The Secret to Healthy Permanent Weight Loss

The irony to my title to this article is that the “secret” to healthy permanent weight loss is really not a secret – or at least it didn’t used to be. Before quick-fix diets came on the scene in the late 60’s and early 70’s, weight gain was not a national problem. It is also true that before this time, there were not many fast food restaurants and farmer’s markets still dominated the sale of fresh produce. Since then, it’s important to come to terms with the fact that dieting IS the problem. It’s imperative you understand the 4 Myths of dieting, because only then, will you be ready to discover the secret to permanent weight loss.

You’ve heard it said, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words.” (Prov. 18:21). In effect, what this means is that whatever you think and whatever you say become self-fulfilling prophecies. This can work for or against you depending on what you say. For example, making statements such as, “I can never lose any weight because I love food too much” will surely sabotage your efforts, because, in effect you’re saying, I don’t believe I can succeed. But once you have come to learn the truth about healthy, sustainable weight (fat) loss, the right use of your language becomes the most powerful tool you will ever possess.

So what are the words we are to speak daily that will give us that kind of power over food the rest of our lives? From my own personal experience, here are the words I believe will set you free from being overweight:

“I feel hungry, I need to nourish”.

In order to fully grasp the power and meaning of these short words, it is necessary to look at the other words we commonly use as it relates to eating. When we think we’re hungry, we often say “I’m hungry, let’s eat.” That pretty much leaves it open to eating whatever because you can “eat” anything. But if you change the word “eat” to “nourish”, now you’ve effectively eliminated a good 90% of the options out there because only whole, plant foods nourish.

The other part of this strategy is this: to say you FEEL hungry implies you know the difference between a craving and experiencing true hunger. Let’s face it, most Americans have never gone without a single meal their entire life and haven’t a clue what real hunger feels like. Most of us eat because we “crave” this or that, or simply out of habit, more so than out of true hunger.
To experience true hunger you must go on a fast so that your stomach fully digests everything you’ve put in your mouth and can actually get a break. Then, when you finally do eat, it’s a true “break-fast”. A safe fast is anywhere from 3 to 5 days for most people; healthy people can go longer but fasting too long can have ill effects so if in doubt, ask a medical professional. I recommend a fast for the purpose of getting to know your body and the signals of true hunger vs. a craving.

Going back to the power of your words, you can expect that at first, using these words every day is going to sound weird – it took me several months to get used to it. However, over time, your mind will cause you to ask questions like, “Am I truly hungry?” Often times, you’ll discover that you’re just thirsty and drinking a glass of water will make that “hunger” go away for 30 minutes or more. The other question that should come to mind when using these words is “Is this nourishing?” Again, common sense will take over as you’ll know (or you should know) when something is healthy and when it’s not.

Finally, it’s important that we correct the English language and make it clear that our identity is not caught up in food (I know there are many foodies who are quick to disagree). When we say that “I’m hungry …”, the truth is that I’m not a physical representation of hunger; hunger does not look like me. Case in point, in Spanish, we say “Yo tengo hambre”, translated to mean “I have hunger.” And even though we like to say that “you are what you eat”, the fact remains that we are not identified by a temporary (though reoccurring) physiological condition.

This begs the question, “Do we eat to live, or live to eat?”. By now, the answer should be obvious – we eat to live. But in the context of how we express feeling hungry in the English language, a better question beyond the hunger issue is, “What am I living for?”. The implication here is that our purpose in feeding our body with nourishing food goes above and beyond a simple desire to maintaining healthy “weight”. Contrary to popular opinion as narrated by the mainstream media, our purpose in living has vastly more significance than a number on the scale or the size of the clothes we wear.

Answering this question with sober humility should address the WHY we ought to eat with such strict discipline. The apostle Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, addressed this issue by saying: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) In other words, we have a duty to our Creator to honor his creation. Our lives are to be a testimony to his sovereignty over our bodies. We are to live in such a way that the message others will get when seeing your good health is that you belong in a healthy body. You become a walking billboard for God, and this can give them hope!

In summary, eating whole plant foods is in harmony with God’s original design for human beings. And although we may never fully experience perfect health this side of heaven, we are called to believe and have faith that it is ours to claim. By speaking the words “I feel hungry, I need to nourish” you’re not only speaking truth, you’re unlocking the secret to healthy, sustainable and permanent “weight loss”.