Are you ready to be FREE? I mean really and truly free? Here s the crazy thing..i was living in bondage and captivity for years and didn t even realize it. For years I was dieting (although I never would have called it that) and I was exercising, often to extremes. All in an effort to control my weight and achieve an unrealistic number on the scale that only I could see anyway. I was allowing comparison to rob me of my joy, and I was seeking perfection instead of my Perfecter. What a horrible way to live, right? Maybe you can relate? God gradually opened my eyes and helped me to see that I had created an idol out of my fitness pursuits. It was consuming my thoughts. What I ate, how much I ate, when I ate, did I work out hard enough, run far enough, fast enough. I didn t have an eating disorder, but my eating was certainly disordered. I knew I needed to make a change. God began to give me scripture verses to cling to that offered me hope when I would doubt myself or talk negatively to myself (I ll share more of these in just a bit). And He began to weave my path with women who shared my desire to be free. Satan would love nothing more than for us to stay in this place of bondage and defeat because when we are so focused on ourselves, we can t live completely for Christ. We can t shine brightly for Him, and we certainly can t help lead others to Him. Because we sometimes don t even know the bondage we are in until He helps break us free, I d love for you to be really honest with yourself and ask yourself these questions:
1 Do you have the good food/bad food police in your brain at all times? For years, I struggled with a good food / bad food mentality. When I ate good foods, I felt good. Almost self-righteous if I m telling the truth. And on the other hand, when I ate bad food, I felt shame and guilt. One of my favorite quotes regarding the food police is, The only time you should feel guilty about food is if you stole it. Wow, right?! This damaging diet mentality is so prevalent in our culture that we almost don t even realize it. For example, here are some common food rules my clients often come to me believing: I shouldn t eat anything after 6 PM If I eat breakfast, I ll just be hungrier and will eat more throughout the day. Bread is fattening. Bagels are fattening. Every carb is fattening!! I didn t exercise today so I better skip dinner. It s not time to eat yet, so don t have that snack (even if I m hungry). You ate too much today so better restrict calories tomorrow or exercise more. Can you relate to any of those food rules? As you prepare to sit down to eat your dinner tonight, I want to encourage you to challenge the Food Police. Stop the negative thoughts and instead Stop. Look. And Listen. Stop and give thanks for the people around you. Look at all of the delicious food and take in their beautiful colors and yummy smells. Listen to your body and it s hunger and fullness cues. Eat mindfully, enjoying every delicious bite. As you're eating mindfully, pay attention to your body's fullness signals. Stop before you're totally stuffed, knowing you could have more if you choose to, but you know your body and trust when it s had enough. I m cheering for you, my sweet sisters, and declaring victory for you in this area!
2 Do you have guilt or shame when you eat foods on your bad food list? The minute we make a food forbidden, we give it more power than it deserves. Often when we tell ourselves that we can t or shouldn t have a certain food, it can lead to intense cravings or feelings of deprivation. Then when we finally cave to our forbidden foods, we are overcome with feelings of guilt and shame. God created us for SO MUCH MORE, sweet sisters! I LOVE what He says in Matthew 6:31-33 So do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So let s stop worrying about what we are going to eat, drink, and wear! Instead, let s just focus on eating a good balance. I encourage you to fill your plate with an abundance of real, whole foods - fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, lean meats. These are the foods that are going to make you feel amazing, help you reach your natural, healthy bodyweight, give you energy, and provide your body with the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs to function at its best. BUT, occasionally allow yourself some fun foods in moderation so you don t go crazy and get obsessed with this. And if you begin to worry about what to eat or what to wear, then consciously be aware of your thoughts and choose to seek God and His righteousness instead!
