________________________________________________ _________________________

Memory Verse: Isaiah 55:9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

"Almost every diet I tried started by telling me how their diet is different. I would always hope this one was different. I tried almost every diet on the market, praying that God would help me stay on them, and then I would fall short again. After so many failed attempts, I felt God was inaccessible because He wasn’t answering my prayers. I felt hopeless, like such a failure because nothing worked for me. I had a love hate relationship with food and was afraid of it, I would deny myself the foods I loved then “blow it” by binging.

Then at some stage during this confusion and sadness, I started realizing diets don’t work, because they don’t address the real problem they just cover it up. I had to figure out what my problem was. Why did I run to the refrigerator whenever I was bored, sad, tired, or when any other unpleasant emotion struck me?

I found that when I overate I was trying to dull pain. Food gave me temporary satisfaction. As I was swallowing massive amounts of food, I could zone out. I ran to food trying to fill a need, I found it didn’t work. The more I ate the hungrier I was. I found that running to anything other than God for fulfillment is spiritual Idolatry.

God created us with a need for a relationship with Him. We try to fill the God sized desire with food and it won’t satisfy our need, no matter how much we eat. Let me say that again, food will never satisfy that longing need, you can eat, and eat, and eat, and you can get fatter, and fatter, and fatter.

God created foods that taste good for our pleasure. However, He never intended for us to over indulge, lust, bow down, think about, and be greedy for food. Overeating will never satisfy and will lead to discontentment and hurt. That’s not God’s will for you.

The desire to be thin is not vanity. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit your good stewardship of it is as important as anything God has given you. God says in the Bible, gluttony is a sin. However, dieting only exacerbates the problem. Diets only work on changing what foods you eat. We have to change the content of our hearts. We need to find the reason we are overeating. God’s made our bodies with a perfect system for regulating how much we should eat and when we over do it, our stomachs become numb to being full and our hearts become hard and insensitive.

God is brilliant, and His Bible is our Manual, by following God’s Holy Book, we find the answers for life’s problems.

We have to surrender our weight problem to God."

This is exactly what I did and how I felt. I felt like a failure since diets seemed to work for "everyone else and not me". I realized that diets don't work for everyone else, yes, they will take the weight off, calories in versus calories out, but the problem is STILL THERE!!! The problem is gluttony and idol worship.
I have to share this, because it's important to me....
I have been praying and believing God daily over this eating and drinking thing, right? So I had been drinking just water, the occasional fat free milk, and lemon tea...for MONTHS I stayed away from soda. So the other day, and I didn't realize this then, but I was thinking "well, if I drink what I want, that will help to keep me full and help me to not have food on my mind so much". So I bought some cappaccino and some diet soda. I have been trying to enjoy it, the cappaccino is gross, and for some reason, I was getting a check in my spirit with the soda. I know that I want to bring glory to God in my eating AND drinking. So the thing is, God showed me that I was looking back to what worked for me before, and so I was trying to help myself. OUCH! I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the drinks themselves, it was my frame of mind. I didn't realize this was what I was doing until this morning, even though I have been dealing with the check in my spirit for about a week or so now. I was just doing it with a wrong spirit. Trying to "help" myself. What was God's plan for me? Well, something I discovered quite by accident... I used to leave Christian music on in my home all the time, well I hadn't done this for probably a good nine months or so, so I put some praise and worship on all day yesterday, and it really seemed to help with the cravings/temptations. I was still tempted, but it seemed easier to resist. God is so good! Another thing I realized today, is that I am sooooo like a toddler! God will show me a truth sometimes, like "don't eat when you are not hungry" and I'll go "OH, Ok God, thank you" then go about trying to do it in my own power. Like a little kid, "I DO IT MYSELF"...lol. Not anymore, that is NOT what I want. Jesus is my Daily Bread and I know "of myself I can do nothing". I don't care how thin I am, if I still have gluttony for a problem, it doesn't matter. I would be thin and MISERABLE! I will wait on God and let Him teach me in His timing. Amen. I only want His best for me.
Anyway, it's raining out this morning, so I need to take husband to work so I can have the car for Church, doesn't look like I'll be walking to Church today...lol. I will be back in after Church. Have a wonderful Sunday all! I appreciate you all sooooo much!!!!

Good Morning!

I can't tell you how excited I am about this support group! I know that I know, that I know, you will all be successful in your weight loss... How do I know??? Because, I know this study is from God, how do I know it's from God??? Because only God could have accomplished this.

Not long ago, I felt a desire to share the study, by posting it here (3FC), but I just couldn't believe that I could write something worthwhile. In fact when Ryann said something about me "having wisdom" (she is so sweet) I felt embarrassed, because I so do not have wisdom, that's why I know God is truly in this study. I hope you don't mind but I'm taking an excerpt from the very end of the study because I just want to share how special this is to me, and how humbled and grateful I am that God could use me.

