A few years ago, I was cleaning out an old drawer and found a picture of myself from 2002. Soon after that, I found a secret message through a journal entry.
Reading it almost brought me to tears.
I’m sharing it with you now. These feelings are very personal. I was hesitant to open myself up like this.
However, I will share them in case this saves someone’s life.
****************************************
1/10/2002
For the first time in this process I considered returning to my old ways.
I went to the doctor’s office and he weighed me. 240 pounds.
Before I went, I had prayed for strength to look at that number and I did it.
But hearing him lecture me about my weight was just devastating.
For one thing, it was the manner in which he did it.
He didn’t look at me. He just stared at his chart and launched into a spiel he must have given dozens of times.
He told me that what I was doing to my heart by being obese was the same as asking an engine designed for a Volkswagen to carry the weight of a Mack truck.
I tried to say something, but he just kept right on talking. I haven’t felt that invalidated in a long time.
Anyway after I left, I felt like crying. There was just a dull pain and heaviness in my heart.
I felt like someone had just run me over.
I wanted to eat. It was true I was a little hungry, but that’s not why I wanted to eat.
I wanted the pain to go away.
So I prayed, and I talked to God and asked Him for His comfort, which He gave. But I still had some pain. It was like grief.
But I didn’t eat to deal with it. I went to sleep later instead.
When I woke up, I thought about my weight problem. I’ve allowed myself to let wrong thinking set up in my head.
I’ve been defeated so many times that I don’t have the strength to fight anymore. But God’s strength never runs out. So I have to borrow His.
So yes for me, my weight is a Spiritual battle.
Whenever I want to eat and I’m not hungry it means I’m trying to use food to fill a God-shaped space in me. I just realized something. Before, I used to think that the food was working. That it filled the space, but then it was temporary.
Now I realize all the food did was medicate me so that I didn’t notice the space at all. The space never went away. My need for God never went away.
Food was just a way for me to deny my need for God, to hang on to my illusion of independence: “I can handle this by myself.”
It was my not-so-subtle form of rejection.
The thought makes me sick. But, it was ignorance. I didn’t know. I just thought this weight problem would be solved if only I found the right diet or exercise program.
But I was wrong.
My solution has to focus on filling that God-shaped space to make me feel truly whole.
***********************************
Some of you may not have been able to relate to my story. That’s fine.
For some of you, your weight issue may be just about finding the right diet or exercise program. There are plenty of good ones out there.
If that is all you need, then Take Back Your Temple is not for you. So you could stop reading right now.
I created Take Back Your Temple because I knew a solution was needed for someone like me, for whom the excess weight was not just about the diet or exercise program.
After all, I read all the diet books. I was a Registered Nurse for heaven’s sake! I knew how to eat healthy and exercise.
My problem was not being able to make myself do what I knew was right. This was a Spiritual and emotional issue.
That is where I needed God’s help.
- He showed me how to do with Him what I could not do alone.
- He helped me to dismantle that wrong thinking in my head.
- He helped me find the strength to keep going when I felt like giving up on myself as a hopeless cause.
God showed me how precious I am to Him. Because I was finally able to receive His love for me, then I was finally able to love myself as I was – before I even lost a pound.
Today, I would not trade my weight loss journey for all the diets, exercise programs, medications, and surgeries in the world.
Was it always easy? No.
However, it was worth it!
I discovered how to get that abundant life that Jesus promised in John 10:10. It’s all about getting to know God through a deeper way, yes even through the challenge of a weight loss journey!
I feel that God is calling some of you to a new life through your weight loss journey. And I’d like to share that journey with you. Come join me on the journey in the Take Back Your Temple program, starting today.
An old African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Let’s go farther – together.
“Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance (Isaiah 55:2).”
Transform Your Life: Embrace Health, Healing, and Wholeness
Are you ready to break free from emotional eating and discover lasting change? I’m Kimberly Taylor, author and Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple Program, and I’ve walked this path myself.
Unlock Biblical Wisdom for Transformation
I struggled with consistency and discouragement on my own journey. But then I discovered a powerful truth: The Bible not only promises change is possible, it reveals exactly how to achieve it!
