LESSON 31:
Lowering Your Weight
1: There is a saying that the longer your waistline, the shorter your lifeline. In other words, overweight matters! Life Insurance studies have shown that those who are overweight run a greater risk of serious illness than those of desirable weight. What is more, the greater the degree of overweight, the greater the risk, particularly past the age of forty. So, if you are overweight, do not take it lightly. We are going to tell you why.
2: First of all, let us define overweight. How can you know what your weight should be? Because we are all a little different in height and build from each other, there is no set rule for everyone. However, we do have a guide that will tell you approximately what you should weigh.
3: At what point do you begin to be overweight? If you go more than 10-20% above your normal weight, you are definitely overweight. Someone once made the statement that "Obesity is a sickness." Well, if it is a sickness, it is one that can be cured, and we will talk a little bit about that later on. Whether or not obesity is a sickness, one thing is certain, obesity causes sickness. Let us look at some facts about overweight. All this adds up to the fact that those who are overweight do not live as long as those whose weight is normal. So, as you can see, overweight should not be taken lightly! Obviously, excess pounds place a strain on the human body.
4: Besides making you more susceptible to diseases, overweight makes you less resistant to other infections such as flu, pneumonia, colds, and such. Did you know that fat people even tend to have more accidents? Health is not the only incentive for keeping your desirable weight. How about the mirror you have to face every day? How about the dress and suit that will not fit anymore? How about what other people think of your appearance? How much more comfortable we are when our weight is normal.
5: It would be wonderful if we could just say, "Get lost!" and the extra pounds would vanish. But it does not work that way. However, more and more people can testify that there are ways to lose weight, and that the reward of being more handsome, healthy, and filled with a sense of well-being is well worth the effort. Before we give some tips about how to lose extra pounds, let us look at some often-heard excuses for being overweight. Our grandparents used to say, "so and so is fat and healthy." But we have already seen that being fat and being healthy do not go together. Our grandparents may have had such ideas, but statistics prove that the lean live longer and are more healthy than the overweight.
6: How about the idea that our glands make us fat or thin. Very rarely is this a factor to be considered. But even if this is true, in your case, your doctor can help you. "It runs in my family to be overweight." is another reason given. Heredity does play a part, but usually it is eating habits that run in families. By changing the eating habits you grew up with, you can change your weight. It is just middle-age spread;' some people say, But if pounds are piling up along with the years, it means one thing: you are not exercising enough to use up the amount of food you are eating. As you cut down on activity, you should also cut down on food intake. Many women blame their figures on having children. But remember mothers, when you are pregnant, it is not how much you eat, but what you eat that keeps you and your baby in good condition.
7: Now I am going to give you some real reasons why you may be overweight:
(1) You may not know how many calories there are in the food you eat. For example, one cup of cabbage has much fewer calories than just one teaspoon of oil or margarine!
(2) You may not know how much activity you need in order to "work off" the food you eat. You must do the equivalent of a 20-minute brisk walk in order to use the energy that the one-teaspoon of oil or margarine gives you!
(3) You may not know which foods give you "empty" calories. "Empty calories" are calories that have very little nutritive value, but have plenty of fattening value. A candy bar, or a few cookies give you plenty of fattening calories, but no vitamins, minerals, or protein value. On the other hand, a banana or a mango gives you fewer calories, but many vitamins and minerals as well.
(4) You do not control your snacking. You eat as a pleasant past-time even though you are not really hungry or do not need the food.
(5) You may not understand that there are different kinds of calories. Acid calories such as found in animal products, oils and fats, refined foods and sugar are quickly stored as fat while alkaline calories such as found in fresh and raw fruits and vegetables almost never are. 2-3 thousand alkaline calories will not put on weight as much as one thousand acid calories will.
(6) Often much of what seems to be fat is actually excess salt and other chemicals that the body must keep diluted with water so as to protect the cells from damage. Much of this chemical bloat comes from the preservatives and flavoring agents used in commercially prepared foods. Increasing the amount of pure water drank and decreasing the use of chemical and salt laden foods will often work wonders in removing this bloat and slimming down the body. Some chemicals such as caffeine and artificial diet sweeteners (aspartame; Nutra-sweet) cause a craving for carbohydrates and encourage weight gain as well as harming the brain and nerves.
8: If you are overweight, your first big step is to decide once and for all, "I am going to lose weight! I am going to get down to my normal weight, and I am going to stay there!" Second, see a doctor if you need to, so as to make sure you are in good health otherwise. Third, maintain good emotional balance. Stop and ask yourself, "why do I want to lose weight?" Decide that to lose weight is important, but do not treat it as a disaster. Keep cheerful especially at mealtime. If possible, join someone else who is overweight in your weight-losing plans so that you can encourage each other.
