Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

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kittycat51
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by kittycat51 »

Here is my 2 cents worth. I believe that the W of W may be open for interpretation but the promises of living it brings "temporal and spiritual blessings". Two verses that stand out are verse 18: And all saint who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; and verse 20: And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. Being overweight greatly impedes these two verses. 1.) you are not healthy and with weight brings a whole boatload of health problems. 2.) you certainly will not be able to run and not be weary, and walk and not faint.

I have to admit I believe in the conspiracy between the globalists, food, and medical industries. They all work together to keep people sick. Sugar and unhealthy carbs are the curse of society and the consequent unhealthiness of MANY people. Sugar is SO good and SO addicting. The food industry knows this; remember the commercial's "bet you can't eat just one."? On the other hand the medical industry gives you a pill for this and a pill for that, just slapping band-aides on the real core issue. Got diabetes? Here just take insulin. No really want to get rid of it? Lose weight. (Unless you have type 1) Think about what you eat in any given day. How many soda's do you consume? How many handful's of M & M's? How many cookies, donuts, white bread and pastas? Sugar cereals? NONE of these have any nutritional value. What do you fill your grocery carts up with? Chips? Doritos? Pastries? Processed foods? When I was younger, soda was maybe several times a year, not several times a day or week. It's not just soda. Most drinks on the market with artificial sugars are damaging and effect weight as well. I tell people if you want to change one thing, give up soda (and all sugary drinks). You can drop easy 10 pounds in a year or more without anything else.

My husband has been overweight most of our married life. It broke my heart to see how unhealthy he was. It was hard for me to convince him that a donut every morning on the way to work was not helping things out. I knew it had to be his decision to make changes, not for me but for himself. He finally came to that breaking point 18 months ago after seeing the ill effect on his sibling's lives of being overweight. He lost over 80 pounds in about 8 months. He is thinner than I have ever known; a whole different person. He looks fantastic! How did he do it? He did NOT DIET. Catch this, it's important. He did NOT diet; if you go on a diet, you IMMEDIATELY fail. He changed his lifestyle of WHAT he eats, and he MAKES time to exercise most days. People who diet lose weight but as soon as you think, 'okay I've lost weight' you begin to let old habits enter into your life and subsequent weight also. So many people ask my husband how he did it. They WANT a magic pill, something easy. It's not. When we tell people how we eat, they cannot handle the truth. We consume TONS of vegetables & fruits; (heavy on the vegetables but staying away from white potatoes because the starch is converted to sugar in the body) mostly chicken/turkey with some red meat; eggs; healthy fats via, nuts, seeds, and oils. (best oils, coconut & olive; stay away from vegetable and canola) moderation in WHOLE grains staying away actually from wheat because of the excess of gluten; and here is the hard part...NO processed sugar. (or very little occasionally, say a small piece of cake once a month)

From my own observation and experience, yes weight CAN be genetic, but with genetics you have to have a perfect storm with things that are taking place in your body, i.e, hormones that may be off, unhealthy food consumed, or other medical conditions. (It doesn't have to happen though) I come from genetics of thin people, and have always been thin. I have passed that to 2 sons. One adult son can eat whatever junk he wants and never gain weight. On the other hand my husband's family tend to be overweight. I have 2 other adult sons who are greatly overweight. They can eat the same way as their other thin brothers but why is 2 thin and the 2 not? (another one is younger and ‘big boned’ but has potential to also be heavy if he is not careful.) This is why I believe genetics play a role. I can only hope that our son's in seeing the success of their father and the benefits of their parents eating a healthy lifestyle that it will rub off on them.

Life is so hard already! But I believe that one of our biggest challenges in the Church, and especially with people here in the U.S. is controlling our indulgences in food. Because we don't drink or smoke etc, we take out our 'natural man' tendencies in food. It's always a party in the church with all sorts of goodies full of excess sugar and carbs. So back to the natural man thing; "the natural man is an enemy to God". Part of our striving for perfection on earth is to overcome all indulgences and excesses in life, yes food being one of them. In the process of putting off the natural man and moderation in all things we will truly have "health in our navel, and marrow in our bones" and "run and not be weary and walk and not faint".