Experience Community-Powered Success
Join our vibrant community of Christians who are:
- Conquering emotional eating
- Supporting each other’s journey
- Achieving their healthy weight God’s way
Empower Your Journey Today
Ready to transform your life? Click here to learn how the Take Back Your Temple Program can guide you to the abundant life you deserve.
I have had similar feelings of worthlessness and all too often I “gave up” on myself as a “hopeless cause”. Being overweight must be very much like a drug addict or an alcoholic feels: POWERLESS. I have felt this and it has consumed my whole life, despite being told I was “gorgeous” or “breathtaking”. I never believed those things. I couldn’t match up to all those actresses and models in the 1970’s magazines. I wish I could go back and talk to that girl who hated herself. I wish I could tell her: Those people aren’t perfect. They are manipulating the photos to make them look perfect. What a waste of time and energy.
Indeed, Lorraine! We are God’s original Masterpiece as this Skit Guys video says so eloquently (plus its funny): https://youtu.be/3QCkBL2DfVg?si=oDF984IjYdD4PydJ
Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” We really could just center our hearts on that first part and practice it throughout the day: “I will praise you…”
Our souls would be at peace and thankful for how God made us, even with our flaws and scars 🙂
Amen!!Thank you for sharing
You are welcome, Felecia!
Awesome, just Awesome and Kim today I was going through something like this. I’m running from the Lord, one of my sister in Christ said the same thing to me. Now I know that God loves me. Dealing with lowself esteem is hard for me. Asking God to help me change my thinking and allow Him to love me .
Hi Renee – I love it when God confirms His word. I am going to challenge you that, instead of “self-esteem” to go higher and think about “God-esteem,” which means learning to see yourself through His eyes. You are who He says you are and you are precious in His sight: Encouraging Scriptures: Who I Am in Christ.
In addition, remember that John 3:16 is the basis of our salvation, which begins “For God so loved the world…”
You are basing your believe in God’s love based on what you do. But it is based on what Jesus has already DONE.
I pray this message sinks into your heart today and inspires praise for what the Lord has done! https://takebackyourtemple.com/for-god-so-loved/
You are so adorable! I believe what you said about overeating being a spiritual matter. What is said about feeling abandoned but not having your father just struck me for the first time because it’s true for me too. Although I feel healed from that and forgiven my father and mother, I think there’s some truth to that.
Ha, ha – thank for the “adorable” comment, Fidella! In my case, food was the “Calgon, take me away!” substance, to quote an old commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJsFvLBdOi0 . It was my way of escape, to numb myself to painful feelings. It was only 9 years after saying the prayer of Salvation that I came to trade fathers and trust in God’s love and care. Here is that story: The Scripture that Changed my Life. I pray it bless you!
Dear Kim, I love so much your heart for the Lord and your desire to lift up others around you with the wisdom He has given you through his Word. My heart ached when I read this entry. I am so struggling with this! My mind knows it and my heart knows it, but I find myself holding onto the known comfort of food for dear life. I know the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, and I still run to the food instead of God. I have always had a lot of faith but right now, my husband and I are in a battle with the enemy over the soul of our adult son, and today as I read your entry, I realized I may be angry at God. It is hard to run to someone for help and comfort when you’re angry at them. I pray that the Lord will forgive me of my anger and help me to realize He is in control and is working on my family’s behalf—even when I don’t see the immediate progress. My mind knows this, but my heart and emotions are many steps behind. Thank you Kim for sharing. ❤️
You are welcome, Melinda and I pray for healing for you and your family. You know, the Lord knows what is going on in your heart. Over 30 years ago, I was going through a tough time on my job. I was so tired of praying and it seemed as if nothing was helping. I remember coming home, collapsing on the bed, crying bitterly. I said to the Lord in anger, “I hate you!” It’s hard for me to imagine now, but I was in so much emotional pain that it felt like I was battling alone and God didn’t care.
In hindsight now, I see that God was there and He did care. He meets us where we are and we walk by faith, not by sight. I wrote an article called “Ministering to a Hard Heart” in which I looked to Jesus and the challenges He faced, which comforted my heart as I went through that difficult season. I pray it minister to you too: Ministering to a Hard Heart (Prayer).
