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  #1   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 11:28
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Default "Bible-based weight loss programs teach that self-control is God's will"

They swear by their diet book

Bible-based weight loss programs teach that self-control is God's will

06:54 PM CST on Thursday, January 29, 2004

By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News


link to article

Pat Wilbourn tried everything to lose weight. She counted calories, measured her food and joined Weight Watchers – three times.

But she didn't slim down until she gave up those diets and turned to God, using his will to stop overeating.

In the last three years, Ms. Wilbourn has dropped 50 pounds and six clothing sizes on Thin Within, one of several Bible-based weight loss programs. And she has led dozens of overweight people to the same result, combining good eating habits with Scripture.

"Food is just fuel, but people are so preoccupied by it," Ms. Wilbourn said. "We communicate with God every time we sit down to a meal."

Experts say in recent years, programs like What Would Jesus Eat, the Daily Word for Weight Loss and the Weigh Down Diet have taken back seats to new low-carbohydrate plans like the Atkins and South Beach diets.

But proponents of scripture-based weight loss say there's no substitute for teaching self-control as God's will.

"Those other diets, they're about doing what someone else tells you to do – people aren't really in control," said Ms. Wilbourn, who holds weekly Thin Within classes in her Cedar Hill home. "God gave us a temple, and when we fill it up and do all kinds of crazy things to it, we're vandalizing it."

Thin Within is not your typical diet. Ms. Wilbourn said the program puts no restriction on what participants eat, as long as they eat only until they're comfortable – not until they're full.

"We try to think of our stomachs as being the size of our fist," she said. "You only need to eat that much food."

Ms. Wilbourn said participants can only eat when they are "at a zero," or truly hungry. She said it doesn't matter if they eat fast food or substitute dessert for dinner, as long as they follow the portion rules.

"Other weight loss programs talk about the problems with food," she said. "We talk about what drives people to overeat – be it boredom or an emotional roller coaster."

There are no scales at Thin Within meetings. Members are told to gauge their weight by how their clothes fit, not by numbers.

Betty Oswald has directed the First Place program at Cedar Heights Baptist Church for three years, and has lost 50 pounds in the process. In the First Place program, members weigh in at meetings and eat limited servings following the recommendation of the American Diabetes Association.

"This is a live-it, not a diet," Ms. Oswald said. "We encourage one another, and we are taught to spend time reading our Bibles every day."

Ms. Oswald said one of her group's favorite Bible verses is from 1 Corinthians: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God."

"First Place is used nationwide," Ms. Oswald said. "Most people who stay in it don't do it so much for the diet, but for fellowship, and for a closer walk with God."

Joyce Pickrell of Duncanville said she tried every diet in the book before looking to Bible-based programs. She said she has lost 80 pounds in the last five years, relying on God and common sense to prevent overeating.

"I ask God to give me the strength to eat just what I need," said Ms. Pickrell, who attends Ms. Wilbourn's Thin Within meetings. "I can eat fried foods, or pizza, or a hamburger. This is a program I can live with for the rest of my life."

E-mail eramshaw~dallasnews.com or call 214-977-8156.
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 11:38
shortstuff's Avatar
shortstuff shortstuff is offline
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"Those other diets, they're about doing what someone else tells you to do – people aren't really in control," said Ms. Wilbourn, who holds weekly Thin Within classes in her Cedar Hill home. "God gave us a temple, and when we fill it up and do all kinds of crazy things to it, we're vandalizing it."

Thin Within is not your typical diet. Ms. Wilbourn said the program puts no restriction on what participants eat, as long as they eat only until they're comfortable – not until they're full.

"We try to think of our stomachs as being the size of our fist," she said. "You only need to eat that much food."


I supposed you can't count as someone else telling you what to do when you are told to only eat until comfortable - not full and think of your stomach as being the size of a fist? Hmmm - seems to me like they are being told what to do!

My stomach the size of my fist? Well, I'm a very small woman and my fist size would probably have the volume of less than 1 cup. I'm in the process of eating a 3-cup salad with eggs & cheese on top - guess I'm eating too much!!! NOT.

"This is a live-it, not a diet," Jeesh - I thought that was low carb eating as well.

"She said it doesn't matter if they eat fast food or substitute dessert for dinner, as long as they follow the portion rules." Again, isn't this someone else telling you what to do?

As far as not exhibit self control in my lifestyle I beg to differ - I could be hogging down on lasagna with the rest of the office staff right now, but I'm not - I'm eating my salad and enjoying it. I think that's showing some self-control here.

