Nice idea -- what a shame that nasty reality intervenes yet again! Still, as a theist you must be used to that by now.

"God must love the hefty and rotund, because, according to research by Purdue University professor Ken Ferraro published in the June issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, he is cranking them out by the score, at least among his devoted worshipers in certain American Protestant denominations.

Ferraro, studying correlations between religious behavior and body mass index, found in a 1998 study that those states with large numbers of persons professing a religious affiliation had higher than average numbers of obese people. In the new study, he breaks this down by specific creed, and reports that whereas 1 one percent or less of those embracing the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or other non-Christian religions qualify as obese, the numbers of the markedly overweight rise dramatically the further one goes toward the Christian fundamentalist end of the spectrum: around 17 percent of Catholics, 18 percent of Methodists, 20 percent of Pentecostal and Assemblies of God parishioners, and a striking 27 percent of Baptists, including the Southern, North American and Fundamentalist wings."

http://calorielab.com/news/2006/08/29/lard-have-mercy-the-christian-obesity-epidemic/

Thank you Kay, for your research into this field. One of the things I've learned to ask myself is "what is it that truly nourishes me"? The answer will be different for everyone. As we get still and really listen quietly for an answer to that question, we might find we decide to skip the sensationalized news story, resist the grabbed chocolate bar, turn off the TV or computer and go for a walk instead, take up a new hobby, care for a friend in need.

Pursuits that take our focus off selfish, mindless, or lazy obsession with satisfying our bodies, and instead focus on what Christ Jesus summed up as loving our neighbours as ourselves, really nourish the soul, and give deep and lasting joy. And with that comes new inspiration and energy for substantial and satisfying activities. The result is that we feel more relaxed and in control and can say no to excesses like gluttony (or semi-starvation), family routines change for the better, we and our children are truly satisfied, and things jump back into balance. I know, I’ve seen it happen.

I believe we need to embrace a new health model, called preventive medicine. As opposed to the current model largely presided over or controlled by big pharma, and or, based on a management model, that by and large reduces health care to a form of profit oriented consumerism.
Sure a healthy diet and exercise are central to a preventative model! So also is meditation and getting in contact, with something beyond your fallible, monkey chatter mind.
Meditation is not thinking with any part of your conscious mind, but simply shutting it down and learning to listen to another!
Call the other what you will, your higher mind, divine inspiration, whatever, it doesn't matter, it still works.
Many have found that meditation is the most valuable tool in assisting, both treating or preventing health issues, including Cancer and almost every age related health issue.
Some, for ill-founded or medieval religious reasons, will contest that meditation is not just all about stilling the conscious mind; but rather, focused thinking.
This is not meditation as I and millions of others know it; but rather, exercising and or compounding current controls?
Not all that long ago, various religious entities would have labelled meditation the work of the devil, and opposed its use.
I believe, they simply don't want their devotees exposed to the truth?
Parenthetically, we spend the bulk of our health dollars, on age related medicine. And we confront around 4 million Baby Boomers, soon to become part of this demography!
We simply cannot continue to fund big Pharma, with this profit producing management consumerism model.
And ought to return to past practise that made medicine a concern and caring vocation, first and foremost!
Some of that ought to include routine regular trimonthly osteoporosis reversing chelation therapy.
Ozone/ionic silver assisted hydro therapy; and, patently proven hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
All day clinic or easily managed for regular clientele, by a visiting district nurse and her treatment van?
Rhrosty.

That mindfulness is crucial in coping with obesity is a given. Fat people should be mindful that their nutrition intake is in excess of their metabolic needs.

It seems largely irrelevant what the motivation producing such a change of attitude and behaviour is.

As to the presumed 'science' of Mary Baker Eddy – this is easily tested…

To assess the degree to which "The body is governed by mind… since the physique is simply thought made manifest', experiment by eating 10,000 calories a day for a year – all the time thinking that you're not obese – then measure your body mass index.

That's so delicious Trev I have nothing more to add.

So people aren't fat because they eat too much: they're fat because they don't love Jesus enough.

Somebody should tell those poor bastards in the Biggest Loser house about this stunning medical breakthrough. I'm sure they'll be only too happy to trade in their treadmill for a specially reinforced pew. Actually somebody should tell all the fatties about the Jesus diet: eat whatever you like all week then waddle along to church on Sunday (thankfully most churches have fairly wide doors) and pray those calories away. I predict church attendance will skyrocket - especially if you remind them about the free snack of communion wafers.

Cheers,

Tony