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I came up with so many reasons not to share God-centered content. And here I am anyways.  For the last 2 years I’ve had this urging to start posting about what the bible has told me about our relationship with food and body image, so this post is the first of more to (sporadically) come.

p.s. The blog will be down Sunday, May 6th, for a few hours as the blog gets a new look!! I’ve been craving an update and am excited for you to see it! 

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Bible reading: 2 Corinthians 5: 1-21

I was talking to my little sister the other day and she mentioned that when she sees God the first thing she might say to him is, “that was so hard.”  That referring to life on Earth. And maybe he’ll say something like, “but it’s okay, because you’re here now.” 

I know for some of you, whether thin or fat, it feels so awful to be in your body.  You’re reminded of how much you hate your body every time you put on an outfit that no longer fits right, you are shamed for your body size by your healthcare providers, you catch a glimpse of your reflection as your walk by a mirror, or you eat something the world we live in considers “bad.”

I know how it feels to hate being in your body.  And I have so much compassion for you if that is what you are struggling with.  But God doesn’t call us to achieve the worldly “ideal body.”  In fact, the pursuit and overvaluation of achieving a particular body size will keep us away from God.  This pursuit of a smaller or different body can be something that breaks the wholeness of your connection with Him.  I have no doubt that the reason you’ve been placed on this Earth is not to be relentlessly pursuing a smaller body size or a less processed diet. 

In my life, God patiently wait on me to stop having idols besides him.  For years my bodily habits relating to food and exercise continued to conflict with my professed values.  He waited on me still.  Knowing all along that I’m made for more than just having a body with as little fat on it as possible.  I remember talking to Him night after night asking Him to “help me not care about running and thinness.” 

I believe running is a sin FOR ME.  It is something that breaks the wholeness of my connection with God.  I know that I don’t bear the wrath for my sin.  Christ has borne the wrath so I don’t have to.  And even knowing running is bad for me, sometimes I still miss running.  I miss the high it gives you, but I don’t miss how it was all-consuming and obsessive.  I feel like running does weird things to my brain and having a relationship with running isn’t a relationship that is important for me to have.  And on top of that, my joints can’t handle the impact of running.  I believe the pain I have in my knees and back is a gentle reminder that keeps me constantly setting my eyes back on Jesus.  I’ve done months of physical therapy and gone to orthopedic docs and have decided that this pain is just gonna be with me until I learn what I’m supposed to learn…which is, to keep God first.

I want to be a person who takes care of her earthly tent (aka my body) well to honor God and bring him glory.  But, I think a lot of times in our culture, making sure we manage our body size comes at the expense of time spent with God.  Focusing my efforts on trying to be thinner than my body is meant to be in the current season of life distracts me away from God with the time that is required to be spent on rigid exercise routines, food rules and thoughts of feeling disgusting in my body.  Because of this, I know that having fat on my body allows me to honor and praise God more fully.   If excessive exercise and rigid food rules is required to maintain my body size, then that is not the body size I am meant to have.

To be able to figure out what God has planned for me on earth I have to find some level of comfort in my my body, my earthly tent.  I know for some of you your body doesn’t feel like home and I know how awful that can feel.  C.S. Lewis said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” 

When you are feeling like you can’t stand being in your body as it changes sizes, you may have to constantly set your eyes back on Jesus and the reminder that, “we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

While God is a God of grace and knows how miserable it can feel to be in your body…I don’t believe he calls us to spend our time complaining and feeling unhappy about our body size.  While God doesn’t view me any differently if I’m in a smaller body or a larger body, I’ve found I’m able to have a deeper relationship with him when I have made peace with my natural body size because my mind isn’t being preoccupied with pursuing staying a certain size.

Take care of your body – listen to hunger and fullness cues, don’t restrict yourself from food so your mind ends up occupied by thoughts of it, and find ways to joyfully move.  But keep the importance of your body size in it’s proper place.  I want to keep a heavenly perspective on the meaning, value and importance of my body.  I think it is good to remember that our bodies are a temporary tent and as long as we are on Earth there will always be something to groan and ache about as we are instilled with a deep desire and longing to be sheltered in our permanent home. 

When it comes to body size, there may be some surrendering that needs to happen.  Surrendering to the idea that there is some uncertainty to what size your body will end up when you listen to your internal cues of hunger and fullness.  For specific tips on how to improve your body image, read these.

