Since I have used this Bible passage as an example of how the Lord God has positively influenced my overeating, this doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the verse. Debbie

COE Support Note:

If you REALLY want to read how Christ helped me throughout this weight loss and even when I was tempted, you should read some of the 100's of previous posts on https://christianovereaterssupport.blogspot.com/

So, I Blew It, Now What?

1 John 5: 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

I wasn't able to overcome my compulsive overeating, but Christ made that possible. He taught me life lessons as I read the Bible on a daily basis and applied them to my life. He showed me that I had tried to be in control of all aspects of my life and if I'm trying to be in control, I'm definitely not letting God be in control of my life. It was a hard lesson for me, but my whole life turned around when I turned my control, eating, food, and body in to Christ's very capable hands.

Along the way, God showed me things. One of these lessons was what I did when I blew my diet. When I would blow my diet, I used to eat everything I thought I might be tempted with, which was really counterproductive!  Instead of having a small weight gain to deal with, after going on the "I Blew It Splurge," I had much more excess weight to contend with. 

Christ showed me that He forgives me of all my shortcomings and vices and can heal me of these, if I let Him. So, when I start to stray into old counterproductive eating patterns, I try to have some quiet time to pray about it. Shortly thereafter, Christ gives me the resolve to again, that very moment, turn my food, body, and eating into His very capable hands and He always takes care of it, if I let Him. He has allowed the vast majority of the 80 pounds to stay off for over 30 years. I do slip at times, but when I'm prayerful about it, Christ picks me up, dusts me off, and sets me down again aimed in the right direction. He can do this for you, too, if you let Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Pampering Yourself

 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:9

 I remember eating lunch at work and a lady came in with a personal sized wicker picnic basket. She opened it up and took out the cloth place mat and carefully set it down, straightening it out. Next, she took out the real silverware that she had rolled up in her cloth napkin. She took out a ceramic plate, a real glass and put them in the appropriate positions on her place mat. After that, she put her lunch on the plate. We were all anxious to find out why she did this. Her reply was that she was on a diet and she was pampering herself, so that she didn't feel deprived.

 The more I think of this, the more I realize that I rarely pampered myself on any level. I think I always felt guilty for being heavy. I always felt that I didn't deserve nice things in my life. I felt that I deserved to be punished and I guess that I was punishing myself all those years. It's makes me sad when I think of it. I didn't feel deserving of love from others or love of myself. I wish I could comfort that lonely "me" I used to be.

 Fortunately for me, Christ showed me through reading the Bible on a daily basis, that He loved me and gave His life for me, so I might have eternal life through Him. When I think of this, it shows that if Christ loved me that much, then I am lovable and worthy of love from others and myself. Not only did Christ allow me to loose 80 pounds and keep the vast majority of it off for over 30 years, but He gave me my self-worth. He can do the same for you, if you let Him.

 Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

If It's a Choice, Why Choose Unhealthy Relationships?

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

I found that over the years, I didn't always choose people that walk in the light. Some of my so-called relationships were with people who didn't respect me and betrayed me or took advantage of me. These are some of the things that Christ allowed me to become aware of when I was reading the Bible everyday, prior to and during the 80 pound weight loss. 

When it's a choice, why choose unhealthy relationships? That's a good question and Christ wanted me to prayerfully ponder this. Although I was reluctant to admit that I had anything to do with choosing these unhealthy relationships, I found out otherwise. Often, it had to do with not respecting myself and not having enough self-worth that led to me ignoring or rationalizing inappropriate or less than healthy interactions. I remember hearing a saying one time: You have to lay down in order to let people walk all over you like a welcome mat.

I realized that I had contributed to these people treating me poorly. I turned my counterproductive tendencies over to Christ's very capable hands in the same way that I had turned my food, my body, and my eating over to Him. He has healed these negative tendencies and I have been blessed with lasting healthy relationships. I am very blessed!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Still Felt Fat...

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

I chose this Bible verse more for the word appearing, because this post has to do with my appearance, but I'm finding out that this Bible verse is more appropriate for me than I originally thought. 

