But how do we create the desire and the will to be persistent in this daunting fight?
If obesity is to be reduced, an inner drive needs to be supported along with outside programs and facilities. In “Affecting Obesity with Spiritual Truths,” Shannon McKeown states, “If you are overweight or obese, your weight loss journey starts from the inside – out.” In another study, Duke University professor Dr. Harold Koenig suggests, “A growing body of scientific research suggests connections between religion, spirituality, and both mental and physical health.” This article and study support the idea that health starts mentally.
Just how important is it not to be obese? A survey undertaken at Yale University found that nearly 50 percent of participants would give up an entire year of life rather than be fat; 15 to 30 percent would abandon marriage, never have children, or become alcoholics rather than become obese; and around five percent would prefer blindness or an amputation to being overweight.
It’s pretty clear from research and personal testimony that the effects of obesity are multiplying rather than diminishing. The utilization of the mind-body-spiritual connection could be vital to addressing this problem. Whatever choices are made in overcoming obesity, they will need to be approached with the attitude described by Dale Fletcher, author of “America’s Plan for Better Health and Wellness. Where’s the Spiritual Care and Faith Component?” Fletcher asks, “What’s it going to take for the leadership of our country to be convinced that the strategy for the health care of our citizens must include man’s Creator, God, a personal relationship with him, and address the principles found in the book that He gave us to live by and that this country was founded upon?”
Was this the unseen motivation that Vernon found in overcoming of obesity?
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