Keeping the Faith: The Story of Julia Zaher

“I’ll do anything to lose weight — except eat right and exercise!”

My friend Julia has been struggling to get her weight down. She tends to start into things with a little too much enthusiasm, and then she’ll just get completely sidetracked. I think a lot of people share this pattern, but Julia is learning from her experiences and she’s smart enough to keep a sense of humor about the whole thing. She knows that her goals are attainable, and she trusts that God will help her find the right time to make them happen.

“I’ll do anything to lose weight,” Julia says. “Except eat right and exercise! That’s too basic. Give me pills, powders, homeopathic remedies, or the latest diet that promises to help me lose 20 pounds in two weeks. But when I look back on the years when I’ve lost weight, put on muscle, and felt great, none of those get-thin-quick schemes could take the credit. I turn to those things in a panic when I gain weight. We all want the quick fix. The only thing I’ve ever found that got the weight off and kept it off is a lifestyle of healthy eating and daily exercise.

“Two years ago, I was well over 200 pounds and about a size 18. I hated shopping and seldom took a good look at myself in the mirror. Then I decided to participate in a body transformation contest. A friend took my picture in a two-piece bathing suit and I was truly horrified by the much-needed reality check. I got busy. I spent hours and hours in the gym, hired a personal trainer, took supplements, and even underwent hypnosis to help change my negative mental images. I did experience a fairly dramatic transformation. I lost 20 pounds on the scale, but through body fat analysis I knew I’d lost even more fat while gaining muscle.

“Someone at the gym asked where this tremendous motivation to change had come from. He was surprised to hear me say it came out of my prayer times. For many months, the Lord had very tenderly been calling me to take better care of my body. The words I heard in my heart were, ‘I need you to lose weight and get in shape. It’s preparation for what lies ahead.’ So I set out to lose the weight out of obedience to God and a desire to be healthier and happier. I was on my way to a permanent life as a thin person.

“Fast forward two years later. I’ve regained the 20 pounds. I still have some of the muscle I gained from my diligent, although excessive workouts. But somewhere along the line, going to the gym ceased to be a priority. Eating right gave way to eating whatever I wanted. And here I am starting all over again.

“What’s really pathetic is that I have friends like fitness model Clark Bartram who have been incredibly encouraging. My job as a radio producer allowed me to spend an entire day last year with seven-time Mr. Olympia, Lee Haney, another tremendous Christian man and fitness expert. And yet even with God orchestrating all of these wonderful connections, left on my own at home I reverted to my old habits in a little more than a year after tasting success. What was my problem?

“My problem is my priorities. When eating regular, balanced meals becomes an irregular practice, when going to the gym becomes an optional activity in the day, I’m in trouble. I finally confessed my relapse to Clark and then he did what all loving friends do — he asked me to write about it in his book. Thanks for this exercise in humility, Clark!

“I’ve seen what’s happened when people follow Clark’s advice on eating right and training smart. They get results. Clark even warned me about some of the things I was doing wrong in my initial fitness quest. I was taking advice from too many people, jumping from program to program. I was spending too much time in the gym, not realizing that weight training is not an endurance sport. It’s about brief, but focused and intense effort.

“So I’ve picked up Clark’s beginning weight training program and I’m starting again. Being overweight and out of shape for life is not an option. I still believe God has a plan, and that plan requires me to have the stamina to do whatever He asks of me.

“The Bible tells us to love the Lord with all our hearts, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Taking good care of my body is one way I love myself. It allows me to be more loving to others. God has also taught me about the unconditional nature of true love. Whether we are fat or thin, God loves us. I appreciate the fact that Clark didn’t get on my case when he heard that I gained the weight back. Instead, he lovingly encouraged me to get off the couch and get to the gym. He knows the kind of person I am on the inside and wants to see that reflected on the outside.

“Living a committed Christian life means going against the grain of our culture. Eating right and working out regularly are also counter-cultural. Wouldn’t it be great if people thought of Christians as being the healthiest, most balanced people they know? That’s what I’m aiming for and I’ll keep disciplining my mind, my body, and my spirit to that end.”