Taste for Truth - Weight Loss Encouragement

Join us on the Taste for Truth Podcast as we go to God for help with weight loss. We'll have victory interviews, coaching interviews, author interviews, tips, and even opportunities to renew your mind while you're listening to the podcast. My goal is to encourage you and equip you to break free from the control of food with God’s help.

Check Out the Christian Habits Podcast for More Help 03/21/2025

Check Out the Christian Habits Podcast for More Help In this special episode of , I want to share an update and invite you to continue this journey with me over at the , where I talk about breaking free from overeating, habits, procrastination, and growing in our relationship with God. I’m so grateful for all the guests who have shared their stories here, and if you’re new, I recommend starting with the episode “How to Break Free from an Overeating Stronghold or a Skinny Stronghold.” While Taste for Truth will remain available as a resource, I’m excited to offer new online courses at and hope to see you over at my other podcast for ongoing encouragement and support. Chapters Introduction to Taste for Truth Podcast Future Plans for Online Courses Closing Thoughts and Encouragement Episode Summary In this episode, I take a moment to share some updates with my listeners regarding my ongoing journey with the and the new direction it’s taking. While I have cherished the time spent discussing topics related to overeating and emotional eating, I want everyone to know that I am also actively podcasting at the . This platform has allowed me to expand my discussions beyond eating habits, exploring various aspects of life including how to break free from negative emotions, procrastination, and strengthening our relationship with God. Each of these areas plays a crucial role in addressing the struggles associated with emotional eating, and I aim to provide listeners with the tools they need to honor God in their eating habits. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the guests who have joined me on the Taste for Truth podcast. The vulnerability displayed during our coaching and victory interviews has been a profound experience, and hearing from authors and coaches has enriched our discussions significantly. It's been a pleasure to connect and share insights with everyone about the challenges of overeating, and I hope to continue providing valuable content that resonates with our audience. For those who are new to the podcast, I recommend starting with my recent episode, “.” In this episode, I summarize my key recommendations on overcoming overeating, which I believe will serve as a solid foundation for anyone seeking help in this area. Additionally, I encourage listeners to explore the previous episodes and interviews for more in-depth discussions and insights that can guide them in their journeys. Looking forward, I am excited to announce that I will be transitioning toward online courses that will further delve into subjects like emotional eating and renewing the mind. For anyone interested in these upcoming resources, I invite you to visit for more information. As I reflect on the experiences shared through this podcast, I remain hopeful and prayerful for all of you as we navigate our paths and seek guidance from God in our lives. Resources Mentioned Listen to the Podcast YouTube: to subscribe or listen on YouTube. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/35759080

How to Break Free from an Overeating Stronghold and a Skinny Stronghold 03/19/2025

When You Can't Make Yourself Renew Your Mind with Denise 02/08/2025

7-Week Master Class on Transformation 01/11/2025

7-Week Master Class on Transformation The live 7-Week Master Class on Transformation Begins January 28, 2025!!! Do you ever say, “I can’t believe I’ve been a Christian for x number of years and I’m still struggling with this?” Are you reluctant to work on transformation because you’re afraid you’ll fail like you did last time? Do you have some area of your life where you feel stuck? My guess is that we can all answer “yes” to at least one of those questions. It’s discouraging to fail over and over again. Romans 12:2 tells us that the answer to our struggles is to But there are two problems with this approach: 1) We don’t necessarily know what that means or 2) we do know how to renew our minds but we can’t make ourselves do it consistently enough to see transformation. My will help you with both of those problems. We’ll get together, each choose an area of our lives to work on, and work together on transformation. What area of transformation would you like help with? Here are a few areas you may want to work on during this transformation class: Break a habit such as overeating, overspending, or too much time on your phone even though you have zero discipline in that area. Achieve a goal such as writing a book, developing a habit of consistently completing your to-do list each day, or starting a business even if you’re a born procrastinator and can’t make yourself work on your project or list. Break free from a negative emotion like anger, worry, discontentment, and insecurity even if that emotion has been with you as long as you can remember. Often we think we can’t let go of the negative emotions. Our only hope is to escape them with some self-destructive behavior, stuff them, or control our behavior so the emotion doesn’t hurt ourselves and others. But the truth is, God can help us let go of those negative emotions situation by situation and live in peace and joy (Galatians 5). We’ll learn how to do that in this class. What are some side benefits (but often the biggest benefits of all) of working on transformation? No matter what practical area you choose to work on, God will use the transformation process to help you achieve the following goals: Grow closer to God and more excited about your times with Him as you develop the practical habit of carrying each thought captive to the truth through the renewing of the min. Live in peace and joy as you learn how to corral, process, and let go of the thoughts that are swirling in your head, threatening to drive you crazy. Improve relationships and learn how to love others better as you grow in the . What is the set up of the class? Here are a few features of the class: It will be live. We’ll meet on Zoom but the sessions will also be recorded if you can’t make it. I’ll give 15-30 minutes of instruction but we’ll be pausing during the class to apply what I teach to the area of your life that you want to work on. We’ll meet once a week for seven sessions but I’ll have six weeks of homework for you to do during the week to apply what you learned to the area of your life you’re working on. At the end of each class, I’ll have breakout rooms where you can share how you did with your renewing each week and what God taught you during the week. You’ll also have a chance to find accountability partners. When will the class start? The class will begin on January 28, 2025. We will meet weekly for 7 sessions on Tuesdays at 12:00 EST. Each class will be be 1 to 1 1/2 hours long. What if I can’t make the live sessions? If you can’t make the live sessions, I’ll have a replay available by the next day, possibly sooner. The replays will be available until at least 6/1/25, possibly longer, so that you have time to do the class. What is the cost of the class? Although classes like this are often quite expensive, I want everyone to be able to take it, so I’m offering the class at $27 USD. Is there a deadline for signing up for the class? Yes, the deadline is January 28, 2025. This is not an on-demand class so even if you plan to take it later, you’ll need to sign up now so I can email you links to the class videos and homework each week. Where can I sign up? To get started, go to the and sign up. /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/34811380

