Compared to Who? Body Image for Christian Women

Today our body image prayer is focused on praying to renew our mind. It’s really important that we understand that this battle with our body image, with food, with the way we look, what we weigh, what size we are, what our skin looks like – these are not battles with the mirror, the scale or public opinion of our bodies – these are battles in our mind and in our hearts. The battle is between what we choose to believe is important, what we choose to believe makes us valuable, loveable, and gives us worth. This world has programmed our brains – the diet culture – parents, family members, friends, to think about food and body in a certain way. Renewing our minds is an activity we must embark on daily--even hourly--so that we can think about our bodies and our worth in the way God wants us to. Today's verse and action step for a renewed mind: Today's Verse is Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Action Step: Read Romans 12:1-2 and memorize it! Ready to get in the Word everyday? Try Heather's 10 Day Bible Reading plan on You Version here: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/29320-compared-to-who-a-10-day-plan-to-improvebody-image Ready to get free this year and renew your mind? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching which begins January 23rd here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Food and body image issues can be confusing and distracting so in today's daily prayer we pray for freedom. One of Heather's biggest struggles was to know who she was serving. The temptation from Diet Culture and messages all around was to serve her body and herself and listen to the god (little g) god of body image and appearance who said that if she looked a certain way, then she would be free. Today, Heather digs into what scripture says about the pull to serve a different master and how recognizing this pull was a pivotal part of her freedom journey. Today's verse and action step: Today's verse: Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." Action: Look over your calendar and bank account statements and make an honest assessment of how you spend your time and money. Does your spending look different from how someone who’s not a Christ follower lives or spends? What can you do to allocate your time and money differently, so it’s clear who you serve? Want more of Heather's story? Read Heather's book, Compared to Who? Start reading the first two chapters free here: Compared to Who Book for Christian Women on Body Image or https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready to start reading the Bible more? Try Heather's 10-Day Bible Reading plan on You Version here: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/29320-compared-to-who-a-10-day-plan-to-improvebody-image Ready to get free this year? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching which begins January 23rd here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We often think about the word consistency in a dieting context. "If I could just be consistent. . . " Or, "if I could just eat only these foods and not these foods or if I could just work out every day . . ." If you’re like me, at the beginning of a new season, I feel like I have all this willpower to do things every single day! Then by day 14 or 15, my willpower runs out. I feel guilt and shame, and I wonder what’s wrong with me that I can’t be consistent! Today Heather encourages you that the type of consistency you need most if you want to improve your body image is consistency in your bible reading and prayer life. Unless you are regularly being fed the truth of scripture – it will be difficult not to believe the lies of this world about your value and your worth. This applies to every part of a struggle with insecurity, food, eating disorders, and other things we battle. Without arming ourselves with the truth of scripture every morning, it is hard to defeat the lies and negative thoughts. Today's Verse and Action Step: Today's Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:58 – "Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." Today's Action: Start a new Bible plan – make a commitment that you won’t check your social media or email until you’ve read some scripture each day. If you need one to start with, try Heather's 10 Day Bible Reading plan on You Version here: https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/29320-compared-to-who-a-10-day-plan-to-improvebody-image Ready to get free this year? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching which begins January 23rd here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we pray for strength. Food, eating, and body image struggles are real. But God's word encourages us that we don't have to fight them alone. We can be strong because of who is helping us. Today, we talk about how to invite God to help us with these issues and how to let him lead and guide each day. The world wants to tell you that you’ll get stronger when you accomplish your goals or when you follow the plan perfectly, but that’s not God’s prescription. He says strength comes when we rely entirely on Him. He enables us. He empowers us. If you’re hoping to meet some physical/body-related goals this year, know that putting serving God above serving your body is the best way to find strength. Today's Verse and Action Step: Verse: Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Action: 5 push-ups a day of any kind (standing and leaning against a wall, knees down, regular push-ups). Memorize Isaiah 41:10 and recite it while you do your push-ups each morning or evening or while you’re cooking dinner or getting dressed for the day. Ready to get free this year? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching which begins January 23rd here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we continue our "Tune in to Him" daily prayer series with a prayer for faith. Have you ever felt like things could never get better? Have you tried SO many different things to improve your body image that it almost feels like a lost cause? Perhaps you are trying to muster some faith right now that this year could be different, but, deep down, you still wonder if things can ever change. Today Heather guides you on a prayer to help build your faith. God can do ALL things. All things are possible with him. But, he doesn't want to just fix your body or get you to your weight loss goals. Instead, God wants to heal your heart. He wants to help you draw closer to Him and know that what He says about your worth and value is true. If you're ready to see your faith build, listen to this prayer and invite a friend to listen too so that you can discuss it together. Every day this series will contain an action step and a verse. Today's are below. Verse of the day: Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope forand assurance about what we do not see." Action step: Write this verse on a card and put it somewhere you can read it every day this week for daily encouragement. Ready to get free this year? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching which begins January 23rd here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This month we'll be spending every weekday praying for issues related to body image and comparison issues. January is the time when everything and everyone around us beckons for us to tune in to their way to be "better" in the new year. Through this series, Heather encourages you to focus on deepening our trust for the only One who can truly make us better. We'll spend a few minutes each day talking and praying for issues like fear, trust, health, food, and more. Invite a friend to listen along so you can have a partner for this journey towards body image and food freedom. Heather shares how she used to believe that God cared about what she did, but that her "body issues" were her's to tackle alone. Now, she sees how deeply God cares about us and the bodies he created for us, and how we can trust him to help, lead, and guide us in the care of these bodies--without relying on the ever-fluctuating messages of culture to tell us what is best. Today's Prayer for Your Body Image, Health, and Food Issues In today's episode, Heather reads the Francois de Fenolon, Prayer of Surrender. Feel free to print this out and read it every day to encourage your journey! Prayer of surrender to start your day: Dear Lord Jesus, it is my will to surrender to you everything that I am and everything that I'm striving to be. I open the deepest recesses of my heart and invite your Holy Spirit to dwell inside of me. I offer you my life, heart, mind, body, soul, spirit, all my hopes, plans, and dreams. I surrender to you my past, present, and future problems, habits, character defects, attitudes, livelihood, resources, finances, medical coverage, occupation, and all my relationships. I give you my health, physical appearance, disabilities, family, marriage, children, and friendships. I ask you to take Lordship over every aspect for my life. I surrender to you all my hurt, pain, worry, doubt, fear, and anxiety, and I ask you to wash me clean. I release everything into your compassionate care. Please speak to me clearly, Lord. Open my ears to hear your voice. Open my heart to commune with you more deeply. I want to feel your loving embrace. Open the doors that need to be opened and close the doors that need to be closed. Please set my feet upon the straight and narrow road that leads to everlasting life. Amen (Prayer by Francois De Fenelon 1651-1715) Ready to get free this year? Try Christian Body Image Coaching with Heather. Learn more about group coaching which begins January 23rd here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/body-image-coaching/ Grab an individual, one-on-one coaching appointment or preview appointment here: Christian Body Image Coaching or https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