Besides, I've been on the way of life since mid-August and still haven't strayed from the path (I don't like to call it cheating - it's just straying), doesn't that exhibit some self-control?


shortstuff
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  #3   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 11:40
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
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Quote:
Ms. Wilbourn said the program puts no restriction on what participants eat, as long as they eat only until they're comfortable – not until they're full


I'd call that a restriction.
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  #4   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 11:43
2Airedales's Avatar
2Airedales 2Airedales is offline
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Plan: was Atkins now SB
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This stems back to this:

Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins:

Sinopsis

What it is: Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

Your punishment in Hell will be: You'll be force-fed rats, toads, and snakes.


Funny how we pick & choose which sins are ok and which aren't. I was brought up in a Catholic background and was told of all the deadly sins but this one was never taken seriously.

Last edited by 2Airedales : Fri, Jan-30-04 at 11:46.
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 11:49
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
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Quote:
Sinopsis


That was a funny mispelling in the context of the topic.

I so frog legs every night for dinner? I hear they taste like chicken! Low carb too. ROFL!
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 11:51
2Airedales's Avatar
2Airedales 2Airedales is offline
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Plan: was Atkins now SB
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We were warned that you'd burn in hell and at the same time told that god forgives everything.... All you have to do is repent for your sins!
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  #7   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 14:29
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RosaAlta RosaAlta is offline
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I am all for self-control and taking responsibility for your own actions, weight, eating habits, etc. However, I think that in light of what science now knows about insulin spikes causing cravings, genetic tendencies toward obesity, etc., it's irresponsible and unfair to tell an overweight person that they "just need more self-control." Self-control, exercise, and nutrition education, okay. But self-control alone won't work for everyone.

I also think that in the wrong hands a religion-based diet plan could cause serious guilt and depression. Most Christian religions bring a hefty dose of guilt into people's daily lives as it is. Now let's add the concept of sin to the emotional baggage people already have regarding their weight? That can't be healthy.

This seems to be a positive, successful plan for those quoted in the article and that's great, but what about those who weren't eager for an interview? I guess I'm just a naturally suspicious person.
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  #8   ^
Old Fri, Jan-30-04, 17:49
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
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Plan: Atkins
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I found a related article in the DMN Archive:

Let us pray, and pass the salt

America loves pigging out, especially at Thanksgiving. But as waistlines grow, many pulpits are silent on the sin of gluttony.

By SUSAN HOGAN/ALBACH Staff Writer
Published November 26, 2003, Dallas Morning News (Archive)


It's Sunday morning, and Baptists hungering for the Lord and for a hot meal are congregating in Prestonwood, the stadium-sized Plano church with a big new cafe.

In the worship hall, the preacher serves up an inspirational story about Jesus. In the dining hall, they're dishing out chocolate chip pancakes, hash browns, bacon, sausages, biscuits and gravy.

With a fork in one hand and a Bible in the other, some choose to praise God and pass the pastries simultaneously. They give their hearts to Jesus and their bellies to Krispy Kreme while catching worship on the cafe's big screen.

Fattening feasts, from pancake breakfasts to fried chicken dinners, have long been a staple of religious fellowship across America. Even when healthful options are available, as they are at Prestonwood, the temptation is to overeat.

The disconnect between food and spirituality, some people of faith say, is never more poignant than at Thanksgiving - America's gorge-fest. Families gobble, gobble, gobble to their heart's desire, treating their bodies as objects for overindulgence rather than sacred temples.

Buddhists call it a lack of mindfulness. Early Christians called it gluttony - the most likely of the Seven Deadly Sins to cause heart disease. For centuries, the world's religions identified undisciplined eating as a spiritual problem.

But many pulpits are silent on the issues, even though 63 percent of the population is overweight. For millions of believers, overeating is not a sin, but the American way of life.

"Pastors don't preach on this because they're not living it," said Lisa Young, who developed the Walking with Weights exercise program and Body for God Cookbook sold at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, where her husband, Ed, is pastor.

After weekend services at many houses of worship, families routinely pile into their cars and head to buffets laden with gastronomical delights that some restaurants advertise as "sinfully" good. Turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie have become year-round staples.

Overindulgence?

There's a reason they call it stuffing. Thanksgiving, in particular, has become a day of gluttony and less a day of giving thanks, said Stephen Webb, a religion scholar who has written about food and the Bible.

"The pilgrims at Thanksgiving were grateful to God for having enough to eat," said Dr. Webb, of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. "They would not have been eating more than they needed because they had to stretch their food reserves."

But Americans need not feel guilty about overindulging on Thanksgiving, said Michael Patella, a New Testament scholar, priest and monk from Minnesota.

