I’ve been on this program now for ONE YEAR and I’m so grateful to God for this amazing tool that He’s put in my hand, not just for me, but for so many other people who are struggling with compulsive overeating, binge eating disorder, and food addiction.
Many ladies I’ve counseled through the years have made great strides in building a deeper relationship with God, dealing with some emotional issues, and putting spiritual habits in place, and yet, they still battled the physical ramifications: OBESITY, ILLNESS, AND LACK OF ENERGY.
It made me so sad to see women who have worked so hard towards spiritual and emotional well being, fall back into despair because they could not find a program that helped them get rid of the addiction in their bodies or get rid of the excess weight.
Take Shape for Life has been used by God as a tool to help me personally GET RID OF THE ADDICTION IN MY BODY, LOSE MY EXCESS WEIGHT, KEEP IT OFF, and STAY OUT OF THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF FOOD ADDICTION.
Even during those times this past year when I would eat some of my old binge food (Christmas, Easter etc) I could go through 4 days of detox (the beginning phase of this program) with the help of my coach again, and rid my body of the addiction. What an amazing feeling to not get pulled down into the food addiction spiral, but to rather pull up out of that nosedive before the enemy could get a foothold.
When we slip up the enemy brings shame and guilt which causes us to spiral down into full fledged food addiction again. However, if we get up and repent from the sin of idolatry, gluttony, and pride before God we are washed clean by the blood of Christ immediately.
Unfortunately, even after we’ve repented, many of us do not have a plan and support in place. So even though we came clean before God, we still battle the addiction in our bodies, and we don’t have the knowledge or accountability to help us get up quickly from the addiction as well.
This program has been such a great tool for me to use, and recommend to ladies, in addition to my 12 Week Program, because I can now actually go beyond the online platform and also reach ladies one on one. I have been looking for a way to do this for years! As a Certified Health Coach for this program I have received all the necessary training to help and support ladies with physical issues as I talk with them on the phone on a weekly basis. It has especially been such a blessing to pray with ladies as they reach for that FIRST SOBER DAY.
The weight loss is another HUGE part of the victory for many ladies who have walked this journey with me. Simply because they, like me, have not been able to lose fast and safe on any other program for years! It is so motivational to ACTUALLY LOSE, and THE MOST IMPORTANT PART – TO KEEP IT OFF!! I have seen so many close friends go through transition and maintenance and keep it off for years that I am not skeptical at all any more (I was at first, you can go read the journal I kept when I just started this journey a year ago. I asked all the hard questions and was especially very skeptical about meal replacements: My Journey on Take Shape for Life)
I’m so excited to be able to coach many more ladies, anywhere in the US, seeing that I’m wrapping up my DVD and Workbook that will be available for small groups this Summer.
Take a look at this before and after picture of me. My husband and I have each lost 60 pounds, and we seriously had a total different year. Not just because we looked and felt better, but more so because we now have energy and confidence to pursue our dreams, and we enjoy each other and our children so much more without the extra weight holding us back.
We shook the weight off really fast (4-5 months) and kept it off for 7 months now!!
PLEASE CALL ME TODAY IF YOU’RE READY TO GET RID OF FOOD ADDICTION.
I would love to talk with you and evaluate your specific struggle with food to see if this is a good fit for you: 503-701-5914. You can also email me, and I will give you a call anywhere in the US: heleen@surrenderedhearts.com
NOTE: Are you wondering how it happened that I’ve gained this much weight after being set free from food struggles? Please read this blog post that I wrote a few months ago: 10 Years Free From Bulimia
Posted 2 weeks, 1 day ago at 9:26 am. Add a comment
How’s your New Years resolutions coming along? Have you already failed at it? Maybe you didn’t even bother making any because it’s the same story of disappointment year after year…
I’m reading Andrew Murray’s little book “Absolute Surrender” again this January. An age old message jumped out at me and hit me square between the eyes again: I CAN NOT DO IT! and the simple truth: GOD CAN DO IT!
Read it for yourself: “And yet we are some of us wanting God to give us a little help while we do our best, instead of coming to understand what God wants, and to say: “I can do nothing. God must and will do all.” Have you said: “In worship, in work, in sanctification, in obedience to God, I can do nothing of myself, and so my place is to worship the omnipotent God, and to believe that He will work in me every moment”? Oh, may God teach us this! Oh, that God would by His grace show you what a God you have, and to what a God you have entrusted yourself — an omnipotent God, willing with His whole omnipotence to place Himself at the disposal of every child of His! Shall we not take the lesson of the Lord Jesus and say: “Amen; the things which are impossible with men are possible with God?”