I’m constantly learning new things and trying to share them with you as often as possible. While writing two new books this summer, I’ve spent time studying, learning, and uncovering new concepts around body image issues, why we struggle, food issues, eating disorders, intuitive eating, fasting, feasting, and so much more. In this episode, I discuss 5 things I’ve learned about body image issues and food issues in 2022: 1. My Opinion of Myself and My Body is Not What's Most Important. This topic has come up with many clients this year and as I've dug into it more, I recognize this as one of the hardest aspects of overcoming body image issues. How do I let go of my own opinions of myself and my body? We dig into the realities here. Episodes referenced: https://comparedtowho.me/letting-go-of-the-need-to-always-be-right/ https://comparedtowho.me/help-my-husband-hates-my-body-featuring-dr-juli-slattery/ 2. We've Lost the Meaning and Purpose of Fasting. When Amy Carlson, eating disorder specialist and non-diet dietitian, and I dug into the Daniel Fast, you'd never believe what we found. Did you know that Daniel and his friends were fatter after their fast? It seems like the church has used Daniel's fast as a pattern to thinness--but what if we've distorted what fasting is really about and blended it with diet culture's rules that we should all look thinner? Episodes referenced: https://comparedtowho.me/should-i-fast-if-i-had-an-eating-disorder-a-look-at-fasting/ https://comparedtowho.me/feasting-and-fasting-with-erin-davis/ 3. Aging is Real. But, the reasons we struggle with it may not be. As I wrote on the topic of aging this summer, God showed me a number of things that were playing into my struggle. Episodes on this topic: https://comparedtowho.me/feeling-awkward-around-food-and-aging/ 4. Lessons from the Models: Those Who Look to the Lord Become Radiant (Psalm 34:5). You'll enjoy the story of how scripture came to life for one of the models I interviewed in a series last Spring. Also, check out the other model interviews they were revealing--models still struggle with body image issues! Episodes referenced: the-model-and-the-mirror-fast-featuring-jennifer-strickland https://comparedtowho.me/models-have-body-image-issues-too/ 5. We’ve gotten it all wrong on gluttony. Food is a gift. Have we distorted gluttony to mean over-eating? What if gluttony was never intended to be about food at all? Over-eating was rarely a problem for the common man in ages past. More will come next year on this topic, but this may offer some interesting context as you think about gluttony. http://comparedtowho.me/are-you-afraid-of-satisfaction-intuitive-eating-coaching-call/ Episodes to listen to again in December: Hot or Holy: https://comparedtowho.me/holy-or-hot-how-to-make-holiness-what-we-really-desire/ What is Self Control? https://comparedtowho.me/is-self-control-really-the-solution-to-our-food-issues/ Body Image Assessment: https://comparedtowho.me/summer-body-image-assessment-how-are-you-doing/ Episodes to Help You Prepare for New Year: What Journey are You On? https://comparedtowho.me/what-journey-are-you-on-why-thin-is-not-a-destination/ New Year, Renewed You: https://comparedtowho.me/podcast-new-year-renewed-you/ Do You Need a New Year, New You? https://comparedtowho.me/newyear-newyou/ 3 Tips to Meeting Goals in New Year: https://comparedtowho.me/3-tips-to-meet-your-goals-improve-body-image-in-the-new-year/ Read: https://comparedtowho.me/best-gift-this-new-year-is-not-weight-loss/ Other ways to connect in December: Check out the Christmas reading plan on You Version here: http://bible.us/r/7Qr It's Giving Tuesday! Support the show by giving on Patreon or Buy me a Coffee: Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/comparedtowho Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/comparedtowho Coaching spots are open for December and January. Book here: https://calendly.com/heather-458/one-hour-coaching-session-new-client Group coaching spots open for 6 week session that begins January 23. Email Heather to reserve your spot: [email protected] Get excited for the "Pray for Health/Body Image Series" coming in January! Make plans to listen and discuss with a friend for accountability and encouragement! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In today's Black Friday episode of the show, Heather talks about the connection between body image issues and shopping! If you've ever found yourself trying to soothe your body image frustration through buying clothes or buying things . . .you're not alone. Today's show offers practical tips for getting our shopping habits under control. There's nothing wrong with enjoying shopping, but if we believe we can buy our way out of our body image issues-it won't work as we hope it. Also, today Heather shares some of her favorite things that--if you are shopping--you may want to add to your Christmas list. Heather's Favorite Things List **Links are Amazon affiliate links - a tiny portion of your purchase support Compared to Who?** Fun products for you! Amazon cool neck ring for getting ready, hot flashes, and summer: https://amzn.to/3O8mxsd Heather's favorite top! Check out this Dolman short sleeve top that covers and flatters: https://amzn.to/3Obi3B2 Heather's favorite nightgown: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JC28Z84?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=comparedtowho-20&linkId=e193a63d6afc6a3b55594f316b5625dc&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Fascia Blaster tool Heather loves: https://amzn.to/3X8yty7 and the moisturizing oil that goes with it: https://amzn.to/3Al9o9u Heather's favorite kitchen gadget, this cool little strawberry huller: https://amzn.to/3TKoFHE Heather's favorite supplement for cold and flu season: https://amzn.to/3UJGbwY Heather's favorite beauty gadget, this little trimmer for brows, nose, and chin: https://amzn.to/3UGQAd3 Heather's favorite affordable, cool, and soft sheet set: https://amzn.to/3AkjVl4 Heather's favorite smart watch band: https://amzn.to/3tC5SUg Try the Shopping Services Heather Mentioned Try StitchFix and get a $25 credit: https://www.stitchfix.com/invite/cvnxqt85hk?sod=w&som=c Try Wantable and get a $25 credit: https://www.wantable.com?invite_token=6uBZohI3o9o Heather's favorite books this year Great Reads in New Year: What God Says About Our Bodies. Find it here: https://amzn.to/3OfdYMm Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison: https://amzn.to/3EbPw9N Great Book for Your Stocking: The Intuitive Eating Workbook. Find it here: https://amzn.to/3X112O5 or The Food & Feelings Workbook: https://amzn.to/3hKwCiP Great Gift Book: The Chosen: 40 Day with Jesus Book One: https://amzn.to/3UYX7zp Great book for teen girls: Who Are You Following: https://amzn.to/3EDn5TV Great book for the curious woman who enjoys personality type study: https://amzn.to/3EBFksA Great book for introverts: https://amzn.to/3GkZXdS Great book for single moms of boys: https://amzn.to/3EbPw9N Heather's book on comparison makes a great gift: https://amzn.to/3tD3VqR Heather's book on body image makes a great gift or stocking stuffer for yourself: https://amzn.to/3tAFxpO Bless the Compared to Who? show this season: Become a Patreon sponsor of Compared to Who? here: https://www.patreon.com/comparedtowho Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/comparedtowho One of the best ways you can than Heather for another year of episodes is to leave a voice mail message to be played on the air. Share your first name and how the show has blessed you at this link: https://www.speakpipe.com/comparedtowho Ready to learn more about Compared to Who? Sign up for the free 5 Day Email Challenge here: https://comparedtowho.me/5-day-email-challenge/ Today’s show also features an ad from this month’s sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this fantastic program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today Heather is joined by her Intuitive Eating coaches, Erin Todd and Char-Lee Cassel as they discuss navigating the holidays and more. Heather shares how last year she was in the "honeymoon" phase of Intuitive Eating during the holidays and how this year feels a little different. The group discusses how to incorporate the principles of gentle nutrition with the freedom to enjoy all foods. They also discuss the myth that "eating nutritiously" always means having a culturally-appreciated small body. If you're looking for help with how to give yourself permission to have a healthy relationship with food during the coming holiday season, this episode will encourage and inspire you. It's a must-listen before your holiday celebrations! Ready to become an intuitive eater and enjoy the holidays? Listen to other Intuitive Eating Coaching Calls here: https://comparedtowho.me/category/intuitive-eating-for-christian-women/ Learn more about Erin Todd and Char-Lee Cassel at: www.intuitiveeatingforchristianwomen.com and find their podcast there! Connect with Char-Lee for intuitive eating or food-related coaching help: https://intuitivewellnessprograms.mykajabi.com Ready for Body Image Coaching? Get Free This Holiday Season: Connect with Compared to Who? at www.comparedtowho.me and find out about coaching options there! Today’s show features an ad from this month’s sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Listen to the episode here: https://comparedtowho.me/?p=73364 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today, Heather is joined by Erin Davis, an author, Bible teacher, and podcaster who has a new book out on Feasting and Fasting. In part two of this interview, Erin talks about feasting and how God created food as a good gift for his people. She shares how God has used food to show her his goodness and how healing our relationship with food is important. Erin and Heather also talk about how God will throw us a feast in heaven someday, great evidence that God isn't against food and wants to bless us with and through it. About Erin Davis: Erin is a writer and teacher passionately committed to getting women of all ages to the deep well of God's Word. She is the author of more than a dozen books and Bible studies, including Connected, 7 Feasts, and Fasting & Feasting. Erin serves as the content director for Revive Our Hearts and hosts the Women of the Bible podcast and Grounded videocast. Hear her teach on The Deep Well with Erin Davispodcast. When she’s not writing, you can find Erin chasing chickens and children on her small farm in the Midwest. Learn more about Erin Davis: http://www.erindavis.org Learn more about Erin's new book on Feasting and Fasting: Purchase here: https://amzn.to/3ULbDuy ** Ready to learn more about Compared to Who? Sign up for the free 5 Day Email Challenge here: https://comparedtowho.me/5-day-email-challenge/ Today’s show also features an ad from this month’s sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this fantastic