Maintaining a 150-Pound Weight Loss with God's Help with Stacey 12/11/2024

Losing 150 Pounds with God's Help with Stacey [Replay] 11/06/2024

Losing 150 Pounds with God's Help with Stacey [Replay] [This interview was originally published on 10/10/2018.] Have you ever been completely hopeless about weight-loss? Do you think you've tried it all, and you are on the verge of giving up? My guest today, Stacey, felt exactly the same. However, with God's help, she has been able to lose (and maintain) a 150 pound weight loss! Today on the Taste for Truth Podcast, I am doing something I have rarely (if ever!) done before: replaying a very encouraging interview! One reason for doing this is because I recently had a second interview with the same person, Stacey, and she has successfully kept the weight off for over 6 years! I wanted it to be easy to have a frame of reference between the first and second episodes. The new interview with Stacey will come out in December. Stacey followed a program where she had to cut out sugar and white flour and plan out what she would eat each day. One of the problems with programs like this is that we feel like life is boring because we can't have sugar. Towards the end of the podcast, Stacey shares how she deals with that issue, renewing her mind before she enters into situations where she might feel like she's missing out by not eating sugar. Whether you follow Stacey's boundaries or not, you'll be able to learn from her experience as she goes to God for help with life. What We Discussed on the Podcast What the difference was this time that led to Stacey's 150 pound weight loss The revelation of how we often use food isn't what God intended How Stacey was able to stay the course, even through her strong cravings Different strategies for renewing the mind Lies that Stacey had to work through when getting to maintenance Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Announcements I also wanted to mention that I will be tapering off and ultimately ending the Taste for Truth Podcast sometime in January or, at the latest, February, of 2025. I will still be doing my Christian Habits Podcast, and all of the past Taste for Truth episodes will still be available! I'm just at a place in my life where I need to find a work-life balance that is sustainable, and going down to one podcast seems like a very helpful way to do that. I am also planning to give creation a try. If you are interested in staying informed about that, Listen to the Podcast YouTube: to subscribe or listen on YouTube. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/33786957

Letting Go of Emotional Eating and the Skinny Idol with Jennifer 10/09/2024

How to Stop Stress Eating with Katrina Sequenzia 09/11/2024

How to Stop Stress Eating with Katrina Sequenzia Stress is an everyday struggle for most of us in Western society. We turn to many unhealthy things to cope which often lead to health struggles and weight gain. It actually makes the problem worse! However, stress eating does not have to be our reality any longer. I'm excited to have as my guest again today on the Taste for Truth Podcast. Katrina shares her personal struggles in this area as well as many practical tips to overcome the unhealthy coping mechanisms in our lives. What We Discussed on the Podcast A personal struggle that had Katrina turning to another coping mechanism to get through The lie that we always tell ourselves in the midst of stressful times to justify our out-of-control eating Some of the biological reasons why we turn to food during times of stress Many practical (and healthy) ways to cope with difficult moments in our day-to-day lives What movement does for us with regard to stress Loads, limits, and creating margin Announcements I also wanted to mention that I will be tapering off and ultimately ending the Taste for Truth podcast sometime in the next 3-5 months. I will still be doing my Christian Habits Podcast, and all of the past Taste for Truth episodes will still be available! I'm just at a place in my life where I need to find a work-life balance that is sustainable, and going down to one podcast seems like a very helpful way to do that. I am also planning to give creation a try. If you are interested in staying informed about that, Resources Mentioned on the Podcast My initial episode with Katrina: Katrina's website: Listen to the Podcast YouTube: to subscribe or listen on YouTube. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/32983087

Exercise, Anxiety, and Having Babies with Sarah 07/16/2024

Exercise, Anxiety, and Having Babies with Sarah If you've ever wondered how all of those people I've interviewed in the past are doing now, you'll enjoy today's episode of the I'm having a second "check-in" interview with Sarah whom I previously interviewed over four years ago. Back in 2020, Sarah was a new mom and was experiencing great success with changing her eating and lifestyle habits. Today our discussion centers around how pivotal exercise has been for Sarah in her journey, and about her struggles and victories while navigating many life changes. What We Discussed on the Podcast How Sarah is doing four years after her first victory interview How finding exercise that matched her temperament has helped Sarah achieve her goals Viewing exercise as spiritual warfare - using your body to fight a spiritual battle New research that highlights the importance of exercise for mental health The importance of asking for help Why we can have hope even when we have yo-yo dieted and feel that we have tried everything What being poor in spirit really means, and how it's a good thing The story of "20-steps back" and how it relates to success with healthy habits Announcements I also wanted to mention that I will be tapering off and ultimately ending the Taste for Truth podcast sometime in the next 5-7 months. I will still be doing my Christian Habits Podcast, and all of the past Taste for Truth episodes will still be available! I'm just at a place in my life where I need to find a work-life balance that is sustainable, and going down to one podcast seems like a very helpful way to do that. I am also planning to give creation a try. If you are interested in staying informed about that, Resources Mentioned on the Podcast My initial episode with Sarah: (January 2020) Listen to the Podcast YouTube: to subscribe or listen on YouTube. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/32056087