Every time we make a decision that WE will accomplish something by ourselves, we dive right into a forever downward cycle. Let me illustrate this CYCLE OF EMPTINESS through a food struggle (it can really apply to any addiction or bondage)
- We have an emptiness inside that CAN ONLY BE FILLED BY GOD, and yet we try to fill it daily with food. We use food for various reasons (that are better explained in my 12 Week Online Program) but the bottom line is the same: We are empty and we need to be filled. The problem is that this method of finding satisfactions only helps for a few minutes, and it usually backfires into severe physical problems and other consequences, so the emptiness deepens.
- To get away from this we try to find a food plan with which we can occupy ourselves and which we hope will get us to another place that might satisfy: to be thin and beautiful. Problem is that most of these plans fail us too, because we were supposed to use them (the balanced ones) ONLY to get our physical bodies into shape, not to satisfy our soul hunger.
- Even if a program works to rid us of the consequences of food addiction or compulsive overeating, and we lose all of our weight, it can not take care of the emptiness. We may now find ourselves trying to find satisfaction in clothes, having the perfect appearance, looking for skin lotions and procedures to make us prettier, and other ways to impress people. This too will fail us because there is always someone prettier or skinnier out there to compete with. We might turn to prestige, riches, fame, or studying to get more honor and respect at our workplace. All this added stress we put on our lives to strive for satisfaction might actually push us right back to where we’ve started; mindless overeating or binging to try and fill a deep emptiness inside.
- In this very low place we might even turn to drugs, alcohol, pornography, or any other idol because we’re so ashamed that we couldn’t “get it together” or “do better”.
THE TRUTH:
We will never be able to “do better” or “get our lives together”, even if our New Years resolutions or plans are all wonderful Godly ones.
WHY?
Our own self-will is corrupted by the desires of this world, and fickle at best. Even though we may have more self-discipline at times and find ourselves pumped and motivated, it can change at the drop of a hat. You know it! All it takes is our haywire hormones, for our circumstances to get complicated, or a sudden crisis to strike. During these times we either feel so ashamed of our own weakness and believe the enemy’s lies that we are total losers, or our eyes are opened to Jesus’s words in Luke 18:27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Now let’s get practical, how does this play out in daily life?
Two things needs to happen DAILY in order to give God full control:
1. YOU NEED TO BELIEVE
It seems so simply but it’s not so easy for our faith to raise up, simply because our society is so focused on “doing it ourselves” that many of us have lost faith in a mighty God that can SET PEOPLE FREE FROM ANY STRUGGLE, ADDICTION, OR FORM OF BONDAGE! We need to repent from our unbelief and ASK GOD FOR FAITH to surrender TOTALLY, instead of doing our best and just asking God to help us a little (as Murray says). This should be a MOMENT by MOMENT thing. It’s so easy to fall back into the trap of unbelief. Set alarms on your phone to remind you, make note cards, make pop-ups on your computers that says: What is impossible with man is possible with God
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
2. The only plan you should have: WORSHIP GOD!
Take your hands off the wheel, give God control. Stop all the plans that you have in your head to “fix things” and rather use that valuable time to pick up the Bible, pray, sit in God’s presence, worship Him through music, go to church, etc. Most of us already know which food plan works for us, which exercise we should do, which steps we should take to accomplish God purpose and calling for our lives, BUT WE SIMPLY CAN NOT DO IT CONSISTENTLY! HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE GOD CAN DO THAT WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH US. The problem: If we still think we can do it, or we “should” do better by picking ourselves up by the bootstraps, or reading the next best self help book, we will keep going around in circles. We have to admit once and for all that WE CAN NOT DO IT! Then, finally we are ready to let God do it for us.
OUR JOB: SEARCH GOD
Matthew 6:33 (NIV) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV) Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Please get yourself out of the horrible cycle of ”TRYING TO DO BETTER” and “FAILING”! Please have a look at my resource below that might help you with this.
In His Love
Heleen
RESOURCES FOR YOU
NEW!!
Please be on the look-out for a WEEKLY CLASS on Food Struggles that I will be teaching, starting Feb 21st, 2012 at CITY BIBLE CHURCH in Portland OREGON. I will have the event up on Women Struggling with Food’s Face Book page soon.
If you can not attend these classes (small group style setting) then please check back here on my blog and forum for DVD’s and workbooks that will be coming out this Summer (July 2012)
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 2:42 pm. Add a comment
You might have seen my blogs about Christian based eating disorder treatment and wondered if you really have a “problem”. Maybe you just need another diet or need to pray more about this…
This question of whether one really has an eating disorder is actually quite common, also in Christian circles. It is plain to see that a person with anorexia or bulimia needs help, but other eating disorders such as compulsive overeating or binge eating disorder tend to be outright denied or minimized by the person who struggle with this as well as the people surrounding her life.
For years I wasn’t sure what to make of it either because as Christians we tend to do one of two things:
ONE
We look at our eating problem only from a spiritual perspective. We neglect to face the fact that God has made us stewards over our bodies and emotions: So we pray and we fast yet nothing seems to change and we stay stuck in a cycle of promising ourselves and God that we will do better, just to fail again the next day.