Thank you so much, Kimberly. I so appreciate you taking time to share with me. Sometimes I feel alone in this—no matter how many people are around me. But I so appreciate the prayers and the Godly wisdom. I asked today for the Lord to heal my devastated heart and my misplaced anger and to help me use that energy to serve Him better. I am looking forward to reading your Ministering to a Hard Heart. I know that the Lord is mighty to battle and mighty to deliver but He’s also mighty to comfort. Thank you, sister. ❤️
You are welcome, Melinda – it is an honor to speak God’s word into your life. I have confidence that His word doesn’t come back to Him void but it will accomplish what He pleases and prosper in the purpose for which he sends it!
I’m proud of your resilience and determination to show us how it’s done and in a Christ-like fashion. Job well done and I’m praying to join you in this journey one day!
I appreciate your confirmation, Linda – God has a way of delivering the right word at the right time. Looking forward to meeting you on this healing journey 🙂
Thank you, Kim, for your vulnerability in sharing. Your words are always anointed and encouraging! Thank you for being so relatable. Love you!
Thank you for your feedback, Shana – I am so thankful for how far the Lord has brought me. Freedom is in Him! I love you too – may you continue to be blessed in health, healing and wholeness 🙂
Wow..your testimony sounds exactly like what I am currently going through. I struggled with binge-eating and emotional eating for years. I went to the gym, lost 40 pounds, but the habit of snacking and overeating was still there. And God was and still is dealing with me about running to Him to fill any God sized hole in my heart instead of running to things I used to love, like food and entertainment. It has not been easy at all. Temptation is everywhere and I fell into it before, but I refuse to keep going around the same mountain over and over again. Running to God instead of solely depending on my strength to change my mindset has been working for me so far. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. It’s so relatable and there are many in the body of Christ who are battling with this issue who need to see your articles and draw close to the Lord. May the Lord continue to bless you and your ministry.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Dee! The enemy wants to trap us in darkness and condemnation with negative habits. But the Lord gives us the truth that sets us free and I am praising Him with you that you are on the journey to freedom! In Him, we find courage and strength to go through those difficult times, learning and developing a deeper relationship with Him along the way. I’m sure we agree that is the real prize because our journey with Him will last beyond this life, all the way to eternity. As I often say, this journey is not always easy, but it is always worth it. Stay blessed, Sister!
TY
You are welcome, Susan. All praise to our Heavenly Father!
I’ve been on so many diets …lost the weight just to gain it back! I think this is what I need…a new approach to weight loss in a biblical way! Satan is trying to kill and destroy me by a low self esteem, many times making trouble in my marriage because of my thoughts about myself. I could go on and on about the heartache and all the problems Satan has used because of my weight. I need a new approach to weight loss that will stick!!
Amen, Joni! God’s way to change is inside-out, not outside-in as the old diet mentality takes. That is why it works 🙂
Kimberly,
Thank you for sharing your testimony and for availing for what you know to be right. I believe this space you’ve created here at Take Back Your Temple is a space for me to begin my healing journey! I pray to plant myself here with the Lords help! Many blessings to you sister!!♥️
I appreciate your feedback, Lorie! This journey is not always easy but it is always worth it. It is to our benefit that we remove any stumbling blocks in our path with the Lord’s help to obtain the reward that awaits us. Please know that this journey is one step at a time and the Lord is with us every step!
I give people in my church comments and let them know promises from the scripture they read. Well todays was interesting because it was ‘ How to Respond to Conflict”
Knowing King David was a man after God’s own heart .
1 Samuel 23:1-4
Was interesting because the Lord told me when I’m hungry I needed to run to Him instead of sweat or salty. And He would tell me how to handle it.
Exactly Sandy! It’s important to give yourself grace in the change because your brain has been programmed to go in the old direction for YEARS. So you need to give yourself the proper nutrition to heal your brain and renew your mind in God’s truth to respond to emotional upsets. In that way, food can regain its proper place in your life – to heal, energize and nourish your body.
