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Many people understand why they overeat. They can identify their triggers. They know which emotions tend to lead to unhealthy choices. They may even have a plan in place. And yet… when life gets stressful or busy, those insights don’t always translate into action. Because behavior change doesn’t happen in isolation. When food becomes both a coping tool and a consequence, it can be difficult to interrupt those patterns alone — especially in discouraging seasons. Sometimes what

You can know why you overeat. You can understand your emotional triggers. You can even have a plan… …and still struggle to follow through when life gets busy. Progress often isn’t lost because you stopped caring — it’s lost because you got overwhelmed. Appointments get missed. Meals become reactive instead of intentional. The structure that was helping starts to slip away. And sometimes the issue isn’t knowledge — it’s that you don’t feel like you can say “no” to the demands

Step Four helps us begin to understand why we turn to food in the first place.   Not because we’re weak — but because something deeper has been driving the behavior.   As I wrote in my book:   “The point is to understand why we’ve done some of the things we’ve done and learn it is no longer necessary to eat to deal with our emotions.” — 12 Steps to Recovery From Overeating   Many of us have been emotional eaters for years.   But when we take an honest look at our resentments

“Let us not give up meeting together… but encourage one another.”— Hebrews 10:25 Before I found recovery, I thought my struggle with food was something I had to handle on my own. Then I found Overeaters Anonymous — and once I did, I rarely skipped a meeting. Being with others who understood made a real difference. But over time, I realized I also needed a place where I could talk openly about my faith in Jesus — not just my eating struggles. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us not to gi

Have you ever eaten… and then gone back for more even though you weren’t physically hungry? Not because your body needed food — but because you were tired or stressed or discouraged or lonely? This is where so many of us get confused. We think the problem is that we need more willpower. But what if that’s not actually true? What if you’re not physically hungry? What if it’s something else? Sometimes what we’re feeling is emotional hunger. Sometimes it’s spiritual hunger. Some

I’m excited to share the new look for my Daily Food and Step Journal — a Christ-centered recovery tool designed to support those working toward freedom from overeating. This journal goes beyond reflection alone. It includes: ✔️ Daily food planning and tracking  ✔️ Step prayers  ✔️ Morning and evening review  ✔️ Gratitude and inventory writing  ✔️ A place for prayer and meditation Recognizing that overeating is often a physical, emotional, and spiritual struggle, this journal

Step 11 is one of the most important steps for long-term recovery from overeating. Because the longer we stay focused on ourselves — our failures, our cravings, our weight, our willpower — the more discouraged we tend to become. And discouragement often leads us right back to the food. That’s why Step 11 is about intentionally shifting our focus back to Jesus each day through prayer and time in His Word. As I share in the Step Eleven chapter of my book, 12 Steps to Recovery f

Why Stress Makes You Crave Food (Cortisol Explained) What if you’re not actually hungry? What if it’s something else? Many times, what feels like hunger is actually stress. When we’re overwhelmed or afraid, our bodies release cortisol — a fight-or-flight hormone that can increase cravings and even signal the body to store fat. That means stress eating isn’t just about willpower… there’s a physical and emotional response happening. In this video, we talk about how stress affec

Ever notice how discouraging it feels when the scale doesn’t budge? You’re trying. You’re praying. You’re making better choices. …And the number just sits there. But here’s something I’ve seen over and over again — in my own journey and with the people I walk alongside: Sometimes the scale is the last thing to change. Before the pounds move, other things start shifting: ✨ You stop eating past comfortable fullness ✨ You recover faster after a slip ✨ You pause and pray before t

So many people who struggle with overeating secretly believe this is just a willpower problem.  If we were stronger, more disciplined, more spiritual… we’d have it figured out by now. Step 2 gently challenges that lie. Step 2 reminds us that recovery isn’t about trying harder — it’s about trusting deeper. It’s about believing that God cares about this struggle and is able to help us with it. One line from this chapter says it so clearly: “We do not need to feel ashamed anymor

I decided to stop eating — and that used to feel impossible. There was a time in my life when stopping mid-meal didn’t even feel like an option. Once I started eating, I felt driven to finish — even when I knew I would feel physically miserable afterward. Not because I was hungry. But because the food was there. Because I paid for it. Because I didn’t want to waste it. In this video, I share a small but powerful moment: I stopped eating before I felt sick. That may sound simp

Ever notice how food can feel louder than your faith some days? The cravings feel urgent. The stress feels heavy. It’s not that we don’t want to turn to God…it’s just that we forget. I’ve been there too. It never occurred to me to pray about it. I prayed for others, or for things I thought were more important. But God cares about our health and well-being too. It’s okay to pray for help to turn away from unhealthy food. The good news? You can learn a new way. Every time you p

For a long time, one of our members felt completely fixated on food. Thinking about it. Fighting cravings. Feeling frustrated after overeating… again. But when she joined Reshape and Recover, she told me something that stopped me in my tracks: “I don’t just want to stop obsessing about food. I want to grow my relationship with God. If I lose 20–30 pounds too, that would be great.” That’s the shift. 💛 Because real freedom isn’t just about eating less. It’s about needing food

I used to think I just needed more willpower. A better plan. A fresh start on Monday. A little more “self-control.” But Step 1 changed everything. Step 1 says we admit we’re powerless over certain foods and behaviors around food — and that our lives have become unmanageable because of it. That’s not weakness. That’s honesty. And honesty is where healing begins. For years, I told myself I could handle it. I’d try to eat “in moderation,” only to end up right back in the same cy

For so many years, I struggled alone with my overeating. I thought it was up to me to eat in moderation. Maybe you’ve felt that too — the loneliness, the shame, the feeling that if people really knew you, they might pull away. But Step Five changes that. Step Five invites us to stop hiding and let God — and one trusted person — into the places we’d rather keep covered. It’s the moment we admit “the exact nature of our wrongs” to God, to ourselves, and to another human being.

Romans 12:1–2 “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” I love this passage so much. It reminds me that taking care of my body isn’t just about me— not about vanity, not about perfection, and not even only about health. It is an act of spiritu

Perhaps you are like I was… I believed in God. I trusted Him with the “big” things — my family, my health, my salvation, my future. But my struggle with overeating? I never prayed about that. It felt too small… too personal… too embarrassing… just not important enough to bother God with. I felt like He had bigger, more urgent prayers to answer. But here’s what I learned: God is so much bigger and loves us so much more than we could ever imagine! ♦ Scripture tells us that He r

When life feels overwhelming, food can feel like the easiest comfort. But God offers us something far better — His Word and His promises. In our latest Reshape and Recover podcast episode, Tony and I share Bible verses that speak directly to real struggles — fear, anxiety, depression, shame, anger, loneliness, and more. Each verse reminds us that God sees us, loves us, and is present in every situation we face. Through Scripture and our own recovery stories, we show how turni

The 12 Steps - Our walk with God "Lay your shame and guilt at the feet of Jesus, who came to live a perfect life and die an innocent...

Step 3 is all about full surrender: Turning our will and our lives over to our good and gracious God every day in all aspects of our...