 As I read the Bible on a daily basis, something I continue today, and turned my food, body, and eating into Christ's very capable hands, He allowed me to loose 80 pounds of the excess weight I had carried around for many years. I found that I really still felt heavy for a long time, even though my body was thin. (Actually, I've heard that this is a very common thing for people who have lost weight.) The thing is, part of turning my food, body, and eating over into Christ's hands is being open to dealing with the life lessons He had for me and one of those was to come to terms with my body being thinner. Sure, I had saggy, baggy, droopy body parts to deal with, as well, but I mainly had to pray and turn all these issues over to God. 

 Christ healed me, so that they weren't lingering issues that interfered with what He wanted in my life. This is where the passage applies to my life in a way I hadn't expected.  This part: "Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." lets me know that He has a purpose for each and everyone of us. Maybe, for me, it's sharing all my many, many weaknesses and inadequacies, so that others come to know Him as their Savior, as well. 

 Although I can't totally know all that Christ wants of me, that portion of that Bible verse had a totally new personal meaning for me. That's the great thing about reading the Bible on a daily basis, because many of the passages have a personally significant meaning when you apply them to your own lives. Try reading the Bible each day, and see. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in your daily life, your relationship with Christ, your family, others, and yourself!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Was Overwhelmed by the Whistling and Cat Calls

 1 Corinthians 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 

On times prior to Christ allowing me to loose the 80 pounds, I had gone on lots of different diets over the years. There were a few diets that seemed to be more productive than others, in that I had lost enough weight that it was noticeable. 

All of a sudden, I had men whistling at me and I was getting cat calls. I didn't like all of this attention, but I was also somewhat flattered by it. I didn't want to do anything to threaten my marriage, nor did I like that I had felt flattered by the attention of others.

I found that the easiest way to deal all of this was to avoid it all together! I sat down and ate, and ate, and ate until I gained every last pound back and then some! I didn't feel guilty anymore, but then I had all the excess weight to contend with, but it felt more comfortable than dealing with the attention of others!

It wasn't until Christ gave me so many personal life lessons as He allowed the 80 pound weight loss, that I realized that I hadn't done anything to encourage the whistles or cat calls. God needed me to come to terms with this for the weight loss He was accomplishing in my body. It was through reading the Bible on a daily basis, that those life lessons became much more significant as I applied the Bible passages to my own life. The more that I read, the closer I felt to Christ, and the more He allowed me to be willing to turn my compulsive overeating into His very capable hands. If He would allow me to keep the vast majority of the weight off for over 30 years, He can do it for you, too, if you let Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

I Started this Vice at a Young Age

For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.  Romans 14:20

 Well, I didn't just wake up one day and was 80 pounds overweight. My vice started at a very early age. I remember peeking in the kitchen window when I was about five and saw a big bowl of my mother's homemade butterscotch pudding sitting on the kitchen table. I tip toed into the kitchen and ran my finger across the top of the pudding. It was good, but there were consequences for being a pudding thief. If I had known better at five, I would have realized that I was showing signs of being an compulsive overeater when all I could think was, "If I had known they would throw the pudding out after I ate out of the bowl, I would have eaten a lot more!" 

 I got lots of praise for cleaning my plate, so I figured that I would get even more praise if I ate two whole plates. At seven, I would get two ice milk cones for the dime instead of one real ice cream cone. I thought more was better and this type of thinking has been intertwined throughout my life.  I talked my little brother out of the money in his piggy bank, so that he would buy ME candy at the movie theater. The stories go on and on...

 Food had controlled my life in one way or another. If I wasn't overeating, I was thinking of eating or planning for when I would be thinner. Food had become a false god in my life, because I turned to it for consolation in times of stress, loneliness, and fear instead of turning to Christ. It wasn't until one day when I finally gave up, because I couldn't loose weight on my "Good Diet" when I told God that I gave up! I told Him that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't.  You know what? He did just that. I didn't do anything particular, just turn my food, body, eating, and my willingness to turn them over into Christ's very capable hands each and every day. I can't say I don't ever slip, but Christ picks me up and refocuses me, if I let Him. He has allowed the vast majority of the 80 pounds of weight to stay off for over 30 years and He can do the same for you!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

The Opposite of the Bible Verse

Let not then your good be evil spoken of: Romans 14:16

 I want to focus on the opposite of this Bible verse. It says not to Let your good to be evil spoken of, and the opposite would be not to speak evil of other people's good.  Unfortunately, I have done this more times than I would like to admit.

