Genesis 1:26-28 says "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.: (27th) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.: (28th) And God blessed them and God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply in number; and replenish the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

Five ingredients for victorious living are listed in this scripture. They are dominion, fruitful, multiply, replenish and subdue. The most important of these ingredients, dominion, is listed twice, in verses 26 and 28. Translated into the pragmatics of everyday living, the five ingredients or principles mean:

• Dominion: Authority, Responsibility, Power

• Fruitful: Productive, Faithful, Accountability

• Multiply: Creative, Change, Take Risks, Flexibility

• Replenish: Give Back, Other Centered, Restore, Availability

• Subdue: Self-discipline, Humility, Management, Reliability

Further translated into the pragmatics of health and wellness, these five ingredients mean:

• Dominion: You are responsible for your health.

• Fruitful: Health must be worked at. Behaviors and habits must be made consistent with health and wellness.

• Multiply: Change is a challenge, but it is necessary for progress, growth and development.

• Replenish: Being other-centered is healthy. Time spent helping others less fortunate fosters healing.

• Subdue: Self-discipline is a key to abundant life. Self-discipline is the key to self-management, behavior and changes in habits.

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Let's look at the condition of obesity. Keep in mind, the steps apply to successfully handling any condition. The discussion could just as easily be about high-blood pressure, cancer, addiction, arthritis, ulcer disease, herpes, AIDS, or the common cold. The first thing to be clear about and put into action is, you are responsible. You are in authority. You have the power. Whether you exercise it or not, you have the responsibility, authority and power to change your obesity, and lose pounds down to a healthy weight. The realization of this, though much easier than its implementation, is the first step. No matter what the medical system or professionals say or do, the bottom line is, you are the final determinant regarding your health, healing and wholeness. You can always refuse to take or follow through with medications and/or procedures that have been recommended or prescribed.

Beyond the behavioral issue of compliance with medical or surgical recommendations, the human body was created with the power to heal, restore and regenerate itself pre-installed The power to heal itself was built from the beginning. Implementation and application of this authority and power is the challenge. It means examining and calling into action your spiritual strength. Your spirit is where the power comes from to do what you need to do to achieve health and wellness.  And so, if you're trying to lose weight, your success begins with really believing you have the power to make it happen. Once convinced of the power and authority, you must next do the work necessary to make it happen. It is through work and effort that we are productive. You cannot lose weight by talking, thinking, wishing, hoping or dreaming about it. Work must be done. Effort must be made. You must bum up more calories by exercising more, and regularly, or, you must take in fewer calories by eating less. Of course, a combination of both efforts will work faster and better. Your effort and work will determine how fruitful or productive you are.

Most of the time change is necessary for growth and progress. You cannot change where you are unless you change what you’re doing. Change is not an easy thing for humans. We are creatures of habit. Humans resist and fight change. This is so even when the change will make things better. This is why progress is often so slow.  This is also why people often stay so long in situations and circumstances that they may not be able to handle. It's one thing to be fruitful and productive. It's another thing to multiply. Multiplication will bring big and rapid increases. But, it means changing the way you do things. If you continue to do the same thing in the same way, don't expect different results. If you are trying to shed pounds, you must change your behavior. You must change some of what you are eating, the amounts you are eating, the times you are eating (eating earlier in the day is better) and the ways you are eating (eat more slowly; prepare with less fat and sugar). Additionally, you must change your activity level, whether you exercise or not, and how often or how long you exercise.

Being other-centered fosters healing. When you focus your efforts on helping others you promote your own health, healing and wholeness. Being other-centered or 'giving back' establishes a connection between humans. Humans seek connection. Things that foster connection, love and intimacy also foster health, healing and wholeness. When we lose ourselves in helping others, we find ourselves in health and well being. The resulting peace, sense of wholeness and self-esteem will contribute to the spiritual strength necessary to make the changes and implement the behavior for weight loss.

 The engine that drives and keeps going our positive movement toward progress is self-discipline. To subdue is to manage, to keep under control. When you can manage yourself, you will be successful at whatever you set out to do, including losing weight. Most of us can muster up self-management for many things. But in most instances, there always seems to be an area or two in our lives that defy management. It is these areas that oftentimes cause us the greatest difficulty as they result in serious disease, illness or other negative challenges. With regard to obesity, if you cannot subdue or manage your eating (how much, how often and what) or exercise habits (whether or not, what type, how often and how long), you have a major challenge.

However, if you follow the five steps outlined in this article you will succeed in achieving weight loss. Indeed, adopting these five principles as a philosophy or way of living for all aspects of your life, will bring you a new measure of success in all you do. Remember, (I) you are in charge, (2) be accountable, (3) learn to cope with change, (4) always give back; help others, and (5) be self-disciplined.

Dr. Therman Evans is a wellness and healthcare specialist in Elkins Park, PA.  He’s the founder and CEO of WholeLife Associates, Inc., and the former vice president and corporate medical director of the CIGNA Corporation; one of the largest healthcare companies in America. Dr. Evans is the author of five booklets called “Prescriptions” and is a fellow of the Philadelphia College of Physicians. He’s also the pastor and a member of Morning Star Community Tabernacle Church in Linden, N.J.  Dr. Evans is also a collaborative author of the book, Staying Strong: Reclaiming the Wisdom of African-American Healing by Avon Publishing.