Taste for Truth - Weight Loss Encouragement Barb Raveling

It's so easy in our culture today to get caught up in trying to find our self-worth in material things, money, our jobs, or the way we look. The idea of being skinny can be something that we begin to obsess over because we somehow think our identity is wrapped up in our appearance. This isn't what God wants for us and, consequently, also makes us very unhappy.  On today's episode of the Taste for Truth Podcast, we'll debunk 10 lies that perpetuate this skinny idol.
I also wanted to mention that I will be leading an online Bible study through my new Philippians Bible study in the month of May. If you're interested in finding out more and signing up, get the info here. I do think it is so helpful to go through regular Bible studies - even when you're trying to lose weight or be healthier - because we are getting more of the truth of God's word in our system (which helps us combat all the lies we believe that fuel our eating problems).  This particular book deals with many different topics in the book of Philippians, one of them being finding our identity in God. I hope you'll find it helpful!
What We Discussed on the Podcast How our "Good Christian" list can adversely affect our self-worth Different things we turn to to find our identity in rather than God "I need to be skinny to be accepted." "When I'm skinny, I'll be happier." "People think I'm a loser because I'm overweight." A passage in Philippians that reminds us what we cannot have confidence in Some tips for truth journaling Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Philippians - Closer to God Bible Study Taste for Truth Freedom from Emotional Eating Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating Listen to the Podcast YouTube: Click here to subscribe or listen on YouTube.  Apple Podcasts: Click here to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.)  Android: Click here to subscribe or listen on Android.  Spotify: Click here to subscribe or listen on Spotify.  Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” 

If you feel like you will never get over your food struggles, today's episode of the Taste for Truth podcast will be a great encouragement (links below). I'm doing something different on this episode: I'm interviewing three people at one time! It's a mom and her two adult daughters, and we talk through many of the struggles they have had with food over the years, and how they are all finding their way to freedom in this area of their lives.
What We Discussed on the Podcast Free-for-all holiday eating Perfectionism eating Strategies for avoiding a binge and a 3-month hiatus from boundaries These lies and their corresponding truths: "It's a holiday, I can eat as much as I want." "If there are sweets in the house, you should eat them." "I'm bored, food would be a great way to deal with it." The key part that submission to God plays in breaking free from an eating stronghold Different renewing of the mind strategies Food as a coping mechanism Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Taste for Truth Freedom from Emotional Eating Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating Life Unbinged Program with Kristy McCammon I Deserve a Donut - Weight Loss App Pre-Order my newest Bible study on Philippians! Listen to the Podcast YouTube: Click here to subscribe or listen on YouTube.  Apple Podcasts: Click here to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.)  Android: Click here to subscribe or listen on Android.  Spotify: Click here to subscribe or listen on Spotify.  Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” 

A few weeks ago, I had an interesting conversation with a reader. She talked about how hard it was to get her kids to eat healthy things. Many parents these days can relate to the challenges of picky eaters, meal-time meltdowns, and general food struggles. On today's episode of the Taste for Truth Podcast (links below), I answer some reader questions revolving around helping our kids to avoid negative eating habits.
What We Discussed on the Podcast How my husband and I raised our four children to eat My take on whether or not kids should eat the same meal as the parents How I inadvertently taught my kids some emotional eating tendencies Practical ways to help our kids to not be entitled regarding food or otherwise The two unhealthy routes we can take with regard to obsessive eating My thoughts on how to train our children regarding food that has the best chance for a healthy result Resources Mentioned on the Podcast I Deserve a Donut - Weight Loss App The Renewing of the Mind Project The Homeschool Sanity Show Podcast Listen to the Podcast YouTube: Click here to subscribe or listen on YouTube.  Apple Podcasts: Click here to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.)  Android: Click here to subscribe or listen on Android.  Spotify: Click here to subscribe or listen on Spotify.  Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.”

Many of us turn to food when we are bored, or when we want to avoid a project we know we should be doing! Unfortunately, this can easily become an unhealthy pattern that leads to weight-gain and out-of-control eating. If you're all too familiar with this struggle and want to stop the cycle of boredom eating, my episode today on the Taste for Truth Podcast should be helpful (links below)!
Share an Update! I also wanted to mention that I'm excited to try something a little different for a few episodes of the Taste for Truth Podcast. I would love to have updates and "victory moments" from people that I've interviewed over the years! If you would be willing, go to this website and record a brief message letting us know how you're doing! This is not an interview at all, it would just be you recording whatever you'd like to say in a short message - I think the limit is 4 minutes. Anyway, I think it'd be so fun and encouraging to hear how everyone is doing! Give it a try!
What We Discussed on the Podcast How often our childhood shapes our interactions with food Non-diet boundaries Why sometimes we should first begin renewing our minds NOT about food or eating The emotional toll of procrastination How to renew your minds about specific situations What it means to hold losing weight with an "open hand" Resources Mentioned on the Podcast To record an update or victory moment from your weight loss journey, go to speakpipe.com/BarbRaveling. Freedom from Procrastination Rally: A Personal Growth Bible Study Taste for Truth Freedom from Emotional Eating I Deserve a Donut - Weight Loss App Overcoming Nighttime Eating with Kimberly Taylor How to Stop Boredom Eating (10 Strategies) Renewing of the Mind Tools - This page on my website has many tips for renewing, but also a section dedicated just to how to truth journal. Listen to the Podcast Google: Click here to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts.  Apple Podcasts: Click here to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.)  Android: Click here to subscribe or listen on Android.  Spotify: Click here to subscribe or listen on Spotify.  Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.” 

