IF YOU think that the basic cause of overweight is some psychological problem such as over eating as a way of compensating for feelings of inferiority or a form of repressed hostility, you may be only half right. This month's Life and Health reviews a book by Frank J. Bruno entitled Think Yourself Thin. The reviewer indicates that the author lays at least equal stress upon the power of habit in perpetuating an over weight state. Again it is emphasized that the basic cause of obesity is really just eating too much.
Even in those rare cases where the fault lies with the "glands" or with metabolism, the treatment of the overweight condition is still to eat less. Bruno frowns on fad diets, crash programs, total fasts, diet pills, and the concept that "calories don't count." The results of such programs are rarely permanent.
It is for this reason that we are suggesting a program that involves losing about one pound per week. By going on such a gradual pro gram we can develop a way of life that will enable us not only to lose pounds but to keep them off permanently.
Dr. Bruno's title is an intriguing one. How wonderful it would be if we could just sit down and think ourselves thin. It would be no trick at all to decide "I'm going to lose five pounds off my legs, ten pounds off my hips, and none at all off my face," and then sit down, close your eyes, concentrate on your thinking, and Presto! It's done. But, unfortunately, that's not what Dr. Bruno teaches us to do.
The "thinking" he describes that will make us thin is probably the hardest kind of all, for it involves will power. He tells us that man is more than just an animal and can therefore think intelligently and choose to control his instincts and form more healthful habits. If you do this kind of thinking, then you can really "think yourself thin"!
Fortunately, we have a Creator who understands our weakness and knows how to help us bolster our will power so that what Dr. Bruno is suggesting won't be all that impossible after all. The servant of God clearly testifies: "The necessity for the men of this generation to call to their aid the power of the will, strengthened by the grace of God, in order to withstand the temptations of Satan, and resist the least indulgence of perverted appetite, is far greater than it was several generations ago. But the present generation have less power of self-control than had those who lived then." --Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 167. (Italics supplied.)
In order to think ourselves thin, then, we have to depend on a stronger will than our own. "In our own strength it is impossible for us to deny the clamors of our fallen nature," we are told. But the way out is clearly described. Christ makes it possible. "By passing over the ground which man must travel, our Lord has prepared the way for us to overcome. It is not^ His will that we should be placed at a disadvantage in the conflict with Satan. . . . 'The prince of this world cometh,' said Jesus, 'and hath nothing in Me.' There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan's sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ's humanity was united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature." --The Desire of Ages, pp. 122, 123. The point of all this, it seems to me, is that it really is not impossible to "think our selves thin" as long as our wills are strengthened by the power of God through the Holy Spirit.
This month, I'm happy to report, I'm right on schedule. That is, I have lost one pound per week for the past four weeks, which means that I've lost a total of eight pounds over the past two months. Not spectacular, it's true. But that's what's nice about the plan we Losinging With Leo club members are following. It doesn't have to be spectacular--just sure and steady.
If you're having any problems that you'd like us to discuss with our experts here at Loma Linda, just drop us a note and we'll see what we can do about finding the best answer available. If you're thinking about joining the club and losing one pound a week until you've accomplished your goal, just drop us a card telling of your decision and we'll send you a chart that will help you keep record plus some material we have on hand on weight control. Remember that it's important to make your doctor your partner and to have him help you diagnose your particular situation and help you outline your solution.
Our watch-your-weight-word for this month is "Think!" Think yourself thin by exercising your will power, strengthened by the grace of God.