I truly have sympathy for overweight people, and wish you the best with your challenges. (I have many of my own health problems and struggles) God still loves you no matter what. All we can do in this life is do our BEST and pray the rest!

(2 cents worth is not much these days.) :ymblushing:

Fiannan
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by Fiannan »

LatterDayLizard wrote:
Fiannan wrote:
LatterDayLizard wrote:Short answer:
No. Being overweight is not breaking the word of wisdom.
There are a variety of reasons people become overweight, some of which may involve breaking the word of wisdom, but many of which do not. Being overweight is not an action, it's a symptom that something is wrong.
Did you watch the Church video on this thread dealing with obesity?

So what is mentally wrong with people in today's society that so many are obese?

Here is the video again:
My friend, there is nothing mentally wrong with people in regards to obesity. It happens, sometimes despite their best efforts. There are plenty of super thin people out there who live an unhealthy, even sedentary lifestyle, yet they don't receive the judgmental criticisms because the judgment is solely based on their appearance.
And while this BYU (not church) video may be great as far as advocating for a healthier lifestyle, the original question was whether obesity itself = WoW violation.

Again, I think it's clear to us all that it is not.
Last time I checked the temple recommend interview does not include standing on a scale.

Final point: a little more compassion in this discussion for those who legitimately struggle to keep their weight down would go a much longer way toward encouraging any obese readers on here to do whatever it takes to be healthy (notice I said healthy, not thin.)
So if someone is obese and doesn't drink alcohol, smoke or have a cup of coffee they can run and not be weary, walk and not faint?

Drinking coffee does not kill anyone, but obesity is right up there with smoking in reducing life spans.

As for mental health, why would obesity not be in the same league as other eating disorders?

Personally I think we need more physical education teachers who have the "compassion" of the typical PE teacher of the 1960s rather than a bunch of every kid gets a trophy types. Good habit forming starts with the young.

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LatterDayLizard
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by LatterDayLizard »

Fiannan wrote:
LatterDayLizard wrote:
Fiannan wrote:
LatterDayLizard wrote:Short answer:
No. Being overweight is not breaking the word of wisdom.
There are a variety of reasons people become overweight, some of which may involve breaking the word of wisdom, but many of which do not. Being overweight is not an action, it's a symptom that something is wrong.
Did you watch the Church video on this thread dealing with obesity?

So what is mentally wrong with people in today's society that so many are obese?

Here is the video again:
My friend, there is nothing mentally wrong with people in regards to obesity. It happens, sometimes despite their best efforts. There are plenty of super thin people out there who live an unhealthy, even sedentary lifestyle, yet they don't receive the judgmental criticisms because the judgment is solely based on their appearance.
And while this BYU (not church) video may be great as far as advocating for a healthier lifestyle, the original question was whether obesity itself = WoW violation.

Again, I think it's clear to us all that it is not.
Last time I checked the temple recommend interview does not include standing on a scale.

Final point: a little more compassion in this discussion for those who legitimately struggle to keep their weight down would go a much longer way toward encouraging any obese readers on here to do whatever it takes to be healthy (notice I said healthy, not thin.)
So if someone is obese and doesn't drink alcohol, smoke or have a cup of coffee they can run and not be weary, walk and not faint?

Drinking coffee does not kill anyone, but obesity is right up there with smoking in reducing life spans.

As for mental health, why would obesity not be in the same league as other eating disorders?

Personally I think we need more physical education teachers who have the "compassion" of the typical PE teacher of the 1960s rather than a bunch of every kid gets a trophy types. Good habit forming starts with the young.
Fiannan you misunderstand my point. You are absolutely right: Taking care of our bodies is an important, often neglected responsibility. Our bodies are a sacred gift.

However, notice how verse 3 in section 89 explains how the word of wisdom is "adapted to the capacity of the weakest of all saints..." Therein lies the answer.

As LDS we follow the basic, specific restrictions outlined in the word of wisdom. That is our starting place: abstaining from tea, coffee, tobacco, and alcohol.

Notice while there is a general discussion about moderation and healthy foods in general, there is no mention of: refined sugar, margarine, gmo's, organic vs non, refined carbs, saturated fats, over-prescribed painkillers...

