The bible refers to it as gluttony, and it’s a sin.

So if eating too much is a sin and sin blocks my blessings, then my eating is hindering the blessings that God desires for my life. The real painful part is that my eating is also hindering the blessings of my family. You would think that thought alone would be enough to keep my mouth shut.

Sin has a strong pull though. Some days I can breeze right through just eating when my stomach growls and never overdoing it. Then there are times when I think I am unable to stop snacking all day.

Believe it or not, my solution to this quandary is prayer. When I start my day talking to God then the temptations are not only smaller, but there always seems to be an escape route. Those other days, every thing seems hectic and overwhelming and food seems to be the only neutralizer.

So I’m going to pray my way past gluttony and to a fitter, trimmer life. Breaking the sin will not be easy. I know it does NOT want to go. But it is time, and I am determined to be free.

1. Clean the house. Take a broom and a mop and get to work. Sweep the entire house from top to bottom and then follow up with a good mopping. It’s an amazing upper body work out (and you can really burn up the calories if you see how fast you can get it all done).

2. Mow the yard. Forget the riding contraptions that cost more than my first car did. Invest in a quality push mower. Pushing that machine around the yard, twice a week, will not only tone up your lower body but will also help you to appreciate pavement. For the best work out around, invest in a mower that is NOT self-propelling.

3. Play with the children. Whether you jump on the trampoline, take a hike with the whole family (and inevitable carry the toddler on your back) or just run around kicking the soccer ball, you are bound to get a great work out in muscles you had forgotten you had.

4. Play with the spouse – enough said!

5. Wash the windows (inside and out). Climbing up and down the ladder to reach the top corners of the many windows in your home is going to tone more in your lower body than any expensive Stairmaster ever could.

6. Plant a garden. Between the digging, plowing, stooping, weeding and hauling you will get a full body work out that you will not soon forget. If you really want to put your muscles to the test then rent a sod cutter and clear some area in your yard for a NEW garden (be sure to till well before doing any planting).

7. Volunteer to keep the toddler room at church. You’ll do plenty of lifts and squats and maybe even a few presses. Rolling around with the kids can be the best exercise in the world (for the body and the heart).

The great thing about these activities is that they help keep you moving. That is one of the most important keys to losing weight. Besides, if you are up and going then you aren’t vegging in front of the television eating.

Instead of spending your time (and money) at the gym, let go of some of the conveniences around your home and you will find that you can lose weight without doing any exercising.

Simple Tips to Help Weight Loss

1. Chew less. When I first read this statement, I was thinking about the “chew your bite 40 times” that I had heard in grammar school. The truth is that when I sit down to eat, I simply eat too much. Chew less means don’t eat so much.

2. Eat off smaller plates (or bowls). This will force you to eat smaller portions and will also trick your brain into thinking it’s getting more food.

3. Take your time. Eat smaller bites and take time in between each bite. It usually takes the “full” message from your stomach about twenty minutes to reach your brain. (I wonder if this is because all the blood and energy is being used to digest).

4. Make meal time an experience. Put out the nice linen. Light a candle. Play some mood music. Enjoy each and every meal instead of shoving anything into your mouth and calling it done.

5. Stop before you are full. I call it “first date” eating. Only consume as much as you would on a first date – or an amount about the size of your palm.

6. Get moving. You have to burn more calories than you take in, and movement is the way to do that. Make it your goal to walk just 10,000 steps per day.

7. Build muscle. Muscle will burn more energy than fat. The stronger you get, the more weight you can burn off with less effort.

8. Don’t ever give up. If you slip, start again.

9. Start now. If you wait until tomorrow then you will continue to wait until tomorrow.

10. Treat yourself. If you complete deprive yourself of chocolate then you won’t be able to think of anything BUT chocolate. When you are hungry, enjoy a small amount of your favorite food, but don’t go overboard.

Losing weight doesn’t have to require lots of charts and graphs. With just a little common sense, some self control and some get up and go you can work and live your way to a thin and healthy life without diets. The steps to losing weight are simple – now if they were only easy, too.