I mentioned earlier how I was so reluctant to post this on 3FC, because I felt I couldn't write anything worthwhile, when God gave me this Scripture:

Psalm 19:7 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

I looked up synonyms for the word "Testimony", and it is "Authentication". So I have a this Scripture above my computer screen, but it says.

Psalm 19:7 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The authentication of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

Just in case I start thinking it has anything to do with me again...

Sorry that was so long...

Now finally here is the Scripture or statement that most spoke to my heart from the study, it isn't actually from the study but from something Ryann wrote.

I have been trying to figure out why I eat so fast (still am trying to quit that) and what is in the act of "swallowing" that makes it so irresistible???

When I do eat slow the feeling of the food in my mouth is sort of gross??? And I just can't wait to swallow it!

I think what God has been teaching me lately is "The whole avoiding the real issues in my life by zoning out and over eating is not just in the food going into my mouth, but the whole process of "dieting" the overwhelming thought process that goes into dieting, (weighing, measuring, counting calories, avoiding some foods, the highs that comes with success and starting something new, the lows and guilt that comes with failure.) All that thought and preparation helps us to avoid our real issues and overrides thoughts of what is really hurting, and it's easier than facing those feelings. I don't know if that made sense...

AAARRRGGGG! I just realized how long this is... I do go on and on don't I!!!

Love you all, I have to go get ready for church!

Kelli

Good Morning Ryanne and all,
I started dieting when I was 10 years old and now today at 56 I still am dieting trying to loose that extra baggage. My Mother and Dad knew nothing about healthy eating and never taught me or tried to help me. I did not even realize I was fat for my age until I over heard my Mom , sister and brother-in-law making fun of me. I remember that day, Mom came back in the house and I was crying and she said what is wrong with you. I told her I over heard and she just laughed and said Well You are fat! Just left the room laughing. I was 10 and I sure could of used some help from my Mother to help me take control instead of feeding me a platter of french fries covered with gravy for breakfast. Hamburger and french fries for dinner and a chicken fried steak with all the trimmings for supper. That is what I had everyday almost, no wonder I was fat.I never ate sweets unless it was Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I know what gluttony is and yes I am a glutton, I know that and it is a never ending fight within me to gain control of my eating habits but I can do it, by feeding on the word of Jesus every day, it is getting easier. I also know that I don't have to eat everything on my plate and learning to choose more healthy foods, wish my Mom & Dad had learned that, they might still be around today or at least got to see their great grandchildren.

Today Jesus I am planting my seed of commitment, and release my faith unto you. I am weak in will power but I have learned that leaning to you and absorbing your word ,Jesus you make me stronger.I know that with you I can become a better person and loose all the weight I want too, but I have to do my part.Thank You for giving us new chances, and today is the start of a new chance to become the person you want me to be! I am your work in progress. Amen
I have two scales one says I weigh 6 pounds more than the other scale, hmmm I been going by the less scale it says i weigh as today 194, that means I gained 2 pounds yesterday, hmmm.. my other scale says I weigh 199. Instead of going with the lesser scale I think I am going to go with the one that says 199, now my goal for October is 7 pounds loss, if I loose more that is great but I am going to shoot for a 7 pound goal. That will be 5 pounds and those 2 I regained yesterday!

Great posts everyone.

As I read the Introduction and the words "UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN" and how people seem to think of us as unclean, John 15:3 came to me. Jesus said to his disciples "You are already clean because of the Word I have spoken to you". Yes I am over weight and obviously I eat more than my body needs, but I am not "unclean". I feel or have felt everything Kellie described in the lesson and that each of you have.

I was not over weight until I was 20 yeras old. Food never held a place of priority until then. I ate 2 meals a day and a snack was rare. I probably did not eat enough. I had fainting spells and no one, not even the doctor knew why. I gained weight when I started eating 3 meals a day + a shake at the drugstore each evening with my friends when I was in college. Still I was active enough that I didn't gain all that much and my clothes still fit.

When I went to live with my aunt, she insisted on 3 meals a day. That is when the yo-yo dieting started... 46 yrs ago. I would go to diet doctors and lose, but always gain it back and more. For years I would look at a diet and think, "that is too much food, I can't eat all that food. I'll gain weight". Even my thin sister-in-law said the same thing. She ate like I did when I was thin and she still was thin.

Looking at the diets, it didn't look like I was overeating. I joined Overeater's Anonymous and started a group in my home. My sister-in-law above used to say she didn't know why was in that group, she said "You are not an Overeater". Yes, I have become an overeater. When I started eating the way people say is "normal" eating, I started "overeating" for my body.

