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Spiritual Weight Loss: How to be Fit, Body and Soul
by Juliette Giorgio • Roslyn, NY

 

red balloon with measuring tape around the middleYou may be wondering… how does spirituality apply to weight loss? Well, the connection is stronger than you think! Sadly, our weaknesses will always be there to tempt us; we are human and fallible. It is only through the use of our strengths that we can overcome our flaws.

Here is a simple lesson in physics. By building up what we do well, our strengths will expand and take up more space in our lives, therefore leaving less room for our weaknesses. There is a renewed interest in positive psychology. Focusing on the positive, reframes our view of the world. Instead of thinking of what we do not have, we take an inventory of what we do have. We should start with the things we do well!

There is much research that reports, the weight lost is often regained over a period of time. Granted, weight loss success is a slippery slope. However, weight loss programs that incorporate spiritual surrender have greater long-term success rates. “Research has shown that faith-based weight-loss programs are more successful for some people than diets that do not have a spiritual component” (Vann, 2009). Organizations like Overeaters Anonymous (OA) have more long-standing success. In all 12-Step programs, the first step is to admit that one is powerless over their addiction, and by step 3, members choose to turn their lives over to the care of God (however he is understood). This allows the program to include all religions. The suggestion is that God can do for us, what we have not been able to do for ourselves.

In Marianne Williamson’s book, A Course in Weight Loss, she focuses on the spiritual support that is necessary for weight loss to be a permanent change. “Without the sustenance of spirit . . . old habits die hard . . . or maybe not at all!” She assures her reader that God alone can use His spiritual scalpel and create a divine alchemy to remedy our greatest handicaps.

Living life at the perfect or at least comfortable weight is your birthright. Babies are born with digestive systems that know when and just how much to eat. As we grow, we become socialized to overeat for all the wrong reasons. Well trust me on this… Nothing tastes as good as feeling thin! I know this to be a fact, because I lived it myself. I lost 72 pounds 11 years ago and have kept it all off. The program I use includes a good diet, moderate exercise, cognitive-behavioral therapy and spirituality. Obsessive eating and compulsive eating are issues that many women use to push down their feelings. Williamson calls this behavior “zoning out”. She explains that when we “zone out” with food, we are actually going numb to our feelings. This is where using cognitive-behavioral therapy can help individuals get in touch with their feelings and gain more awareness.

The aspects of this multidisciplinary approach are very simplistic and practical. I still use all these techniques on a daily basis. In fact, while writing this article, I wrestled with myself not to eat some oily, salty veggie chips that my daughter put into the kitchen cabinet. Ughh! I was able to eat a nice green apple and drink a bottle of water instead. Whew! That is so much better! No guilt! It’s a great feeling to be comfortable in your own skin!

Juliette Giorgio is a certified and licensed social worker, who works with clients to improve relationship issues, parenting skills, and weight loss. She leads a Women’s Weight Loss Group in Roslyn, NY. Call 516-410-1486 for info.