Friday night at church, my pastor recommended a book. Now, any of you avid churchgoers understand, that when your pastor recommends something, you should at least consider it. I know pastors aren't perfect, but by willingly submitting to their authority, we can be blessed.
Those who know me personally know that I'm not grotesquely overweight, but that I've been frustrated with dieting over the past years. I don't have a ton of weight to lose, but I don't like the fact that I'm tired all the time, grossly out of shape, and seem to have no control over my sugar addiction at times.
Several months ago I gave up. I was sick of wasting all my mental energy counting calories and trying to make sure that I was getting the proper amount of cardio and weight training. I was disillusioned by the whole diet industry. I knew there had to be a better explanation as to why I was getting fat.
Common knowledge from nutrition education that was available to me basically told me that if I couldn't lose weight and keep it off, then I must be either a glutton, or a sloth. I knew from other areas of my life, and from feedback I received from trusted friends and mentors that I was neither. I could lose weight if I really put all my time and energy into it, but I would hit a wall at a certain weight and couldn't seem to get past that point.
As I said before, my pastor recommended the book on Friday and his success thus far in utilizing the information it contained. I knew that this was something I should at least look into, and so I bought the book. It took me a day and a half to read it. Not that it was a small book. It was simply so logical, and spoke to my struggles so exactly that I couldn't put it down.
Now to explain why I'm recommending it here. Years ago if I read a life changing book I would shout it from the rooftops, telling everyone I came into contact with that they should read this book. Through the years I have learned that if God is speaking to me through a book it doesn't necessarily mean that He has the same message for every one of my friends. I have since learned to read books and internalize them and I only recommend them if one of my friends specifically mentions a struggle with that particular issue.
As I think of my friends and family I know that the majority of them struggle with their weight and are frustrated with the inability to maintain weight loss. If you're not one of those people and you've read this far, you can probably think of several of your friends who would benefit from this information, even if it is unnecessary to you. My friends and family who would benefit from the information include everyone from those who are obese and cannot seem to take the weight off, no matter how hard they try, to those with gout, to those who seem to be maintaining their weight but not without considerable effort and semi-starvation, to those who are skinny, and wish they could put on a few pounds.
As you can see I highly recommend this book. I won't get any money from the sale of this book. I simply recommend it, because I care about my friends and want them to live a victorious life. So please, take a chance and read the book "Why We Get Fat; and What to Do About It."
One Caveat: I believe in a literal 7 day creation as the origin of the universe. The author of this book believes that man evolved over millions of years. While the majority of the book focuses on case studies and scientific research done over the past 150-200 years, he does mention hunter-gatherer diet in a positive light. I simply ignored his explanation and inserted my own understanding of our human past. After the flood, when the waters above the firmament had broken up, and the earth was recovering from a complete change in atmospheric conditions, God told Noah and his sons that they could eat animals for food. I believe it was at this point that the information in this book became valid for mankind.
P.S. If you're interested in other books I recommend that haven't made it to my blog, Check here. (Pinterest Account Required)
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