Hi all, been banded since 2004 and God has blessed me to have lost 140 pounds, I am now struggling to lose the remainder 80-90 pounds needed to be considered healthy. I just went to my first meeting last week for the First Place diet bible study program, anyone else on this?

I have been a Christian since I was about 9 and know that our bodies are the temple of God and feel so guilty for being gluttenous all those years and allowing my body to get that big, I currently need support and prayer for night time snacking/eating. I do so good all day long and know the rules of the band, no snacking between meals, etc, but have not lost in over 6 months and been the same wt and guess just got depressed and thought "all of it is over, this is all I am gonna lose" mentatity.

That is just the devil I know trying to get me to give up. Please pray for me. anyone else struggle with nighttime snacking? If I could just get in a habit I guess it would be better of doing something else when I am watching tv at night. Thanks for your prayers. Here is an article I just read online about the sin of gluttony and it makes me feel just awful:

"The real reason for being overweight is over eating. This is one of the truths that is hard to accept and acknowledge because it only brings guilt and shame. Overeating is sin. It is called gluttony. It is basically the excessive selfish indulgence with worldly pleasure which includes food, sex, money, alcohol and more. It is an addiction which basically means that food becomes the master, and takes the place of God. This is why it is sin and God hates it.

What happens in the Church is that because many of us are guilty of this sin, we silently excuse each other and allow each other to continue with this sin. In fact some of our ministers are overweight themselves. This is not good for ourselves and we become examples of evil instead of good. But there is no reason to stay in this situation. It is time to acknowledge this sin, ask forgiveness from God and turn away from it. "

Edited February 27, 200917 yr by ibbanded
forgot to ask about First Place program

Hi all, been banded since 2004 and God has blessed me to have lost 140 pounds, I am now struggling to lose the remainder 80-90 pounds needed to be considered healthy. I just went to my first meeting last week for the First Place diet bible study program, anyone else on this?

I have been a Christian since I was about 9 and know that our bodies are the temple of God and feel so guilty for being gluttenous all those years and allowing my body to get that big, I currently need support and prayer for night time snacking/eating. I do so good all day long and know the rules of the band, no snacking between meals, etc, but have not lost in over 6 months and been the same wt and guess just got depressed and thought "all of it is over, this is all I am gonna lose" mentatity.

That is just the devil I know trying to get me to give up. Please pray for me. anyone else struggle with nighttime snacking? If I could just get in a habit I guess it would be better of doing something else when I am watching tv at night. Thanks for your prayers. Here is an article I just read online about the sin of gluttony and it makes me feel just awful:

"The real reason for being overweight is over eating. This is one of the truths that is hard to accept and acknowledge because it only brings guilt and shame. Overeating is sin. It is called gluttony. It is basically the excessive selfish indulgence with worldly pleasure which includes food, sex, money, alcohol and more. It is an addiction which basically means that food becomes the master, and takes the place of God. This is why it is sin and God hates it.

What happens in the Church is that because many of us are guilty of this sin, we silently excuse each other and allow each other to continue with this sin. In fact some of our ministers are overweight themselves. This is not good for ourselves and we become examples of evil instead of good. But there is no reason to stay in this situation. It is time to acknowledge this sin, ask forgiveness from God and turn away from it. "

I am concerned, because I think you are feeling guilty about something you have already acknowledged, and for which you have asked forgiveness from God. Continuing to feel so guilty may mean you have not really turned away from it. I believe God has forgiven you if you have asked him to - in your heart you know this to be true. You have done an amazing job of working toward that healthy body God wants you to have. Please try to concentrate on the positive results you have had. If you have moved away from the food guidelines that go along with banding, make a commitment to begin again. Concentrate on your Protein, portions, exercise, Water intake. Commit to the program all over again.

Your idea about "something to do" while you are watching TV in the evening - it's a great tool! Work on the bible study materials for the class you just started. Try a new hobby or pick up an old one, such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, scrapbooking, etc. TV content is not the best stuff filling your head and the food commercials can really be tough to take. Be selective about how you feed your brain.

I hope I don't sound preachy! I deal with the same issues. It helps me to think about them in a constructive way, and writing it all out is helpful for me. You are an amazing person to accomplish what you have already done. Please tell me your first name, as you are in my prayers.

I forgot to mention a thread that I find very helpful. Check the homepage and find the Mentoring section. "I'm Here to Help..." is a thread started by IndioGirl and there are several people on that thread who have been successful and have great insight on the lifestyle change necessary to get to goal and stay there. It is not specifically a Christian oriented thread, but most of the people there speak openly about their faith and are very supportive, kind people. You may find it helpful to stay in touch with others who are struggling and those who are commited to helping in that struggle. They have become some of my best cyber-friends.

