I truly believe any good weight loss program covers far more than food and exercise. It must be a complete lifestyle to be successful. The Daniel Plan is exactly that by relating to body, mind, and soul.
There are 5 essential components in this plan: Food, Fitness, Focus, Faith, and Friends. The last two are called “the secret sauce” by Pastor Rick Warren, one of the 3 authors of this program. I have been a long time fan of his, and also of Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mark Hyman.
As soon as I realized these 3 men wrote a book together, it immediately went on my to-be-read pile. I just finished reading it and want to share some of my favorite parts with you. As I continue to integrate this plan in my own lifestyle, I’ll include tips in the monthly Turning to Food updates. This will be easy to do as it completely agrees with the 3 Steps to Food Addiction Freedom I’m already implementing.
The Food plan immediately reminded me of my 2nd Step: Choose real, God-given foods, not man-made, highly processed franken-food. They encourage eating a great deal of vegetables. Their Good Foods list can be found on their website.
“Our philosophy is that if it was grown on a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, leave it on the shelf.” ~The Daniel Plan p. 38
My favorite Fitness tip from the Daniel Plan relates to something that God keeps bringing to my attention lately called sitting disease. Every time I turn around, He is putting another article in front of me about this new crisis. The authors share this scary finding from the Mayo Clinic:
“Sitting too long, up to three to four hours at a time, is now equivalent to smoking a pack-and-a-half of cigarettes a day.”
For someone like me who spends a great deal of time on my laptop, this is frightening. I quit smoking over 15 years ago, so I certainly don’t want to end up with the same issues as if I never conquered that terrible habit. The Daniel Plan suggests getting up every hour for a few minutes. They list ideas for these breaks and of course many more fitness tips, but this one has been a fantastic start for me.
The Focus section was particularly interesting to me as I have personally found a healthy lifestyle to help tremendously with my moods and brain functioning. A great tip they offer is to combat those ugly lies and distorted thoughts we all encounter with the simple question, “Is it true?” Those 3 little words can be life changing.
The Faith essential is my personal favorite aspect of the entire plan. It correlates perfectly with Step 3 of my own plan: Turn to God instead of food.
“Faith is the foundation of The Daniel Plan, and learning to rely on God’s power is the key to lasting change.” ~Pastor Rick Warren
Spending time in God’s Word every day is a wonderful way to learn about His power and incredible unconditional love. Pastor Warren suggests reading and reflecting on the Bible for a minimum of 10 minutes a day.
Last, but certainly not least: Friends. We are supposed to do life together. This is why programs like Weight Watchers, which I’m also participating in, are so successful. Having people to support us in our struggles and celebrate our victories with us is essential.
I’m incredibly thankful for each of you to go on this journey to better health with. Thank you for your continued support and friendship. If you are new here, please think about joining this beautiful, growing community by subscribing to updates and connecting on Facebook. February’s Turning to Food update will be up soon!
If you would like to purchase The Daniel Plan, you can find it here:
If you have time today, check out the rest of my to be read pile for 2015:
I totally agree Candace. Weight is not just about food intake. It’s about lifestyle. You can’t adjust your weight by just watching your intake. It has to include a lot of things. Good points you’ve got here. Focus, because the mind is important and actually the number one factor for any change you want to happen. Friends, because you need all the support you can get. And faith. Believing is the key.
I’m really impressed with the 5 components of this program, Lux. I have checked out so many plans. I’m on a mission right now to learn about as many as possible and create my own path with the best parts of each. I hope to do a summary in a few months sharing it :).
Yay Candace! I celebrate with you for arming yourself with resources to aid you along your journey of total wellness. I invite you to visit me where you can find recipes and additional encouragement on honoring the temple. I consume a primarily plant based diet. I am so so proud of you. Keep up the great work.
I haven’t checked out the recipes yet on your beautiful site, Tyra. I will definitely do that. Thanks for letting me know!
I like the idea of these 5 focus points. They all seem to come together to make even this daunting task of eating well kind of doable.
After a very long winter doing alot of sitting around, I need to go there …
;-{
I think I sat more this winter than any other, Linda. I’m so with you there, my friend. Too much time on my laptop in front of the fireplace I suppose :). I agree these 5 points come together so well. I’m looking forward to implementing more of them.
This is so true! Thank you for sharing this. I am working toward the goal of eating better foods as well. (Especially as a mom of four small kids!) We plan to do a garden this year for the first time! I’m excited!
Thanks!
I’m really wanting to do a garden this year too, Dana. I just worry because I kill plants. I’m great at putting them out and getting everything set up pretty, but maintenance is not my thing. I think I’ll start with some container gardening. It would be great to do with my son. I’m excited for you and your kids. Keep me posted on it! I need the inspiration :). So great to have you visit from the #RaRaLinkup!