 When I was very overweight, I had a very low self-esteem. In order to bolster my sagging self-esteem, I would put down others. In some distorted way, it made me feel better about myself, less flawed in comparison to others.

 This wasn't the Christian that God wanted me to be. He didn't wanting me talking about others behind their backs, minimizing the good that they did in order to make myself feel better. He wanted so much more of me, but I didn't realize it then. 

 I've tried to figure out when things started to change. It wasn't until I started reading the Bible from cover to cover and Christ started giving me life lessons, especially about how I had let food interfere in my relationship with Him, my family, and friendships. He showed me that I had allowed food to become a false god in my life, because I turned to food for comfort instead of to Him when I was stressed, lonely, afraid, etc. This started a chain reaction of realizations that Christ allowed me to see in myself. 

 It wasn't until I finally gave up on diets, because I had gained weight on my "Good Diet", that things really started to change. I told God that I gave up and that if He ever wanted me to be thin, He'd have to do it, because I couldn't. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but Jesus took away the importance of food in my life. I no longer craved large amounts of food, or sweets, or high carb foods.  He allowed a weight loss of 80 pounds and has allowed the vast majority of that weight to stay off for over 30 years!  

 The thing is, when I get sloppy with my food and my relationship with Christ, I start to see a change in my weight. Fortunately for me, Christ had my pants get too tight, so that I could take stock in how I had been taking these for granted. I am trying to remember that Christ wants me to continue to grow as a Christian and to see the lessons He has for me as I apply the Bible to my life on a daily basis. He doesn't want me rushing through, going through the motions, because He has so much to teach me about myself and who He wants me to be. He wants to share these things with you, too, if you let Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

What Does a Turtle Have to Do With My Weight?

1 Peter 4: 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Well, that's a good question. When I was in seventh grade, I had a small turtle. My mother and I heard that you shouldn't have them around younger children, because they can get Samonella if they don't wash their hands after sticking their hands in the turtle's water. Since I had younger cousins, we decided it was best to give it away.

I came up with the bright idea to give it to one of the students in my homeroom class. There were two students that wanted to the turtle. There was the more scholarly boy who would have taken the best care of the turtle and there was the classroom hunk who might have done a good job, but I was uncertain. After very little deliberation, I decided to give the turtle to the classroom hunk, mainly because I thought I could get in good with him, which actually didn't happen.

I sold out my ethics for the possibility of popularity and affection. I didn't choose what I knew was probably the best choice for the turtle. I had self-serving motives. Well, in some stretch of this, it ties in with this part of the Bible passage:  if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

I have found that Christ uses my weaknesses to bring others to know Him as their Lord and Savior. He uses the times that I have had self-serving motives to show how even someone as sinful as me can turn my life over to Christ's very capable hands and He can heal me of my wounds, my fears, and my weight problems. He doesn't just do it for me, but Christ can do for you, as well. He has allowed the vast majority of 80 pounds to stay off for over 30 years. That is, primarily by turning my control, food, and eating over to Christ and listening to the life lessons He has for me through my past and my present, to become the Christian He wants for my future with Him!

Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie

Hiding Behind the Fat

James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

It isn't that being fat is a sin, it's what I did that was sinful. I let my overeating get in the way of being what Christ wanted of me. I didn't get as involved in my kid's activities at their schools and other organizations, because I was embarrassed about being heavy.

I didn't make friendships easily and was more aloof, because I figured people wouldn't like me, since I was heavy. They might not have had any problem with my weight, but I didn't allow them a chance. I didn't want to be rejected, so I rejected them first. 

I didn't want to go to church, because I didn't want others to see how overweight I had become. I was allowing my weight and my negative self-perception to keep me from being the Christian God wants me to be, the mother,  wife and friend that He wanted of me. I didn't realized how much I had missed out on, because I was too busy hiding behind the fat!

Fortunately for me, Christ didn't give up on me, although I had given up on myself. After lots of personal lessons like this one, He allowed an 80 pound weight loss, when I turned my food, body, eating and control over to His very capable hands. Christ can do the same for you, too!!!

 Since I am applying these Bible Verses to my life, it may not convey the whole meaning of the verses. Debbie


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