I could go on all day with that list!

The phrase "run and not be weary/walk and not faint" has troubled me for years. I'll tell you what I've come to learn what it means.

Let's say I'm Joe mormon who loves to run marathons and eat right, as well as abstain from addictive substances. One day I'm hit by a car and paralyzed from the waist down. No more running or walking for me.

Is that promise void now? I don't believe it is. I believe what the Lord is promising me is that by my obedience to that law, I will be able to run/walk in the sense of having the capacity to "do", to accomplish my mission in this life; to have the strength and the energy to serve Him the way I was meant to, no matter what physical limitations I may have.

I'm a busy mother of 5, my youngest being just 2. I homeschool my 10 and 13 year old. I'm ADD/Asperger, I have thyroid disease, I get sick when I eat gluten or drink milk, sugar makes me crazy in the head, and I have trauma from my childhood.

I also weigh 300 lbs.

I don't eat bread, I avoid sugar (NO soda, diet or otherwise), and I'm currently trying, again, to get my weight back down to a healthy place through healthier diet and exercise. It's a painfully slow process.

However, despite being 300 lbs, I am able to homeschool my kids, keep up with my 2 yr old, manage the house, feed my family, visit my vt sisters and a couple of needy sisters on the side. Monday I painted my basement walls with my kids. I'm doing!

I should not be able to do all of that. I firmly believe that the promise of the word of wisdom to run/walk is manifest in my life because I'm abstaining from harmful substances, first and foremost, but also because I'm doing my best to take care of my body, and the Lord knows that!

So if you saw me on the street, would you assume that I do not respect my body or that I'm not keeping the word of wisdom based solely on my size? In the immortal words of yoda:

" Judge me by my size, do you?"

I'm sharing these personal details not to make anyone uncomfortable, but to illustrate what may be going on in the lives of others who may appear not to be taking care of themselves.

The Lord looketh not on the scale; He looketh on the heart.

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Elizabeth
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by Elizabeth »

The situation now is that you are doing your best to lose the weight, and for this you are to be applauded and encouraged.
What led to the problem? was it your previous choices?

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

" I choked on a carrot this afternoon and all I could think was, I bet a donut wouldn't have done this to me."

Diet day 1, I removed all the bad food out of the house, it was delicious.

Eat whatever you want, and if someone tries to lecture you about it, eat them too. :D

I broke my leg recently, gravy came running out. ( don't tell Elizabeth ;) )

Perks of being overweight; I went to a gym. They offered me free membership for life if I posed for a 'don't let this happen to you' poster.

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by freedomforall »

Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Answer: depends on how long the obese stands on it.

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by freedomforall »

Being overweight can have its perks too.
I beat anorexia..jpg
I beat anorexia..jpg (66.07 KiB) Viewed 1984 times

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by freedomforall »

eddie wrote:" I choked on a carrot this afternoon and all I could think was, I bet a donut wouldn't have done this to me."

Diet day 1, I removed all the bad food out of the house, it was delicious.

Eat whatever you want, and if someone tries to lecture you about it, eat them too. :D

I broke my leg recently, gravy came running out. ( don't tell Elizabeth ;) )

Perks of being overweight; I went to a gym. They offered me free membership for life if I posed for a 'don't let this happen to you' poster.
Speaking of donuts, here is something to consider for your home storage.
donut seeds1.jpg
donut seeds1.jpg (33.35 KiB) Viewed 1980 times

eddie
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

freedomforall wrote:Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Answer: depends on how long the obese stands on it.
Good one! :)) =)) :ymapplause:

eddie
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

freedomforall wrote:
eddie wrote:" I choked on a carrot this afternoon and all I could think was, I bet a donut wouldn't have done this to me."

Diet day 1, I removed all the bad food out of the house, it was delicious.

Eat whatever you want, and if someone tries to lecture you about it, eat them too. :D

I broke my leg recently, gravy came running out. ( don't tell Elizabeth ;) )

Perks of being overweight; I went to a gym. They offered me free membership for life if I posed for a 'don't let this happen to you' poster.
Speaking of donuts, here is something to consider for your home storage.

donut seeds1.jpg
Are they organic donut seeds? :)

eddie
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

freedomforall wrote:Being overweight can have its perks too.

