Losing weight - with Jesus!

I was once told by a Mormon man that there's a serious problem in their church with obesity in women, especially older, unmarried women.  Part of the problem arises from the intense emphasis the church places on marriage.  In a Mormon wedding, the covenant doesn't last "til death do you part," but "for time and eternity."  I don't think it's going too far to say that devout Mormon women grow up believing that the sole purpose of their life on this earth is to get married in a temple wedding and raise a family.  Compound this with the fact that, as in most religions, there are more devout Mormon women than devout Mormon men and you've got a problem.  There's a population of older, unmarried Mormon women who feel like they've essentially failed at their life's purpose.

These older single ladies can't have extramarital sex, can't smoke, can't drink, can't indulge in recreational drug use (although the rate of prescription anti-depressant use in Utah is among the highest in the nation), but they can indulge in food, and they often do.  Mormon culture is permeated by good cooks and good food, especially sweets.  It places an emphasis on clean living, but it also places an emphasis on baking.  I think this concept is captured by a speech I once witnessed at a Mormon rehearsal dinner.  One of the female family members gave the young couple a Kitchenaid mixer and explained how "a mixer is a fixer" for all the problems of the family, then basically went on to explain how each problem could be solved by the appropriate food.  Kid comes home from school upset?  Bake cookies.  Husband stressed out?  Bake a pie.

I was also raised in the "food is love" tradition, so I get it.  I believe nourishing yourself, occasionally indulging yourself, and most importantly, forgiving yourself for that indulgence, is an essential aspect of self love.  I get how a depressed woman who felt like she'd missed out on the most fulfilling part of life would turn to seven layer bars and rocky road brownies.  But without moderation, and without the self-forgiveness, I can see how you'd have a massive backlog of toxic guilt.  And it's not just the Mormon church.  Extrapolate this trend out to any religious organization that emphasizes marriage and restricts pleasure and you've got a lot of sad fat single people.

How do you reach these people?  Do you tell them that being thin and healthy is a pleasure in and of itself that they deserve to enjoy?  Nope.  You tell them they need to get thin for Jesus.  Programs like Weigh Down, Thin for Him and What Would Jesus Eat are tailored especially for this population.  And evidence suggests that they're actually more successful than secular weight loss programs.  Is this because of the built-in support group?  Is it the intense guilt and shame factor?  Who knows?  Hopefully it will help these people to develop reasons to love and value themselves, outside of and in addition to the love god and Jesus have for them.