Dieting

[Philomena]

Is dieting considered vanity if it isn't being done for a health reason?

[catholicflower]

No. Our bodies are temples of the holy spirit so we must treat our bodies as such. Dieting for health reasons is just taking care of yourself.

[Philomena]

[quote name='catholicflower' date='Sep 3 2005, 12:58 PM']Dieting for health reasons is just taking care of yourself.
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What if it isn't for a health reason? Would it be considered vanity then?

[musturde]

[quote name='Philomena' date='Sep 3 2005, 01:14 PM']What if it isn't for a health reason? Would it be considered vanity then?
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If your dieting, your becoming healthier anyways. If you want to look better, God doesn't have anything against that either.

[IcePrincessKRS]

It can be. Depends on why you're dieting. Is the person really overweight, are they adjustting their eating habits to be healthier ("dieting"--but I wouldn't really call that a diet, just healthy eating habits), or are they, well, just being vain? I think some people "diet" when they don't need to, and thats not healthy either.

I'm not making sense... me = mush. lol

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Let's look at the different reasons for dieting:

To be physically healthy: Good.
To be lustfully desirable: Bad. (This means wanting to appear your best so you can "get some.")
To be chastely desirable: Good. (This means wanting to be your best for the sake of someone else in a healthy way...for instance, if I love someone, I might desire to be more attractive for them, so that they may be pleased with the effort I make to become more suited to their tastes, so long as such tastes are in themselves chaste and healthy)
To have self-confidence: Good.
To have self-pride: Bad.

[jmjtina]

If your already healthy, and at the normal wieght etc, why would you want to "diet"? It would then become unhealthy and possibly lead to anorexia or bulimia.

Take great care in how you diet. Talk with your doctor.

I understand losing an extra 5 lbs to fit back into a dress, but anything beyond that is crazy. Society is never satisfied with our bodies. It's never thin enough. Never perfect enough.

Sometimes it's all in our head too.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Yes, talk to a doctor before dieting. I once went six weeks on this diet plan:

Monday: Lunch-bowl of cottage coagulated milk and fruit, Dinner-salad
Tuesday: Dinner-salad
Wednesday: Lunch-bowl of cottage coagulated milk and fruit, Dinner-salad
Thursday: Dinner-salad
Friday: Nothing (or fish, on occasion)
Saturday: Anything, but no sweets.
Sunday: Free-for-all.

Needless to say, it wasn't a good idea. Didn't cause any health problems, but easily could have. I lost 30 lbs.

[jmjtina]

I could've fainted with your diet plain Micah.

I am waaaaaaaay too active to survive on that! :

[jmjtina]

but the Saturday and Sunday eatings seem fine to me! :

[Philomena]

Thanks guys. I had to ask because I feel guilty everytime I do anything that resembles dieting. If I would be dieting it would probably be for self-confidence (I have certain issues with that ).

Edited September 3, 2005 by Philomena

[jmjtina]

[quote name='Philomena' date='Sep 3 2005, 03:43 PM']Thanks guys.  I had to ask because I feel guilty everytime I do anything that resembles dieting. If I would be dieting it would probably be for self-confidence (I have certain issues with that ).
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your not alone at the self-confidence with body image. Darn metabolism.

but then some ppl have trouble gaining wieght.

bah. :

Edited September 4, 2005 by jmjtina

[Socrates]

Are threads about vanity a form of vanity?
Why does everyone on here seem so worried about whether doing anything at all that improves one's appearance to be vanity?

As with most things, the issue is way too complex to have a simple yes or no answer.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with an unhealthily obese person going on a diet.
If the person has a problem with gluttony, or is unhealthily obese, going on a diet would be a moral good.

However, obviously, not all dieting is healthy. Anorexia would be an extreme case in point. If some one is thin or of healthy weight, but insists on unhealthy dieting to "look good," she has problems and should seek help.

The obsession with thinness seems to be a mostly female thing, though men are commonly blamed for it. Thinner does not always equal more attractive. Unhealthily skinny is in reality no more attractive or "sexy" to most men than obesity.

[Proud2BCatholic139]

Well, I don't really see the reason for dieting.

Just eat right and excercise. I know, that may sound like dieting, but God wants us, as human beings, to treat our body as a temple of Himself. And if we starve ourselves, over eat, or do other harmful things to our body, that is considered a sin. So, I don't really see a reason in dieting.

However, if you do have a medical condition, that's where it's an exception. But if you are perfectly healthy, you should be happy with the body God gave you. You are a wonder.

Psalm 139:14.

Check it out!

Edited September 4, 2005 by Proud2BCatholic139

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Philomena' date='Sep 3 2005, 05:43 PM']Thanks guys.  I had to ask because I feel guilty everytime I do anything that resembles dieting. If I would be dieting it would probably be for self-confidence (I have certain issues with that ).
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Wanting to feel self-confidence is a moral good. When we are self-confident, we can see ourselves as we are, children of God who rely on Him to sustain us and lead us from our sins, but who are called to great things. When we are prideful, whether it is by way of being self-inflated or of being self-depreciating, then we do not see ourselves as we are.

Despite the fact that I consistently call myself a troll here :, I have self-confidence...mostly. We all have problems with it, though.

Don't feel alone.