Knowledge Is The Fourth Stone

Don’t Forget Your River Stones – Part 8

“And Jesus answered him saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
- Luke 4:4

We have talked about three river stones, Motivation, Conviction, and Understanding.  Now we continue with our fourth stone, Knowledge.

Knowledge Is The Fourth Stone

Many people don’t know the truth about their body’s survival system or how the food they eat affects their energy.  Most people don’t know the truth about the content of the food they are eating.  They don’t know if their meal is full of fat or is vitamin deficient.

You can gain knowledge of the truth simply by reading nutrition labels on the food you buy.  You can also gain knowledge by asking waiters and chefs in restaurants how many calories and fat grams are in the food they serve you.  Many food establishments have printed menus with calorie and fat-gram calculations for those who ask for the truth.

Knowledge of how many fat grams are in the foods you eat will give you the conviction you need to make healthy choices.  You can know when you’ve have enough calories for the day.  Choose the foods you eat by what you know to be true, not by what you think is true.

You will be surprised at the truth of what is in some of your favorite foods.  You will find that the bread pudding you think is your enemy only has seven grams of fat.  The salad, which you thought was good for you, is actually fully of 56 fat grams by the time you put four helpings of dressing on your otherwise healthy greens.

Knowledge Is Power

David knew he could defeat Goliath because God was with him.  God had helped him to defeat a lion and a bear.  He was highly skilled with the slingshot.  He had the knowledge that fueled his motivation, conviction, with the understanding that God was on his side.  God is on our side also.  He desires us to defeat the giant, and gaining knowledge will fuel you as well.

As the “R” in DREAM states, you must “Realize where you are today.”  Start by paying your doctor a visit.  Get a complete check up.  You need to know your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, weight, all these things.  Tell your doctor you are wanting to lose weight.

 If you are sick and having health problems, you should not try to lose weight unless your physician has told you to do so and is actively involved with your plan.

The information I am sharing is testimonial in nature.  They are based on standard health rules and personal experience, which are restoring my body and enhancing my walk with God.  If you have special needs and concerns, always seek the counsel of your physician.  Then use the Word of God to encourage you in the program that your doctor designed for you.  Here are some tips that are universally effective.

During your initial attack against your weight, you will need to eat fewer calories and take in fewer fat grams.  When you reach your normal body size, you will need to increase your calories and fat grams to maintain the weight you become.

Your doctor will tell you what those counts should be for your level of activity, age, and height.  Please understand, we are not wanting to present this information as a diet plan, but as information for a balanced lifestyle with teaching that leads to a better way of life.

We want to simply pass along the truths that have worked, as well as tips for the body and even some healthy recipes.  For that reason we will avoid stating how many calories and fat grams you should have.  There are too many variables for us to try to make such a calculation.  Your doctor will supply that information.

We want to give you some basic tools of knowledge you can apply to any weight-loss program.  Many diets give you methods to pull off the weight, but they don’t impart knowledge so you can understand how to maintain the loss.

Most weight-loss programs want you to be dependent on their food sources so you will continue to buy their program.  True knowledge will give you the power to make choices without depending on someone else to dictate what you should or shouldn’t eat.

Weight control is simple math.  If you eat more calories and fat than you need, you will become overweight.  And if you don’t eat enough, you will become underweight.  But if you balance you intake of food and output of energy, you will become and maintain the size your body frame was designed to carry.

After establishing how many calories and fat grams you should eat each day, the next step is to keep and honest record of how much you are eating.  You may want to keep a food journal for a while, where you write down everything you are eating each day.  Refer to the label or a nutrition guide for details of calorie counts.  Keep an accurate assessment of the portions you are eating so you will know when you truly have had enough food for the day.

There are many calorie counters in the health and nutrition section of your local bookstore.  You can even find nutrition apps for your smart phones.  Either way, keep a record of what you are actually eating, it might surprise you.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!