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Have you ever told yourself: 👉 "I'll start over Monday." 👉 "I'll do better next month." 👉 "I've already messed up, so what's the point?" The good news is that God specializes in new beginnings. You don't have to wait for a new week, a new month, or a new year. You can start again today. Learn from yesterday, but don't live there. God's mercies are new every morning, and His grace is available right now. "Put off your old self... be made new... put on the new self, created

Sometimes overeating costs us more than our health. Years ago, our church was putting together a church directory and families were invited to have professional photos taken. We had ours done, and the photographer did a good job. But when I saw the pictures, all I could see was my weight. At the time, I was nearly 100 pounds overweight. I hated how my face looked in the photos. The photographer kindly offered to adjust the lighting, but there was no changing the fact that I w

When life hurts, food can start looking like a solution. Not because you're weak. Not because you don't know better. But because food is quick, familiar, and always available. The problem is that food can distract us from pain for a few minutes, but it can't heal it. God can. If you're going through a difficult season right now, don't carry it alone. Talk to God. Talk to someone you trust. Stay connected. Isolation and overeating often grow together. Healing usually begins wh

Step 6 isn't about becoming perfect. It's about becoming willing. Many of us can see the behaviors that keep us stuck—turning to food for comfort, holding onto resentment, making excuses, or trying to control everything ourselves. The challenge isn't always recognizing the problem. The challenge is becoming willing to let God change us. Sometimes we want freedom from the consequences, but we're not quite ready to surrender the habit itself. Step 6 invites us to open our hands

Be blessed and joyful this weekend. Remember: food is important for good health, but it's not the main event. Enjoy the people, family, conversations, laughter, worship, rest, and simple moments God gives you. Basically, the point is… there is so much more to enjoy in life than food. Have a wonderful weekend! ❤️ #christianweightloss #overeatingrecovery #foodfreedom #faithandhealth #12steps #reshapeandrecover

Food is not the main event.

Silhouette of soldier saluting the American flag and Bible verse John 15:13

Weekends can feel challenging when you’re trying to stay on track with your eating. The routines change, temptations show up, and it’s easy to think, “I’ll just start over Monday.” But freedom often starts with a simple plan. One thing that has helped me so much is planning ahead: ✅ 3 meals a day ✅ Nothing in between ✅ Keeping it simple instead of constantly negotiating with myself around food Structure may sound restrictive at first, but honestly, it can bring so much peace

Sometimes carb cravings can feel almost impossible to ignore — especially at night. You tell yourself you’re done eating… and suddenly all you can think about is something crunchy, sweet, or comforting. Many people assume this means they just don’t have enough willpower. But cravings can come from so many different things: fatigue stress loneliness emotional overwhelm or sometimes simply not eating enough during the day. One thing that has helped me personally is learning to

Sometimes our own negative thinking adds to our discouragement. We overlook our small successes and focus only on our mistakes. But God encourages us to think about things that are true, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy. Did you pause before eating? Pray instead of immediately turning to food? Eat one planned meal? Get back on track after a difficult moment instead of giving up? Those things matter. Small wins build momentum. Small wins build hope. Small wins remind us tha

Your doctor may have warned you about your weight. Maybe they mentioned blood sugar, heart health, inflammation, sleep apnea, joint pain, or other serious concerns. And if you’re struggling with overeating, those conversations can feel discouraging, embarrassing, or even overwhelming. But this is important: There is hope. You are not doomed to stay stuck. Many people battling food struggles already know what they should do. The hard part is dealing with the cravings, emotiona

Step Four can feel intimidating at first. Taking an honest look at our resentments, fears, hurts, and patterns isn’t easy. Most people would rather avoid it completely. But here’s the truth: what we refuse to face often continues to drive our behavior. Many people who struggle with overeating aren’t just fighting food. They’re carrying pain. Stress. Shame. Fear. Old wounds. Unforgiveness. Emotional exhaustion. And sometimes food becomes a way to cope with feelings we never re

God invites us to come to Him for comfort. Sometimes we try to numb difficult emotions with food because we don’t know what else to do with the pain, stress, loneliness, or exhaustion we’re carrying. But God never asked us to hide from Him. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay. And you don’t have to carry everything alone. In this short encouragement, I share a reminder from Matthew 11:28 about bringing our burdens to Jesus instead of turning to food for comfort. “Come to me

Most people don’t talk about their struggle with food. They joke about it. Hide it. Minimize it. Promise themselves they’ll “do better tomorrow.” And many people are trying to fight this battle completely alone. But isolation hasn’t worked. Especially when you already know what healthy eating is… and the real struggle is what happens in the hard moments: stress discouragement loneliness fatigue cravings emotional exhaustion That’s why recovery often requires more than informa

If you’ve ever felt like your eating is out of control… like no matter how hard you try, you keep going back to the same patterns… you’re not alone. Step 2 is where things begin to shift. It’s where we stop relying only on ourselves—and start believing that God can actually help us. From my book 12 Steps to Recovery from Overeating: “As Christians, we already have a faith in the God of the Bible, but do you believe that he can help us recover from the disorder of compulsive o

Video of Julie at Subway eating a protein pocket. For those who love to eat out! Eating out doesn’t have to throw everything off. It can be done fairly healthy if you’re careful. You don’t have to do it perfectly. If you can eat at home and eat whole, healthy foods, that is best of course. Sometimes though it’s just about making a better choice in the moment. Here’s what I did today at Subway. #christianweightloss #overeatingrecovery #emotionaleating #weightlossjourney #faith

“I messed up again… I’ll start over tomorrow.” If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. So many people feel stuck in the cycle of overeating → guilt → trying again → and falling right back into the same pattern. The problem usually isn’t that you don’t know what to eat. It’s the shame that keeps pulling you back. The thing to remember here is… It’s not about perfection. It’s about progress. And more importantly, it’s about learning how to respond differently when you strugg

Many people who struggle with overeating aren’t lacking effort. They’ve tried. They’ve started over more times than they can count. They genuinely want things to be different. But the same patterns keep showing up. That can be incredibly discouraging. What I’ve seen — both in my own journey and in the people we work with — is that real change often doesn’t come from trying harder. It comes from understanding what’s underneath the behavior and having the right kind of support

Going on vacation doesn’t have to mean everything falls apart with your eating. This is a picture Tony and I took on our way to a short trip in Cottonwood, Arizona, and we’re having such a good time already. (And yes… I borrowed his hat because the wind was not cooperating with my hair 😊) But here’s what’s different: We came with a plan. Not a restrictive plan. Not a stressful plan. Just a simple, intentional one. We brought some healthy food with us. We’re choosing wisely a

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