I beat anorexia..jpg

He looks so happy and I am happy for him!! =)) :))

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Elizabeth
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by Elizabeth »

How old are you Eddie?

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by freedomforall »

eddie wrote:
freedomforall wrote:
eddie wrote:" I choked on a carrot this afternoon and all I could think was, I bet a donut wouldn't have done this to me."

Diet day 1, I removed all the bad food out of the house, it was delicious.

Eat whatever you want, and if someone tries to lecture you about it, eat them too. :D

I broke my leg recently, gravy came running out. ( don't tell Elizabeth ;) )

Perks of being overweight; I went to a gym. They offered me free membership for life if I posed for a 'don't let this happen to you' poster.
Speaking of donuts, here is something to consider for your home storage.

donut seeds1.jpg
Are they organic donut seeds? :)
I don't know, but I suppose rain water will make them soggy. :D

eddie
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

"When I buy cookies I eat just four and throw the rest away. But first I spray them with Raid so I won't dig them out of the garbage later. Be careful, though, because Raid really doesn't taste that bad."
— Janette Barber

eddie
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

Elizabeth wrote:How old are you Eddie?
How old do I look? :D

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by Fiannan »

Image

I remember in a human anatomy and physiology class in college we dissected sheep hearts. As my lab partner was removing layers of fat from the structure so as to be able to study the chambers she asked the instructor if that is what an obese person's heart looked like. He shook his head and said that it would be similar to a person of regular weight who rarely took part in aerobic exercises. She sighed and replied that she was glad she exercised regularly.

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by freedomforall »

Fiannan wrote:
I remember in a human anatomy and physiology class in college we dissected sheep hearts. As my lab partner was removing layers of fat from the structure so as to be able to study the chambers she asked the instructor if that is what an obese person's heart looked like. He shook his head and said that it would be similar to a person of regular weight who rarely took part in aerobic exercises. She sighed and replied that she was glad she exercised regularly.
Just who's business is it to try to control how another person eats or how fat they get?
Some humans die very young from car accidents, careless drivers, disease, irresponsible parents, being lonely and feeling worthless, cruel friends and other problems that may arise.
So what if fat surrounds the heart. Who has the right to control and dictate how others should eat or how much exercise they get? No matter how someone dies, they're still dead. Skinny people die all the time, nobody cuts out their heart to show to the world.
Death is inevitable, we can't run from it...so get over it. Death is a part of life, the afterlife is supposed to be glorious, beautiful and joyful, this life does not provide lasting beauty with evil all around us constantly. To the righteous death will be sweet.

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Elizabeth
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by Elizabeth »

Old enough to know better. :)
eddie wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:How old are you Eddie?
How old do I look? :D

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by Spaced_Out »

freedomforall wrote: Just who's business is it to try to control how another person eats or how fat they get?
Some humans die very young from car accidents, careless drivers, disease, irresponsible parents, being lonely and feeling worthless, cruel friends and other problems that may arise.
So what if fat surrounds the heart. Who has the right to control and dictate how others should eat or how much exercise they get? No matter how someone dies, they're still dead. Skinny people die all the time, nobody cuts out their heart to show to the world.
Death is inevitable, we can't run from it...so get over it. Death is a part of life, the afterlife is supposed to be glorious, beautiful and joyful, this life does not provide lasting beauty with evil all around us constantly. To the righteous death will be sweet.
It is chastise those whom you love doctrine.
All sin is two things selfish and addictive.
A person who sins and says it is my life I can do with it what I want - is misguided. As our lifestyles affect those around us. Billions of dollars is wasted on avoidable health care. Being excessively overweight put strain on the rest of the family it brings the whole family activity level down and the type of activity that they get involved in. Avoidable premature death is stupid it is like saying why use a seat belt or follow safety procedures at work if it is your time to die it is your time to go - stupid logic.
People have porn or smoking addictions and we expect them to overcome it - they are some of the most powerful addictions a person can have. We make no excuses for them but a little eating disorder and it is too much to deal with so we just justify it.

eddie
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

What do you call a lazy Kangaroo? A pouch potato!