It Would be Crazy Not to Eat This + Ask Barb 05/22/2024

10 Lies That Feed the Skinny Idol 04/24/2024

10 Lies That Feed the Skinny Idol It's so easy in our culture today to get caught up in trying to find our self-worth in material things, money, our jobs, or the way we look. The idea of being skinny can be something that we begin to obsess over because we somehow think our identity is wrapped up in our appearance. This isn't what God wants for us and, consequently, also makes us very unhappy. On today's episode of the Taste for Truth Podcast, we'll debunk 10 lies that perpetuate this skinny idol. I also wanted to mention that I will be leading an through my new in the month of May. If you're interested in finding out more and signing up, . I do think it is so helpful to go through regular Bible studies - even when you're trying to lose weight or be healthier - because we are getting more of the truth of God's word in our system (which helps us combat all the lies we believe that fuel our eating problems). deals with many different topics in the book of Philippians, one of them being finding our identity in God. I hope you'll find it helpful! What We Discussed on the Podcast How our "Good Christian" list can adversely affect our self-worth Different things we turn to to find our identity in rather than God "I need to be skinny to be accepted." "When I'm skinny, I'll be happier." "People think I'm a loser because I'm overweight." A passage in Philippians that reminds us what we cannot have confidence in Some tips for truth journaling Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Listen to the Podcast YouTube: to subscribe or listen on YouTube. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/30909228

Boredom, Holiday, and Hard-Life Eating with Suanne, Emily and Elizabeth 03/27/2024

How to Help Your Kids Avoid Picky Eating, Emotional Eating, and Obsessive Eating 02/28/2024

End Boredom, Mindless, and Procrastination Eating with Kim 01/30/2024

End Boredom, Mindless, and Procrastination Eating with Kim Many of us turn to food when we are bored, or when we want to avoid a project we know we should be doing! Unfortunately, this can easily become an unhealthy pattern that leads to weight-gain and out-of-control eating. If you're all too familiar with this struggle and want to stop the cycle of boredom eating, my episode today on the Taste for Truth Podcast should be helpful (links below)! Share an Update! I also wanted to mention that I'm excited to try something a little different for a few episodes of the Taste for Truth Podcast. I would love to have updates and "victory moments" from people that I've interviewed over the years! If you would be willing, and record a brief message letting us know how you're doing! This is not an interview at all, it would just be you recording whatever you'd like to say in a short message - I think the limit is 4 minutes. Anyway, I think it'd be so fun and encouraging to hear how everyone is doing! What We Discussed on the Podcast How often our childhood shapes our interactions with food Non-diet boundaries Why sometimes we should first begin renewing our minds NOT about food or eating The emotional toll of procrastination How to renew your minds about specific situations What it means to hold losing weight with an "open hand" Resources Mentioned on the Podcast To record an update or victory moment from your weight loss journey, go to . - Weight Loss App - This page on my website has many tips for renewing, but also a section dedicated just to how to truth journal. Listen to the Podcast Google: to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/29637623