107 comments

  1. You display so much courage by writing this post. Thank you for stepping out and showing transparency in what you’re processing and what you believe.

  2. I love you Kylie. I so need this post. xoxoxo

  3. I feel the same way about my relationship with running! I used to “love” it but i don’t think I can ever do it again without wondering if it’s making me skinnier or how much food I can eat Bc I ran x amount of miles. And it’s frustrating Bc I loved the community of runners. But it’s just not for me right now. It also messed up my knees and my reproductive system. But now by God’s grace we have 2 sweet little girls :) I have learned that the way God made me, my body just doesn’t handle the stress of running and that’s ok! Hooray for walking! Thank you for this post. It was super encouraging.

  4. Thanks for sharing this. I only follow you and Robyn because I know you are both are sisters in the Lord. The body positivity community can be a bit of a rough crowd (I trust you know what I mean), and I appreciate the sweetness in which you present the message of HAES and such. I look forward to more faith-centered content. Love and care, Tracy

    • I hear you, Tracy. Robyn and I have a different touch than some others do. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

    • I agree with everything you said, Tracy!  

      And thank you, Kylie, for following the Holy Spirit’s nudging to post this.  You and Robyn are the best!

      Julie

  5. This is great! Thank you so much for sharing this perspective on body image!

  6. Love this post! Thank you so much for sharing, Kylie. Here’s to being happy, healthy tents that can focus on the important stuff. :)

  7. This post is exactly what I needed to see today! After I had my second baby, I felt the urges to start “getting my body back” but realized it was taking away from my own true self-care that was crucial for me to be able to care for a newborn and a toddler. As I struggled with this, realizing that I could not go back to obsessive food/fitness tendencies, I felt God telling me that I needed to take care of the babies and he would take care of my body. It’s still a struggle, but it has moved me more towards body acceptance which has finally given me the ability to attend to other things besides constant thoughts about food. Now I have more time for me, my family, and most importantly God. I have a long way to go but now I know that unwavering faith can do HUGE things! Thank you for posting this today! 

  8. I love this so so much! “In fact, the pursuit and overvaluation of achieving a particular body size will keep us away from God.” Yes!! This has been my experience exactly.

  9. Thank you, Kylie! I am not particularly religious but really enjoyed this nonetheless. I admire your faith and the beautiful relationship you seem to have with God.

  10. Thank you for having the courage to post this! Definitely what I need to be reminded of daily. 

  11. This is sooooo good.

  12. I loved this perspective!  Thanks for posting

  13. I love love love the message and wisdom you give through your blog. God has truly given you an amazing gift!!

  14. Thank you SO much for sharing this. I have been reading your blog for a few weeks now and have been really encouraged by it. I am super excited that you will be bringing the Bible into more of your discussions, because I’ve found so many Christians are silent on these issues. As a Christian girl trying to let go of food rules, posts like these remind me of my value in Christ!

  15. THANK YOU for sharing about where your truest hope and joy is found! We need more followers of Jesus to share about eating disorders, mental health, and following Christ when in life’s messes. Thank you and may God use your words to penetrate the hearts of hurting, discouraged, or weary readers!

  16. So good! Thanks for this perspective!

  17. I love this post, Kylie. I’m so thankful for your perspective on HAES and your openness about your faith in Christ. God has used you so much in my recovery, and I know He has used you in the lives of many others, too. Keep it up! <3

  18. Wow. I am so glad that you decided to share this post. It was so relatable and eye opening. I know it must have taken a lot of courage to share and i appreciate your bravery. This is the little nudge i needed to keep going in my revovery today❤

  19. Much needed truth and encouragement! Thank you for so courageously sharing your faith and the strength it gives. I’m also fairly new to your blog and I was so pleasantly surprised to read this post. After having 5 babies, my body is *way* different than it used to be! I stayed quite slim after the births by restricting food and excessive “movement” – not really exercise, but more of a refusal to relax and be still. After my dad passed away last fall, I’ve had to really reevaluate what is most important to focus on during our short stays in this realm…and body size and shape is at the bottom of that list. Blessings and peace to you, dear sister. In His love, Sophia

  20. Thank you Kylie for sharing this! I love how you are embracing the connection between our relationship with God and our bodies/relationship with food. I, too, have felt the desire to share more of my faith in my online space because it’s so connected to my own story with recovering from disordered eating. Again, thanks for this great encouragement and wisdom!

