Troubling: Church goers and obesity

meredithkrueger

My church, and many around us, have Zumba classes during the week. I don't think it is necessarily a religious thing - it is a United States thing. Look around at your job, at the store, in the neighborhood and you will see overweight everywhere. Even in the schools. Many of the students in my kids elementary school are overweight. The epidemic is related to MANY things. One big factor is the family. Many kids come home to absent parents and have to fend for themselves...of course, eating junk because they like it better. Also, junk food and processed foods are usually cheaper than natural veggies, fruits, and meats. There are so many factors that I would hesitate to say that it is related to church.

UsedToBeHusky

easy .. they like tradition, don't believe is science ... easy equation

You know... I'm not trying to take this off in the wrong direction. But for many people, church is about fellowship. If God is the glue that brings that together for them, then what difference does it make what their traditions and beliefs are.

quiksylver296

My pastor is an Ironman triathlete. His wife runs marathons. They live their life as an example. I'm not saying everyone is my church is thin, but at least the example is there.

timpicks

Communion wafers are like a gazillion calories.

Goddessmaker1

I have noticed this for a long time. I think from my experience being fat was ok because God can still bless you. The mantra that fit folks where just showing off and you were more modest a bit heavier. In the church everyone wants to be comfy so there are dinners,breakfast and some type of luncheon but there is no walks,hiking trips etc. Now the church I attend I see a few chubby folks but everyone is average size and does something physical. It's a different flow. Sometimes for some eating is a pacifier so people eat instead of dealing with the issues they have.

gimpygramma

I am wondering if any churches still consider gluttony a sin. Remember the seven deadly sins?
wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony
I once had a portly pastor who bemoaned the fact that his besetting sin was right there for all to see.

k8blujay2

Church pot-lucks. 'Nuf said.

Exactly!!!

And I agree, we focus on many other "sins dejour" but we forget about the sins that (nearly) everyone has a tendency to participate in... gluttony and being a poor steward of the thing God gave us, our bodies.

shannashannabobana

they like tradition, don't believe is science

This is stupid.

When I was a kid we had 'church league' for a ton of sports and they had adult softball.

ninerbuff

Lol, maybe god wants their souls sooner than later.:laugh:

It's sarcasm folks. Take it lightly.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

katejkelley

Growing up Lutheran - potlucks once a month (lots of hotdish, jello "'salads", brownies with frosting, just about everything included a Cream of "something" soup. Let us not forget the "Snicker Salad", which was placed with the vegetable side dishes! Donuts with coffee during morning Bible study. Summer Bible School snacks were cookies (Snickerdoodles were a staple. Martin Luther must have started that one.) Every couples gathering is a meal. Every youth gathering is pizza. Yeah, I think church families should take a look at renovating "fellowship" to something a little less caloric!

katejkelley

easy .. they like tradition, don't believe is science ... easy equation

I'm a Christian, and I believe in Science. Let's not be rude here.

Lift_hard_eat_big

Being a PK, I know how awesome the church pot lucks can be ???? We have them nearly every Sunday and I can't recall ever not stuffing myself sick lol!

MyChocolateDiet

Before I got back into ministry, I worked out 4-5 days a week and stayed in shape. But as my ministry duties started to consume more of my time, I had less time working out and more time in church. That compounded w/ the fact that when our church family was small, we would always go out to eat after church, even after special services, sometimes very late at night. I gained about 25 lbs as a result. Now I have lost that weight again, because I believe that I need to be in shape to do what God has called me to do. Ministry can be very strenuous work and I don't want to be too out of shape to do it. The Body of Christ in general is terribly obese, because of potlucks, church celebration dinners, wedding dinners, funeral dinners, we look for any reason we can to eat. And the menu is never healthy because you have to cater to the majority who don't want to eat healthy. I think it is a blessing for Pastors to lead the charge and if you look nowadays you see more pastors who do workout, who promote healthy living and who are in great shape.

You don't HAVE to. You choose to so you can appear both pious and inclusive. You could choose to appear healthy and exemplary and even talk about the body in ways people can relate through the Bible. You could talk about the foods eaten in Old Testament times versus New Testament versus now.... The idea of the body as a vessel for the soul.... The body is your temple ideas. There's a lot. One could just as easily organize charging a nominal fee and combining that with fundraiser funds to have catered healthy foods brought in for all these get togethers.

I recently went to a church event for an acquaintance's church and there were lot's of healthy options there. Nobody turned water into wine though, so I left.

patrnbabe

"It's sarcasm folks. Take it lightly."

Sarcasm works best in person, and with an audience who knows you.
Otherwise it usually comes off as condescending and offensive.

Food is a choice many people make as a way of "self medicating" with something other than drugs or alcohol.
There are many obese in my congregation, and many fit people as well.
BTW, my faith teaches all things in moderation (including food) and healthy exercise.
Some people are better at making that part of their lives than others.

melfitnesspal13

I have been thinking about this lately and wondering if starting a fitness group at church isn't something I could do to help. I think we need to be part of the solution for ourselves and others since we are called to take care of our bodies.

I am proud to say that I belong to a fitness group that is considered a "small group" from our church. We meet in the winter 5-6 times a week to workout and have a facebook support group. Approaching weight loss from a spiritual perspective is a first for me but it certainly has been the ONLY time I have been successful in years. BTW the only difference is that at some exercise session we say a prayer before we start. I am officially on a physical and spiritual journey this time around. Thank goodness for all our volunteer (yes, this is FREE) beachbody coaches, who are really angels in fitness gear. I hope you can do this for your church too.

myofibril

There is a correlation between obesity and poverty.

There is a correlation between poverty and church attendance.

This doesn't surprise me.