3 Do you crave certain foods but try and use willpower or self control to avoid eating them? Is it difficult for you to stop eating before you re completely stuffed? If you re a member of the Clean Plate Club and often eat beyond fullness, it s probably because as a child, your parents taught you to clean your plate before getting up from the table because there are starving children in Africa! Right? As a mom to three boys with really healthy appetites, I ve really tried not to give them food rules. So it s pretty amazing for me to watch them eat because they know how to intrinsically honor their hunger and fullness cues. For example, they can actually leave homemade macaroni and cheese left over on their plates without feeling the need to finish it!! Imagine?! LOL! And there are some afternoons when they don t want a snack because they just aren t feeling hungry. They know when they re full, and they know when they re hungry. As adults, we seem to lose this very basic skill. I want to encourage you to keep your body fed with adequate energy and carbohydrates. Yes, you read that correctly. I said CARBS!! We ve been taught that carbohydrates are the enemy, but this is what your body burns for fuel. Just be sure those carbs are coming from real, whole foods NOT processed foods all wrapped up in fancy packaging. And listen for your body s signal that tells you when you are full. Eat slowly, enjoying and being mindful of what you re eating. That means not devouring lunch at your desk or while watching the TV, but instead being aware of the smells and tastes of your food, and what your current fullness level is.
4 Do you base your self worth on the number on your scale? Do you have a love/hate relationship with the scale??? Are you guilty of stepping on it every morning and letting it define you and determine your mood for the day? I love what Psalm 139:13-14 has to say about this For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. When we use God s truths to fill us and make His affirmations our foundation (instead of our own self defeating negative self talk) then we can be free and truly shine for Him! The Holy Spirit uses God's words stored up inside us to nudge us, remind us, redirect us, empower us, and lead us to victory! When you are tempted to let that number on the scale or the number inside your pants define you, I want you to remember that your identity is in Christ alone. If you haven t already, I would encourage you to either throw out your scale or at the very least, hide it. What self-defeating thoughts or hurtful comments from others routinely run through your mind when it comes to food and your weight? When those thoughts come in, replace them with Psalm 139:13-14!
5 Do you exercise as a way to either earn your calories or work off something bad you ve eaten? If so, it s no wonder you dread exercise! It s no wonder exercise feels like punishment!! Please hear me, my sweet sister, our bodies were made to move! Exercise doesn t have to be about how hard, how long, or how much you move your body. It can be about moving your body in a way that creates joy, laughter and fun! Not because we HAVE to, but because we GET to! I am going to walk you through making your fitness a priority! See it's all one big cycle - when you workout, you feel better, when you feel better, you talk to yourself better, when you talk to yourself better, you re more excited about life and filled with joy. You are treating your body as a temple of God s Holy Spirit, and it shines through you! I want to encourage you to find a way to move your body today that is fun and that makes you look forward to exercising. And then schedule it into your day and make it a non-negotiable priority. 6 Do you feel inadequate when you compare yourself to others? Do you talk negatively to yourself? I ve honestly really struggled this year with lots of negative self-talk. Can you relate? I know this is from the enemy, not my Savior, and so one thing that has helped me when these critical thoughts creep in is I replace them with a promise or truth from Jesus. Romans 12:2 is my favorite verse to combat these critical thoughts Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. This may even mean, as it did for me, that you may have to unfollow some social media accounts that rob you of joy because you're comparing yourself to an unrealistic, air-brushed image. And please don't let your mind bully your body. You are enough, and you were made for more than a silly number on the scale. Agreed?
7 Do you often feel that you will finally be happy when you ve lost those last pounds? That you will do (fill in the blank) when you ve finally reached your goal weight? Stop living for tomorrow! The only thing keeping you from experiencing joy right now today is YOU, not those last 10 pounds. Some things you can do right now today to start enjoying and caring for your body: Buy a new outfit, no matter the size! (No one sees it besides you anyway so who cares?) Take a hot bath. Go for a long walk. Schedule a massage. Buy some yummy-smelling lotions and creams. My journey to Body and Food Freedom hasn t been easy, and I m still learning more about myself every day. But a scripture verse that really helps me when I want to throw in the towel and go back to my old food rules is found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. Paul reminds us, Don t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. This is SO encouraging to me as I relate this to my entire life! Paul doesn t say run faster and farther than everyone else. He says to run with PURPOSE! Today let's make a pact with each other, okay? Let's EAT with purpose to be healthy (not deprived or restricted), TRAIN with purpose to be strong and energized (not lazy from no exercise or exhausted from too much exercise}, LIVE with purpose, and LOVE with purpose as we keep our eyes on crossing God's finish line to FREEDOM. Need some help finding this freedom? As a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, I m passionate about helping women find body and food freedom so they can live their fullest and most free lives in Christ. You can connect with me at. I m here for you!