7 Reasons We Gain Our Weight Back 12/05/2023

7 Reasons We Gain Our Weight Back I would love to know how many pounds I've gained and lost in my life. In the old days it was all about "Go on a diet, lose weight, live it up, then gain the weight back." Over and over and over again. Every once in awhile I could muster up the self control to lose the weight, but I always gained it back. I had little self control, I loved food, and I was an emotional eater. And because of that I gained the weight back every single time. I actually knew how to lose the weight, but I didn't know how to keep it off. So today I'd like to look at why we gain our weight back and how to stop the old merry-go-round. Let's begin by looking at why we gain it back. 7 Reasons We Gain Our Weight Back We let go of boundaries once we lose our weight. Think of it. Have you ever lost weight without setting some sort of boundaries? Maybe you did intuitive eating and ate only when you were hungry and stopped when you were full. Or you joined Weight Watchers or you did intermittent fasting. But in some way you set limits for yourself. Unfortunately, once we lose the weight, all limits go out the window and that's the biggest thing that makes us gain the weight back. There are two ways we do this: 1) We do it consciously. We think, "Yay!! I get to live it up again!!" Then immediately go to living it up and gain our weight back. 2) We do it without realizing we're doing it. So for example, I may have lost my weight by counting carbs faithfully with a set limit each day of how much I could have. When I lose the weight, I still try to watch how many carbs I eat, but I don't have a set limit. Or I lose weight with Weight Watchers. I still focus on free foods and eat as many as I want--but I no longer count points. So what we have are some practices, but we don't have actual boundaries. We switch to different boundaries and don't go through the necessary work to learn how to follow our boundaries. In the first reason, we let go of boundaries altogether, but with this reason, we actually do have boundaries--we just haven't learned how to follow them. Here's an example. Let's say you lost your weight with a diet, but then you decide to switch to 3 meals and one snack a day for your boundaries. Since those boundaries are looser than what you're used to, there is a learning curve to figuring out how to maintain your weight within those boundaries. If we don't make the effort to learn how to make those boundaries work, we'll gain our weight back. We have a new trial in our lives that makes us feel like eating. Often we'll be going along smoothly and then something happens that makes us want to eat. Some trial that triggers all our emotional eating tendencies. Maybe there's a pandemic. Or the world is looking a little scary. Or someone you love is having a crisis. Or you're having a crisis. When those new trials crop up, it makes us want to eat. And we may gain our weight back at that time. We stick to our boundaries most of the year but go off during holidays and vacations. This is a good one to think about now because we're smack dab in the middle of the holidays--halfway between Thanksgiving in the United States and Christmas. When we go on vacation or it's a holiday, it's easy to justify a few extra treats. We think, Oh I'll just eat this now and get back on track when I get back to normal life. When we do that, we usually only gain a few pounds a year, but after ten years, those few pounds a year have become 30-40 pounds and we're back in a situation where we need to do the whole thing over again. We reintroduce sugar and/or flour when that was part of the reason we lost the weight to begin with. I've talked to many people who lost their weight without renewing their minds. They were able to do it because they took away their biggest source of temptation: flour and sugar. Unfortunately, I've also talked to a lot of people who then reintroduced sugar and flour at some point and either gained all their weight back or at least a good share of it. We lose it with self control and/or obsession rather than renewing. I've talked to many women who are either all in or all out. When they work on losing weight, they have a hard time doing it without obsessing about it. The temptation is to think about being healthy, exercising, and eating right all the time. This becomes so exhausting that eventually they can't handle the stress anymore and go back to eating. Then there are people like me who don't obsess and have no temptations in the exercise-too-much department, but I still used to gain my weight back because I never took the time to change the way I thought about food. We start believing new lies and don't take the time to renew. With this reason for weight gain, we do renew while losing it. In fact we renew our minds so much that we change the way we think about food and we no longer even want to overindulge or binge. But then if we're not careful, we start fudging our boundaries. So what do we do? With so many reasons driving us to gain our weight back, is there still hope that we can avoid all of that? Yes, there is hope! The Bible tells us we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. It also tells us that He who began a good work in us will complete it. God can help us stay free from the control of food. Let's look at seven strategies we can use to stay free from the control of food. 7 Ways to Keep Our Weight Off Keep relying on God for help with life. So many times I've had women tell me, "I'm so thankful I learned how to truth journal. It has helped me go to God for help with so many things." They started out renewing for food, but then started renewing for life and that drew them closer to God. With me it was the opposite. I started renewing first for the hard things in life, and only later started renewing for food. Here's the truth: God wants us to go to Him for help with life. And the more we go to Him, the more we'll fall in love with Him and the more we'll grow in our character and be like Him. And as a little side benefit, if we keep going to God for help with life, we'll be far less likely to gain our weight back because we won't be going to the refrigerator. Renew often about each new trial that comes up. Things will often be trucking along just fine, and then some new difficulty comes up in life that causes us stress, worry, or fear, and we find ourselves reaching for food again. When we learn the valuable skill of truth journaling, we can start going to God right away when a new trial comes into our lives. We can truth journal and ask Him to show us the lies we are believing about our current situation. By going to God about the trial first, we will be far less likely to continue to run to our old idol (food) to bring us comfort. Catch any weight gain early. It's far easier to lose a couple pounds than 20 pounds. And it's far easier to lose 20 pounds than 100 pounds. Some women will put away the scale for good, but when they find their clothes getting tight it's a wakeup call to be more diligent about following their boundaries--and renewing if necessary. For me, I weigh about once a week. If I find my weight is up for several weeks in a row, I try to be careful about eating less at meals. Continue to have firm lifelong boundaries. I can't emphasize how important it is to have some sort of boundaries with food if you're a person who loves food, is not opposed to large quantities, and has a tendency to eat emotionally. Boundaries keep our passions reigned in. Be VERY careful about reintroducing sugar if you lost the weight without it. And by careful I mean either don't do it, or do it carefully. Be careful during vacations and holidays. Fudged boundaries (which might involve actual fudge!), lead to weight gain. Check to see if you still believe any lies that make you overeat and also look out for any new lies that crop up (see below). Lies We Often Believe after We Lose the Weight It's okay to break my boundaries because I'm free from the control of food now. I may be free from the control of food, but that doesn't mean I can't gain my weight back and I will gain it back if I consistently eat too much! This little bit of sugar won't hurt. While it's possible this little bit of sugar won't hurt, it's also possible that this little bit of sugar will set in motion weeks or months or years of overeating. I should think carefully if I really want to do this and then make a plan for it if I decide to do it and go back to renewing if necessary. The truth is that I am a person who tends to overeat with sugar--I just love it too much--so I'll probably have to be careful all of my life. I still have boundaries. I don't actually have boundaries. I have intentions--more fruit and vegetables for example--but I don't have primary boundaries that tell me how often or how much I can eat. If I really want to keep this weight off, I need to have boundaries and follow them. Boundaries keep me safe. I talk more about boundaries in my recent book, Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating, and hope to do a video or podcast about them sometime as well. Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating also contains 100 exercise you can use to renew your mind to break free and stay free from the control of food. is a 30-day Bible study focused on the lies that make you eat, body image, and the weight loss process. I wrote this Bible study to go along with the questions and Bible verses in I Deserve a Donut, and it’s best if you have both books when you do this study. I Deserve a Donut is also available as a free app for your phone. The Android app isn't working on new phones at the moment (November 2023), but I hope to have it up and running again soon! Listen to the Podcast Google: to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/28892753