Lrdoflamancha

Bump

momzeeee

Well if any church members are like my church brothers and sisters, they'll be traditionalists. Most people in my church community are dutch, and dutch people have traditions. Sundays are a day of celebration, and with celebration comes a ton of food. My typical sunday at my parents house goes like this:

Breakfast: whatever you like, but there's raisin buns and butter available
Church: candies galore
Snack: after church coffee with cake (usually involves mass amounts of people coming over)
Lunch: soup and buns with loads of dutch cheese and deli meats
Church:candies again!!!
Snack: chocolate and coffee and chips
Dinner: huge steak dinner with all the sides available you can think of
Dessert: cake and coffee again!!
Snack: chips drinks cookies all kinds of food

Yeah thats probably over 3000 calories right there in one day.

Also church communities love to invite people into their homes and prepare a meal for them. Everything seems to revolve around food because its being hospitable as we're called to be hospitable. But I think some of us might be overstepping that.

We're in a dutch community, in MI Our church is mostly dutch heritage and my husband's family is third generation from the Netherlands. But, we don't do all that food, except we do have grass fed steaks on the grill at my in-laws every Sunday lunch

momzeeee

This is an easy fix, you know.

Church volleyball tournament
Church softball game
Church bowling night


Offer more physical activities to your congregation.

Agree-we have softball and baseball teams, golfing groups, volleyball nights and a running club We're a larger congregation and the majority are not overweight.

ninerbuff

Sarcasm works best in person, and with an audience who knows you.
Otherwise it usually comes off as condescending and offensive.

Which is why I stated it was sarcasm.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Hexahedra

I think getting physically fit and attractive have a certain air of vanity and hedonism, which are not quite the qualities sought by church goers. That and the food aspect of socializing.

MissDeeDee78

I'm a presbyterian and everytime we gather, for whatever reason, we always have food. lol I avoid coffee hour/mingle so I won't be tempted with the baked goods table set out every Sunday.

topazora

I got fat because I ate too much and didn't work out as much as I should. I'd go to school or work, and go get Taco Bell or Jack in the Box for lunch, or buy prepackaged food, because I was too lazy to make my own food. And I can tell you what, there are just as many obese non-christians as there are obese christians. Don't believe me? Go to Comic Con, comic conventions are not known for being Jesus friendly- even though, quite a few like myself, attend. But there are still a lot of fat people at those conventions. And what? Atheists don't go out to parties and get togethers to have fun eating and drinking while they socialize?
Sorry, I don't buy it. The pastors at my church were actually slim, and I would see very few morbidly obese people in the congregation. Personally, I think obesity has more to do the American lifestyle rather than church attendance. Yeah, when Christians gather, there's food- but seriously, how many christians gather that much? Most don't gather more than Sunday! And eating a lot on Sunday is not going to expand your waist line.

Hexahedra

I got fat because I ate too much and didn't work out as much as I should. I'd go to school or work, and go get Taco Bell or Jack in the Box for lunch, or buy prepackaged food, because I was too lazy to make my own food. And I can tell you what, there are just as many obese non-christians as there are obese christians. Don't believe me? Go to Comic Con, comic conventions are not known for being Jesus friendly- even though, quite a few like myself, attend. But there are still a lot of fat people at those conventions. And what? Atheists don't go out to parties and get togethers to have fun eating and drinking while they socialize?
Sorry, I don't buy it. The pastors at my church were actually slim, and I would see very few morbidly obese people in the congregation. Personally, I think obesity has more to do the American lifestyle rather than church attendance. Yeah, when Christians gather, there's food- but seriously, how many christians gather that much? Most don't gather more than Sunday! And eating a lot on Sunday is not going to expand your waist line.

Why are you so defensive? The study doesn't say other groups don't have obesity problem, it's just that more church goers have it.

hilaryhill

I saw a study recently of church attendance by state and no surprise, the "Bible Belt" states had the highest church attendance. The Bible Belt is also known as the "Diabetes Belt" as this is where you find some of the fattest states, year after year. I am thinking there is a correlation between the two.

This was my thought. I live in Los Angeles now but I was raised and just moved from the South (Mississippi, but before that Alabama). Church goers are more likely to be in the south. MS and AL are two of the fattest states in the country so it would make sense to say "most church goers are fat," haha, because I saw plenty in church.... but also just in Walmart. Right now I go to a pretty big church (John MacArthurs church, if ya know who that is!) and I definitely see more thin than fat. But I guess people are more health conscious in Cali than other places...??

tonyrocks922

easy .. they like tradition, don't believe is science ... easy equation

You know... I'm not trying to take this off in the wrong direction. But for many people, church is about fellowship. If God is the glue that brings that together for them, then what difference does it make what their traditions and beliefs are.

It makes no difference. Unless of course they use those beliefs to create powerful organizations that fight progress, make medical care difficult, and keep down women, homosexuals, and people with other types of beliefs.

Teanbaa

Isn't Gluttony a sin?

shadus

My guess is a more active group social circle for people who are frequent church goers. More bbqs, more pot lucks, etc. Lots of church dinners and most people go out for a Sunday dinner after church as well.

In addition, living in the bible belt, I've also heard the excuse "the rapture will happen soon so it doesn't matter" which is... kinda terrifying to be honest. I'm apathetic agnostic, I don't know and I don't care, but that said I'm also a fan of the motto, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

PilatesConvert

First: correlation doesn't equal causation. Period.

But for my snarky response, are the church goers storing up their treasures in heaven while the rest of us live for the present? That is a huge psychological shift I've seen among the devoutly religious vs. devoutly atheistic.

Alatariel75

My Gramma used to bribe me into going to church by promising me pancakes afterwards. Might explain some of it.