program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's guest is Erin Davis. Erin is an author, Bible teacher, and podcaster who has a new book out on Feasting and Fasting. Today is part one of my interview with Erin where we talk about her own journey with an eating disorder in college. We also talk about how God has touched Erin's relationship with food through a deep dive through scripture. This led Erin to explore how often God encourages his followers to feast and celebrate his goodness and to fast and seek His face. In this episode, we talk about Erin's experience with fasting and how God has used it to draw him closer to her and to help her surrender areas of self-focus in her life. **Disclaimers: If you have an eating disorder or are recovering or recovered from an eating disorder, the fasting Erin talks about in this episode may not be suitable for you at this point in your journey. Please seek wise counsel from an eating disorder specialist if you are unsure. Fasting for weight loss reasons is dieting, not biblical fasting. Though we didn't mention it in this episode, there are also many medical reasons why you may need to fast differently for the health of your body. About Erin Davis: Erin is a writer and teacher passionately committed to getting women of all ages to the deep well of God's Word. She is the author of more than a dozen books and Bible studies, including Connected, 7 Feasts, and Fasting & Feasting. Erin serves as the content director for Revive Our Hearts and hosts the Women of the Bible podcast and Grounded videocast. Hear her teach on The Deep Well with Erin Davispodcast. When she’s not writing, you can find Erin chasing chickens and children on her small farm in the Midwest. Learn more about Erin Davis: http://www.erindavis.org Learn more about Erin's new book on Feasting and Fasting: Purchase here: https://amzn.to/3ULbDuy ** Ready to learn more about Compared to Who? Sign up for the free 5 Day Email Challenge here: https://comparedtowho.me/5-day-email-challenge/ Today’s show also features an ad from this month’s sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this fantastic program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! **Amazon affiliate link - a tiny portion of your purchase supports the ministry of Compared to Who? Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Heather’s guest is a former client and new Facebook community manager, Tara Rothwell. Tara shares her story of fighting with food, body image issues, and other addictions. In today's episode, Tara shares about her experience in Heather’s group coaching program and how that has changed her body image issues and how his change has spilled over into other parts of her life, and brought positive change there too. Tara talks about how nervous she was to try group coaching, how she wondered if it could really work, and how God walked her on an amazing journey to a new place of body image freedom she never believed was possible. Tara also shares about the good friends she met on her coaching journey. Heather and Tara talk through how body image coaching can get you through awkward times in life-like trying on clothes at Target-and how Heather helped Tara through an emotionally tough spot. Tara is our brand new Facebook group community manager. If you're looking for a place to connect with other Christian women who are struggling with body image and comparison issues the same way you are, Tara will be facilitating conversations in this group. Join today! Join the brand new Facebook Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/764271297116024 Learn more about body image coaching here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching Have you signed up for the FREE 5 Day Email Challenge yet? Sign up here. Today’s show also features an ad from this month’s sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today Heather's guest is former client and new Facebook community manager, Tara Rothwell. Tara shares her story of fighting with food, body image issues, and other additions and her testimony of how Jesus has walked beside her through tough times to bring her closer to him. This is part one of a two-part episode. Today, is Tara's testimony and in part two on Friday, Tara shares about her experience in Heather's group coaching program and how that has changed her body image issues and how his change has spilled over into other parts of her life, and brought positive change there too. Learn more about coaching here: Christian Group Body Image Coaching Today’s show also features an ad from this month’s sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today my guest is Dr. Michelle Bengtson, a board-certified neuropsychologist, author, speaker and podcast host. Dr. B and Heather discuss the connection between OCD and eating disorders and body image issues. They also dig into the effect a narcissist parent, coach, or romantic partner may have on body image issues and eating disorder issues. Other topics covered in today's episode include: Why do we need to control things? How anxiety connects to OCD and eating disorders, orthorexia and its connection to OCD, along with how to spot a narcissist or recognize the narcissistic influence. This is one episode you don't want to miss. Do you have OCD and body image issues? Has narcissism played a role in your body image issues? Send a message and tell us your story! Connect with Dr. Michelle Bengtson here: https://drmichellebengtson.com Learn more about Dr. B's new book: Today is a Good Day here: Today is Going to Be a Good Day Book (Amazon affiliate link). Listen to Dr. B's Podcast: Your Hope-Filled Perspective here. Ready for coaching? Learn more about coaching options or connect with Heather for a free 10 minute call to see if coaching is right for you! Learn more here: Christian Body Image Coaching Want to learn more about Compared to Who? or take the free 5-Day Body Image Email Challenge? Sign up here: 5-Day Email Challenge [podcast src="https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/24888426/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/fa3a3a/" width="100%" scrolling="no" class="podcast-class" frameborder="0" placement="bottom" primary_content_url="http://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/Michelle_B_Narcissism_OCD.mp3" libsyn_item_id="24888426" height="90" theme="custom" custom_color="fa3a3a" player_use_thumbnail="use_thumbnail" use_download_link="use_download_link" download_link_text="Click here to download!" /] https://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/Michelle_B_Narcissism_OCD.mp3 Today’s show also features an ad from our sponsor of the month: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This is part two of a two part interview with one of our favorite non-diet dietitians and eating disorder specialists, Amy Carlson. Today, Amy and Heather look at Romans 14 and what God has to say about food rules. In the passage, Paul breaks down how some of the Christian Jews still feel obligated to follow Jewish food rules. He also talks about how we can, in the most loving way possible, interact with people who keep food rules and how to refrain from judging or causing division among ourselves around food issues. There are many practical applications from this passage in Romans 14 for those of us who live in a culture where eating a certain way is also important to social status or can cause others to judge. Take a listen to the similarities and let us know what you think! Romans 14 is truly a passage where Christians can learn how to love each other well and take their focus off the good foods and bad foods to share the table Jesus sets before us. Learn more about Amy Carlson at: www.hellopeacewithfood.com Sign up for the free 5 day body image email challenge at: https://www.comparedtowho.me Today’s episode was sponsored by: Tighten Your Tinkler! Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! https://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/Amy_carlson_Letting_Go_of__good_food_bad_food_part_2.mp3 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This is part one of a two part interview with one of our favorite non-diet dietitians and eating disorder specialists, Amy Carlson. Amy and Heather tackle the topics of good foods and bad foods from a biblical perspective. They dig into Romans 14 where Paul addresses the distinctions the believers in Rome have in the ways they eat and what they abstain from eating. Amy and Heather break down applications from this passage to our modern day food rules and labels. You will be amazed at how much scripture has to say about what we can eat and how we can make the most God-honoring choices around food. Do you struggle not to think in terms of "good foods" or "bad foods"? Modern food rules are man-made rules, based on scientific "truths" that are constantly changing or being disproven. Only God's Truth remains the same. As we consider how to best care for our bodies, remembering that God's Truth reigns supreme gives us the freedom to make wise choices based on how God created us, not what diet fad seems to be "working" for people we know. Heather and Amy break down what God says about our eating versus what culture calls good and bad foods today! Learn more about Amy Carlson and the Peace with Food app here: www.hellopeacewithfood.com Today’s show also features an ad from our sponsor of the month: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! https://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/Amy_Carlson_good_food_bad_food_part_1.mp3 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's Intuitive Eating coaching call Heather and her coaches talk about the real challenge of getting over that number on the scale. Heather talks about how a medical procedure recently forced her to see that number, after not weighing for a while, and how she's wrestled with the power that number holds. The trio talks about what we attach to that number, what health really is (beyond a number on a scale) and how to separate identity from a number on the box (that no one knows anyway)! If you're looking for encouragement to detach from the number on the scale, this intuitive eating coaching call is for you. Do you struggle with the scale? https://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/IE_coaching_October_Weight.mp3 Learn more about Heather's body image coaching at www.comparedtowho.me. If you're tired of being tied to the scale or are stressed about your size with the holidays coming up grab a time for a coaching call. Learn more about Erin Todd and Char-Lee Cassel on the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women Podcast here and check out Char-Lee's coaching options here: https://charleecassel.com/work-with-me/ Today's episode was sponsored by: Tighten Your Tinkler! Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If you're like me, there may be some items hanging out in your closet that no longer fit. Why do we hang on to these clothes? What's really going on in our heads and our hearts that keeps us from saying "adios" to something that's no longer right for our bodies? Today, Heather tackles the tough topic of why we hang on to clothes that don't fit and how to process, in an emotionally healthy way, breaking up with that ideal or former clothing size. If you're hoping your body will someday fit the clothes again or waiting to get new clothes until you've "earned it" through getting to a different size or shape, friend, you're not alone. But, know that there's a much more comfortable way to live. Wearing clothes that fit you and you feel good in is not a privilege you have to earn. You'll be amazed at how good you feel when you have a closet with clothing options that you enjoy putting on rather than clothes that cause you shame. https://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/letting_go_of_clothes_that_dont_fit.mp3 Love this topic? Check out these other episodes and related posts: Podcast: 3 Reasons To Get Rid of Those Clothes That Don’t Fit Getting Rid of Clothes That Don’t Fit: Do They Hurt Body Image? Why Is It So Hard to Get Rid of Clothes That Don’t Fit? Podcast: Body Image, Comparison and Clutter at Home? An Interview with Organizer Dana White, A Slob Comes Clean Are you ready for some personalized help for your body image issues? Reach out? Heather is taking new one-on-one coaching clients in the months of October and November. Learn more on the website here: Body Image Coaching or set up your free 10 minute call to learn more and see if coaching is right for you! Have you signed up for the free 5-Day Email Challenge? Start improving your body image in just 5 days. Learn more here! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today Heather's friend, Jeanette Henriques continues sharing her testimony of struggling with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and facing various other life trials. Jeanette became a ward of the state of Texas as child, was in and out of eating disorder treatment fifty times, and has faced numerous health trials. In fact, at the time of this interview, Jeanette is on hospice because of the severity of her health struggles. Yet, through it all, Jeanette sees and acknowledges God's faithfulness. She spent many years professionally helping women who struggled with disordered eating and eating disorders. In this second part of a two-part interview, Jeanette and Heather talk about what how Jeanette has had to let go of what she expected her life to look like and learn to trust God in all things. She has a beautiful story of how God has made her new and been faithful through all of her trials. If you want to thank Jeanette for sharing her story or let her know how it touched you, can connect with Jeanette on Instagram or on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.henriques https://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/Jeanette_Part_2_Interview.mp3 Want to learn more about Compared to Who? Sign up for the free, 5-Day Body Image Email Challenge here: 5 day email challenge Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today Heather's friend, Jeanette Henriques shares her powerful testimony of struggling with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and facing various other life trials. Jeanette became a ward of the state of Texas as child, was in and out of eating disorder treatment fifty times, and has faced numerous health trials. In fact, at the time of this interview, Jeanette is on hospice because of the severity of her health struggles. Yet, through it all, Jeanette sees and acknowledges God's faithfulness. She spent many years professionally helping women who struggled with disordered eating and eating disorders. In this first part of a two-part interview, Jeanette and Heather talk about what Jeanette's eating disorder looked like and how many people who don't "look like" they have an eating disorder may still be struggling. They discuss how Jeanette finally broke free from the bondage of her eating disorders, and Jeanette shares some powerful truths for listeners who may be traveling a similarly difficult journey. Jeanette's takeaway, as she shares in part two of this interview, is that she's had to let go of what she expected her life to look like and learn to trust God in all things. She has a beautiful story of how God has made her new and been faithful through all of her trials. If you want to thank Jeanette for sharing her story or let her know how it touched you, can connect with Jeanette on Instagram or on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/jeanette.henriques https://chrt.fm/track/5F8768/traffic.libsyn.com/comparedtowho/Jeanette_Interview_Part_1.mp3 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

How do we live in the world but not of it when it comes to beauty and standards of beauty? Have the standards of what the world calls beautiful subtly affected our own definitions of beauty? Today Heather talks about the history of beauty standards, including the history of foot-binding in China. Heather talks about what this beauty practice did to the girls and women of that nation over the course of hundreds of years and how some of the beauty practices we have in the U.S. may bind and cripple us in similar ways. Heather also shares the story of an amazing missionary named Gladys Alyward, who went to China to share the gospel and unbind women's feet. If you feel caught up defining beauty the way the world does instead of the way the Word does, this episode will encourage and inspire you. Learn more about the mission and work of Compared to Who? here: www.comparedtowho.me Join the conversation in the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/comparedtowho Have you read the Burden of Better yet? https://comparedtowho.me/burden-of-better-book-for-christian-women-on-comparison/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

My guest today is author Brittany Ann from Equipping Godly Women. Brittany joins me today for a conversation about the need to always be right! Do you always have to be right? Do you stew and stress if you feel like others are getting it "wrong"? Do you like to have the last word? If being right is important to you, take a listen to today's episode. Brittany and Heather discuss the ways always having to be right affects relationships, how to know when it's important to fight for truth and when it's not, and what it costs to always be right! Also, Brittany shares about her new book, Follow God's Will that releases this month! (Amazon Affiliate link) Learn more about Brittany Ann and Equipping Godly Women here: www.equippinggodlywomen.com If you like to always be right, this episode may encourage you. Listen to Brittany's other interview on the Compared to Who? show here: Podcast: Falling in Love with God’s Word with Author Brittany Ann Ready to connect with Compared to Who? Join the FREE 5-Day email challenge here: www.comparedtowho.me Need coaching for your body image and comparison frustration? Check out coaching options here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's show features best-selling author and Proverbs 31 speaker Karen Ehman. Karen and Heather talk about people pleasing, why we do it, how it hurts us, and how to know when we're doing it. If you're afraid to say no or feel stuck in a people-pleasing rut, today's episode is for you! Karen shares her story of people pleasing and how her childhood family dynamics contributed to her tendency to work for others' approval. Karen also tells how God asked her to pause from everything she did to serve in various ways. Karen candidly shares the way friends reacted when she stopped doing some of what she'd always done. She also shares what God taught her about her value, worth, and identity through this exercise. People pleasing doesn't have to bog you down. Listen and learn from the wisdom Karen shares. Karen Ehman is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and New York Times bestselling author. Described as profoundly practical, engagingly funny, and downright real, her passion is to help women to live their priorities and love their lives as they serve God and others. She loves coconut and dark chocolate, sharpened Ticonderoga #2 pencils, and she considers it an honor to tell others about the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ. Learn more about Karen here: https://karenehman.com/ Ready to be done with people pleasing? Check out Karen's book on people pleasing called, When Making Others Happy is Making You Miserable here (Amazon affiliate link). Learn more about Compared to Who? here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Need more help on your body image journey? Check out coaching options here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ https://karenehman.com Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you been struggling with body image so long that you've convinced yourself there is no way out? Or, maybe you feel like you've tried everything to make the pain go away, but nothing seems to work. Feel like you will "never be better" is a feeling of hopelessness. The frustration is real. On today's show, Heather unpacks the lie that there is no hope or that you'll have to feel bad about your body forever. No matter what your size or age, body image issues are real among most women. But, there is great hope that you can change your heart and your mind about your body, your value, and your worth- even if you don't change the way your body looks. If you're tired of listening to the lie that you'll never be free and never feel better, today's show is for you. If you feel like you need more individualized help in this area, reach out to Heather at [email protected] to discuss coaching options. Or, learn more about coaching or sign up for emails from Compared to Who? by