  21. LOVE this and could not agree with you more! Thanks for being so vulnerable. Even diet culture has skewed what the church seems to be preaching “discipline and taking care of God’s temple aka be at a “healthy” weight …”
    I’ve been writing a bit for a women’s ministry on this topic. Livingintruthministries.com. Definitely is needed as it seems most who do bring faith to the equation are diet/weight focused.

    Again, so happy to read this article and love everything you’re about. ☺️ Also, love your reference of our bodies as a tent. Ok, done talking ??

  22. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS!!! I think it’s great that you stepped out in faith and shared what you felt God was leading you to share. I’m fully confident that so many people will be encouraged and uplifted by this post! Keep shining God’s light and helping so many women!!!

  23. Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing, Kylie!!

  24. Thank you for this post!!

  25. I’m so glad you wrote this! I’m a Christian who also happens to be an eating disorder therapist in Lakewood, CO. I think so many professionals shy away from their faith to appeal to the masses. Another dietitian I heard this morning…mentioned liking your post and phrased it as “I don’t like ‘Jesus-ey’ posts because they are a turnoff but this one was good”. Interesting take on it…but I would say that’s up to the reader, to either read it or not. If you had alluded to Jesus, and for those who do say Jesus is our Lord & Savior, we can be authentic with who we are as professionals, after all…aren’t we helping clients be their authentic selves? So why can’t we also? I get there is that fine line of pushing our beliefs on clients however, nothing in your posts suggests clients “having to be of faith” to resonate with the message of working on minimizing body shaming and increasing acceptance and care.

    I do believe you can still connect with those who do not identify as Christian through this blog and teach them about what the Word says with respect to the way we are to treat our bodies. Having all consuming thoughts on exercise and food take away from not only earthly relationships but also the relationship with our creator. We are taught about how to love and accept our bodies as they are, without judgement or punishment to these beautiful earthly vessels.

    Awesome job…not tiptoeing around your beliefs and putting them out there!

    P.S. IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL…loved it!

    • Hi Erica, I think you were referencing me in my Instagram story yesterday :) 
      Thanks for contributing to this conversation – I think you nailed it with “I get there is that fine line of pushing our beliefs on clients” and I although I didn’t articulate clearly in short 15 sec Insta stories with “Jesus-y”, you articulated well for me with that sentence. Which is why I really thought Kylie did a wonderful job at opening up this conversation for anyone reading – regardless or where they are with faith. I hope that you, myself and Kylie can continue the conversation in our work in an inviting, non condemning way that creates authentic and open conversation around this! <3

  26. I am so excited that you are going to share content around your faith in the Lord! Thank you for being obedient to His promptings and I can’t wait to read more! <3

  27. I’m so happy you shared this today and I look forward to what is to come! Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your faith. Such a blessing to me and many others I’m sure!
    P.S. I miss working with you.

  28. Thank you thank you thank you for stepping out in obedience to write this. I know it can be hard to be bold in writing something like this, especially when your blog is part of your brand and im sure that at times you’ve questioned whether to bring a faith based post to your readers. God has truly given you the most amazing, remarkable gift to speak truth into the lives of women in a way that is relatable and thought-provoking, and it is so inspiring that you are glorifying Him through your work and through this post. Thank you for being an inspiration to me in so many ways!

  29. Wow Kylie, God has given to the gift today to spread His word to so many of us who has needed it. Truly, He spoke through you. God does not look at my body and judge, He looks at my heart. Asking ourselves the motivation behind our actions is crucial. Like you mentioned, for you, running is sinful. For someone else, that can the method God has put into their life to take care of their body, even just for a season. I feel I learned so much as I trained for and ran my half marathon last year, but it doesn’t serve me right now in this season of my life to run more. Please continue these types of posts as you feel led, I saved this one to my favorites and look forward to reading more. Much love xo Hannah

  30. I couldn’t love this more! Thank you for taking the risk and being vulnerable to share your faith in this.

  31. I love this post so much! Thank you for writing it. Currently struggling with how my body has changed while in grad school for nutrition, but counting it as grace that i found you and others who promote healthy body image along the way. Thank you!

  32. I LOVE this! Thank you for posting! There is such a need for Christ-centered body positivity and nutrition-related conversations.
    As a Dietetics student and fellow Christian, this post was SO encouraging and such a great reminder to me. Thank you thank you!!