Thank you for sharing your journal entry and your heart. God has been dealing with my heart for many years about filling myself with food instead of Him. I know what I have to do, but I don’t do it. I am waking up and fighting my spiritual battle over here and in the process have found your book. I ordered your book and read it. It was encouraging and confirmation. Thank you for sharing , the Lord is using it, God bless.
May the Lord continue to bless you, Janine! We serve the Great Physician who heals all of our wounds, inside and out. He is the only one who can make us whole!
Love, love, love this article! Thanks Kimberly for another great chain breaker.
Glad you enjoyed it, Vicky! The Lord wants us free of everything that binds us 🙂
It’s like I just read my own life story. Except I’ve gone to God for help many times and He doesn’t help. I feel like a lost cause. Completely hopeless. You are beautiful. God bless you. I did order the book online, I just haven’t read it yet. It’s still sitting there. Maybe afraid that this too won’t work for me. Thank you for sharing your heart.
Hi Tanya,
Thank you for reaching out and your book purchase.
This is Mike Taylor responding and I suspect Kim will respond shortly as well.
I typically will only respond when I feel God’s unction to do so in the name of Jesus.
God has ALWAYS been there for you my dear sister and have never forsaken you.
It was HE who place the thought and desire for you to purchase the book but it is up to you to read it and move accordingly.
You are NOT a lost cause so the first thing you MUST do even before reading the first page is to say that out loud “I AM NOT A LOST CAUSE” then believe it.
I will issue you a second challenge as soon as you read this post which is to read just three pages of the book even if you want to count the preface and copyright page as one page.
Once you have completed that challenge, you will be on your way to success.
I am a wordsmith and I absolutely LOVE play on words. You said in part “…maybe afraid that this too won’t work for me.” I zeroed in on the phrase ” work for me” and again would challenge you to switch the words around and rather having the book or the content in it to “Work for you“, that you will develop the mindset where “YOU do the Work”.
Your toughest task you face is getting started.
We at TBYT are rooting for you sister, now have at it.
To God be the Glory!
Surrender to God. It’s like exhaling. One preacher says, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him.” However, we still need Him to help us to surrender. So, let your prayer be, “Lord God, help me to surrender fully and completely to you.” Repeat it again and again. Be persistent like the woman who begged the judge for help in the parable. Sometimes God wants to know if we are seriously ready for the journey….not ready for perfection… but ready to fail and fall and let Him pick us back up and walk again until we reach a steady stride. God loves you and sees your heart. He sees your fears and disappointments and hurts. ONLY He can help you and me. James says we can ask Him for wisdom without Him finding fault. He already knows our faults, flaws, and even our rebellion. He’s still willing and ready to help. I’m talking to myself as much as I am to you. So, thank you.
Thank you so much for allowing God to use you to help others. I need this!
Thanks for that confirmation, Felicia!
This article does ring true with me. I am so tired of my lack of control and know that the food I eat when emotional is not nutritional to my physical body and only momentary to my emotional senses….and then it all comes crashing down and I am worse than I was in the first place, now having to deal with the fall of the sugar rush and the facing the rise of the scale….And yes, the fact that I tried to make food my comforter.
I want and need this help.
I identify and it is just so refreshing to have it from some one who believes in The LORD. Too many “health” programs only work on the physical. That is like putting a band aid on an incision…a cup of water on a forest fire, or a cart before the horse.
Thank you for your honesty and obedience.
Thank YOU, CarolAnn – you expressed the core of the issue so eloquently. With faith and patience, we inherit God’s promises. May He continue to reveal the thoughts beneath the surface that are keeping you in bondage and help you to renew your mind to His truth to experience the freedom the Lord wants for you!
Kim
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m strengthened for my own journey .
That’s wonderful Diane – walk in your blessings! The journey is worth it 🙂
Hi Kim,
I feel like I am now in the same place you were in. I was just asking God this morning if my health and food issues were spiritual battle. I believe your email answered my question. I can’t win this battle without God’s help. I am a take back your temple member, but don’t have my password with me and am not certain on how to get connected.
