Have You Tried Everything? A Biblical Way to Improve Your Body ImageSample

Diet Culture Lies

Years ago, God graciously showed me how I’d bought into the lie of something called diet culture. My values were influenced more heavily by its teaching than by the Bible. I confessed to being a Christian first, but in practice, I was more interested in following food and exercise rules as my real path to lasting freedom. I tried to straddle the fence—I believed God had saved me for eternity, but “bettering” myself was the rescue I needed for now.

Though there are no food rules in the New Testament, I believed avoiding the “bad food” equaled holiness, and spiritual discipline connected to starving your body into thinness. Defeating the flesh meant not giving in to food cravings, so spiritual warfare happened when I stared at anything sweet.

My faith came by believing that results would someday come. My works were tracked by closing rings on my Apple Watch. Freedom and peace would arrive when I reached my body goals. At night, I felt more condemnation and shame around breaking food rules than I felt conviction over my envy, pride, or idolatry. I confessed the off-plan foods I ate or workouts I skipped to friends more than I confessed my real sins to Jesus.

I’m pretty sure there are no crowns in heaven for reaching your goal weight. But it’s hard to live like this is true. Pursuing a better body felt like a more natural quest than pursuing Christlikeness. Plus, it came with instant recognition and rewards. “Have you lost weight? You look great!” No one’s ever stopped me in Target to tell me they see the fruit of the Spirit blooming in my life.

Similarly, diet culture’s pervasiveness gaslights us. Could it be that not all is as it seems when it comes to how we’ve been taught to think about food and our bodies?

Even a body that looks runway ready can’t promise you love, approval, or peace. All diets can offer is some sort of physical change. It may be weight loss, but it could be emotional or physical side effects that come with food restriction—like anxiety, long-term digestive issues, or a perpetually grumpy mood. Diets convince us that following the plan will free us from body frustration. But no plan can keep that promise.

God made our bodies. Perhaps we should stop taking cues from our culture on how to care for them.

This plan has been adapted fromThe 40-Day Body Image Workbook: Hope for Christian Women Who’ve Tried Everything by Heather Creekmore.Learn more at: www.improvebodyimage.com

To purchase or learn more about the book visit:https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/516384