  33. Hi, Kylie! I’ve really enjoyed following you for the past year or so, and I didn’t even realize you were a fellow believer! :) What do you think about the idea of self-discipline and self-control when it comes to what you put in your body? I guess, in a way, if you’re eating intuitively, you’re exercising a form of self-control, right? Also, I’ve been reading “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn, and he talks about how we’ll actually have our physical bodies for eternity – but resurrected, perfected bodies on the new Earth. Not “perfect” bodies as the world defines them, but free of pain, disease, and disability. It gives a whole new perspective on taking care of our bodies now in this life! Maybe you’ll share more about this in upcoming posts, but I just wanted to share and see what you thought.

  34. Kylie – I love that you were brave enough to post this. I can relate so, SO much. In the midst of my eating disorder, I had no time, energy, or brain space to focus on any relationships. Friendships fell to the wayside. My family was put on the back burner. And my relationship with God was nonexistent. When I stopped focusing on food, my body, and the pursuit of perfection… I was able to cultivate a relationship with the Lord. And then it hit me that He must have been so sad to see me hating, starving, and tearing apart the Earthly “tent” that He blessed me with. Thank you for posting this. <3

  35. As a fellow Christian and RD, I respect you SO MUCH for being open and vulnerable and sharing your faith and what God is teaching you. Much love!! Keep it up. :)

  36. Oh, this hit me hard.  So hard.  In tears hard.  

    I struggled throughout my teenage years with anorexia.  I was in “recovery” (yet still somewhat body-preoccupied) for many years, got married, and now have two beautiful young daughters.  But I’ve admittedly fallen back into the trap and know that I am drowning.  I’ve found myself praying that same prayer night after night lately, “God, please help me not care so much about running and thinness and control.”  I so desperately want to ENJOY life and set a better example for my girls.

    Thank you.  Thank you for this.  Thank you for putting into words the things I needed to hear.  Thank you for helping me to know I’m not alone, and thank you for giving me hope.  

  37. Hi Kylie

    I love this post. I have never thought of exercise in that perspective but it definitely makes sense. I feel like I don’t have time to spend reading the bible or praying at times bc I am focused on exercising. I have four children and work full time so my time is very limited. I do feel at times that I should stop exercising but then I freak out that I won’t be able to “lose weight” or “get my body toned.” I know in the past, you have mentioned, stopping exercising for a period of time and go from there. When you put all of these thoughts in the perspective of the relationship with God, then it definitely helps. I am rambling now, but just want you to know that I really loved this post and I appreciate everything you post. So keep it coming!!!

  38. Thank you, Kylie, for your courage in sharing your faith with so many today. If Christ is at the center of our lives, how can we leave him out of our struggles? He has given us the tools we need to eat normally and live joyfully.
    We need each other to remind us of this and you have opened that door today!

  39. Thank you so much for these incredible words, Kylie!! It takes courage to bring The Lord into our work, but when we do it’s so powerful!
    Much love,
    Katie @dietitiansontherun

  40. Wow thank you for this! As someone who struggles with an ED and is a Christian I have been searching to figure out how to bring God and my faith into this struggle! Thank you for sharing what he has taught you- this really challenged and encouraged me!

  41. Love this post and encourage you to keep sharing what God lays on your heart to share!

  42. I love this! As someone building up my faith as well as my ability to eat and live intuitively, this is extremely helpful. Any thoughts on hosting some sort of virtual Bible study on this topic?! 

  43. I LOVE this! Thank you a million times for showing your faith! I have chills right now because I have been wanting to promote nutrition through faith based nutrition counseling and teaching intuitive and mindful eating more. I feel it is a call God has laid on my heart in the past month, and literally I am running into more and more blogs by dietitians promoting this and I want to be a part. I’ve started a small blog and here is recent post I made that I would love for you to check out. https://notsoperfectrd.wordpress.com/2018/04/28/why-you-should-eat-your-favorite-foods/

  44. Thank you so much for sharing this truth!

  45. I love this, Kylie. When I realized that me skipping out on social events, working out all the time, etc. was keeping me from loving people, it was really painful. I realized how much I was idolizing stupid things that don’t matter and how much I was ignoring the things that do. I love 1 Samuel 16:7, when God has sent Samuel to find the next great King of Israel and he’s like hey God, it’s got to be this dude, he is pretty awesome! And the verse says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For God sees not as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” A great reminder of what matters! I also love the verse from Ecclesiastes, “Go eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.” When I start to get anxious about a meal, I try to remember both of those.