Thanks for your post JoannMarie. I know you are right, that once I have asked God to forgive me of the past life to gluttony that he has and I need to ACCEPT that loving forgivness... Please do pray for me, my name is Elane.

I guess sometimes I am my own worst enemy, thinking I have so much more to lose., etc, etc... I will start the plan over again, as I have strayed somewhat more so with a lot of snacking between meals.

Thanks for your prayers and advice about the other forum

Hi all, been banded since 2004 and God has blessed me to have lost 140 pounds, I am now struggling to lose the remainder 80-90 pounds needed to be considered healthy. I just went to my first meeting last week for the First Place diet bible study program, anyone else on this?

I have been a Christian since I was about 9 and know that our bodies are the temple of God and feel so guilty for being gluttenous all those years and allowing my body to get that big, I currently need support and prayer for night time snacking/eating. I do so good all day long and know the rules of the band, no snacking between meals, etc, but have not lost in over 6 months and been the same wt and guess just got depressed and thought "all of it is over, this is all I am gonna lose" mentatity.

That is just the devil I know trying to get me to give up. Please pray for me. anyone else struggle with nighttime snacking? If I could just get in a habit I guess it would be better of doing something else when I am watching tv at night. Thanks for your prayers. Here is an article I just read online about the sin of gluttony and it makes me feel just awful:

"The real reason for being overweight is over eating. This is one of the truths that is hard to accept and acknowledge because it only brings guilt and shame. Overeating is sin. It is called gluttony. It is basically the excessive selfish indulgence with worldly pleasure which includes food, sex, money, alcohol and more. It is an addiction which basically means that food becomes the master, and takes the place of God. This is why it is sin and God hates it.

What happens in the Church is that because many of us are guilty of this sin, we silently excuse each other and allow each other to continue with this sin. In fact some of our ministers are overweight themselves. This is not good for ourselves and we become examples of evil instead of good. But there is no reason to stay in this situation. It is time to acknowledge this sin, ask forgiveness from God and turn away from it. "

Please don't allow this article to make you feel awful. It should make you feel happy because you know that what it states is sooooo true, yet because you have asked Jesus to be your Savior you are looked upon by God 'as if you have never sinned.' Thank him and praise him for that. The scriptures are there to show us the history of mankinds sinful nature and our need for a Savior. That article is so true and more people need to know that they are living in sin, no matter what the sin is, because if they feel that what they do is ok before God, they will never turn to him and see their need for Jesus.

JC nailed all our sins to the cross. Take one day at a time. Make sure you have a nice meal for dinner and don't skimp. Sugar free popsicles and puddings are a good choice if you need something at night. :wink:

THis is from my blog. IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Guilt, Shame, and Other Ineffective Motivators

Let me get this right out in front. food addiction is not sin. Glorying in it is. Flaunting it is. Refusing to do anything about it is.

Using willpower doesn't work for long except in very anal people, which I am not. For most of us, this is the thorn in the flesh that God refuses to remove, despite ernest prayer and pleas. Different methods work for different people, but having people guilt you, shame you, humiliate you, preach at you, quote Bible verses to you, tell you you just need willpower, or to pray harder, doesn't work. In fact, most of these things backfire, cause even more guilt and shame than we already carry, and drive us deeper into the food.

Scientists are working on drugs that work on those addiction centers of the brain that control the cravings for over-eating as well as other addictions. This is a brain-based disease and most of us can trace the cravings back to early childhood whether our bodies reflected the disorder or not.

Most of us have fought long and hard to contain the cravings. Yet the disease grows along with our hopelessness. We lose weight only to regain it with interest.

In addition to the cravings for the substance itself, food is a proven numbing medication for issues like sexual and physical abuse, service to others at the expense of taking care of ourselves, stuffing our feelings and not speaking up for ourselves, depression, and in my case I would add, ADHD.

For me, food helps me concentrate and sit still. The restlessness that overwhelms me, the stillness and concentration that society and social convention require from me are brought under control with food--especially chocolate.

This is the only addiction that requires you to indulge it 3x a day. We can't live with food and we can't live without it.

Don't judge us. Don't give us advice. Pray for us. Love us. Accept us the way we are. This is a disease of silence. but our bodies speak louder than our words. Encourage us to break our silence, to talk about the pain of our condition--which is the human condition, under which all creation groans, waiting for that final redemption.

I have some similar posts that may help you to break the bondage of guilt. Especially unearned guilt and shame. God gave us the gift of grace, not of guilt. I like to say I gave up guilt for Lent.