Watching What We Eat

In 1995, I had surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed. Having fasted for 12 hours, I went into surgery on an empty stomach. When I got out, I did what most people do after having their wisdom teeth pulled—I ate ice cream. When I got home, though, I went into the kitchen to get water and collapsed on the floor. My mom was concerned, but she thought that I was probably just dehydrated. So I rested.

Six years later, after I ate a chocolate bar on an empty stomach and fainted again, my mom suggested that I get tested for hypoglycemia. (My grandpa had been diagnosed with it a few years earlier.) I did, and the test came back positive.

Hypoglycemia means "low blood sugar." The main problems that arise with it result from "an inadequate supply of glucose to the brain, resulting in impairment of function (neuroglycemia)." Effects can range from mild discomfort to seizures to unconsciousness to, in very rare cases, permanent brain damage or death. In order to regulate blood sugar levels, people with hypoglycemia are given strict diets—eat every three to four hours and refrain from consuming sugar, especially on an empty stomach.   Continue at Bethany Jenkins

Dieting, Botox, and Honoring Jesus with Your Body

Undistracting attractiveness is John Piper’s term for it.

It’s a vision for the Christian to steer a middle course between idolizing our bodies and neglecting them. It includes giving our bodies enough attention — with sleep, diet, exercise, and upkeep — to avoid being distractingly unattractive, and reining in our impulses to pursue a self-focused attractiveness that distracts.

Deeper Than Dieting, Botox, and Plastic Surgery

Your body is a precious gift from God. And the Bible is clear about its highest purpose: To make God look good.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

And so Paul writes, “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20).

Beneath the flashpoints of dieting and exercise, botox and plastic surgery, lies this question for the Christian: Are we using our bodies in such a way that God is seen to be more precious than our bodies?    Continue at David Mathis

Harmful Habits to Avoid for Weight Loss

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.” 

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over repeatedly and expecting different results.” 

These two well worn cliche’s have much truth to them, and research now tells us that there are a great many habits that are generally adopted by people that are thought to help us lose weight but that ACTUALLY do the exact opposite, over time. For instance, skipping breakfast adds to our weight, as does drinking diet sodas. Keep Reading...