One perk of being overweight, you can sell shade.

Ah oh, check your nose, I just found it in my business.

Stop chastising fat people, they have enough on their plate.

Trail mix? You mean M&M's with obstacles?

eddie
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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

I think those of you who don't have a problem with being overweight need to be transparent about the problems you do have, after all, no one is perfect.
In the church we are taught moderation, but just because someone is heavy, it doesn't need to be one segment of members looking down their noses at another segment because THEIR problems are not readily seen. :-?

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by freedomforall »

Spaced_Out wrote:It is chastise those whom you love doctrine. This is the worst "judge others" doctrine I've had the displeasure to hear. It is not a doctrine to look at someone and insult them because you do not like their size.

All sin is two things selfish and addictive. Check the mirror. Find out that judging others is a bigger sin. This is not love.

Chastise = to criticize severely. Is this your doctrine?


A person who sins and says it is my life I can do with it what I want - is misguided. Oh, really? So chastising others is now a commandment from God? Church doctrine says I have God-given agency to do whatever; it is up to me how I use that agency, not you. So when you harshly judge others because you don't like what they're doing, or considering their medical history and physical limitations....this is committing sin. Look it up.


As our lifestyles affect those around us. So if you were lying on the ground bleeding profusely, and three morbidly obese men came to give you aid, you would tell them to lose weight prior to you allowing them to help because they are ruining the lives of others and environment?

Billions of dollars is wasted on avoidable health care. True, it is called Obamacare that you help support.

Being excessively overweight put strain on the rest of the family. So what do you want to do, build a high brick wall around a home occupied by a whole family of fat people?

it brings the whole family activity level down and the type of activity that they get involved in. Not your concern!

Avoidable premature death is stupid. Who are you to determine or change the death date of anyone? Do you know your own death date?

it is like saying why use a seat belt or follow safety procedures at work if it is your time to die it is your time to go - stupid logic. Cute!

People have porn or smoking addictions and we expect them to overcome it. Why because you are so embarrassed by their activities that you want them to be free of sin before being allowed into your line of sight?

they are some of the most powerful addictions a person can have. So is judging others without proper keys to do so.

We make no excuses for them but a little eating disorder and it is too much to deal with so we just justify it. This makes no sense.

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by eddie »

Elizabeth wrote:Old enough to know better. :)
eddie wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:How old are you Eddie?
How old do I look? :D
Just having a little fun Elizabeth, try it sometime!

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by freedomforall »

eddie wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:Old enough to know better. :)
eddie wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:How old are you Eddie?
How old do I look? :D
Just having a little fun Elizabeth, try it sometime!
We only look as old as the amount of gray hair and wrinkles we have, and whether we're walking upright or hunched over. Some people look much older than they are. Others look somewhat young and are older. Sometimes the angle of the earth makes some people appear to look slanted.
All in all death is the #1 killer of mankind, no matter the age.

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Re: Is being OVERWEIGHT breaking the Word of Wisdom ?

Post by Fiannan »

freedomforall wrote:
eddie wrote:
Elizabeth wrote:Old enough to know better. :)
eddie wrote:
How old do I look? :D
Just having a little fun Elizabeth, try it sometime!
We only look as old as the amount of gray hair and wrinkles we have, and whether we're walking upright or hunched over. Some people look much older than they are. Others look somewhat young and are older. Sometimes the angle of the earth makes some people appear to look slanted.
All in all death is the #1 killer of mankind, no matter the age.

However, obesity has been linked to acceleration of the aging process.

Here is something to consider. Obesity is hitting younger baby boomers and Gen X quite a bit. Obesity tends to kill people before they reach retirement age. As our economy looks now, unless Trump can turn it around, the last generation that will be able to retire and get by on social security and some supplementation will be people who are in their 50s now. So this group is quite valuable to the Church due to their financial stability and, when they retire, being able to serve service missions. Younger people will not, for the most part, be able to pay nearly as much tithing or be able to serve the Church at 65 because they will have to continue working well pas that age, or until death, because otherwise they cannot survive. So getting people to get in shape now could help in advancing the Lord's work as they won't die prematurely, thus depriving the Church of their tithing or (later) service.

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