visiting: www.comparedtowho.me Today’s show also features an ad from this month's sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's lie is a common one. We're constantly told by the culture that if we just loved ourselves more, we wouldn't struggle with body image issues. More self-love (or self-esteem) would free us from the pain of not liking ourselves. It's as if there is some magic switch that can flip, and suddenly, we love ourselves and don't hurt anymore. But it's just not true. Self love isn't an actual path to freedom. And, even if it were, it's not the path that aligns with the Gospel or scripture. Today Heather talks about how we all long to be free from the shame and insecurity we feel around our bodies. But, how loving ourselves is a path away from seeing our need for a Savior to cover our shame and is, instead, trying to cover our shame ourselves. If you've ever said, "I just need more self love" today's show is for you! We also look at 2 Corinthians 2 and talk about how Paul instructs the Corinthians not to compare themselves to themselves or to commend themselves. These are helpful instructions as we think about determining, for ourselves, that we are good enough. Scripture instructs us to find our value and our worth in Christ. Learn more about coaching or sign up for emails from Compared to Who? by visiting: https://wwwimprovebodyimage.com  Grab a free sample of Heather's book, "Compared to Who?" here: Compared to Who Book for Christian Women on Body Image Today’s show also features an ad from this month's sponsor: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50!         Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

On today's Intuitive Eating coaching call, Heather and her coaches, Char-Lee Cassel and Erin Todd of the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women Podcast, talk about how we stress over what other people think of us as we back away from dieting and grow more comfortable with food freedom. Our conversation goes many directions as we explore topics like: How do you talk to a friend who has been told that she has to lose weight for health reasons? How can we stay humble and not get prideful in believing we "know" a better answer than others? How can we truly learn not to worry about what other people think of us as we change size or shape? We discuss why weight loss does not meet the guidelines for a "sound" prescription, yet it's still given out like the cure-all pill. We also discuss how even the church has gotten this confused and spent too much time promoting health as a certain body type. Listen to today's conversation and let us know what you think! Here's a link to Erin Todd's Litany of Humility - A Prayer for Dieter's that was read at the end of today's show: https://erinltodd.com/a-former-dieters-prayer-for-humility/ Do People Think I Don't Care About My Health? Has This Ever Been a Concern For You? Post your thoughts in our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/comparedtowho Today's show is sponsored by: Tighten Your Tinkler! Pelvic floor weakness is connected to everything from bunions to back pain to those embarrassing little leaks you may get when you sneeze or cough! If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To learn more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Learn more about Intuitive Eating for Christian Women or listen to the podcast here: https://intuitiveeatingforchristianwomen.com OR - learn about Char's coaching options here: https://charleecassel.com Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's lie is one that most of us aren't even conscious of. And yet, how often do we find ourselves changing clothes a dozen times before we see people or stressing over how we look or what we said? Could it be that the reason we stress is that we're worried about what image we are portraying? Are we concerned that if we don't look or act like we believe we should, people won't think of us in the way we want them to? I don't know about you, but this has been a big struggle for me. The lie I've believed is that I can control what others think of me. But it's just not true. I can act the way I think they'd prefer me to act, I can look the way I think they'd prefer me to look, and they could still draw conclusions about me that I'd rather them not! Is it true? Can a "better image" control what other people think of us? Or is this just another lie we get caught believing? In today's episode: Lies We Believe, I Can Control What Others Think of Me we tackle these topics and more! Learn more about coaching or sign up for emails from Compared to Who? by visiting: www.comparedtowho.me Today’s show also features an ad from our sponsor of the month: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Most of us hate that "out of control" feeling. That's why diets are so appealing. They give us a plan and help us feel like we are in control. When we're "off" the diet we feel out of control, so we try another diet or "health plan" so we can feel our sense of control restored. Today we tackle the truth behind why our eating patterns are disrupted by diets and overly controlling behaviors. We look a bit at the science as to why we feel like we can't be "trusted" around food or are "out of control" when we go off a diet. We also talk about how there is a way to eat and enjoy food and feel in control, without being on a specific food plan. If you struggle with swinging from "in control" to "out of control" around food and if you long to have freedom in this arena, today's show is a great first step for you! Do you feel out of control with food when you're not on a diet? You're not alone. But what if that out of control feeling is really more about your body trying to get what it's been missing out on while you were following your plan? We tend to believe we have so much control over our bodies, yet our bodies want what they want and are determined to help us stay alive! What if our bodies craving for foods or certain foods isn't a problem to be tamed but a good and necessary part of our biology! Let me know what you think after you listen to this episode! You don't have to control food to be free around food! Learn more about coaching or sign up for emails from Compared to Who? by visiting: www.comparedtowho.me Today’s show also features an ad from our sponsor of the month: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Have you believed that it's possible to keep your body from changing? Maybe you've believed that you could stop aging, weight shifts, or other physical changes if you followed someone's plan or just did "all the things" right. Have you felt guilt, shame, or "out of control" feelings because your body has changed and you didn't stop it? Oh friend, today we're going to explore the world of lies surrounding how, why, and if our bodies should change. There's so much circulating that makes it feel like we have complete control to stop our body from ever looking different. But, what if these are all just lies we're tempted to believe? Listen to today's show and let me know what you think! Today we talk about: How strange it would be for our bodies to "never change" How there's an industry out there that makes a lot of money convincing us our bodies are completely controllable-but body change is natural and normal! Why we will feel better about our bodies and our lives if we can give ourselves some grace to change through different seasons and ages. Is it true that if you work hard enough and are diligent enough, your body won't change? Learn more about coaching or sign up for emails from Compared to Who? by visiting: www.comparedtowho.me Today’s show also features an ad from our sponsor of the month: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that’s important. If you haven’t listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you want to be appreciated or do you want to be approved of? These two words sound similar, but we don't often think about their differences. Yet, when we confuse appreciation and approval, we can send our hearts on a wild goose chase after something they already have in Christ! If you've ever felt under appreciated or lived for the compliments and kudos of others, this episode will encourage you and help you navigate the tricky nuance between these two concepts: appreciation and approval. In today's show we talk about how appreciation and approval are different and how looking for appreciation from a place of knowing and understanding our approval in Christ can make appreciation that much sweeter. If you're concerned that you aren't appreciated like you used to be, or maybe you don't get the compliments you used to get or wish you would get --it's important to understand these two concepts--appreciation and approval--and how to tell them apart! Don't confuse approval and appreciation! Learn more about coaching or sign up for emails from Compared to Who? by visiting: www.comparedtowho.me Today's show also features an ad from our sponsor of the month: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that's important. If you haven't listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we start a new series for the month of September called "Lies We Believe." The first lie we tackle is the myth that if you just lose weight or get your body to the size you want it to be, you won't stress over body image any more. This is the lie sold to us through every before and after photo in every weight loss ad. This is the lie that most permeates the marketing of diets. And it's one we want to believe because it feels like it would be SO nice to just drop the pounds and have everything in life get easier. Yet, there is solid scientific evidence proving that weight loss doesn't solve everything. In fact, there's science that shows once a woman loses weight, she may actually start obsessing over her body even more! In other words, it's just not true that weight loss fixes everything. It could lead you to more issues, especially in the arena of body image! Are you ready to let go of the myth that weight loss fixes everything? Then today's show is for you. Learn more about coaching or sign up for emails from Compared to Who? by visiting: www.comparedtowho.me Today's show also features an ad from our sponsor of the month: Tighten Your Tinkler. Heather tells you about her experience with this amazing program to help you strengthen your pelvic floor and why that's important. If you haven't listened to the full interview with Jenn from Tighten Your Tinkler, listen here. To find out more about the program, visit: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram and use the coupon code: HEATHER to save $50! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's show explores the one muscle in our body most of us never think about exercising, our pelvic floor! We talk about how this little set of muscles has all of your organs resting on it and how many of the issues women experience, from peeing a little when you sneeze to frequent bathroom trips, to posture problems or back pain, could all be related to pelvic floor dysfunction! Guess what: It's not about Kegels!! This isn't your typical episode of Compared to Who? but today, I tackle this physical issue, how it relates to body image and relationship issues, and much more. You will be amazed at the connection! Jenn Lormand, an experienced exercise physiologist from Tighten Your Tinkler (silly name but serious results) joins me to talk about all the different ways having a weak pelvic floor may be affecting your life, your marriage, and your ability to feel comfortable and confident in your body. Here are some of the topics we explore today: *How you can feel broken when things "down there" aren't functioning like they should (or aren't reliable!) *How hip pain, back pain, neck pain, bunions and posture issues can all connect with a weak pelvic floor! *We define prolapse--a condition that affects many women and comes in numbered stages. *We discuss how women recovering or recovered from bulimia or over-exercising may especially feel the affects in their pelvic floor. *Jenn assures Heather that peeing when you cough, sneeze, or while exercising isn't a normal and necessary part of aging--and that there is a way to stop without surgery! *How the Tighten Your Tinkler signature program gets you safely exercising and working on strengthening your pelvic floor muscles! *We talk about how this is one set of muscles that no one sees--yet ignoring them could cause big problems for the rest of your body! Find out more about Tighten Your Tinkler: A Program to Get You Safely Exercising Your Pelvic Floor Intimacy Guide: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/partner-guide Quiz: Tighten Your Tinkler Quiz Survey (surveymonkey.com) Back and Hip Relief:https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/backandhiprelief Learn more or sign up for their program here use the coupon code HEATHER to save $50: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/signatureprogram Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you wrestle with feelings of disappointment at the end of fun seasons like Summer or the holidays? If so, you may have Chronic Disappointment Disorder (or CDD). It's not a real disease, but Heather has experienced it as if it were. Today, she tackles what to do if you feel disappointed at the end of this season and if you wrestle feelings of sadness or loss as you transition between the seasons. Here's where we go in today's Handling the End of Summer Blues Episode: **How so many of us get sad and stressed at the end of seasons and how we worry and stress over what we didn't do during the "special time." **How we look for life in experiences instead of where it's found (in Christ). **How Chronic Disappointment Disorder speaks to these "identities" that we desire to have. **How to not think so linear -- believing that the next milestone will be "better". **How to stop the comparative thoughts around what you did or didn't do over the summer. **What to do to fend off the end of summer blues--to keep your body and your spirit from feeling depressed. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today's show is another Intuitive Eating Coaching Call with Heather's friends Char-Lee Cassel and Erin Todd from the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women Podcast. We tackle Heather's journey with food sensitivities--including how Heather operated for ten years with a belief system that certain foods were making her not feel good based on MRT testing. Heather talks about the different foods she's avoided and what she learned was really making her sick every morning! Here are some of the other topics covered in today's coaching call titled, "Food Sensitivities, Meal Planning, and Gentle Nutrition" Heather talks about her journey towards optimal health and uncovering all food sensitivities as being a cover for her eating disorder. Heather talks about her MRT results and how that influenced her eating for 10 years. Heather explains how many of her food sensitivities weren't really food sensitivities or are food sensitivities she no longer has. Char and Heather sort out why we desire to identify everything that makes us feel bad and how sometimes we may not know what it is that is affecting us. The group talks about the myth of the "perfect eater" and how this means different things to different people. Heather talks about decision fatigue around lunch and breakfast and asks whether or not meal planning is okay or too much like a diet. Char explains eating as self care and why it's important to sometimes eat when we're not hungry. The group talks about what happens when you are stressed and trying to listen to your body, after struggling with an eating disorder! Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Learn more about Intuitive Eating for Christian Women or listen to the podcast here: https://intuitiveeatingforchristianwomen.com Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ or drop Heather an email at Heather (at) compared to who (dot) me Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

How do you tell your man about your body image or food issues? Should you even tell him? What if he doesn't understand? What if he is making them worse and you need to help him correct course? Or, what if he's engaging in behaviors that are making you feel more insecure about your body than ever. Today's episode will tackle all things in this arena including how to tell your man that you struggle with body image and food. If you've never had this conversation with your guy-this episode will give you the tips and tricks to make your talk helpful for both of you. Here are some of the topics covered in today's episode: Telling Your Man About Your Body Image and Food Issues We talk about why you should tell your man if this is your struggle. Heather talks about how to navigate tough topics like porn or looking at other women. We talk about sharing with your husband your eating disorder or food issues. We talk about how to inform him of the depth of your struggle to help him see these issues as serious as they are. We also discuss how to talk to your husband if he's the food police or if he's watching what you eat or weigh. Heather gives great hope for how a helpful conversation can put you and your man on the same team to help you conquer your body image and food issues. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you'd probably call yourself a Christian. You may even say that's our religion. But, when we follow diets, there is a temptation to follow a false religion. In fact, that's why diets sell and why Christians love diets so much--there's a lot of similarities between following a diet and our walk of faith. But, it's important in the end to know which "religion" you are more allegiant to--the religion of diets or Jesus! Today we explore the following topics in this episode--The Religion of Diets: **We talk about the great similarities between what Diet Culture teaches and what Christianity teaches in terms of faith and salvation. **We look at words like righteousness, holiness, grace, and justice and how they apply to both Christianity and to our dieting. **We explore why it's so easy to fall into the trap of earning righteousness through food or exercise rules and how real Christianity requires grace that dieting doesn't offer. **We explore the root word of Diet Culture and talk about how a shared faith and worship of something that's not Jesus is always idolatry. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In today's episode of 7 Minutes of Scripture, we're talking about God's sovereignty and your body and body image! It's tough to tackle one of the biggest, richest, and deepest passages of the Bible in such a short amount of time. But, today, Heather attempts to apply Paul's wisdom about the sovereignty of God to our bodies and body image issues. If you've ever struggled with believing that God made you look the way you do on purpose, or that God can use you, just as you are in your body, for his purpose--you'll want to listen to this. Here's what we talk about in today's episode about God's Sovereignty and Your Body: **We dig into Romans 9 starting in verse 10 and landing in verse 23. **We concentrate on the question posed in Romans 9:20-21 about whether or not the clay as a right to ask the potter how and why he's made it that way. **We look at how Romans 9 explains that God is the potter and how we are the clay. **We talk about how God created us on purpose, for a purpose, including the way our bodies look. **We dig into the concept of God choosing what kind of vessel we are and what we were made for. **We talk about the way to surrender back to God our bodies for the purpose He created us for. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Is your body your friend or your enemy? Are you on the same team or are you always at odds? Do you feel like your body fights you? Or, maybe you've just never liked it...and making peace sounds nearly impossible. No matter where you are at on your body image journey, befriending your body is a helpful part of the process. Today, Heather talks about being kind to your body from several different angles. Here are some of the topics covered in today's Befriending Your Body episode: **We discuss how our various diet plans can be unkind to our bodies-leaving out important macronutrients or enough calories. **We talk about how being on the same team as your body can help you feel better about your body in every way--including physically. **We reference this podcast episode with Tracy Brown, RD where we discuss bread. https://comparedtowho.me/afraid-of-bread-fear-of-bread/ **We also reference these episodes about self control with Amy Carlson, RD. https://comparedtowho.me/is-self-control-really-the-solution-to-our-food-issues/ Share this episode with a friend and leave a review if it’s touched you! Not sure how to leave a review? Learn more here: https://www.comparedtowho.me/podcast Ready to start reading the Burden of Better? Find out more or start reading the first two chapters free here: https://comparedtowho.me/burden-of-better-book-for-christian-women-on-comparison Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Back-to-school shopping time gives an opportunity for body image issues to flare! Sometimes the issues are our own--we may project our own body image issues onto our kids, fearing they will follow in our footsteps as their size or shape changes. Or, it may be that our children are already expressing dissatisfaction with their bodies--and back-to-school shopping can be a rough time for both parent and child. Today we tackle all things back-to-school shopping, body image, and our children. Here's Where We Go on Today's Back-to-School Shopping, Body Image, and Our Kids Show: ** We talk about how tough it can be when our kids choose clothing that we don't like and how we worry about their image. **We discuss how to handle size tags--and how to teach your children that they don't matter. **We talk about what to do when/if your child expresses dissatisfaction with their body in the dressing room. Heather goes deep with questions you can use to start helpful conversations around body image and value. If this show blesses you, be sure to tell a friend about it or leave a review! Listen to today’s show about thinspiration and fitspiration, and let me know what you think! Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Check out Heather’s coaching options: Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

If you feel the urge to find a new diet for the Fall, you're not alone. Back-to-school time triggers us with the lure of a fresh start, new routines, and the promise that maybe this Fall we can find the plan to solve our issues for good! But, is finding a new diet or plan the best way to find body image freedom? Today we talk about this and more. If you really want to start a new diet soon -- this show is for you! What to Do When You Really Want to Start a New Diet Today we talk about what to do when you really believe a new diet is what you need. Here are some of the places we go on today's show: How triggering Instagram/Facebook ads with new plans for Fall can be! How satisfying it can be to feel like you are regaining control through a new plan. How to look at your past to see if a new plan is going to work better than the others. How to look at your future to see if a new plan can really give you what you want and desire the most. How to look at your present and see if your real need is for body change or for something deeper. What to do if you struggle not to believe that a new plan could fix everything! Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Are you stuck comparing who you are today to who you were ten, twenty, or more years ago? If so, today's episode is for you. We're going to talk about how to stop comparing yourself to your younger self. We'll explore how we tend to romanticize and idealize those older versions of ourselves. We'll also look at how to reprogram our brains and accept the reality that a changing body is more normal than not as we age. If aging is bogging you down or you can't get over the desire to look how you looked decades ago, listen and share with a friend! Highlights from today's show: Comparing Yourself to Your Younger Self *Understand that comparing yourself to the "old you" isn't a victimless crime. *We explore how this kind of comparison can have damaging effects too! *We talk about the realities of aging--that the human body is always aging and changing and how looking decades younger would actually be strange for most of us! *We explore objectification and how we don't really remember or see clearly that woman in the old photo as more than just an object. Yet, she had struggles of her own--even if her body was "better." *Why comparing your younger self isn't really an apples to apples, fair comparison. Coaching tip: Write a list of reasons you WOULDN'T want to return to the age of which you keep comparing yourself. Are there things about your life then that you are missing now? Are there things about your life now that you appreciate and are grateful for? See if you can explore below the surface to find out what it is you are really missing about that old life. Was it relationships? Friendships? Freedom from burdens or responsibilities you carry now? Chances are, it's not just the body you are missing. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Check out Heather’s coaching options: Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Wondering what to do and what not to do on a bad body image day? Here are five tips to help you navigate those days when you wake up and feel "bleh" about your body. If somedays you feel more consumed with your body and the desire to change it feels overwhelming, know you are not alone. We all have bad body image days. Even if you've made great strides towards freedom from obsessing over your body, there are days when the hormones will rage or the bloat will roar and you'll be ready to do something drastic. But, never fear. There are things to do and not to do when these feelings hit you. Today, we talk about 5 of them. From why you shouldn't go get bangs cut (or any drastic hair style change) to why spending the day googling a new diet won't work, we cover a gamut of suggestions for what to do on a bad body image day. What to Do on a Bad Body Image Day Today's top five tips are as follows: Don't get on the scale, don't try on your smallest jeans, don't get a new hair cut, don't spend all day googling a new plan, and don't make a list of new vows to yourself (I'll never eat after 7pm again!). Instead-- learn to identify those bad body image days. Learn to dig in to what's underneath the feelings. And, learn to be patient with your always changing body. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Check out Heather’s coaching options: Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Did you know that healing your body image may require you to escape from something you've likely been trapped in for a long time? Diet Culture-the ways we think having a better or "healthier" or thinner body will save us-has trapped many of us in its "escape room" for decades. We're told if we can do all the things, figure out the right combinations, and break the secret codes, then we will escape and be free from our body image issues. But, the truth is, that's not the way diet culture--or body image issues--work. We talk about escaping diet culture and healing body image issues. Here's where we go in today's show: How trying to escape the pervasive diet culture can feel like trying to get out of a difficult escape room. Why there's not a secret decode ring to unlock your healing from body image issues. How escaping diet culture is the first step to finding body image healing. How diet culture keeps us trapped always looking for the key that works. How we gather clues and believe that if we apply it all to our bodies, we will unlock the door to freedom. How we believe freedom from body image issues is bigger than just not stressing over our bodies. Body image issues are about our hearts. Can we believe he made us in a variety of ways, shapes and sizes? Why Christianized "Jedi mind tricks" can't set us free. What does freedom with body image issues really look like? How do we keep from going back to diet culture's escape room? Coaching tip: Acknowledge the ways we've believed the world's system (Diet culture's system) would unlock the door to freedom and abundant life? How have we believed that we really needed a better body to set us free? Have we tried to heal our body image issues the word's way or the world's way? Think and pray through these questions today. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Learn more about Intuitive Eating for Christian Women or listen to the podcast here: https://intuitiveeatingforchristianwomen.com Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In today's "Hot Coaching Tips" episode, Heather talks fitness trackers, Apple Watch, and all the other little exercise bullies that we wear on our person. We talk about the good, the bad, and the unexpected when it comes to these tracking devices. Do you have to have your watch on to get "credit" every time you walk? Do you never leave home without your tracker? Take a listen today and see how this coaching episode can help you. Are Fitness Trackers Bad for Your Health? Here's what we talk about on today's show: How we can be shamed or challenged into obeying our trackers versus our bodies. Do these trackers and their readouts keep us stuck in disordered behaviors? Why we get so "inspired" and how those little "rewards" on our wrists work. How these "motivators" can lead us to a bad place with exercise. Are fitness trackers bad for your mental health? How they're not inherently bad or "evil" but how those of us with issues around disordered eating and exercise, they may be unhealthy. Why changing our goals may be the healthiest things for our bodies and our minds. Coaching Tip: Pray about whether or not you need to give up your tracker. Is it helping you or hurting you? Who can you have an honest conversation with about your relationship with your tracker? Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Check out Heather’s coaching options: Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Most of us who diet or try fitness/wellness plans aren't looking to be on a plan forever. We just want to rest. We just want to be normal with food. But what does that even look like? Are you so far from feeling peaceful and "normal" around food, that you can't even conceive of how that would look? That's what we're talking about in today's "Hot Coaching Tips" episode. Here are some points we cover as we discuss: What Does it Mean to Be Normal With Food? Why it's important to understand what eating disorders and disordered eating really looks like? How too many don't classify themselves with that label because they believe their strained relationship with food is normal or necessary. How looking identifying our behaviors around food can help us work towards healing, freedom, and recovery--if we aren't afraid to be honest about them. How Heather's understanding of her own eating disorder came decades later. (She talks about that in this episode: What You Need to Know About Eating Disorders ) Why if your weight is something you can only maintain through eating disorder behaviors, that's not a healthy weight for you. How getting food freedom means thinking about food less and getting back mental space assigned to calculating and measuring. What I observed about my Food Network watching habits after I quit dieting! Coaching Tip: Is your relationship with food disordered? Take an honest look at your habits, thoughts, and patterns this week. Reach out for help if you need it. Promoted on today's show: BodyBloved Food Freedom Bible Study and Course! Use these links to learn more: Food Freedom Bible Study Group Course (One Year Access) or Lifetime Access Food Freedom Bible Study Individual Course (One Year Access) or Lifetime Access Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Check out Heather’s coaching options: Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In today's Intuitive Eating coaching call, Heather talks to her coaches, Erin Todd and Char-Lee Cassel from the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women podcast about how she's spent so many years trying not to eat and how unfamiliar it is to have that permission. Today we start by looking at scripture. In Proverbs 13:25 the Bible talks about eating until their hearts are content. Then in Proverbs 14:1, the next verse in the Bible, scripture references a woman using her own hands to tear down her house. We talk about how restricting food leads to tearing down our earthly homes and breaking down our bodies by not nourishing them the way they need. Here are some other topics we talk about in today's "Trying Not to Eat" coaching call: How odd it is that we tend to praise those who can go without food or "resist" the "temptation" to eat, when eating is necessary and healthy. How it is a revolutionary concept to most of us that shrinking our body isn't the healthiest thing for it. How physically good it is for your body to care for it and not uber focus on your weight. How we've trained our brains to be against our bodies. Why trying not to eat is not as healthy as we've been taught. How eating carbohydrates helps stabilize your blood sugar and makes you feel better. What Heather learned about Intuitive Eating when she overdid it with the Bark Thins. Who we are really "obeying" when we don't nourish our bodies. How the abundant life isn't really about getting food right, it's about having so much life the food isn't as important! Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Learn more about Intuitive Eating for Christian Women or listen to the podcast here: https://intuitiveeatingforchristianwomen.com Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What does it mean to really let go of our ideals? Are you grieving the ideal life that you hoped to have, but don't? Do dreams of "happily ever after" keep us stuck wishing and hoping that our lives were different than they are? How can we let go of our ideal life in order to fully embrace and enjoy the life we actually have? We talk about these issues and more on today's episode. Here's Where We Go in Today's Show: Grieving the Loss of the Ideal Life Check out Paul Tripp's Instagram post here How do we let go of those dreams we've held for our lives? Why grieving the ideal life is the only way to let go of idolatrous dreams and find the ones God has for us. What is the grieving process and how does this apply to our ideals? What stages of grief do we go through as we release our ideals? Me and Cinderella - a song from the Wallflowers- that talks about giving up the fantasy to really live life. It may not be that you believed life would be perfect, but perhaps you believed it would just be a "little better" than it is. The only place where we'll really find happily ever after. What ideals do you have that you can't let go of yet? Coaching tip: What ideals am I still chasing and what do I need to grieve? Where am I still holding on to a Cinderella fantasy? Have I been grieving the loss of the ideal life or am I still chasing it? Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Check out Heather’s coaching options: Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Thinspiration or Fitspiration has been around since I was a kid, only it didn't have such a cool name. But, I learned that cutting pictures out of magazines of women whom I aspired to look like would help me, somehow, look more like them. I read I should put these pictures on the refrigerator and that would help me not eat. I should put them on my mirror so I could look at these images, every day, and be reminded of my goal--to have that kind of body. It may sound innocent, but friends, fitspiration and thinspiration are not of the Lord. Jesus doesn't ask us to try to look like other women. Jesus doesn't ask us to not eat so that we can have someone else's body size or shape. There is so much evil wrapped up in this seemingly innocent "inspirational" exercise--and it's time that it was exposed. Today we talk about the problem with thinspiration and fitspiration and how, spiritually and physically harmful it can be. Looking at another woman's body and deciding that you "want one just like it" is the type of coveting talked about way back in the Old Testament! Looking at a photo with envy, daily, doesn't lead us to a place of body image freedom--it leads to a place where we are further stuck in our idolatry. Topics we tackle in today's show about the Problem with Thinspiration: What are we worshipping? Have we traded the "truth" for a "lie" like Romans 1:25 says. God didn't make me to look like her. Does posting these pictures actually bring us more shame and hurt us in other ways? God isn't waiting for me to look more like that image, I'm made in his image. Listen to today's show about thinspiration and fitspiration, and let me know what you think! Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Check out Heather’s coaching options: Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This month Heather gives "hot" coaching tips to help you get body image freedom. Today's topic is black-and-white thinking. Sometimes it's called "All or Nothing thinking." But the trap those of us who fall into body image issues fall into is believing that the choice is in between caring about your body or not caring about your body. This is a false dichotomy. The choice isn't to steward or not steward our bodies, the choice is to believe that we can surrender our body image to the Lord. Getting rid of the black-and-white thinking can help you see these issues rightly and get free! You can learn more on this topic by listening to this amazing interview I did with Shawna Scafe last year: https://comparedtowho.me/podcast-the-all-or-nothing-mentality-featuring-shawna-scafe/ Other topics we cover today around black and white thinking and body image: Jesus clearly commands us in Matthew 6:25 not to worry about our food and our bodies. But, not worrying about them isn't the same as mistreating, abusing, ignoring or not caring about our bodies. So, how do we care for our bodies without worrying? How do we take care of ourselves without making body image an idol and making food something to obsess over? In today's show, we talk about how to fight the temptation to enter into black-and-white thinking in the arena of your body image. We talk about how money issues can relate to body image issues and how the lessons of scripture that apply to money can also apply to our physical bodies. Coaching Action Step: Are you struggling with all-or-nothing or black-and-white thinking? Think about ways this week that you see yourself practicing this and take a pause to think of some alternative, healthier ways to make progress towards your goals without making it all or nothing. All-or-nothing or black-and-white thinking separates us from living the life of grace and understanding and accepting God's grace for our lives. This episode will encourage and inspire you. Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do we want to be hot or holy? Your answer may be: Both! But the pursuit of a hotter body and the pursuit of looking more like Jesus can sometimes be competing interests. Of course, our pursuit of beauty isn't something to be ashamed of. We've been programmed to believe that our value is based on our appearance or connected to how we look. It takes a lot of faith and trust in God to break free from the world's economy of beauty. On today's show, we talk about how shifting our greatest pursuit to holiness instead of the culture's definition of beauty can transform our lives and feel the freedom in Christ that we long for. If you struggle with wanting to be hot more than you want to be holy, today's show is for you! Here's where we go today as we discuss pursuing being hot or holy: How do we truly desire to be more like Jesus? How do we free ourselves from the mindset that an improved physical appearance gives us the most value? Does Hot or Holy have to be a choice? How do we focus on making our hearts more beautiful when culture tells us our greatest need is a better body? What does Jesus really ask of us in the arena of pursuing holiness? The Catholic Litany of Humility - and its amazing reminders of how to lay down our desires to pursue recognition, glory, praise and worship for ourselves in order to keep our focus on worshipping Jesus. Erin Todd's "A Former Dieters Prayer for Humility" - Erin does an amazing job re-writing the original to speak to each of the issues we face in the body image/dieting/wellness realm. Print it somewhere you can read it daily! Are we email friends yet? Join the 5 Day Body Image Freedom Email Challenge here: https://www.comparedtowho.me Have you read Compared to Who? Check it out and start reading free, here: https://comparedtowho.me/compared-to-who-book-for-christian-women-on-body-image/ Ready for some extra support on your journey to body image freedom? Do you want to believe you are more than a body but still feel stuck? Struggling with the hot or holy paradigm? Check out Heather’s coaching options. Learn more here: https://comparedtowho.me/christian-body-image-coaching-insecurity-confidence-gospel/ Listen to today's Hot or Holy episode here or wherever you get your podcasts! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.