Hi Jean – Glad to have you as a TBYT member! I will email you the access information so you can log on to the Member Dashboard and get connected with the group as you choose. God bless you! Kim
Hi Kim, this message came at the prefect time. I was contemplating joining WW. That was the last discussion my husband and I had last night before going to bed. I was not sleepy so I grabbed my iPad and staring reading a book by Joseph Prince – Eat Your Way To Life And Heath. I read for about 15 minutes and feel asleep. This morning after doing my devotional I checked my email and low and behold your email was the first in my box. THANK YOU so much – prefect timing. I forgot I was member of TBYT. Usually your emails go to spam but not this time and thank you so much for you precious testimony it has given me hope and confidence to start anew this year 2020. Bless your sweetheart.
You are welcome, LaVonne – praising God for new beginnings!
This is so so precious Kim!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
You are welcome, Claudia – I appreciate your support so much!
Glory to God for your testimony!!! Wow it’s a joy to celebrate your successful journey to fill your heart and soul with our Loving Almighty God instead of temporary idols.
Amen, Joyful – that is the way I see it. I have grown so much closer to the Lord as a result of choosing to walk this journey with His help and pray for others to make the same decision!
Over the last several months, it occurred to me that my desire to be thinner and to have control over my health was close to becoming idolatry. I’ve known that God doesn’t want physical limitations to keep me from serving Him, but the enemy has come in and twisted my thoughts to make weight loss and healthy eating all about me.
I strongly believe now that eating healthy is more than just declaring, “I won’t eat xyz anymore!” Because, I can’t depend on myself. I didn’t save myself from my sins…if I truly believe that I can’t be anything good without God, then that mindset needs to apply to my weight loss and recovery of my temple!
Lord, help me and others to lean on You. Only You can restore us, and only You can repair the fallen nature of or relationship we have with food. No matter how many addictive substances go in the junk food that we crave, YOU ARE GREATER! And protect our minds from caving to idolizing our future selves…help us instead to strive to a fuller life that awaits us when we submit our physical bodies to You!
Amen – Agree with this completely!
Wow this is deep and such a reality. I am in my early 20’s yet to be married and become a mother. I thought I have struggled with weight control but I realize there are people who have had it so much more. I always feel bad seeing mothers and fathers who are overweight. Over time I have asked God to help me to be of help. This gave me great insight; Take Back Your Temple.
Thank you Kimberly, you look great and I admire you. May God help me that even in my motherhood I will take care of His temple as He graces me.
Amen, Mercy – I am agreeing with your prayer and know that the Lord will help you to train up your child/children in the way they should go so that when they are old, they shall not depart from it and that you will glorify Him in body and Spirit according to His word!
Thanks so much for sharing your testimony.
Although I’ve never been obese, I’ve always carried about 25 pounds too many – unless I was on a “diet”. I’ve done so many – lost the weight – and then gained back more. I’m tired of that cycle because although it works in the immediate it isn’t a long term solution. I always feel “deprived” and can’t wait until I hit that magic # and am able to eat “normal” (my definition) again. Those diets never addressed the underlying issues – the emotional and spiritual reasons for over-eating. I am just beginning the TBYT course and finding that rather than a strict prescriptive approach to eating, it is actually looking at the underlying reasons for over-eating. I am discovering more about myself and the Lord. I am very hopeful that as I engage in the lessons and also with the very supportive TBYT community, that I will find peace with food. I am tired of the relentless mental dialogue over food. It saps my energy and enjoyment of life. I am so encouraged by everything this program offers. Thanks so much Kimberley – for your honesty, transparency, helpful advice and encouragement!
Awww, thank you so much for that encouraging word Kathie! May the Lord continue to bless you on this wonderful and worthy journey as you seek to know Him more and more 🙂
Just want you to know that this is still encouraging people. I’m just at the start of being truly serious about losing lots of weight and putting priorities back in order. A friend who is helping me, by God’s providential timing, advised that I look up your website. It’s only been a few days, but I have already been blessed. I feel like I’ve landed on another Sister who “gets it.” It’s hard to talk this candidly who don’t have the same struggles, and frankly, sometimes it’s hard even with friends who DO struggle. I don’t want them to feel any worse! Thank you, thank you for being a new voice in my wilderness.