  46. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing this. My soul has been aching to hear this for so long. I rarely hear Christians speak this way and I believe what you said is so true! Thank you, Kylie. This makes me feel not so alone in my opinion and I feel so encouraged by this. Amen, sista!

  47. Kylie,
    Thank you thank you thank you. The reminder was so needed and I couldn’t be more grateful for it!

  48. This was exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you!

  49. Loved this and I’m really really glad you posted this.

  50. Kylie,

    Thank you so much for this beautiful and vulnerable post. It is so inspiring and true. I think the faith based perspective is something missing in the dialogue today. This post and perspective is so needed and appreciated, thank you for your courage. Full healing involves the spirit and this could very well be the missing link many people are looking for in their journey to healing, health and freedom. ❤️

  51. I have felt all these things in my past, having suffered an eating disorder and exercise addiction. I’ve always known it was sinful and ugly, but your worlds really brought it all into clarity. Beautifully written.

  52. Thanks for bring vukberable & sharing what the Lord laid on your heart. I don’t know if you listen to the Risen Motherhood podcast but they did an episode on body image/food last year that was also really helpful to me as a former disordered eater & Christ follower. They are some wise mamas!

  53. It feels so good and freeing to hear somebody say “running is bad for me” because I almost feel guilty when I talk about running like this. I feel alone and isolated and like it is my fault or I’m not working at it hard enough. I know myself well enough to know that I abuse running and running abuses me and that’s a relationship I have to cut off in my life but realize many people have a healthy relationship with. This whole blog post speaks right to what I needed to hear today and yesterday and tomorrow. Thanks for your fearless honesty. You have made me realize that I am enough and I am meant to be this way and I have to surrender my controlling thoughts of the way I picture everything to be. Am I perfect at this everyday? Nope. And that’s something I must surrender to as well. 

  54. I can relate so much to this! My food and exercise obsession was very much an idol until the Lord started to show me how it was running my thoughts and actions. I lost focus on what is really important! Thank you for sharing your perspective! ?

  55. Kylie, I commend you for letting the God guide you and posting this inspiring message. God turns our worldly impossibles actions into Godly can do’s. I will take your lesson to heart. Thank you

  56. You have touched my heart with your courage and openness to share your story.
    Ecclesiastes 11:1 came to mind to “cast your bread upon the waters for you will find it after many days”. Kind of a literal translation, but putting out yourself out there for others to see, not knowing what will happen is scary, but you will be amazed at what God will do with this.
    God Bless

  57. WOW…this was everything ! So amazing

  58. Thank you so much for this beautiful post. I am so happy that you have started incorporating God into your writings, as I am at a place in my recovery where I am really using my faith to mend my relationship with food and exercise. This post was exactly what I needed to hear right now and I cannot wait to read more posts about your faith!

  59. I follow numerous people in the body positivite community on insta and have wished to find one who is a believer. While in the depths of my eating disorder I struggled a lot with the internal war of knowing what I was doing wasn’t pleasing to God, but being so tied to it at the same time. Thank you for writing this and thank you for being a light in a community that is so good but needs Jesus too.

  60. Kylie, this post was SO well written. Thanks you for sharing these truths so beautifully!!! I also loved how you mentioned that running is a sin for you in particular because it breaks your connection with Jesus. I think I’m still in the process of figuring out what those things are for me so I can get rid of them for good! <3

  61. I love this post. Thanks for being bold and sharing. God has given us this amazing but definitely not perfect body to take care of and I love this reminder to fix our eyes on Him and what really matters in life instead of consuming ourselves with our body. Our body is a gift and should be taken of but not obsessed over to the point of losing our focus on God. Just resonating with what you said.

  62. This is your best post to date. Awesome. Keep the God connection in your writing. Love it. 

  63. Thank YOU for following the Lord’s tugging at your heart to share this. It is what I and so many other women needed to hear. It’s so easy to get caught up in the here and now forgetting the big picture of eternity with the Lord. This especially hit home as a new mama to a 6 week old girl. The Lord has more in store for me than fitting back in my jeans (which isn’t going to happen because hello new bigger hips!)

