"Bodily excercise" and dieting in Christianity

[Quietwoman]

Why do we as Christians believe and follow the world's standards for Christianity? Why do we let the world tell us what beauty is and fitness and a healthy weight? Let me tell you a story...

I was about 195-200 lbs. after having 5 children. I was displeased with my body because I didn't *look* as sexy as I did when I was 20 and before I had children. My spouse was also displeased with my body. So I started eating very, VERY light meals and fasting for one or two days to loose some weight. I did loose about 20 something lbs. and got down to about 180. I was going to keep doing it and loose more then I came across this book called "Learning Curves-Living Life in Full and in Style" and you know what? It made sense! So what if my weight doesn't match what the doctor's charts say? Who are THEY to tell me what I should weigh? What is wrong with having curves? Why do I have to be a barbie doll in order to please my man? Why couldn't he just love me the way I looked? Why did I have to look like a model? All this dieting and weight loss is GARBAGE! Well, for the first time I started seeing myself as God sees me: a beautiful creature made in HIS image. The Truth is I was beautiful just the way I was-even my overweight self. I needed to change the way I saw myself NOT the way I looked. Does that make sense? Well, when I tried to share what I learned with women at my church they got mad because they were all dieting and trying to loose weight. I thought the prettiest ones at that church were the full figured ones, the ones who weren't obsessing over their weight. Also, at the same time this church I went to didn't believe in going to doctors for ANY reason. If that is so why trust what they say is a "healthy" weight?
I and the preacher's wife got into a discussion about it. She tried to tell me those who were overweight were not in God's will and they were unhealthy and I needed to be a size 12-that would be perfect for me.
Why can't a size 18 be perfect? Why do I have to look like the world and abuse myself like the world in order to get thin? We idolize thinness and physical beauty and youth in America. What does this have to do with Christianity?

I little about excercise. Funny thing is when I get into excercise I take my mind off God. Why would that be?
The Bible says, "For bodily excercise profits little but GODLINESS is profitable unto all things having the promis of the life that now is, and that which is to come." (1 Tim. 4:8)

-just something to think about.
I look forward to your replies.

Rhonda

 

[wil]

Medical info has to do with averages and healthy longevity....in theory.

Now if you can run up and down four flights of stairs and not be winded, a little weight isn't that much of an issue...

Then there is apples and pears...if you are carrying a lot of weight in your upperbody, it means more fat around your heart, a higher resting pulse and higher blood pressure means decreased oxygen and more problems with your organs and them and your heart wearing out earlier...

I'd worry less about my looks and more about how much I wanted to play with my grandkids...

 

[Dragonseer]

I'd worry less about my looks and more about how much I wanted to play with my grandkids...

I can't argue this point; it makes very good sense to me.

If the body is God's temple, then we ought take good care of it. But there is a BIG difference between taking care of the body and obsessing about it--even becoming a slave to it.


DS

 

[vinny]

well, from a medical standpoint doctors know their stuff about levels of bodyfat, its really not that complicated.

if you dont know how to exercise without starving yourself you could talk to a professional or you could talk to me. im an athlete and a martial artist and ive experimented with alot of different strength and conditioning routines, aswell as exercises of course.

really its easy to let yourself go..5 kids thats tough, and all the fast food and junk food and just the way our food is made, alot of it is just really bad for you, the amount of calories in alot of juice is shocking to most people let alone a double cheeseburger or something.

 

[Dream]

Something is scary about having to make an effort to keep our weight to a healthy margin. Why are we, as a society, so fat? Fat in the Bible symbolizes more than one thing. There seems to be a sort of aging society idea where just like people get old, society grows and gets idle. It becomes 'Fat'. Remember where it says the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet 'Full'?(Genesis 15:16) A possible interpretation is the Amorite society was not yet decadent but was starting to be idle, which would lead it down the path to destruction. Compare it to Roman society was still holding together in Jesus' time, but there were troubling signs of decline. All empires seem to go through the same cycle. Often the Bible's not really talking about 'Fat' but about idleness and fortune, where good fortune tends to destroy the society that obtains it. You've got verses for both:
Ezekiel 16:49, Nehemiah 9:28

 

[Quietwoman]

Medical info has to do with averages and healthy longevity....in theory.

