Get Religious About Weight Loss - Use Religion to Help You Lose Those Unwanted Pounds

Neither do I Claim to be an Expert in Religion Nor do I Practice any Religion.

As you already know there are a high percentage of overweight people in the United States. It seems like everybody you know has either struggled with weight loss, gained weight, or is exercising to lose weight. There are many people religious about weight loss, but does anyone use religion to lose it?

OPEN YOUR EYES; it is Easy to see the Reason for the Weight Problem in this Country.

Americans are overweight because we eat too much and exercise too little. Present day is far different from times past.

Past generations went through difficult times when food may have not been as widely available as it is now. Many people struggled to keep food on the table. We were taught as young people to eat everything on our plate.

Now with food widely available we struggle to lose weight. We get huge portions for low prices and eat every last bit of it. Weight loss dominates the health and fitness field and is a multi billion dollar industry.

CLOSE YOUR EYES and Think for a Second.

Hey! You didn't close your eyes and think for a second! This is the problem why many people are overweight and weight loss is such a huge problem. We eat without thinking about it. We only think about what we eat after we gain weight think about the weight loss program.

I gained a few pounds from overeating. I love eating so going on a weight loss program is difficult. I generally eat everything sitting in front of me, so I struggle to lose weight, even a few pounds. I would exercise often, but I would eat so much food I just could not lose weight.

This all Changed when I Visited Thailand

Thailand is the land of the Buddhist religion. Some consider Buddhism not to be a true religion because there is no belief in god. One thing I noticed while in Thailand is the lack of overweight people.

The people in Thailand also had a different outlook in life which I associated with the Buddhist religion. I did not become a religious Buddhist but I studied the way they look at things. Mindfulness is one of the first things I learned. Mindfulness is to think about your each and every action. When a religious Buddhist eats, they do not think just about the food. They think about the entire process. This starts with the sun, growing the grains in the earth, which are eaten by a cow.... until the food exits your body. I was fascinated by this and it made me realize that when I overate, it was because I had absolutely no mindfulness about what I was putting in my mouth.

Buddhism is Not the Only Religion in which Food is Very Important

Islam

The 2nd largest religion in the world has many customs dealing with food. Fasting is a large part of Islam. Fasting is the complete abstinence of food for a specific period if time. Islam is a religion which contains many references to fasting including the idea that fasting grounds man in discipline and healthy survival. In addition to fasting, certain foods are al halal which is permitted to eat.

Judaism

Only foods which are Kosher are permitted to eat. There are also many different food rules such as grapes can only be eaten if prepared a certain way. Yom Kippur is a Jewish 25 hours fast. There are also many other fasting rituals in Judaism.

Hinduism

The 3^rd largest religion in the world forbids beef, one of the world's largest food sources to be eaten. Religious Hindus have many food rituals including rules about where eating is acceptable. People following the Hindu religion also practice many fasting rituals.

Christianity

As a kid I remember saying grace at family dinners. The idea of grace is to give thanks for the food which you are about to eat. Also

There are so Many Examples I Would Need a Giant Book to List.

These are only a few small examples of religious rituals in different religions which you can apply to your life. I just wanted to make the point that having a higher cause to worry about will help you lose weight. What better higher cause can you look to than your own religion? I'm not saying you have to become religious, which I am not, but take into consideration all the people around the world who follow these practices.

So get religious about weight loss. Next time you eat, do not dive right in and start stuffing your face blindly stop. Stop for a second and think all about the food you are about to eat. Where did it come from? How did it make its way to your table? You will be surprised that you will lose weight and achieve your weight loss goals while having the same diet.

Michael Behnken, MS, NASM-CPT-PES, CSCS - http://AskTheTrainer.com