Thank you so much for being so open and honest. It’s so true! This losing weight battle for me is SO much more than the food. It’s trusting God enough to fill that space in my heart! This encouraged me so much to know I’m not alone in thinking this is more than just a exercise/diet/food problem. I have felt so alone and to have you share what you did just ministered to me, letting me know I’m not alone in thinking and knowing that this is spiritual warfare. So I just wanted to say thank you so much!!
Thank you so much for your feedback, Natalie! God loves us so much and desires the best for us. He doesn’t want us living our lives in bondage to anything – including food! Jesus came to set us free, but we have to desire that freedom more than anything else. God bless you, Sister!
I’m so hopeful listening to and reading your tutorials, so much of what your saying rings true for me. I have been on a spiritual journey that has brought me much closer to God, but the weight issue is one that I continue to struggle with. I feel that my issues with my mouth (either filling it with food or spewing something sarcastic) keep from the relationship with God that I desire and keep me from the person that God desires me to be. Thank you for your generosity. I have prayed for Gods help and believe this is meant to be a part of my journey. Blessings!
God has been teaching me these same lessons, too. In my life it was all about submission. I was either going to obey what God was telling me to do, honor Him in my body, or be sick. God’s ways are best.
Be encouraged! This message is for every believer.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey. The truth of God worked out through you is powerful and inspiring! I am the heaviest I have ever been and have always felt stuck about not being able to loose weight. You are so calling out what my real issue is! The Lord is showing me the the root of it is emotional and eating for comfort and He wants to be all of that for me, not food! Getting your daily encouragement is so helpful! He is re-routing my journey and changing my mind-set because of the truth you are sharing. Though I am on day 3, with His help and your help have been intentional about re-thinking “Why” and instead turning to Him and mediating on the truth. I can see this will take some time to undo old habits, but He is giving me new strategies for building new habits thanks to your honesty and truth illustrations. He who the Son sets free is free indeed. Thank you!
I gave up for a little bit there, but I’m glad I began to read the devotions again and get that extra push to keep moving forward. Thank you for this, I need this so much right now.
Kim you really put it in a term I can understand and relate to “God shaped space”.
Wow, what a relative term. Only God can fill the void that causes me to want to eat unhealthy because of past hurts, failures and unresolved issues.
THANK YOU SO MUCH… i stumbled onto your website not sure how but im here.. I am thrilled to read your post and listen/watch your videos on Youtube. You have touched my heart and i totally identify with your story. My Pastor told me as few months ago that i would look at relationships differently after the new year. I assumed that she was only talking about with people. But after listening to you and reflecting over the weekend. I believe the Lord told me that not only with people but with food as well. I can be at peace with food and it has always been a fight.. i never looked at it until now. i never understood until now, and i”m now prepared to start my journey. I believe that the time is now and God will be with me every step of the way. i have a ways to go but i”m embracing the process.
And your relationship with God!
There are so many valuable comments here – I can resonate with many and I certainly can with you Kimberly. I just started getting your emails and I have been reading through your posts and it has helped me to see a few angles to my situation I had not realized before. I love the frequent emails because we all need frequent words of encouragement. I have found people who had dietary approaches ( for health mostly, though weight loss is important to me, my health is paramount because we are caregivers to our son who has uncontrollable seizures.) that were helpful to me, but they would post erratically and once in a while disappear for weeks. I felt lost, but I didn’t blame them because to do what you are doing is full time work. I realize this is a ministry for you and the people I am talking about were not Christian ( most of them were not) and that what you are doing is powered by the Lord. But it still requires your dedication and willingness to give as much as you are.
A thought I had this week was that was that somehow, deep down I must not consider eating for the wrong reason or too much a sin. I know it is, but it doesn’t feel like a sin in a way that a lot of other sins feel like sin to me. Like stealing to my brain and deep down all over is sin. I guess I am desensitized to the sinfulness of overeating. I am trying to explore this with myself and God in our talks.
Thank you for sharing yourself with us.