  64. I love this, Kylie. My heart rejoices that you decided to post more God-centric posts! I can’t wait for them. :) I’d also love to share a couple of my favorite bible verses about taking care of your body/body image… “No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church” (Ephesians 5:29), and “A pot being made from clay does not talk to the man making it and say, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” (Romans 9:20). God cares sooooo much for his daughters, and he made us each in the most enchanting, beautiful image He could come up with: His own. He made our bodies with utmost care so that they could hold our souls and do His work until He comes to take us home. ☺️ These verses just really inspire me to love myself and love the God who made me, and I thought maybe you’d like them, too. Thank you again, Kylie…blessings! <3

  65. Kylie-YES! Thank you for writing and posting this! I was pondering something along these lines this weekend. It is so tempting for me to want to carve my body into something it’s not meant to be, which is really not even possible if I’m being honest, and yet there’s that weird drive to do it anyway. When I take a step back and really think about why I’m here and what God made me for, I realize the time and effort and sacrifice I could spend on lifting/HITT/running/dieting/tracking macros/etc is not worth it FOR ME.
    What is worth it is relationships, experiences, growth, learning, love, life!
    FOR ME, exercise needs to be a means to an end (to be healthy and functional enough to do God’s work and live a full life) rather than the end in and of itself.
    Thank you again!

  66. Kylie, I saw Robyn recommend your post on this, and I was so thankful for how gentle and humble this post is; you make Christianity, and being a Jesus follower soo attractive; I fear that I don’t do that well enough, and the way you described taking care of this earthly tent we have is just so wise.  Thank you!

  67. Kylie,
    Just thank you. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. This might be my favorite blog post I’ve ever read. Ever. It is all the thoughts that have been swirling around in my head throughout my whole eating disorder recovery I just haven’t been able to articulate it. I truly don’t think I could have ever recovered without understanding God’s grace, mercy, and unconditional trust for me- and I want to glorify Him in every way and that includes how I move and nourish my body. I’ve known that some forms of movement and dieting are both deeply intriguing and dissatisfying to my soul at the same time. It always seemed extreme to say some forms of exercise and “food rules” were sinful, but for me they truly are. This was so confirming and motivating to know I’m not alone in this battle to glorify God even in my ED recovery. Isn’t it cool how the Lord can use the ugliest parts of our sinful nature to bring Him the most glory? i loooooovvvveeee itttt (& these types of post, so feel free to continue:)))

  68. So good Kylie! Thank you for sharing this :)

  69. Just seeing how many comments are on this post shows how much people are truly craving to hear this truth. You have such a beautiful gift to write in an honest, concise way. I love how you are not afraid to share your heart and soul. I can’t wait to see what else you have to share on this!

  70. This is so amazing! Thank you for writing this and please write more faith based posts!!! :)

  71. Praise the Lord for being the all-loving and gracious God that He is, and for sending you to be an angel to us all! Thank you so much for writing this post…I loved it and will continue to use it as encouragement! We need to take care of ourselves in order to serve God more purposefully and whole-heartedly!

  72. Hi Kylie – Thank you for sharing. (From across the other side of the world in Australia). So much of what you share resonates with me – It’s so healing to hear about / connect with someone who, like me, has experienced a rigid/compulsive relationship to exercise and how your spiritual values are helping to guide/maintain your recovery. Keep em coming!

  73. I detect internet troll.

  74. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. It has been so hard for me to figure out recovery as a Christian—a person who believes that God and sin are real—when professional/medical resources are so overwhelmingly careful not to consider them. A couple of times I even started to comment on one of your posts asking how your faith informed your perspective (since you mention going to burg often), but I always deleted it since I didn’t want to ask you to make yourself a target (“sin” is not exactly a popular word—“find the truth inside yourself” is a lot more acceptable lol). So thank you for being brave. I am so grateful for the clarity and encouragement your blog has given me.

  75. This is awesome Kylie! I think you will reach more people for sure in writing blog posts like this. This is true I believe as well! Our body is certainly a temple from God, but not meant to be abused with dieting and exercise! i love how you referred to exercise as an idol, so our bodies can be too! For so long, I idolized the perfect body as opposed to our perfect God! Not sure if you and your family have a consistent church you love, but I have one in Texas that is awesome and full of Biblical convictions and love! It is non denominational christian. Let me know if you would want more info on that church! Thanks again for writing this post, Ill be sharing it over instagram soon so more ladies can read it!