"God wants us to go overboard," said Dr. Patella, who teaches at St. John's School of Theology. "It's a day to rejoice in creation, to realize that it's a gift from God. If we can't be generous with ourselves, we can't be generous with others."

Thanksgiving has long been linked to Americans' sense of abundance. Early settlers often boasted of their good fortune to be in a country with more resources than they'd imagined.

"I don't want to be seen as praising overindulgence, but we need to be cautious about denying God's gifts by not using them," said Daniel Sack, author of Whitebread Protestants: Food and Religion in Mainline American Culture.Even Jesus said he came to bring abundant life, Mr. Sack noted.

But when the link between spirituality and food is strong, abundance is experienced from within, said Deborah Kesten, columnist for Spirituality & Health magazine and author of

Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul.

"It's a quality or way of intention towards a meal that predisposes you to find abundance no matter what is presented in front of you," she saidAncient spiritual leaders have long railed against gluttony, but it's not a word often heard in modern congregations.

"Gluttony," Jim Dawkins said as he sat in the Prestonwood cafe. "That's not a word used in the Bible."

But Jesus was accused of gluttony, some New Testament scholars say.

"Some people were offended that he enjoyed a good meal with friends" - sometimes with people of ill repute, said the Rev. Ron Witherup, a biblical scholar from Baltimore.

While fasting, Jesus told the devil that humans couldn't live by bread alone. While teaching, he identified himself as the bread of life. At the Last Supper, he said the bread and wine were his body and blood.

The New Testament also uses meals to symbolize God's heavenly banquet.

"In heaven, people sit down at table with one another," Father Witherup said. "It's table fellowship. It's not people sitting down and stuffing themselves."

And Holy Communion remains the most intimate time of spiritual eating for many Christians.

Every religion has that kind of communal sharing, Ms. Kesten said.

"That's how memorable meals are done. The food is eaten with gratitude and shared with love. They're not jamming it down their throats."

Some Muslims admit to struggling against gaining weight during Ramadan, the month they fast during daylight hours. It's tempting to overeat after fasting all day, they said.

"Clearly, gluttony is not the desired practice," said Dr. Andrew Rippin, a professor of Islamic history at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. "Nothing in the Quran prohibits overeating, but no Muslim would think that was the right thing."

Jewish perspective

Gluttony isn't an issue in the Hebrew Bible either, said Diane Sharon, who teaches at Jewish Theological Seminary.

"Famine is an issue. Fasting is an issue. Starvation is an issue," she said.

But the Old Testament is rich in verses about feasting.

"There are great texts about how wonderful feasting is and on filling up on good things - foods you wouldn't ordinarily eat during the week," said Dr. Richard Nelson, a biblical scholar at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

American prosperity skews that biblical sense of feasting by treating every day as a holiday, said Donald Wuerl, the Catholic bishop of Pittsburgh.

"Because in this land we have so much food and abundance, we don't often appreciate it and overindulge," he said.

In some cultures, a big waistline is a sign of material wealth. But in others, it's a sign of poverty. People who are poor, lack access to healthy foods and subsist on inexpensive, starchy foods are often overweight - though not necessarily gluttonous.

"Mutton stew and fry bread is not the best thing for Navajo people suffering from obesity and diabetes," said Catholic Bishop Donald Pelotte of the Diocese of Gallup, N.M. "But you need the appropriate resources to deal with it."

Gluttony doesn't begin and end with club-sized drumsticks and gooey yams. New York spiritual author Jim Martin defines it as "consuming more than you need." He said it's an attitude pervasive among consumer-driven Americans.

They don't just overeat; they buy oversized cars and houses, confusing the goods in life for the good life."That extra jacket in your closet doesn't belong to you, but to the poor," said Father Martin, a Jesuit priest. "We've lost that connection."

In Buddhism, liberation comes through self-awareness. Desires and cravings continue, but through spiritual practice people develop the ability to observe those desires and not act on them.

Buddhist teachings

Stephanie Kaza, who writes about Buddhist food practices, considers the cost of overconsumption to the environment.

"If everybody consumed what North Americans did on average, we would need five more planets to grow enough food and water," said Dr. Kaza, who teaches environmental studies at the University of Vermont.

Muslims, Jews and Buddhists are known for food restrictions. So, too, are Seventh-day Adventists, Latter-day Saints and Catholics. Many world religions tout the spiritual benefits of fasting.

Some congregations are promoting diet plans. They have support groups that reflect on books such as Slim for Him, and More of Him, Less of Me.

