Weight Loss and Spirituality

Some turn to their spiritual side when undertaking weight loss. There are many of these diets including the Buddhist diet, the Hallelujah diet, and the Bible diet, just to name a few. Though these are all different in that they deal with different religious beliefs, they are all the same in some key ways. These spiritual diets use the mind and the spirit to stay on track and transform all parts of existence, not just the way the body looks and feels.

Some spiritual diets guide a dieter to focus on the benefits of the foods they should be eating rather than the ones they should not. In some religious diets, each food has a specific benefit to the mental health and well-being of a person along with the benefits of the food to the body. This allows a person to see what good they are doing, and it can make the 'bad' foods much easier to resist. An example would be yogurt. This is good for regulating the digestive system and to avoid ulcers, but is also allows the mind (and body) to be more flexible.

Other spiritual diets have eating restrictions based on the beliefs of that faith. For example, the Body by God Diet, which was developed by Dr. Ben Lerner, is touted as an “un-diet” rather than an actual weight loss program. This faith-based eating regime focuses on the importance of eating only all natural foods that God has provided and strictly prohibits the eating of all manufactured goods, such as pasteurized, packaged and refined foods.

With many religions, there is a type of prayer involved. Christians fall to their knees to speak with God, and others have their own traditions. Some religions focus on the mind and body through things like yoga and meditation. These are used as powerful tools to gain will-power and strength, but have an even more important use. These work to keep the mind and spirit in an upward spiral. Depression can cause a diet to fail. With prayer and meditation, depression can be avoided and a positive state of mind can be constant.

By accepting guidance from someone or something else – or even yourself – you make room for success in a weight loss plan. Emotional eating is a huge problem and can be traced back as the root of a weight problem in many who are overweight or obese. If you can overcome emotional eating with a spiritual diet plan, success is closer in reach. If you allow something you feel is more powerful than yourself to be your guide, you give yourself the power to succeed.

Another powerful aspect of spiritual dieting is that you are more than who you think you are. You are more than just an executive, or a mother, or a wife. Some people get stuck in one identity and forget the other parts of their lives. When they feel overwhelmed, they focus on the one thing they feel they are not doing right instead of all of the things they are accomplishing in life. Spiritual weight loss pushes a person to find their whole self, and focus on what they do well and what they can do better. This is done in a positive manner so that emotional and binge eating once used to deal with these feelings can be a thing of the past, and healthy habits can take root.