Now if you can run up and down four flights of stairs and not be winded, a little weight isn't that much of an issue...

Then there is apples and pears...if you are carrying a lot of weight in your upperbody, it means more fat around your heart, a higher resting pulse and higher blood pressure means decreased oxygen and more problems with your organs and them and your heart wearing out earlier...

I'd worry less about my looks and more about how much I wanted to play with my grandkids...

But if God is our healer then why should we worry about our health?

Oh, by the way, I'm about 100 lbs. overweight compared to the height and weight charts. I know it wouldn't hurt if I lost some, but I'm not going to hurt myself if I don't or can't. I'm not going to diet. I'm going to do what this one book said to do: I'm going to just get busy living. One lady who wrote her testimony said when she just got busy living something amazing happened: she got thin.

Rhonda

 

[Quietwoman]

Something is scary about having to make an effort to keep our weight to a healthy margin. Why are we, as a society, so fat? Fat in the Bible symbolizes more than one thing. There seems to be a sort of aging society idea where just like people get old, society grows and gets idle. It becomes 'Fat'. Remember where it says the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet 'Full'?(Genesis 15:16) A possible interpretation is the Amorite society was not yet decadent but was starting to be idle, which would lead it down the path to destruction. Compare it to Roman society was still holding together in Jesus' time, but there were troubling signs of decline. All empires seem to go through the same cycle. Often the Bible's not really talking about 'Fat' but about idleness and fortune, where good fortune tends to destroy the society that obtains it. You've got verses for both:
Ezekiel 16:49, Nehemiah 9:28

Actualy, Sodom and Gomora were not destroyed for sodomy. They were destroyed for fullness of bread and not sharing with their neighbors, from what I've read. America has a fullness of bread problem but we are a very giving country. Every time there is a distaster somewhere in the world who is the first ones on the scene to help with food or other rebuilding or other needs? Usualy the United States.

r.

 

[Quietwoman]

well, from a medical standpoint doctors know their stuff about levels of bodyfat, its really not that complicated.

if you dont know how to exercise without starving yourself you could talk to a professional or you could talk to me. im an athlete and a martial artist and ive experimented with alot of different strength and conditioning routines, aswell as exercises of course.

really its easy to let yourself go..5 kids thats tough, and all the fast food and junk food and just the way our food is made, alot of it is just really bad for you, the amount of calories in alot of juice is shocking to most people let alone a double cheeseburger or something.

Hi Vinny,

I do excercise some. I lift weights with my husband. I was walking also but I have a bad heel that won't let me walk like I want to . But excerciwse does not fulfill me like God does. Like the Bible says, "It profits little." I can put excercise totaly aside and still loose weight if I wanted to. What hinders most people in loosing weight is not the amount of excercise they do but what and how much they eat.

I agree, it's not good to eat fast food. Most of our meals are cooked at home. On occation we go out to eat but it's not fast food.

I don't follow any dietary commandments of men or laws from the old Testament. I eat pork and bacon and chocolate all in moderation. Sometimes I drink a coke.

 

[Sam Albion]

"I'm 100lbs overweight, according to height and weight charts". I went and checked, and 100lbs works out at 7.1 stone. (14lbs to one stone, apparently).

That's a lot of excess baggage, isn't it?

You can pretend you're striking a blow for women's Lib if you want, and try to "love your curves", but... you're not fooling anyone. Seven stone too heavy says you eat too much food and don't burn up the calories you lose. Eat less, move more. It's not rocket science.

Is is Christian to be fat? Not if being fat also means you're greedy and lazy, both of which are considered "sins".

Nobody is saying you have to look like a supermodel -- the average supermodel starves themselves to be so thin, and that's not healthy either. But... face facts. You eat too much. And, while you're stuffing your face, millions of people all over the world die because there's no food for them to eat.

Nice.