Victory - Breaking Free from the Control of Food with Shelly 11/08/2023

How to Renew Your Mind for Weight Loss with Examples 10/10/2023

Breaking Free from a Sugar Stronghold with Tammy 09/12/2023

7 Lies That Keep Us from Renewing with Tonya 05/16/2023

7 Lies That Keep Us from Renewing with Tonya Most of us would agree that in order to have a change in our eating habits, we must first have a change in our minds! Yet, even knowing this, many of us still struggle to make the commitment to renewing our minds on a regular basis. On today's episode of the Taste for Truth Podcast (links below), I coach Tonya through identifying many of the lies that keep us from renewing. What We Discussed on the Podcast Identifying possible stressors in our lives that would cause us to emotionally eat How sometimes it's better to renew about emotions (or problems) we face in the day quickly to keep them from becoming really big emotions How to be proactive in truth journaling Why truth journaling is such a powerful tool for realignment The idea that making a goal that makes your life easier (like truth journaling) is a strategic way to approach change Some tips for having a really effective truth-journaling session (also found in ) 7 Lies That Keep Us from Renewing It's not going to work. I don't feel like doing it, so I shouldn't do it. Truth journaling isn't a fun way to relax, so I shouldn't do it. It takes too long. If I do it, it will make me not want to eat. (And I want to eat.) I'm too bad to go before God. I've messed up so God doesn't love me. Resources Discussed on the Podcast (the interview with one of Coach Sarah's clients that I mentioned) Contact Information for Nutritional Coach, Sarah Truitt (Tonya's health coach): Website: Instagram: Facebook: YouTube: Contact: Note: I will be taking the summer off from the Taste for Truth Podcast. I invite you to subscribe to my as I plan to put up some videos about emotional eating in the next few months. I also want to challenge you to make a renewing commitment for the summer... If you take a moment 2-3 times throughout your day to renew your mind whether by using one of the resources listed above, or simply by truth journaling, I have a very strong feeling that you will find it easier and easier to follow your food boundaries this summer! Listen to the Podcast Google: to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts. Stitcher: to subscribe or listen on Stitcher. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/26709063