I would love to know how many pounds I've gained and lost in my life. In the old days it was all about "Go on a diet, lose weight, live it up, then gain the weight back." Over and over and over again. Every once in awhile I could muster up the self control to lose the weight, but I always gained it back. I had little self control, I loved food, and I was an emotional eater. And because of that I gained the weight back every single time.
I actually knew how to lose the weight, but I didn't know how to keep it off. So today I'd like to look at why we gain our weight back and how to stop the old merry-go-round. Let's begin by looking at why we gain it back.
7 Reasons We Gain Our Weight Back We let go of boundaries once we lose our weight. Think of it. Have you ever lost weight without setting some sort of boundaries? Maybe you did intuitive eating and ate only when you were hungry and stopped when you were full. Or you joined Weight Watchers or you did intermittent fasting. But in some way you set limits for yourself. Unfortunately, once we lose the weight, all limits go out the window and that's the biggest thing that makes us gain the weight back. There are two ways we do this: 1) We do it consciously. We think, "Yay!! I get to live it up again!!" Then immediately go to living it up and gain our weight back. 2) We do it without realizing we're doing it. So for example, I may have lost my weight by counting carbs faithfully with a set limit each day of how much I could have. When I lose the weight, I still try to watch how many carbs I eat, but I don't have a set limit. Or I lose weight with Weight Watchers. I still focus on free foods and eat as many as I want--but I no longer count points. So what we have are some practices, but we don't have actual boundaries. We switch to different boundaries and don't go through the necessary work to learn how to follow our boundaries. In the first reason, we let go of boundaries altogether, but with this reason, we actually do have boundaries--we just haven't learned how to follow them. Here's an example. Let's say you lost your weight with a diet, but then you decide to switch to 3 meals and one snack a day for your boundaries. Since those boundaries are looser than what you're used to, there is a learning curve to figuring out how to maintain your weight within those boundaries. If we don't make the effort to learn how to make those boundaries work, we'll gain our weight back. We have a new trial in our lives that makes us feel like eating. Often we'll be going along smoothly and then something happens that makes us want to eat. Some trial that triggers all our emotional eating tendencies. Maybe there's a pandemic. Or the world is looking a little scary. Or someone you love is having a crisis. Or you're having a crisis. When those new trials crop up, it makes us want to eat. And we may gain our weight back at that time. We stick to our boundaries most of the year but go off during holidays and vacations. This is a good one to think about now because we're smack dab in the middle of the holidays--halfway between Thanksgiving in the United States and Christmas. When we go on vacation or it's a holiday, it's easy to justify a few extra treats. We think, Oh I'll just eat this now and get back on track when I get back to normal life. When we do that, we usually only gain a few pounds a year, but after ten years, those few pounds a year have become 30-40 pounds and we're back in a situation where we need to do the whole thing over again. We reintroduce sugar and/or flour when that was part of the reason we lost the weight to begin with. I've talked to many people who lost their weight without renewing their minds. They were able to do it because they took away their biggest source of temptation: flour and sugar. Unfortunately, I've also talked to a lot of people who then reintroduced sugar and flour at some point and either gained all their weight back or at least a good share of it. We

Do you feel discouraged by your weight-loss journey? Are you starting to believe that you will never overcome your struggles with food? If so, you will be greatly encouraged by my enthusiastic guest, Shelly, on today's episode of the Taste for Truth Podcast (links below). Shelly shares with us many practical tips - and lots of joy - on how she finally broke free from the control of food.
What We Discussed on the Podcast How turning to food during a very difficult trial in Shelly's life caused her to gain a significant amount of weight How the turning point in her struggle came when she realized what was at the root of the issue Tips on finding pockets of time to make mind-renewal a priority Why the enemy is opposed to us breaking free from our food struggles The difference between knowing truth intellectually-only vs. at the "gut level" Lots of encouragement and practical tips to persevere! Resources Discussed on the Podcast Say Goodbye to Emotional Eating Freedom from Emotional Eating Taste for Truth I Deserve a Donut App Made to Crave by Lisa Terkeurst Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel Sweet Journey to Transformation by Teresa Shields-Parker Listen to the Podcast Google: Click here to subscribe or listen on Google Podcasts.  Apple Podcasts: Click here to subscribe or listen on Apple Podcasts. (If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast on Apple, this can sometimes take a few hours to update.)  Android: Click here to subscribe or listen on Android.  Spotify: Click here to subscribe or listen on Spotify.  Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Taste for Truth Podcast.”