Bootsie I saw you mention to someone on Encouragers about Sugar Busters. I had that book years ago. Still have the book on tape somewhere, but it must be packed somewhere or got lost when we moved from FL to SC. I checked it out. That is basically the way I eat now. So I printed it out for some guidelines, because there is no way I can eat as much food as their Pyramid shows. Is the thread on 3fc where you go or on the Sugar Busters website? Didn't know whether to join because I will do it more along Intuitive Eating guidelines rather than theirs. I like the idea of eating when I'm hungry not because it is time to eat.

That brings me to another thought from something one of you mentioned earlier... Ryanne I think it was. No one diet fits all. Someone can give you a basic idea and it might work for them the way they tell people to do it, but there are some of us that cannot as I said earlier can not eat as much food as other people do. I am in the process of learning that just because it is on my plate doesn't mean I have to eat it all. In fact, I purposely leave at least one bite on my plate to teach me that I don't have to eat it all.

I recently realized that "diets" became my priority. It took up so much of my time that I had no time to read my Bible or anything else. I was constantly reading "diets". I could start a diet library with my own books that I have. God has to have FIRST place in my life and not a diet. One of the major things that I've learned from this Bible Study of Kellie's in the past 9 weeks or so is this. Satan tempted Eve in the garden with a piece of fruit and he has been tempting me with forbidden foods for 46+ years through "diets". Also, I just week in my BSF lessons, that when we were sinners, we did things the way the world did them, but now we are a New creation in Christ Jesus. Now we are supposed to learn to do things "God's Way". Thus these lessons.

Girls we've been trying things the old way "world's way" and nothing worked for us. Now through these lessons, God has given us a New Path to follow so that we can learn God's Way of losing the weight. I see it this way, who knows my body and its needs better than the One Who created it.

Kellie I agree. We will lose the weight doing this together. And as Bootsie God brought us all together. Since it is His doing, then He has the plan for each one of us as we lean on Him and put our complete trust in Him.

Sorry, I made mine too long too.

Small groups Bible study at church in a couple of hours so will go. Catch y'all tomorrow.

Have a great Sunday evening.

Oh I told a natural sister and an spiritual sister about our group. Hope they decide to come join us.

Church was so cool today, The Pastor was teaching on Mark 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” It's about the woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years and she reached out and touched Jesus' hem.

He said this woman would be one step up from a leper. A woman on her period was considered unclean. He said the Bible says she spent all her money on quack doctors. He said one of the remedies of that day for hemorrhaging was to take the ashes of a ostrich egg, and carry it around with you. In the winter you carried it a leather pouch and a linen pouch in the summer. Or you could use a grain of barley dipped in donkey dung... Just weird stuff and she probably desperately tried everyone of them.

It reminded me of how it was with me before I stopped dieting. I had this affliction that made me feel out of sync with normal society, I tried all the crazy diets. The tomato juice and egg diet, the grapefruit diet, watermelon diet... Right now my unsaved sister is on the HCG diet which involves eating 600 calories a day for thirty days while giving yourself a daily injection of the urine of a pregnant woman!!!! seriously we are desperate.

The Pastor said, with all the throngs of people touching Jesus in the crowd, bumping and shoving, what was different about this woman's touch. He said she reached out and touched Him in faith. And Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

I know God has healed me, I may get a little sidetracked sometimes and think I have to pick it back up and control it, but then He shows me to just trust Him with it.

You guys are posting such wonderful insights, we could write another study with all of them!!!

Trish there is a Sugarbuster site and it is very private which I like I went there today and I do have the book. I have not got to post on their site yet they need to check me out and make sure I won't cause harm to their site. Ha! I really don't know how they go about that. I got the book at the garage sale for 25 cents saved about 20 dollars or more, most libraries have it.
I have been having a hard time posting , it would let me read but every time i tried to post I would loose the web site. It is the weather I am sure . I guess I better post before it does it again!

Week 1 Day 2
The Diet
Day ___________________________ Date ___________________________

Start now:
Romans 7:4-25 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Eat what you want:
The previous scriptures talk about how we are weak in our flesh, and how we try to make rules and follow them. We have diet and health rules, which seem to change daily. With this diet there are no rules, you can eat anything you want, if you want a candy bar for breakfast eat it! If you want another for lunch go ahead, if one for dinner, yes, go for it! I guarantee you won’t want another one for your next meal. This diet takes the attention off the food and places it on God. The more you focus on food the more you want it and it becomes an obsession.

God formed our bodies to know what they need. Because God created our taste buds, He knows our likes and dislikes, so don’t be afraid to have your favorites. Let the system God made for you take over. When I first started this program, I went crazy and had many small bites of everything I had denied myself for so long because I was so excited about my newfound freedom. You can eat anything you want! Jesus declared all foods clean!

READ: Mark 7: 18 –23 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” 20And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

See, Jesus said in the above scripture, don’t focus on the food, focus on your spiritual health.

