My Blog

You’ve been eating well. You’re staying on plan. But the scale won’t budge — and frustration is creeping in. Before you blame your willpower, consider this: What if it’s not your food… but your stress? When we live in constant go-mode, our cortisol levels rise — leading to cravings, fat storage (especially around the belly), poor sleep, and emotional eating. But God didn’t create us to live in survival mode. He created us for peace. ⏸️ Peace that restores. 📖 Peace that guard

“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

What if it’s not hunger but something else? Most people struggling with overeating don’t lack knowledge. They know what to eat. They’ve tried to follow through. They genuinely want to change. But something keeps pulling them back. Emotional triggers. Stress. Spiritual emptiness. And without the right kind of support, willpower alone isn’t enough. This is something I’ve seen over and over again—not just in others, but in my own journey. Basically, the point is… If we don’t add

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

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

For years, I carried shame about my weight everywhere I went. I bought clothes that hid it as best they could. Loose tops. Dark colors. Anything that would make me look smaller than I felt. But there was no hiding it. And there was definitely no hiding the shame. I constantly wondered, "What is wrong with me? Why can’t I control my eating?" I loved God. I believed in Him. But deep down, I didn’t think He loved me enough to help me with this. That shame followed me into every

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

Perseverance is key to overcoming food struggles. Psalm 42:5 says, “Put your hope in God.” This journey isn’t about being perfect—it’s about staying in the race, perseverance and trusting Him through every step. Every day is an opportunity to grow, even if you stumble. Instead of dwelling on mistakes, ask: What’s the next best choice I can make? 💬 What’s one small step you can take today toward healthier eating? Write it in your journal as a commitment to yourself. If you ne

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