How to Stop Boredom Eating (10 Strategies) 04/18/2023

How to Stop Boredom Eating (10 Strategies) Do you ever find yourself reaching for some exciting food because you're bored? Eating is quick-fix way to conquer boredom, but often leads to regret. In this post I want to talk about ten strategies to help you stop boredom eating. Let's begin by asking the question, "Why am I eating when bored?" Why am I eating when bored? For those of us who crave excitement, we want anything that will take us out of our mundane life and into a little bit of fun and excitement. And of course the most easily available option is the refrigerator. So of course we'll eat when we're bored if we enjoy food! It gives us that quick fix of fun and excitement to ease just a tad bit of our boredom. A better question to ask may be, "Why am I bored to begin with?" Let's take a look at that because if we can stop being bored, we can stop boredom eating. Why am I bored? Have you ever heard a friend say, "I'm never bored" or "Boredom is a choice"? I have. And each time I hear it, I think to myself (or more likely out loud), "I'm often bored!" In fact some days I feel like I'm going out of my mind with boredom!! So why are we bored, when our friend is never bored? I can think of ten reasons. We like being busy and get bored when we're not. I listed this reason first because even people who are almost never bored sometimes struggle with boredom during evenings and weekends. If your life is filled with work during the day—and you're a person who enjoys being busy—then you may be bored at night or on weekends. We're fun-loving people who crave excitement. When I think of my friends who aren't bored, they usually fall into three camps: they love accomplishment, they love stability, or they love hobbies. When you think about it, all three of those types of people can be satisfied in everyday life. The ones who love accomplishment can make a list no matter what's happening in their lives and work on accomplishment. The ones who love stability don't care if they have excitement because excitement by its very nature is a bit unstable. And the ones who love hobbies can usually find a hobby or two to fill up their free time. It's only people who crave excitement that have a hard time meeting those needs because regular life by its very nature isn't all that exciting because it's .... regular life! We're procrastinators and the thought of all that horrible work we should be doing is making us feel bored. I don't know how many times I feel bored just because I have too much on my plate and all of it sounds very boring to do. That makes me want to avoid work and go get something fun to eat. Our regular life doesn't fit our personalities. My dream job is to be a counselor at a Christian backpacking camp. Unfortunately, that's not a possibility for me right now, not to mention the fact that most Christian youth camps aren't looking for a 63-year-old married woman to be their camp counselor! We live in a culture that tells us to follow our passions and go for that dream job, but let's face it, the dream job isn't always practical, nor is it always what God wants us to be doing. That said, living a life that's different than our dream life can still lead to boredom. This leads to the fourth reason for boredom. We have unrealistic expectations for life. When we believe the hype that we need to be living our best life and our passion, we start having unrealistic expectations for life. We might think all of life should be just as fun and exciting as the summer we spent as a backpacking camp counselor, when there is no way the rest of our lives will be that fun on a consistent basis. Our unrealistic expectations for life make us feel bored because we're focusing on what we don't have rather than on what we do have. We expect ourselves to work too much without reward. When I was working full-time before I had kids, I rarely got bored. This was because my days were filled with work. And since I worked at a bank, my days were also filled with people. I enjoyed my work and also enjoyed all the visiting. Work in and of itself was a reward. But when I started working at home, first as a stay-at-home mom, then a homeschool mom, and finally as a writer, I often got bored (and still often get bored). I'm beginning to realize that one of the reasons I get bored is because I'm doing a job that doesn't energize me without taking enough "reward" breaks. This is a recipe for continued boredom, not to mention procrastination. Which leads us to the next reason for boredom ... We don't manage our work well. For those of us who spend the majority of our days at home, one of our biggest problems is that we have too much time on our hands. That doesn't mean we don't have a lot to do. It just means we have to manage our time ourselves and that can lead to long blocks of time with nothing to do (because either we don't have that much to do or we're procrastinating). And those long blocks of time can lead to boredom. We don't have enough on our plate. Another possible reason for being bored is that we don't have enough to fill our time. Many people reported boredom during the pandemic because they were out of work and weren't used to being out of work. Or you may be in a season of life such as retirement where you haven't figured out how to fill up your time and that leaves you with a lot of boredom on your hands. We've trained ourselves to need constant excitement. Educators say that it's hard to teach kids today because kids have been trained to expect constant excitement through playing video games, watching TV, and doing other forms of electronic entertainment. Kids aren't the only ones with this struggle. We also struggle because we have the same temptation to constantly jump on our phones whenever we're bored. We're making life about "having fun and excitement" and not about God. Whenever we try to fill ourselves up with something other than God, we never get enough to satisfy us. So if I'm trying to fill myself up with fun and excitement—and feel like I need that fun and excitement to live a great life—I'll never get enough to satisfy me and I'll live in boredom. We'll take a look at ten strategies for how to stop boredom eating by learning not to be bored in a minute, but before we do that, let's look at three practical tips to stop boredom eating. 3 Practical Tips to Stop Boredom Eating Hide or remove exciting food from your house. Let's face it, more often than not, if it's there to eat, we'll eat it! To solve that problem, try not to have exciting foods in the house--or if you can't do that, ask someone in your house to hide them from you! Make it harder to buy exciting foods when you're out on the town. If you have a tendency to stop and get exciting food when you're out driving, find a way to make it harder to get that food. You could change your driving route, put your wallet in the far corner of the back seat so you can't reach it when you go through the drive through, or renew your mind before you make that drive so you don't want the exciting treats. If you're within walking distance of exciting treats, consider leaving your billfold at home so you won't be tempted to get them. Eliminate exciting foods from your diet. Sometimes it's easier to have none than one. At different phases of my life I've given up sugar. Was my life boring in the food department? Yes!! But did it help me give up boredom eating? Again, yes!! This is a drastic move, but it can actually make life better if you're constantly craving sweets or chips or something like that and then giving into your cravings whenever you're bored. Okay, now that we have the practical tips out of the way, let's look at the bigger picture. And in some ways this bigger picture is about how to stop boredom itself--because if we learn how to stop being bored, we'll learn how to stop boredom eating. How to Stop Boredom Eating (By Learning How to Stop Being Bored!) - 10 Strategies Let go of unrealistic expectations for this phase of your life. While we might expect life to be constantly exciting if we're backpacking counselors at a Christian camp, we can't expect life to be constantly exciting with most stages of life! Take a minute and think about your current life phase. On a scale of 1 to 10 how exciting should you expect your days to be? Based on your answer, give up your unrealistic expectations and then move onto the next step. Embrace regular life. Think of this way. What if you lived in a war-torn country and all of a sudden the war stopped. Life wasn't fun and exciting but at least there wouldn't be a war going on. Would you be thankful for regular life or would you be craving excitement! I think we'd all be thankful for regular life. The more we can embrace life as-is and tell ourselves that this regular life is great, the less bored we'll be. Make life about God. I still remember years ago complaining to a friend about how boring my life was. My friend, said, Barb, what is excitement from a biblical perspective? I thought about that for a minute and replied that excitement from a biblical perspective would be growing closer to God and serving Him and even doing things like helping others break free from strongholds. From a biblical perspective my life (and work) was exciting. But I wasn't seeing that because I was wanting some traditional cultural excitement. Learn how to manage your work or day-to-day life. If you spend your days at home, learn to manage your work and time well. I talk a bit about this in my book, Freedom from Procrastination, and I am learning more about this as I go along. This is something that will be different for each of us, and it's a project in and of itself. Work on overcoming procrastination. The less we procrastinate, the less time we'll spend being bored. Not only will we have less down time (because we'll actually be getting those things done), but we'll also be less bored because we won't have that dreaded job hanging over our heads. That said, it's incredibly difficult to overcome procrastination. If you need help with it, check out my Bible study and workbook, . Plan rewards for work or find ways to make work fun. If you're a person who is more fun-focused rather than accomplishment focused, you'll be far happier if you find a way to make work fun or at the very least plan some rewards for work. Get more on your plate. If you don't have enough to fill your days, think of new ways to fill it. God never meant for us to spend our days watching Netflix all day! Find ways to serve others and love others well. The more we focus on others, the less we focus on ourselves and how bored we are. Find non-addictive ways to fit excitement into your day. There is nothing wrong with trying to make life more exciting, as long as God would approve of the type of excitement we're adding to our lives! If you're in a season of life where you don't naturally have a lot of fun and excitement in your life, try to plan for it. For example, when I'm planning coaching calls, podcast interviews, or appointments, I try to space them out through the week so I have at least one of those a day since I'm energized by being with people. I also usually talk to one friend or family member by phone each day. These are non-addictive ways I can add fun and excitement to my life. You may be different than me, so you'll have to ask, "What energizes me?" and try to add some of that to your life each day if possible. Put limits on your phone, Netflix, or other entertainment sources. We spoke earlier about how we train ourselves to need constant excitement. We do the same things with food. When we eat exciting food too often, we train ourselves to need exciting food all the time. It seems counterintuitive, but the more we reign in our desires for constant excitement and learn to have it as treats rather than regular life, the less bored we'll find ourselves. Make a plan for downtime. If you regularly experience boredom in the evenings, late afternoons, or weekends, make an actual schedule for how you'll spend your time during those periods. It can be a schedule with time slots (7:00-8:00 board game with kids, 8:00-8:30 read, etc.) or it could just be an order of events: certain things you'll do in a certain order each day during that downtime but without a time tied to them (do dishes, fold clothes, go on a walk, renew my mind, read, etc.). I also wanted to add that I have another helpful post about dealing with boredom, it's called: ! Check it out if you need additional support with overcoming boredom eating in your life. Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Listen to the Podcast Google: to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts. Stitcher: to subscribe or listen on Stitcher. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/26522268

