by Dawn Lewis

Created on: October 06, 2008   Last Updated: October 14, 2008

Weight loss; we all struggle with it at some point in our lives. We think that all we need to do is count the carbs, or the calories, and add a bit more exercise to our days, and perhaps that will do it! Well, that's only part of it. We need to consult our Heavenly Father, and ask for help. The Bible clearly states "ask and it will be given."

In order to understand how our bodies metabolize food, we need to look at a number of factors that affect our eating. Some people eat because of stressors in their everyday lives, and they simply feel better when they eat! It's called comfort food.' Others eat when they are depressed, angry or even happy. Again, we all have a crutch that keeps us on the diet roller coaster and we never seem to get anywhere.

If we are open to using our faith roots, we can use prayer to help us with the things that block our ability to lose weight. We all know that if we consume more calories on a daily basis than we expend in exercise, we will store up and gain weight. It's important that we consume only what we need, and keep our exercise level consistent during each day. It is easy to convince ourselves that we don't overeat, but through guidance from prayer we can look to the reality of what we ingest every single day. Prayer can help!

Research has shown that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. What we need to do in prayer is to recognize that we need another way to deal with our food cravings and our lack of exercise feelings. We may use food to numb our emotions and we use excuses to avoid doing additional exercise.
We need to retrain ourselves to take the time we think we are hungry and spend it in prayer. We need to look at food as the Holy gift of nutrition, not as a way to numb the emotional stressors in our lives. If we can spend time in prayer prior to eating, we can gradually release the stressors and determine that maybe we really aren't hungry!

To change the way we do things, we first need to identify what it is we really want to change about ourselves, and we need to be realistic. We need to see what damage has been done to our bodies from our overeating, and we need to find a way to reverse that damage. Starting with prayer is the first step. We can simply "ask" for help in guiding us to the healthier foods, and the healthier way to eat.

The first step is relaxation. When we are stressed, our bodies think we need something more than what we do. We need to find some soothing music and a quiet place. Allow the music to fill

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