Dr. Webb, the Wabash College professor, has mixed feelings about church diet groups.

"Some churches are doing it just to get people to come to church," he said. "The theological basis of it is pretty flimsy."

Leaders at Prestonwood declined to be interviewed about their "cafe ministry." A statement attributed to Executive Pastor Mike Buster said the cafe offers a selection of "low-fat options every day." The church also offers sports and exercise programs.

'Foods that honor God'

Ms. Young of Fellowship Church said she doesn't promote a diet but a Christian lifestyle. She tells people to ask God to bless their meals but also their menu choices and food preparation.

"The prayer begins long before you put the food on the table," she said.

Her husband, Ed, has preached on "foodolatry" and written about gluttony as sin. He says spiritual fitness includes physical fitness, which is why the church has "sports ministry" groups that promote cycling, walking and running.

"We're also helping people make better food choices," Ms. Young said. The church's cafe is being transformed to "serving foods that honor God."

Krispy Kremes are out; bagels are in.

E-mail shogan~dallasnews.com
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  #9   ^
Old Sat, Jan-31-04, 17:06
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adkpam adkpam is offline
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"Krispy Kremes are out; bagels are in."

The irony is, I've come to view them as substantially the same thing!

I'm pretty much a "whatever works for you" person. If people find this concept helpful, it probably is. If they are overeating because of emotional needs, they can probably find new, more spiritually based ways to handle emotional problems, which is a good thing.
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  #10   ^
Old Sat, Jan-31-04, 17:18
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adkpam adkpam is offline
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If anyone would like to see how their personal beliefs fit into established belief systems, this is a fun link to try:

http://www.selectsmart.com/RELIGION/
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  #11   ^
Old Sat, Jan-31-04, 18:18
Kristine's Avatar
Kristine Kristine is offline
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Hey, thanks for posting that. Pretty neat! I'm a 98% match to Unitarian Universalism. Gee, doesn't *that* cover all the bases?
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  #12   ^
Old Sat, Jan-31-04, 20:19
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gilibel gilibel is offline
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Talking

Your Results:

# 1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
# 2. Secular Humanism (96%)
# 3. Neo-Pagan (91%)
# 4. Liberal Quakers (90%)
# 5. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (81%)
# 6. New Age (79%)
# 7. Reform Judaism (68%)
# 8. Theravada Buddhism (64%)
# 9. Mahayana Buddhism (62%)
# 10. New Thought (62%)


Hmm.. I see... the light!
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  #13   ^
Old Sat, Jan-31-04, 20:22
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mollymom mollymom is offline
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Plan: Superfoods RX
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Talking Interesting

Apparently I am 100% U.U. which I think is an okay place to be. I no longer attend formal services, as I became very disillusioned by people who nodded during sermons, yet went against that very teaching in their daily lives. I do however admit that much of my personal belief systems and conduct was formed through membership in a large and loving congregation as a child, and through activities such as Sunday School, Young People's Group etc. I am techinically I guess United Church of Canada which is a fairly liberal organization, although that has caused problems within the church as a whole with more um...what word should I choose..less open minded people being upset with our policies such as allowing gay clergy. See, I believe in ...do unto others, suffer the children (not some of the children but all of the children) to come unto me, love thy neighbour etc.
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  #14   ^
Old Sat, Jan-31-04, 20:29
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gilibel gilibel is offline
Phoenixa
Posts: 3,273
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 164/136.6/132 Female 172/5'8
BF:Yes.
Progress: 86%
Location: Sweden
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Love that dog, mollymom!
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  #15   ^
Old Sat, Jan-31-04, 20:37
cc48510 cc48510 is offline
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Plan: Atkins
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Interesting...

Code:
1. Orthodox Quaker (100%) 2. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (96%) 3. Islam (90%) 4. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (90%) 5. Orthodox Judaism (90%) 6. Eastern Orthodox (87%) 7. Roman Catholic (87%) 8. Reform Judaism (81%) 9. Seventh Day Adventist (79%) 10. Sikhism (79%) 11. Bahá'í Faith (78%) 12. Liberal Quakers (74%) 13. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (62%) 14. Unitarian Universalism (61%) 15. Jainism (49%) 16. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (47%) 17. Hinduism (44%) 18. Neo-Pagan (43%) 19. Mahayana Buddhism (42%) 20. Jehovah's Witness (40%) 21. New Thought (40%) 22. Scientology (39%) 23. New Age (37%) 24. Theravada Buddhism (32%) 25. Secular Humanism (28%) 26. Non-theist (27%) 27. Taoism (26%)
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