Freedom from Food Addiction through Truth Journaling with Debbie 03/21/2023

Freedom from Food Addiction through Truth Journaling with Debbie Do you feel hopeless that you will never be able to get over your food addiction? Have you had success with weight loss in the past only to find yourself back at the same (or higher) weight again? If either of these describe you, you will be greatly encouraged by my interview with Debbie on today's Taste for Truth Podcast (links below). Debbie went from a size 28 to a size 12 and has been living in victory for over six years! In this interview, Debbie and I go through many of the lies that she has had to overcome in her journey. I've listed these below along with their corresponding truths. Debbie's List of Lies & Truths 1. You'll never be good enough. Truth: You don't have to be good enough, Jesus is. 2. You'll never be accepted. Truth: Jesus accepts you as you are, and honestly, most other people also accept you as you are! 3. Food has to taste good. Truth: Food has to be good for me and nourish my body. 4. It's not fair. Truth: It's an opportunity to grow closer to God. Truth: Everyone has something that they struggle with. 5. More is better. Truth: Less is better for me because I feel better. 6. Truth Journaling won't work unless I do it perfectly. Truth: There is no such thing as perfect. Truth: Mistakes are part of learning. 7. You're a failure. Truth: I'm not a failure! Mistakes are part of learning. 8. I can't do this. Truth: God can, and I am depending on His strength to change me. 9. I'm a horrible person and I feel ashamed. Truth: God loves me as I am, and I am actually a wonderful person even though this area of my life may be a struggle. What We Discussed on the Podcast How eating was a numbing drug for Debbie How an "all-or-nothing" or perfectionist personality plays into weight loss efforts Deep insecurity from years of being overweight Learning to forgive culture for not accepting people who are overweight How Debbie truth-journaled about body image before actually journaling about food "I didn't know how important the truth was until it set me free." Learning to listen when we bring our lies and our thoughts before God Truth journaling to get rid of mental commotion Debbie's four big takeaways from her weight-loss journey Grace over guilt Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Listen to the Podcast Google: to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts. Stitcher: to subscribe or listen on Stitcher. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/26195748

Persevering with Truth Journaling (Even When You Don't Think You're Doing it Right) with Tami 02/22/2023

How to Make Yourself Exercise and Renew with Anna 01/25/2023

Letting Go of Emotional Eating with Karen Seager 12/28/2022

Living a Life Unbinged with Kristy McCammon 11/30/2022

Living a Life Unbinged with Kristy McCammon When life gets stressful, do you find yourself running to food to cope? Do you find that any emotion causes you to want to eat, and to eat too much? If so, you're not alone. On today's episode of the Taste for Truth podcast (links below), I speak with Kristy McCammon, the creator of , about her struggle to break free from a life controlled by food. What We Discussed on the Podcast How sugar and white flour abstinence helped Kristy tear down the idol of food How "none is so much easier than one" Learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions How different personalities approach weight loss Victory over emotional eating always boils down to renewing our mind using a variety of tools How reaching out in times of failure can circumvent an unhealthy spiral What a life of food freedom truly looks like How viewing boundaries as "life-giving" rather than "restricting" can help us stick to them Kristy's mantra: Stop - Pray - Walk Away Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Barb's newest book: to Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating Kristy McCammon's website and coaching program: on Facebook on Instagram About Kristy McCammon Kristy McCammon is a speaker, blogger, influencer, and coach in the area of Christian weight loss. She spent most of her life food obsessed and overweight. In 2017, she started using boundaries in regards to food and lost 100 pounds. She has been maintaining that loss for 4 years now. She specializes in Christian weight-loss by combining faith and food boundaries. She is on a mission to help others become free from food addiction and fully live out God’s plan for their life. Her signature course is called the 60 Day Surrender. You can find her on social media where she shares trips, tricks, and recipes to help others on their journey to food freedom: Website Listen to the Podcast Google: to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts. Stitcher: to subscribe or listen on Stitcher. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/25171494

