First Place 4 Health: Discover a New Way to Healthy Living by Carole Lewis

First Place 4 Health: Discover a New Way to Healthy Living Reviews

• 
  abbie Riddle

  First Place 4 Health, Carole Lewis
  In the past I have read other Christian weight loss books and reviewed weight loss/exercise programs. As I do not struggle with a weight issue I quickly lose interest in the program. First Place 4 Health is completely different. It’s focus is on Matthew 6:33, Seek Ye first the Kingdom of God. Carole Lewis states on page 97, “ First Place is all about seeking God before anything else.” In fact the majority of the first half of this book talks more about changing one’s mindset than shedding pounds. It puts great emphasis on serving Christ, seeking His kingdom, becoming His friend through prayer and bible study, and exposing the root problem of your weight issue. It is pointed out more than once that weight will be shed as a secondary thing when all areas of your life are balanced (spiritual, emotional, and physical). This being done by correcting the spiritual aspects first which will cause a heart and mind change thus resulting in a life style change that lasts. I have really enjoyed the book and can not wait to incorporate the program into my own home. I have not seen a program like this before. This book is a great encouragement for those looking to lose weight, or just to start living a more balanced and healthy life. Thank you regal publishing for providing this review copy.
  
• 
  Valerie Gay

  I started reading this book because I am going to be teaching one of the classes this Spring. This book is amazing and while it is geared towards maintaining a healthy balanced life and weight loss, really it can be applied to any negative aspect of our life. Guess that is God's miracle at work!
• 
  Carol

  If you've ever tried to lose weight it probably went something like this: You made up your mind to find the newest fad diet out there and signed up. You drastically reduced your calorie intake, threw out all the food in your pantry and fridge (because it was "bad"). Maybe you even signed up to buy pre-packaged meals. You know you're supposed to exercise, so you picked the hardest exercise you could think of, even though you hate it. You forced yourself to workout for hours, leaving you sore and miserable. You actually lost a few pounds, which was great, so you celebrate at the all-you-can-eat buffet. Somehow within a short time it was business as usual, and you gained all the weight back in a few weeks.
  
  Sound familiar? This is the pattern most people follow every year or so. First Place 4 Health shows us that God has a better way - "If you want to lose weight, start on your knees." Carole Lewis writes with love for her readers because she's been there, too. She joined a First Place group in 1981. The program is built on the foundation that we "seek Him first and His righteousness and all these things will be added to us as well." The real answer to our weight problem is that we need to live a balanced life - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. This kind of multi-faceted change takes time, so they ask us to "give God and First Place 4 Health one year... and your life will change forever."And it can take that long for us to finally uncover the emotions that can lead us to food and overeating.
  
  Three quarters of this book is not about calories, fat grams, or maximum heart rates. It's about seeking balance in every area of our lives. It's about developing a vibrant prayer life and reading the Bible every day to center us. It's even about memorizing Scriptures every week. It's full of testimonies by people who had been overweight all their lives. Many came to their local First Place meeting looking for a quick fix. What they discovered was that by focusing on the Master's Plan for them, their sedentary lifestyle and old eating habits gradually transformed.
  
  Early on Lewis addresses a hurdle for many: understanding that God is good, and that HE wants to help us with our weight and our health. She explains the First Place program, which can be found in thousands of churches across the country, and she makes it clear that it's a group of imperfect people supporting each other and supplying some accountability. There are weekly meetings, and a "Live It Tracker" to keep a journal of your progress. But the group also provides knowledge about diet and exercise (though she tells us it's not a "die - it" but a "live-it"!) "The body wants to do what the body wants to do", and by knowing that we are able to better understand our weaknesses. We realize that we are not our body; we have a body that we can control with God's help.
  
  Each chapter has some workbook type spaces where we can write in answers to questions like: "Because God is sympathetic to me, that means I don't need to fear.....". There are Scripture verses that take on a whole new meaning, providing a healthy perspective for losing weight. "Checklist for Success" is a summary of the key points presented after each chapter.
  
  Rather than asking for commitments to work out regularly, the program offers invitations to exercise as a positive part of our day, not a punishment for bad eating. The book is loaded with personal stories from formerly obese and First Place 4 Health Starter Kitdiscouraged people, complete with amazing "Before and After" photos. Their stories are not about a quick fix. Some of them were in the program for months or even years before they "got it". But there doesn't seem to be any pressure to drop the weight quickly. It's more about encouraging and supporting each other to get closer to God and find the wonderful balance in our lives between the spirit, the mind, and the flesh. Life is about more than Me now. It's about Him and about helping others.
  
  Finally as the number of remaining pages dwindles, Lewis gets around to the nutrition and exercise plan. (It's no accident where the emphasis of this book lies.) It's surprisingly simple and straight forward. No tricks here. No gimmicks. Even our eating has balance - every meal should have some fat, some protein, and some carbs. That's it. No saying good bye to all your favorite foods. It's about eating when you're hungry (hmmm never thought of that) and only eating until you're getting full (portion control). Foods fall under three categories: foods you eat often, sometimes, and rarely. There isn't a "never" category! Moderation is the answer to staying on track for the rest of our lives. It's the most refreshing plan you'll ever find.
  
  It's possible to start this program with just this book alone. But since an integral part of it is friendship and support from others who share the same goals, finding a First Place group would be optimal. You can find one in your area on their website. I did, and I'm looking forward to attending a meeting. Whether you need to lose a lot of weight or you just want to find balance in this area of your life, it looks like a positive way to grow closer to God in all areas.
  
  The core of First Place 4 Health is spending time with God every day, reading the Bible, praying, and studying and memorizing. It's when we strive to fulfill God's purpose in our lives that we find that life is about so much more than food. We find our joy fulfilling our calling and "doing the next right thing" over and over again. What a breath of fresh air.
• 
  Cat Leonard

  Very similar to The Daniel Plan. This is not another weight loss book, but a faith based program to take care of body, mind and spirit. This slim book is an overview and introduction to a program that requires purchasing subsequent materials. I started my journey with Daniel Plan and dropped my first 20 pounds, logging every calorie and exercise minute on myfitnesspal.com
  Now I am at a standstill and unable to exercise much until I get my knee fixed.
  I will see if I can jumpstart that last 20 pounds with First Place 4 Health.
• 
  Allison Fetch

  A good overall intro to the program, with inspiring stories of success scattered throughout. My only major complaint is that it overlaps in so many ways with the Simple Ideas for Healthy Living book, as well as the Member's Guide. All three should be rewritten into a single volume so that I don't feel like I'm reinventing the wheel whenever I pick up one of the three.