The following is a reprint from the blog "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb":

Faith in God can play an extremely important role in weight loss

In the discussion of diet, health and weight loss, there is a subject that I haven't heard too many people talk about that I am constantly hearing from many of my readers.

It goes a little something like this:

"Can God help me lose weight?"

"If I pray for weight loss, will it happen?"

"I have tried everything I can, so God has to help me shed the pounds."

Do any of these statements sound familiar to you? I know I have said them myself many times throughout my life.

As a believer in Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, I know that the Bible makes it very clear that we should give God complete control of our lives to lead us in the direction that He wills for us. Unfortunately, some of us Christians can be rather stubborn when it comes to this because we try to maintain control over the "little" parts of our life such as our weight. But God said He wants EVERY area of our life so we really should obey Him and let Him help us with weight loss, too.

So, if we allow God to help us in our weight loss efforts, what can He do to help? The answer to that question is PLENTY!

Since God offers comfort to those who are suffering, He will be there every step of the way offering encouragement and strength to help His children get through the most difficult times. I know there were times when I felt like giving up during my weight loss experience, but God provided me with an extra dose of strength and determination to help see me through.

Additionally, whenever I felt that I was doing well on my diet and foolishly thought that I may not need God's help anymore, He had a gentle way of humbling me and reminding me that He is still in control. I don't know why we try to fight God when we know He loves us and only wants what is best for us. Once you learn to trust God in all things, He will be that friend that sticks closer than a brother and will never leave you nor forsake you in weight loss and in every area of your life.

I give God the praise and glory throughout my book "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" because He was an ever-present help whenever I needed Him during my weight loss and now that I'm maintaining my weight. I haven't gotten discouraged by any setbacks in my weight loss efforts because God is there to get me back on track with His caring conviction. You can almost feel His loving arms wrapping around you like a father embracing a child who is needy and hurting. That right there is a MAJOR part of how God helps people lose weight.

Before you ask it, let me do it for you -- Do you have to believe in God to lose weight? The answer to that question is absolutely not. In fact, the physical aspect of losing weight is just that -- PHYSICAL! If you strictly implement the principles of low-carb, low-fat, or whatever other nutritional approach you choose to help you shed the pounds and do it according to whatever plan you are following, then you will most likely lose weight.

However, people of faith have an advantage from an emotional and spiritual standpoint because we believe in a higher power that goes way beyond our physical bodies.

As anyone who is overweight or obese will tell you, being fat is quite a traumatic thing for many people because it brings on the intense ridicule and scorn of people who may or may not know just how hurtful they are being. The scars from these experiences can be very deep-rooted and cause very real pain to linger on for many years and many times drawing these people into serious depression, lonliness and even suicidal. It breaks my heart to see this happening in a society that is tolerant of virtually every group of people -- EXCEPT THE OBESE!

Thankfully, God can reach down through this sea of pain and into the souls of people like this to begin the healing process from within these beautiful people so they can finally deal with their weight problem in earnest and restore the temple of the Holy Spirit, their bodies, to their proper weight and get their life back.

I honestly don't know how people who do not believe in God can deal with these kinds of struggles they face, such as being overweight and all that comes with that, without Him! Jesus Christ is the anchor of my life and I would literally be lost in this dying world and very likely would be obese today without God in my life! I wholeheartedly believe that to be true.

Having faith does not require you to know everything there is to know about Jesus, God and the Bible. Nope! All you need is an open heart to the One who gave His life for your sins, including the sin of gluttony that so many of us have been guilty of for most of our lives. Handing your life over to Jesus and allowing Him to control your life forever can be the start of a long, happy, and healthy life knowing you will never have to worry about being alone in any struggle that comes your way ever again. He will always be with you and will never leave you nor forsake you when you believe and trust in Him.

If you have any questions about God or how He can help you lose weight, then I am more than happy to talk with you further about it. Drop me an e-mail at and I'll do my best to answer your questions. It is my sincere prayer that everyone who desires weight loss can see it happen in their lives just as it has in mine. May God bless you all with his abundant blessings!