How to Break Free from Emotional Eating 11/01/2022

Bonus: When You Feel Like a Weight Loss Failure 10/26/2022

Bonus: When You Feel Like a Weight Loss Failure Do you ever find yourself saying, "I can't believe I'm still struggling with my weight! I should be over this by now!"? If you do, you're not the only one. That's one of the most frequent comments I hear from women about their weight. We think we should have it all together, but it's not surprising that we don't! After all, we love food. We eat for emotional reasons. And this isn't a goal we can check off our list and say, "There! That's done!" Instead, we need to keep following our boundaries day after day, month after month, and year after year. No wonder we feel like a weight loss failure at times! Here's the thing though: We're not weight loss failures. Let me say that again. We're. Not. Weight. Loss. Failures. Instead, we're people who broke our boundaries today. It's important that we make that distinction in how we talk to ourselves. Because if we're defined by failure, there's no use going on. We might as well give up right now and start eating what we want. But if we're just a person who failed at following her boundaries today, then it would be better to look at why we failed and correct our course so we'll be less likely to fail tomorrow. We can do that by looking at how we spend our days, what food is in the house, what we do when life is hard, and what we do when we break our boundaries. In this podcast episode, we'll look at what we do when we break our boundaries. Picture yourself following your boundaries. Life is going well and your weight loss program is going well, but then one day you break your boundaries. Majorly. You now have five options of what to do next. 5 Options When We Just Broke Our Boundaries and Think We're a Weight Loss Failure Give up. Quit trying to follow your boundaries. Eat what you want for the rest of the day or better yet for the rest of the week! Persevere in your own strength. Get up the next morning and say, "I'm going to follow my boundaries today!" but then don't go to God for help when you break them. (And I don't know about you but I am FAR more likely to break boundaries the next day if I broke them the previous day.) Persevere in God's strength by asking Him to change you. Keep trying to follow your boundaries and regularly ask God to help you follow your boundaries. Persevere in God's strength by asking God to help you follow your boundaries and then renew your mind every once in awhile. Renew your mind every once in awhile (but not often enough for the truth to really sink in), and visit with God about what you learned. Ask Him for wisdom, insight, and strength to follow our boundaries. Persevere in God's strength by asking God to help you follow your boundaries and then renew your mind either every time you feel like breaking our boundaries or several times a day. Renew your mind several times a day or every time you feel like breaking your boundaries (even though you don't feel like it and you're sick to death of doing it), and visit with God about what you learned. Ask Him for wisdom, insight, and strength to follow your boundaries. Now let me ask you a question. Which option do you think would give you the best hope of lasting success with following your boundaries--which translates to lasting success with weight loss? I think we'd all say the 5th option, but we also know how hard it is to take that 5th option. Our flesh doesn't want us to take it (because it wants to eat), we don't want to take it (because it takes too much time), and Satan doesn't want us to take it (because he likes to see us controlled by food). I'm hoping my new book (on shelves November 1) will help you take the third option. In fact let's take that third option right now. Following is one of the renewing exercises from . In this exercise I list five lies we believe when we feel like a weight loss failure. These lies come from lies women have told me in coaching sessions and also lies I've told myself! When You Feel Like a Weight Loss Failure (page 220 in Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating) Write truths for the following beliefs. Beliefs I'm a failure because I can't stick to my eating plan. It's terrible to be an overweight person. I am not worthy in the eyes of the world. I have to be skinny or I'm an utter failure. People will like me better if I'm skinny. Truths 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What I Would Write for the Truths Did you write down your truths? What I usually find as I record truth to the lies I'm believing is that my desires and emotions actually change as I'm writing them. If you find that your desires and emotions aren't changing, check out the 8 tips I have for recording the truths to your lies in the chapter on truth journaling in . Following are five possible truths you could write. (Note: I may write a completely different set of truths if I was doing this exercise tomorrow.) I'm a failure because I can't stick to my eating plan. I am not a failure. I'm a person who failed today at following my boundaries. And as I said earlier in this blog post, this is normal. I will fail! The question is, what will I do after I fail? Anytime I stop, it's a victory. So if I stop after seven donuts, that's a victory because I could have had eight donuts! Renewing my mind will help me stop. Lord, please help me to develop this habit of renewing every time I break my boundaries! It is terrible to be an overweight person. War is terrible. Child abuse is terrible. Famine is terrible. Being overweight is unpleasant, not terrible! Lord, help me to be thankful for the blessings I have and see myself through your eyes! I am not worthy in the eyes of the world. I may not be worthy in the eyes of the world I've drummed up in my mind, but that's not the real world! While it's true that our culture seems to be obsessed with skinny, it's not true that the people in our world are obsessed with skinny. Most people care how they themselves look. Some (maybe few) people care how their kids or spouses or boyfriends/girlfriends look, but very few care about how anyone else looks. What they really care about is how I interact with them, how I treat them, and my character. Those are also the things God cares about. Seek to please Him, not man! I have to be skinny or I'm an utter failure. This is soooo untrue!! There are so many parts to who I am. I'm a person who likes to hike. I like doing puzzles. I enjoy visiting with strangers. I love helping people grow. To say that I'm a failure because I'm skinny objectifies me and turns me into just a body. Don't do that! Be thankful for how God made me and all the gifts He's given me! People will like me better if I'm skinny. The vast majority of people out there could care less what I weigh. The only person (people) I can think of that might like me better if I'm skinny is (fill in the blank). And my guess is that that's because I'm related to him/her and it hurts his/her pride when I'm overweight. This is his/her problem, not mine, and God doesn't want him/her to be proud so this is a good trial for him/her to work on that. :) (NOTE: I'm just giving one possibility here!) It's also true that some people might like me better if I'm overweight as some people are intimidated or jealous of skinny people. And I also don't want to cater to that! The truth is, I will feel much happier at a lower weight. God wants me to accept myself as I am, but He also wants me to work toward being more healthy. Do you see how writing the truth would change my desires? Truth really does set us free. It makes us want to follow our boundaries! When we break our boundaries, it's essential to see ourselves through God's eyes, rather than our own self-condemning eyes or the (imagined) eyes of a society who (we think) condemns us (even though most of them don't). God doesn't look at us and say, "You're a weight loss failure!" No, He looks at us and says, "You're my beloved child. You're my beautiful creation. Or even, you're my !" And then He says, "Come to me, my beloved, and ." Renewing is a way we go to God for help with changing the things we can't change in our own strength (). Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Pre-Order Bonuses at How to Listen to the Podcast Google: to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts. Stitcher: to subscribe or listen on Stitcher. Apple Podcasts: to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.) Android: to subscribe or listen on Android. Spotify: to subscribe or listen on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” /episode/index/show/tastefortruth/id/24768717

8 Tips to Maintain Your Weight 10/05/2022

Bonus: Why Did I Write Another Book on Emotional Eating? 09/28/2022

5 Lies Christian Women Believe That Sabotage Weight Loss with Sara Borgstede 09/07/2022

Taste for Truth - Weight Loss Encouragement

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