TWO
On the flip side, we tend to totally deny that food struggles might have a spiritual root such as idolatry or gluttony. We play it down as something insignificant, something we have to take care of ourselves and not “bother” God with. We are convinced that we should just “find the right diet and get a grip” or “have some self-control already!” So we stay stuck in this place year after year, feeling condemned and convinced that we are “second-class Christians”
Have you considered that what you are dealing with might be an eating disorder?
You don’t have to vomit or sneak food to have an eating disorder. A disordered way of relating to food can rear its ugly head in many other ways.
See if you can relate…
- Every birthday we promise ourselves that we will start a diet as soon as the cake is eaten.
- Every Christmas we wish that we could fit in a nice Christmas dress or sweater, but we drink our gingerbread-lattes, eat our pumpkin pie, stay hidden in our houses and promise ourselves that next Christmas we will be thin.
- Every Spring we find ourselves staring at the breath taking summer dresses and we make plans to go on a diet that can take off 50 pounds in two weeks.
- Every Summer we hate wearing Capri pants when others wear shorts, we hate wearing cotton shirts when others wear tank tops and we decide that we will try it too. So we buy it, but we cringe and we promise ourselves that next summer will be different.
- Every wedding invitation makes our hearts skip a beat, not because of excitement, but because of stress. We get on the computer and search into the wee morning hours for a diet, the perfect diet potion, or the perfect pill to get us thin before the dreaded wedding date.
- Every day we promise ourselves that tomorrow will be different, and every night we cry ourselves to sleep because we did it again…
If any of this sounds familiar then you might be at a crossroads with your eating. It’s time to face the music: You need the help of God and people who understand.
Overeating and food addiction are actually very common among Christians. For years gluttony has been the “acceptable sin”. The truth is that it hurts our relationships with God and it harms our health and our families, just like any other sin. You can read more about Weight problems in the church on my website.
If you keep denying that this is a sin or a serious matter in your life, you will stay stuck. Please let the Holy Spirit search your heart. Start today on your journey to freedom by facing the seriousness of this matter. Then bring it before God, repent and ask Him to show you which way you should take to get out of this sinful pattern.
From a girl who lived in denial for many years and wants you to be free as well
Heleen
If you are looking for Christian based eating disorder treatment, you will find a bunch of free material and a very affordable 12 Week Program on my website. Here are some resources for you:
Posted 7 months, 1 week ago at 3:58 pm. 1 comment
Please read this quote from Phillip Yancey’s book What’s so Amazing about Grace? carefully.
It contains valuable information as far as answering the question: What will motivate you to stop overeating and binging?
The best reason to be good is to want to be good. Internal change requires relationship. It requires love. “Who can be good, if not made so by loving?” asked Augustine. When Augustine made the famous statement, “If you but love God you may do as you incline” he was perfectly serious. A person who truly loves God will be inclined to please God, which is why Jesus and Paul both summed up the entire law in the simple command, “Love God.”
If you are still going around the same mountain even though you’ve gone through counseling and found a solid food program, if you still find yourself bound in the chains of food addiction and eating disorders even though you’ve gone through my 12 Week Online Program and you’ve made great strides in dealing with past hurts, then it might be time to look at the MOTIVATION behind it all.
ONLY TRUE LOVE MOTIVATES OBEDIENCE
Please read this excerpt from a previous post I wrote to find out how you can FALL IN LOVE AND BE CHANGED FOREVER!
In her well-known Bible study “Breaking Free” Beth Moore asks us to answer the following few questions to determine if we’re really in love with God:
IDENTIFYING TRUE LOVE:
- Does God regularly circulate into my thoughts? (Ps 63:6)
- Am I often drawn to spend time with Him? (Ps 27:4)
- Does my life demonstrate a love for God? (Rom 5:8)
- Do I often enjoy God? (Ps 16:11)
- Do I ultimately find relief or satisfaction in obedience? (John 14:12)
How did you score on the TRUE LOVE TEST? Sometimes we really fool ourselves by thinking that we love God, when we simply don’t.
I have loved Jesus since I was a little girl. I see my sweet little girl praying to Jesus and hear her talk about Him and I can imagine myself at that age, growing up in a Christian home, praying to God in that same manner. So if you asked me in the past if I loved Jesus I would have quickly responded “YES, I’ve loved Him all my life”
However, through the years some questions formulated in my mind (much of these triggered by pastors an Bible teachers) about my LOVE for Christ: Do I love Him enough? Why do I still lack self-control? Why am I still rude and proud at times? Why do I not have patience in times of testing? Where is my joy and peace in trying circumstances? Why is it still so hard for me to obey…?
