Hi all,

I have been heavy all my life...even in my kindergarten photos! I never saw too many people be successful on diets so I mainly just lived my life and got upto to 440lbs! Pretty happy with my life though...I have a wonderful but chubby husband (who is also doing the surgery after me) and two BEAUTIFUL daughters from China...the most exciting experiences of my life! Well, my deeply spiritual friend and I were having a discussion on my path to this surgery and she thinks I can do this on my own if I just believe and ask God for help. She is baseing this on the fact that I have lost 42lbs and my husband has lost 55lbs on Weight Watchers while we have done the 6 month supervised diet thing with our PCP. I have been a Christian for most of my life and have seen God do incredible things and protect me in the wildest ways!

I am not saying this surgery is the easy way out, I have been around this forum for a LONG time and see that it is not and I don't think she is saying that either. I just think she figures that God made our tummys the way they are and that he can restore our minds and hearts without cutting out a perfectly good part of our tummies. In a way, it makes me feel like "why can't I believe God" He has gotten me this far (I didn't think I could lose any weight on my own) or that it would be hell...well it hasn't! But my deal is I want to insure my success and move on....not spend the next however many years counting points! Am I impatient and not letting God work? I believed God brought this to me and have followed the plan to get here...my last PCP apt is June 2 and then my insurance will be submitted....so fellow believers...what do you think...I don't want to be a second rate Christian and God can do anything! Thoughts?????

Thanks for listening, Tracy W.

Thanks for all the post Ladies! I was doubting myself too and I am greatful for this forum because it is also a place of encouragment especially from other believers.

AMEN!

I love God, Jesus is the reason for my life. I have been a Christian for 39 years. Jesus and I are about to celebrate our 40th year together when I turn 47 in December. If I did not trust Him I would have never laid on that table and let the pretty woman in purple put me to sleep. Purple is a royal color. Jesus is the only royalty. To me that was God saying.. I GOT THIS, you relax. I did. Don't listen to people saying you can do it yourself. You didnt get to be 440 lbs by yourself. It's going to take a tool to get you to a healthy weight. I believe and no one can shake me from who I belong too. I'm Bible believing child of the Living God. The Holy Spirit sealed me a long time ago. If your mind is truly made up. NOTHING and no one will stop you. My Husband didnt want me to do it, my so called best friend is nothing but negative, my Mom saw how serious I was and she stopped fighting me. She knows how determined her child is when she puts her mind to it. When I was a little gurl they showed me how to tie my shoes and would try to help me. I said I can do it. That part of me will never change.I can do it, with God. Not alone and neither can you. I was angry at my husband because he didnt support me in this, he just was afraid. I told him no matter what he says my mind is made up and that's final. I'm very stubborn and stand my ground, I feel free now to do all the things I've wanted to do but would not be comfortable doing. I love my husband but he just will never understand this is for me. Now he wants to be encouraging. I told him to leave when we were @ the hospital, he was making me angry. Until yesterday I thought he did. My memory is slowly coming back with the events of the day. He didnt leave even after I asked him too. I'm so stubborn and can do it myself with God's help and the surgery is His help. Seek God in all you do,

I look at it this way: Luke was a physician and God used him. Why give man intellect and not let him use it? God doesn't work that way. A friend of mine had the surgery and her pastor told her (in front of alot of people) that she had no faith and should consider "deliverance from the gluttony spirit". I convinced to find another church.

I thought only the enemy would condemn. Jesus did not die so we would fall on condemnation from others.

Gee, I thought sin is sin - no matter which sin it is. So, should being judgmental (judge not...)_ is not a sin, but overeating is? WOW

St. Luke was a doctor. God gave us intelligence, so why would He want us to not use it. My body is the temple of the HS and I am sure he'd like it to be healthy.

Remember, there is NO condemnation in Christ.

I've struggled with this also. Maladies in our bodies are because of the sin in the world. For some of us it seems there is a biological/chemical/psychological/emotional disconnect causing us to be overweight. I believe strongly God is using this surgery to equip me to being honor to Him thru my body and thru serving him more efficiently. If I had cancer I don't know if I would sit and decide if getting chemo was a sin....I'd use it as a tool for God to restore health to my body. There is such a stigma to being overweight, those of us who struggle have many of the same thoughts. If we could just WILL it or be better people, we'd be able to do this. For some--God gives the willpower. For some of us, it's the tool of weight watchers, support groups, personal trainers, nutritionists, doctors and even surgeons.

Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Being healthy will allow me to glorify Him much more effectively.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV /

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

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1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV /

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Grace and Peace brothers and sisters!

Hi there,

I really enjoyed reading everyone's responses, excellent points indeed. I am just 8 days out post-op and got some flak, ( family ) because I "Only" had 60 lbs to loose. Well for me, it might has well been a couple of hundred, because that is how I felt. Miserable. I prayed about it, and different people came into my life along the way. And I feel like God gave me the right direction through them, total strangers. Sometimes the people who are closest to us, friends, family, co-worker's, and they mean well granted, but think they know what the right thing is for us. However, they don't walk in your shoes and they can't tell you what your relationship and faith with The Lord should be. I say if you continue to pray about it , and everything is a green light, do it. If it is not meant to be, God will let you know, with a roadblock of some kind. You will know the right thing to do. Just keep your heart with Jesus, he left us his Holy Spirit to guide us. Thank you for sharing and your honesty.