I Must Decrease: Biblical Inspiration and Encouragement for Dieters by Janice Thompson is pretty much just what the title says. Janice had lost over 100 lbs. over fourteen months. But she didn’t want to write a “how-to” manual or promote a specific plan. She wanted to share some tips and encouragement with a light-hearted approach.
The book is divided into three 21-day sections in which she compares the dieting (or healthy eating) journey to a horse race: the beginning, with eager anticipation; the middle, where we’re tired and need encouragement to keep going; and the end, when we realize the race isn’t really over, that healthy eating needs to be a lifestyle.
Each day’s devotional is divided into twelve sections, usually with a particular theme or emphasis for the day:
- Ticklers: A humorous quote.
- Tidbits: A bit of information.
- Traps: e.g., quick snacks which are usually unhealthy, using food as a reward, etc.
- Tricks: Little helps.
- Treats: Healthy food ideas.
- Testimonies from Janice and others: a paragraph of some aspect of healthy eating or a problem they faced.
- Treasures: A Scripture reference.
- Tips: Devotional thoughts on the Scripture for the day.
- Trusting Him: A prayer about the day’s devotional.
- Turning Your Focus: Ideas for ways to reach out to others.
- Today’s Food Choices: A reminder to write down what you ate.
- Thoughts on Paper: A reminder to journal about your experiences.
There are four recipes at the end.
Almost every “tidbit” section had a link in the ebook version I read, but of the half-dozen or so I tried to click on, none went to an active link.
Personally, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t get much from this book. I don’t think I came across a lot that was new to me. Humor is a subjective thing, and the humor here just didn’t jibe with me. The twelve sections every day seemed a little fragmented. I think I would have gotten more from a verse with some thoughts and a prayer each day and then tips and such all together at the back.
The book had mostly positive reviews on Amazon, so many people did benefit from it. You might like the humor and formatting. And if you’re new to dieting or would like reminders of truths you know, this book might be more helpful to you. At the moment, it’s only 99 cents for the Kindle app, not much to lose to give it a try.
Stray Thoughts 
interesting approach. thanks for the review
“not much to lose” — ha ha, good one 😉 “I must decrease” I guess is a clever title for a Christian-themed dieting book, but it strikes me as a bit odd … maybe the type of humor here isn’t a match with mine either? I do feel like so much has been written about dieting that there’s probably not a whole lot more to say at this point! Good review.
Ha–I didn’t realize how my last line would sound in connection with a dieting book. 🙂
The title bothered me, too. I almost mentioned it in my review. John the Baptist’s statement has such depth and meaning to it, I hate to see it used for a cutesy title. We do have to deny ourselves in order to “decrease” in any capacity. Still . . .I’d rather a different title had been used.
Yes, I see your point. I think it would have grated on my nerves, too.
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