WE NEED MORE OF JESUS. When the night is dark and the valley deep WE NEED MORE! When our circumstances change and we can hardly breathe WE NEED MORE! When the waters are calm and we find ourselves almost bored with riches and prosperity WE NEED MORE OF JESUS!
Unfortunately our lives have become so busy and full of things that we hardly have time for anything, and sadly Jesus gets pushed down on our list of priorities.
However, if we want to break free and stay free from any kind of bondage WE NEED TO OBEY. Lasting obedience will always be linked to True Love. We might be able to obey once or twice out of obligation and legalism, but it never lasts and we always seem to slip back into our bondage.
NOW FOR THE BIG QUESTION:
IF I DON’T REALLY LOVE GOD WITH ALL MY HEART – HOW CAN I FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM?
- Ask God to give you a love for Him. God is the source of love, and the only one who can give you true agape love for Him and other people (1John 4: 7-8,19)
Ask Him DAILY to increase your love for Him!! Set an alarm on your cellphone to go off and remind you to pray. Even short prayers at first where you ask Him to give you a true love and desire for Him and His Word
- Be accountable about your time with Him – Join women’s Bible studies on a regular basis to keep your accountable. Meet with other people to pray. Find a friend that will hold you accountable, and surround yourself with people who obviously love JESUS. THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT GOD AND OPEN OUR HEARTS TO HIM – THE MORE WE LOVE HIM – AND THE MORE WE LOVE HIM THE MORE WE WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM. Get yourself into that blessed upward cycle!
I need more of Jesus – the love that I had for Him last year can not sustain me now. Fortunately there is so much more to my God than the little I have come to know up until this point in my life.
God is enough. His love for us is perfect and everlasting, however we have to keep asking and reaching to love Him more.
In His Amazing Love,
Heleen
Resources to help you surrender to God and fall deeply in love with Him
Posted 7 months, 3 weeks ago at 2:22 pm. Add a comment
He could always make my heart melt with his chocolate brown eyes. Even at age three he was a little grown-up with a huge vocabulary. People always smiled at the eloquent way the little guy spoke Afrikaans (our first language), and he wrote his first poem before he could spell.
My sweet little boy, Jean, is now a man of 21 who is ready to spread his wings and fly. He graduated from college, found a great job, and is looking for his own place to stay.
It’s all so wonderful! Just one problem: I’m not ready…
It’s not that I don’t want him to enjoy every minute of his new and exiting journey – because I do! It’s not that I’m not grateful – because I am so grateful for the positive direction his life is taking. It’s simply a matter of me not being ready to let go…
Nothing really prepares us for this, does it?
I’m not ready for his little red car to no longer be parked outside my window. I’m not ready to stop falling over his shoes in the hallway. I still want to see him snuggle with his little sister Christie, huddle over a piece of artwork with Jason, and I still want to lay in bed and hear him laugh with Terrance into the early morning hours. I’m not ready to let go of the long and rich conversation we have about anything from politics to pumpkin. I’m so not ready to cook authentic South African food without my oldest chopping, stirring, and adding things to age old recipes.
I really don’t want to be a mother who keeps controlling until she’s resented, but I also don’t want him to think that I stopped caring. Because the truth is that I lay awake wondering, worrying, and praying that God will keep him safe, give him wisdom, help him choose wisely, and especially that our Father will always keep him close…
A dear friend reminded me recently that when separation is most difficult for me, it is probably most crucial for his future.
It’s still hard but I’m learning slowly that separating from my young adult or teenager is a balancing act between CONTROL and FREEDOM
By slowly letting go (even if it’s super difficult for me) I am…
- Equipping him to face the world out there while I’m still close enough to help
- Letting him find out who he is and what he truly likes
- Letting him develop his own relationship with God
- Keeping my door open if he wants to talk or ask for advice in the future
- Forging and preserving a new relationship with him that will go the distance
I wrote this poem a while ago when the “letting-go” process started. I believe there is only one way for us moms to endure these deep emotions: Hiding under the everlasting wing of the One who sees us. Jean is my oldest, so I still have to let go THREE MORE TIMES – Lord have mercy on this poor mama! For now I’ll pretend I have plenty of time and enjoy the sweeties I still have close to home.
He sees me…
invisible I am
in the kitchen
doing the laundry
picking up their shoes
watching, always watching
for a smile, a tear, a frown
waiting, always waiting
for the right time to talk
and I hurt, because they go
and I stay
and I cry, because they reach for tomorrow
and I still sit quietly with yesterday in my hand…
I long for the revealing of their greatness
I pray for their dreams to come true
every day they strive, hurt, laugh, dream, cry, love
and invisible I watch and I hold my breath
they don’t know it
they don’t see me
and yet, He sees me…
and He smiles…
a mom
Posted 8 months, 4 weeks ago at 4:05 pm. Add a comment
