The Spiritual Path to Weight Loss - Quotes

The following are quotes from the book, The Spiritual Path to Weight Loss: Praising God by Living a Healthy Life by Gregory L. Jantz, Ph. D.

"If food meant love, who wouldn't want bushels of it?" p. 10

"Food is not the problem, and therefore, food is not the cure." p. 11

"The antidote to dieting is to live a truly authentic, balanced, healthy life as a person who is growing into the individual that God has created you to be." p. 11

"When one works on the development of the whole person, food will assume its natural role." p. 20

"She thought she was doomed to a second-rate life. Ann thought her weight was her cross to bear in life. Just something she had to live with. She thought she would always be the caterpillar and never the butterfly." p. 22

"God loves you right now. Before you've thrown out your Twinkies and stocked up on carrot sticks. Before you've walked a mile or climbed a single stair. God loves you just the way you are right now." p. 25


"People who lose weight permanently don't even know how to spell the word blame anymore; they are that far removed from pinning the rap on others. They simply recognize what happened and know that now is the time to get unstuck." p. 29

"To lose weight, you have to slow down, re-evaluate the facts, and slowly change the course of your life." p. 47

"Don't let your body stop you from experiencing all of life, no matter what shape your body is in." p. 48


"...we humans have a tendency to crucify ourselves between two thieves: the regret of yesterday and the fear of tomorrow." p. 49

"Be too grand for worry, too hopeful for despair, too kind to hurt another, and too committed to healthy weight loss to give up." p. 50

"Have you ever said, 'I don't have time'? What you really meant was, 'I've not yet made it a priority. It's not important to me. I have ohter things I'd rather do.'

People who lose weight and keep it off know that the process takes time. It's a process that cannot be rushed."   "...weight loss is a journey of progress, not perfection."

"Do you want to be a sunflower, born of the warm, summer ground in a heartbeat, but wilting a few weeks later? Or are you willing to discipline yourself to become an oak tree--sturdy, strong, healthy, and built for the long haul?"  p. 52

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Part 2

The Example of Daniel

"Little is much if God is in it. Learn to live a simple life and eat accordingly."

"Daniel could have taken the King's buffet as his right. After all, Daniel was a captive; he deserved some reward for his suffering. For many of the people I see, the desire to have a reward or comfort for their pain is a powerful reason to overeat. When all else is wrong in their life, it is easy to make a donut their best friend." 

"He knew that the man who controlled his appetite was the man whom God honored."

"Daniel looked beyond food. The Bible says he did not let food defile him; but he also did not let food define him...Since the delicacies in the king's rations had been offered to idols, Daniel knew they were not good for his soul. Therefore, they were not good for his body."  p. 58-59

"Daniel's real triumph wasn't in the fiery furnace. It was gained, first, at the banqueting table. If he hadn't triumphed over his appetites, he never would have had faith to face the furnace." p.61

"...people who lose weight successfully do not rely on the stuff most diets are made of. They are looking at mroe than the food they eat or don't eat. They are looking at the overall good for their bodies, minds, souls. 
   Instead of working toward perfection in weight management, the people who suceed inch toward progress.
   No longer do such people feel trapped and immobilized by weight. Instead they begin to see themselves as individuals for whom the issue of weight is only one component of a complete, balanced life." p. 60-61

There are no shortcuts to successful weight management and good health -- physical or spiritual health. The balanced life takes time. And it all begins with one step in the right direction.
    ...take that step in the right direction by asking yourself, 'What is best for my body, mind, and soul?'" p. 67

Never again do you need to be controlled by external forces to lose weight. You don't need to be controlled by anything other than the Holy Spirit who has been assigned to you as a comforter and friend for all the areas of your life--including your weight.  p. 81  (See Philippians 4:8)

The questions people who lose weight effectively ask themselves are, What does my body need today? What kind of food shall I eat? What sort of exercise is most appropriate? What kind of activity level is best for me? p.85

Exercise is not about feeling guilty for what you can't or choose not to, do. The guiltier you feel, the less exercise you will do; the less exercise you do, the guiltier you will feel; and your guilt cycle will produce depression, confusion, and anger to the point where your entire system may simply close down. The solution: Do what is right for you. (i.e. that which is enjoyable and fitting for your lifestyle so that you will want to continue doing it.) p. 87

Every activity you do counts toward your total health.
People who lose weight effectively know that weight loss is all about personal freedom and liberation, never a set of rules set down by others. People who learn to live a healthy, balanced life say goodbye to extreme behavior in every area of their lives--including what they do for their daily activity.
Don't make a big plan. Make a small plan that you will stick to, and then add to the small plan when you've made it a habit. Remember, you are walking a spiritual path, and any path is to be taken one step at a time.  pgs. 88-89

A Lesson from John the Baptist:
John ate to live; he did not live to eat. John was busy serving his master; and his master was not his own hunger. Food was his servant, not his friend...

When you are serious about losing weight, you will demand of yourself that you develop a new relationship with food--which may actually mean taking a fresh new look at life in general. That's because the energy you spend focusing on food, on eating, and on dieting is energy that may be taking away from other areas of your life

This is what we can learn from John the Baptist: Food is sustenance. We need food to live....throughout the Bible the message about food is this--do not put your faith in food. Food will not love you. Food will not heal your pain. Food will not help you manage your anger.
It's time to put food in it's place in your life.  p. 91-93

Thinking thin doesn't work because it's not a thinking problem. It's a whole-person problem. People who lose weight understand they need a paradigm shift of the highest order. A paradigm shift is when you look at some familiar thing completely differently. p. 94

Losing weight is not only about what you put in your mouth. It's about what you put in your heart and soul as well. There are "junk food" thoughts just like there are "junk food" cupcakes. These are thoughts that do not nourish us; they may look attractive, but they have no real value. Envy is high on the list of junk food thoughts.  p. 108

We can't cultivate the flowers in our own garden when we are hanging over the fence wishing we had the fowers in someone else's garden.  p. 119

Your body needs time to lose the weight so that it's fat you lose and not muscle or water. Weight that comes off quickly goes back on even quicker and usually brings a few more pounds with it to keep it company.

Building a healthy body is like building a healthy soul. It takes time.  p. 122

Active Patience