Slow down:
It takes approximately twenty minutes for your brain to sense you are satisfied and your blood sugars are replenished. If you eat slower, you will be able to recognize Gods built it cues. The cues are easy to recognize if you are paying attention and know what to look for. You start to notice the food doesn’t tastes as good, and you are feeling satisfied, when you say to yourself, "I think I'm getting satisfied", STOP EATING! That is God’s prompting, it’s at this time you have satisfied your body’s need for fuel and it’s time to stop eating, now! Don’t worry; you’ll be hungry again in three to four hours. It used to be when I would begin to feel this way, I’d start eating faster so I could be sure to get it all stuffed in before I got to full, that habit was a huge factor in maintaining my plump figure.

Don’t worry if you accidentally eat more than you need, God knows your heart. He understands your weakness and loves you. When I would catch my toddlers misbehaving, I would give them to the count of three to stop. I would start counting “one” and usually they would begin to pull away from the misdeed and turn towards me. I would never have punished my child if they had already turned and started towards me accidentally fell and couldn’t make it by the count of three. God is so much more merciful than we are. He knows when we are trying to be obedient.



Only Eat What You REALLY Like: Don’t eat anything you don’t like, and make sure you eat what you like the most, first. You are probably doing just the opposite and saving the best for last! Think about it, that’s setting you up to fail. You will need to retrain yourself to do the exact opposite. You will eat the juicy, sweet, most yummy items first and save the dry things, you don’t like as much for last.

I even eat my dessert right along with my meal. That way I don’t have to worry about saving room for it. You can’t tell when you’re going to get full and it won’t be as hard to stop if the food left on your plate is your least favorite.

Have you ever tried to eat a donut without the frosting? It tastes like bad white bread. It’s no big deal to let that part go. You should even eat your favorite parts of food within the food. I like to eat the crunchy salty crust off a fat French-fry first, and leave the soft mushy grainy stuff on my plate! I know this sounds extreme, but the point is, you should only eat what you really like. Don’t worry so much about wasting food. Have you ever watched a toddler eat? They haven’t learned the clean plate rule yet. They pick the food to pieces, eating only what they like. Don’t ever teach your kids “the clean plate” rule or your setting them up for a lifetime of weight issues.

The Bible says in Romans 14:20a Don’t destroy the work of God for the sake of food.

Read what God told an Old Testament king when he was worried about wasting money.

II Chronicles 25:5-9 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers’ houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. 6 He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7 But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. 8 But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.”
9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”

The food isn’t more valuable than your body. Look at what happed to the Israelites when they tried to save extra manna the manna turned to maggots!

Exodus 16:17-21 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need. 19And Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it till morning.” 20Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

If you want to eat desert first, go ahead! I usually eat my desert with my meal, that way I know I can be sure I won’t be too full by the time I get to it. It’s ok to be excited about this newfound freedom. God designed your body to crave what it needs, that’s why you don’t like to eat leftovers three days in a row.

Trust God and soon you will learn how much food you should take, so you won’t waste as much. Don’t worry God doesn’t mind if you waste a little until you learn how much it takes to make you full. I know this because there are many instances in the Bible where God tells His children to destroy all the booty left after a battle. I am sure it seemed wasteful to them but was necessary to preserve the purity of Gods children, it’s the same with us. It’s more important we keep ourselves from the destruction of our bodies.

Beverages:
The only thing I would caution you on is sugary drinks. You should be careful about drinking them between meals, because they don’t really satisfy your hunger, yet are so high in calories. Between meals, you can drink diet soda, black coffee, tea, and if you like your tea and coffee sweetened, you can use one of the artificial sweeteners on the market, or you can drink a nice cold glass of ice water. Feel free to have sugar in your coffee with breakfast just don’t drink it all day. You should always consider sugary drinks part of the meal.

It’s hard to remember to drink at eight glasses of water a day, but it’s good for you. I have worked at Boy Scout camp for a number of summers, and you must stay hydrated. It is the difference between feeling lousy or feeling energized and good. I tend to mistake being thirsty or tired for being hungry. However don’t overdo it; drinking too much water can be bad for you as well, do all things in moderation.

Trust God, The Bible lets us know, our bodies “are fearfully and wonderfully made,” don’t make it too hard. There are no set rules, you are an individual and God will have a separate plan for each of us. Remember you are learning and God knows your heart.

Read Isaiah 55

In light of today’s study, what was the scripture or statement in today’s lesson that most spoke to your heart? __________________________________________________ ________
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What steps of faith does God want you to take towards Him today? ____________________
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Rephrase the scripture or statement into an expression of faith_________________________
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Scripture to memorize this week

Isaiah 55:9 For as the _________ are higher than the ______, so are My _____ higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.