  76. Thank you so much for sharing. You are doing great work! I appreciate it more than you know.

  77. I love that there are so many awesome comments!!  As a Christian it can feel at times that it’s so easy to offend people with faith & I LOVE the outpouring of support for a post about faith!!!

  78. LOVE this and LOVE that you stepped out in faith to write it. You have a platform and God will continue to work through you to bring health and healing.

  79. Kylie, thank you so so much for being bold and posting this.  It is incredibly encouraging as well as challenging (in a good way) for me as I’m walking through my own recovery journey.  I saved this post because I know I’m going to need to re-read it often. 
    Your blog has encouraged me so much…you have no idea. Thank you a million times for all you do.

  80. Hi Kylie
    Thank you for being so brave in sharing this post. While I am not a woman of faith, I still love the message central to this post: if I am focused on changing my body size I am ignoring those things I was actually put here on this earth to do. For me, if I am focusing too much on losing weight/exercising/eating “right” I know that I am ignoring my relationship with my husband and family, or my writing. Thank you for sharing, and I look forward to your future posts from this perspective, and all your other posts too because I just love your work!

  81. Thank you for writing this! Please please please write more on this topic in the future. I love your perspective and you have such valuable things to say!

  82. Oh, I couldn’t love this more! Keep ’em coming :)

  83. This is amazing! Thank you so much for this perspective. By the way, I love the new blog design!

  84. This, YES! While I’ve grown in the area of body issues, the temptation to become fixated on myself and my feelings about my body stills shows up constantly. But praise the Lord for his grace to grow in this area!

  85. I needed this today. Very well written

  86. This is one of the most amazing things I’ve read in a very long time. Please keep it coming.

  87. I grew up super Catholic, but do not identify as religious, which makes it tricky for me to talk to clients who are. I thought this was beautifully written and I will be sure to share it with clients with whom this may resonate. 

  88. SO GOOD KYLIE. Also love the website update! Super cute! :)

  89. Thank you so much for sharing this! I can relate a lot on the running aspect. I’ve always want to be seen as “runner” because I always held other runners in such high esteem – their endurance, athleticism, and lean bodies. BUT I do experience knee and ankle pain. I’ll stop mid-run and feel bad about myself for not being able to keep up. It takes both a physical/emotional toll on myself.

    I am working on learning more “intuitive exercise” where I can move my body how it wants to be moved that day (yoga, a walk etc. & stopping when I push myself too hard). During walks I often pray and bask in the beauty that God gave us – that is honoring our bodies!

    1 Corinthians 6:20

  90. I loved this post, Kylie!

    I’m currently caught in the tension of my doctor telling me I need to lose weight and God calling me into more wholeness in the way I think about food and my body and health. If I focus on weight loss, I know that takes away from my relationship with God, and I know that he is far more interested in my being healthy in my mind and spirit as well as my body, than he is with me being a certain number on a scale. Love that there are people out there putting words to the connection between IE and God. I’d been looking for a way to eat that was sustainable for life and when I came across IE it made so much sense in my view and so perfectly fits with the way God designed our bodies. Looking forward to more of these posts! :)

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  92. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! While I no longer struggle with an eating disorder, I definitely still struggle with this idea of “body size management.” And sometimes I need reminders like these to let my body be its natural self so that I can dedicate more time to knowing Christ. Thank you for the having the courage to speak the truth and to be open about God on your website!

  93. Dear Kylie, that you for the courage. I am full of faith and it has helped me. But even if I was not full of faith I would want to look at “what do I believe to be the purpose of my life” and I would arrive at kindness and love. You write “I’ve found I’m able to have a deeper relationship with him when I have made peace with my natural body size because my mind isn’t being preoccupied with pursuing staying a certain size.” And I think that is it. When you are close to god then spending x hours running and x hours obsessing about food feels quite foolish, because you could spend them being kind, sending a postcard to a friend, volunteering, playing with your kids. AND of course there is time for self care but out of the purpose to keep your “shell” healthy and strong, not because society tells us that thats what we are supposed to be. Since I recovered from my ED I like my strong and healthy body and I like my colorful mind. I like that ending obsession with myself has made space for empathy and kindness. I feel closer to god. Thank you for your post!

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