Expert: Carl Fuglein - 4/2/2009

Question
I'm Devin, I'm 17 and about 40 pounds overweight, the youth pastor at my church lost 70 lbs and now is telling us that being overweight is a sin if you are not actively trying to lose weight. Is it a sin to be overweight and not exercise?

Answer
Hi Devin-

I don't agree with your youth pastor - I think there is some validity in what he says, but to make a blanket statement like that I think is wrong.

The issue to be evaluated goes deeper than just being overweight, but what caused you to be overweight.  Are you overweight because you have a medical condition?  Are you overweight because all you eat is McDonald's?  Are you overweight because you don't do anything but sit on the couch, eat potato chips, and play video games?  The last two of those things might very well be sin.

I believe that God wants us to take care of our bodies, by having a healthy balance of the right diet and an appropriate level of physical activity.  Even with that, some people are still going to be overweight, but that doesn't make them sinners.  I, myself, am overweight - 6 months ago I weighed 300 pounds.  I had open heart surgery and have lost almost 50 pounds.  I'm still overweight.  I don't exercise enough and my diet borderlines on being unhealthy.  But there's a whole lot of other ways that I sin in addition to cheating on my diet and skipping the gym and I'm not going to beat myself up over it.

In your case, I would look into the reason why you're overweight.  If you want to become healthier and lose the weight, then talk to your doctor about how to do it.  Just exercise will not do it - it takes the right diet, too.  In most cases, you can keep on eating the same stuff, just not so much of it.  I would not agonize over being a sinner, but I would be more concerned with how you can become healthier.  As you grow older, you will gain more weight, because your metabolism slows down.  At 17,  you can count on gaining another 15-20 pounds when you go to college - it just happens.

I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that I don't think guilt over sinning is the right approach to this - you might be perfectly healthy - there are some people who are overweight who are.  What you need to concentrate on is to do the best things you can do for your body - it's the only one you've got, and it's got to last you a lifetime.

I hope this helps.

blessings,

carl