Oh, I forgot to say that I’m your neighbor on #RaRaLinkup today!
Have a blessed day!
Candace, I’m currently going through the Daniel Plan with a group of friends. It certainly does make a difference with you have the Friend and Faith factor! Great post, visiting you today from Purposeful Faith!
I think those 2 essential pieces make all the difference, Ellen. Friends help so much with support and accountability. Wishing you much success on your program!
This plan seems like a very effective one- including all the necessary components of a healthy lifestyle and support with which to successfully live it!! 🙂
Thank you for sharing another great program, Candace!
It’s been fun learning about all these different programs, Chris. I think this one may be at the top of my list. The combination is just unbeatable :).
I’m also a big believer that successful weight loss requires a lot more than food and exercise. It takes a lot of structure to actually do what I claim I want to do.
I’ve been seeing things about the dangers of sitting, too. I’ve started using The Pomodoro Technique (https://pomodorotechnique.com/) when I work at my computer. It makes my work more focused and encourages getting up every 25 minutes.
I will have to check out that technique, Joy. I could use some help with time management. Thanks for the recommendation!
Three men together wrote this book? It sounds like a winner! I like their 5 F’s and their “Is it true” mantra. No healthy lifestyle can only focus on just one aspect and their list seems spot on!
I have been a fan of all 3 of them for years, Jen. They each wrote some really great books before this one too. I love the “Is it true” question. So simple, yet absolutely powerful :)!
I’ve been trying to get more movement into my days. I’ve been hearing a lot too about how harmful it is to sit all day. I’ve been breaking up my exercise into smaller chunks to help me get more exercise in throughout the day.
I checked out the Daniel Plan book from the library a couple of months ago. I liked how it included exercises that are easy to do in the book.
It really includes so much in that book, Sonya. I was surprised at all the information, including the food plan, recipes, and exercises. That’s great you are breaking your exercise up throughout the day. I think that is helpful on so many levels. I sit way too much, but I’m definitely working on moving more :).
Ohhhh, I was just thinking of picking this book up!! Now I REALLY want to! – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
It’s really great, Gingi! There is so much great information packed in it. I hope you get a chance to read it :).
It’s so true that any weight loss plan needs to be lifestyle changes!
The book looks like an interesting read.
Absolutely, Emily! I have followed so many “diets” in my life with only short term success. I’m really working on creating a healthy lifestyle this year. My one word for 2015 is health :).
Great post Candace! I have been trying to incorporate the Daniel Fast as a part of my lifestyle, albeit slowly. I love it so much that I wrote a devotional on it! I have made a lot of changes, good changes, as far as getting rid of processed foods, white flour, etc. I have trouble with sugar!! LOL, I do use raw honey but I admit I like sugar 🙁 so God is helping me…I keep cutting back and cutting back, etc. I tried cutting OUT and that made me angry,ha, so I am easing it out of my life and it seems to be working much better. Blessings to you! I believe God will honor this. ♥
I have a serious problem with sugar, Nannette. It is such an addiction for me and has led to many binges. Cutting it out completely made me quite cranky too :). I’m working on cutting back, but it’s a daily struggle. So glad to hear it’s working well for you. Blessings to you as well!
This is why I don’t like the word diet because it usually means short term changes. It’s not just about the food, but the other factors, too. Having an effective support system is key in life with all of your endeavors. It makes us accountable.
I have come to loathe the word diet too, Brandi. It’s just not a good enough descriptive for a healthy life. I love all 5 of these essentials and how they work together so well. I completely agree about the importance of a support system. That makes all the difference!
I’m glad to hear your thoughts on this book. I’ve heard about it, but I hadn’t heard many opinions. Thanks for sharing and linking up with #ThreeWordWednesday.
I really liked it, Kristin. You wouldn’t believe all the turned over corners on the pages. That’s always a sign I enjoyed a book and will continue to use it as a reference. Thanks for the linkup!
Great review! Visiting from Kristin’s!
Thanks, Susan! Always great to see you here :).
I love the ? – Is it true? There is power in that. Also, it is a good check in marriage. Is what I am believing about my spouse true? Thank you for addressing this topic and for encouraging our hearts in health. Cheering you from the #RaRalinkup on Purposeful Faith.
I love the thought of using it for my husband too, Kelly! Thanks so much for that. I think it would drive away a lot of unnecessary frustration :). It’s such a short, but powerful question that can be used for so many applications.
Candace, thank you for sharing this! This looks like a great read and I am going to purchase this book. I have always wanted to study this more in the Bible…I think this book will be a good addition to that. Great post!!
I hope you like it as much as I did, Karla! I haven’t started the food plan yet, but am hoping to this week. I love that it follows other food plans I’ve been successful on, but it’s a full lifestyle with the other important components. Let me know what you think about it :)!