9: Fourth, remember that losing excess weight will take time. Do not try to do it all at once. For more lasting results, your weight loss should be gradual as you change the bad habits that caused it, to healthy habits. The diet you use to loose weight should be the diet you can live on, if this is so, the day will come when weight worries will be a thing of the past. Fifth, plan your meals ahead, and eat adequately. Do not restrict yourself to only certain foods, or go on some kind of "crash diet" that you may read about. Use a variety. Choosing good natural whole foods, increasing your use of fresh and raw vegetables and fruits and turning from the refined, empty calories and animal products is the secret.
10: Here is an extra tip. Do not weigh yourself every day! It can be a very discouraging business. Weigh once a week, at about the same time of day each time, and with about the same amount of clothing on.
11: Imagine trying to hold a 25-pound weight all day long! Just imagine how you would feel if you had to carry that weight every moment of the day and night and could never put it down the rest of your life. Yet very few overweight people stop to think of how they are making their heart, blood vessels and organs suffer by forcing them to carry the responsibility for more pounds than they should.
12: Over the past few weeks we have focused on areas of concern to those who desire happiness and health. We believe our Lord would be vitally interested in these principles were He on earth now. We believe He would also be concerned about His place of worship. Where would He go to Church if He came to your town?
13: As there is one baptism there is also one faith. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:5, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." In John 14:6, Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Hence, we conclude as there is one God and one church. This is the church established by Jesus Himself. Is there such a church in existence now? Let the Bible speak.
14: "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:5. Jesus, through His own blood, has made this way. He is the only one who has paid the penalty for our sins. Therefore, by His death on the cross a way has been made for our reconciliation with God, while there are many ways, professing to be true, it is only Jesus' way that reaches up to heaven.
15: So that we will not be in darkness about the true church of God, He has given us definite signs of identification. They are so clear that no one needs to miss them. We find a vivid picture of the true church of God in Revelation Chapter 12. "And there appeared a great wonder or sign in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." Revelation 12:1. A good woman in the Bible stands for the true church and a bad woman an apostate church. Hebrews 6.2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Isaiah 51:16. Since this woman is a symbol, she is not a real woman but represents the true church of God.
16: This church is putting on Jesus who is the Sun of Righteousness, and founded on the Word of God, here represented by the moon. The "crown of twelve stars" stands for the 12 apostles of Jesus, the leaders of the church in the New Testament. These stars also represent the 12 tribes of Israel of the church in the wilderness. The true church of God on earth has always been. There never was a time when it did not exist.
17: "And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." Revelation 12:2. The child mentioned here is no doubt Jesus Himself as the further verses will explain. "And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born!" Revelation 12:4. The dragon represents Satan himself. Here he is working through Herod who wanted to kill baby Jesus. As usual Satan is working through someone else to accomplish his purposes.
18: "And she brought forth a man child who was to rule 7 all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God and to His throne." Revelation 12:5. Satan's plan was thwarted. The woman represents the church of God through whom Jesus came. Satan, through Herod, did not kill Him, and after fulfilling His mission on earth, Jesus, the Son, ascended to His Father in heaven.
19: As we read on we will find that Satan continues his war with the woman or the church. Verse fourteen tells of the church fleeing to some secluded places as there was severe persecution against her. The seclusion was to be for a period of three and a half years which is equal to 1260 years according to the prophetic interpretation. The persecution period started in 538 and ended in 1798. The true church of God during this period of the Dark Ages finds its refuge in the mountains and hidden places. It is estimated that 50-100 million of God's true people died during these persecutions.
20: According to the prophecy the earth or the more uninhabited areas were to help the woman. Also there came the time when the new nation of the United States, growing up in a rather uninhabited area, gave a place for Gods children to flee from the wrath of the dragon working through the Roman church. These areas beyond the control of the persecutors, as it were, swallowed up the flood (persecution) which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
21: In spite of resistance Satan is not going to give up. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman (church) and went to make war with the remnant (last remainder) of her seed (believers), which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17.
22: If you are seeking to be among the remnant of the true church of God, seek for these two signs:Keeping of all of God's commandments and having the testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy. Revelation 19:10. This church will keep all of God's commandments including the 4th which commands to keep the 7th day Sabbath.
23: This church will also have the gift of prophecy. You may search throughout the world and you will find it is only the true Seventh-day Adventist message that fulfills these identifications fully. They keep all of God's commandments, and in the life of Ellen G. White, the Gift of Prophecy has been fulfilled in this church. Later you will learn more on this important point.
24: This was the church in Eden. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all were members of this church. The Israelites were once again organized under the leadership of this church. Jesus and all His Apostles and disciples were members of this same church. It was in seclusion for 1260 years. It was to come to the public after 1798. Everything just fits so nicely. This is not a new church, it is only the continuation of the first church which was organized in Eden. Only those who obey all of Gods ten commandments by the power of Jesus are going to triumph. May God guide you, so that you will understand this now when Jesus comes back may you be found among His people waiting for Him.