Hello Kimberley. I am feeling hope at last, hope that I will loose the 30kg that I need to loose and embrace my Saviour’s promises. I take medication to manage a mental health diagnosis and the side affects which include appetite increase, dry mouth and nughtmares that wake me up leave me very overwhelmed. I am an older mum in fact I had my only daughter at the age of 46 so I’m 51 now. I’m finally working as a casual replacement teacher and I love it however my weight can be a problem at times. Anyway I’m feeling so much better about caring for my temple. If you can do it I can too. By the way I showed my 7 year old daughter a photo of you before and after and explained that you are going to help me loose weight and she said you look so young in your after photo. Praise God that I discovered you.
Praise the Lord, Caterina – God is good and He will be with you every step of this journey!
I now realize reading your story is what I have been dealing with. I’m Alison an RN and have picked up this extra weight in the past 20 yrs. going on diet after diet, exercise plan I was eating healthy started with organic foods but lik you said I did not have a relationship with my Lord. Thank you for your story.
Ms Vanzant said in one of her books ” when the student is ready the teacher will appear”. I read that years ago and never forgot, each time thinking I was ready. Now I’m ready to ” take back my temple”.gmail
It feels like such a safe place at TBYT. I hear God’s voice, I learn things here I can take to God and grow, it is such a blessing. It gives me hope that I CAN do all things through Christ, including glorifying Him in my Temple as in other parts of my life. I’m so grateful, thank you for the daily devotionals too, because at this point I need daily 🙂 One day at a time, here goes a new journey, weight loss with God instead of trying to do it on my own. Because that is a fruitless endeavor!
Thank you so much for sharing your struggles as you went through your weight loss journey. For me also, it is a spiritual issue. It touches every area of my life. I’m so glad God is faithful as He continues to guide me.
Thank you soooo much for being transparent! I really needed this today! I have been overweight for 30, but t on September 10th, 2017 I took back my temple! With prayer, persistence and patience I have lost 14 pounds! To GOD be the glory. I still want to lose about 66 pounds and I am in for the long haul! Your emails are like a treat! I get so excited when I see them so I thought I would share with you. Thank you for being a blessing and I hope through my journey I can help someone they way you have helped me!
This really helped. Thank you <3
Hi Kimberly;
It is so powerful when we find someone such as you who shares her heart and journey! I too eat to soothe myself over deep emotional pain from past trauma. I have found hope in your ministry because it is using food to fill a place that I need to invite the Lord into and heal and your program addresses that issue as well as the practical side of exercise and eating well. I realize I cannot lose the weight if I do not address the hole in my soul. I too am an RN and know better! I am also a diabetic with uncontrolled sugars. I once told my doctor that it was not a knowledge problem that I had a lot of bad habits. He asked me, “How can we help you?” I said, “Well, can you change my brain?” He kind of laughed and we left it at that with me saying I would turn the situation around only not being able to. There is a study by Kaiser, a large insurance company, called the ACE study. It began studying people who were getting the bariatric surgery to help address their morbid obesity. The study scored people based on the number of childhood traumas they had suffered- sexual or physical abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, a mental ill parent, alcohol or other addiction, a parent in the penal system. What they found was that the higher your ACE score the more likely you were to have obesity and other illnesses such as autoimmune disease, heart disease etc. A high ACE score was a predictor of disease. I do not look at obese people the same. That may be someone with a wounded soul! So I thank The Lord for you Kimberly! You are helping to heal many who have wounded souls.
Love in Christ,
Julie Olsen
Today is SUNDAY MORNING ! I mean Sunday morning. Thank you ALL for your comments! Kim this article is timely for me today on this morning. “WEEPONG MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING! I drank over 1/2 gallon of sweet tea from McDonald’s. My husband wanted a big Mac meal. We live 2 min. From McDonald’s. I was not physically hungry but I wanted something. The battle in my MIND was on. I purchased the tea went home and drank glass after glass. I ate crackers and peanut butter eith jelly. Washed it down with tea. WHY?
I needed GOD, I knew I needed GOD. Why didn’t I go to him. I prayed. I asked the Holy SPIRIT for his help. I quoted scriptures BUT I still did the opposite of what I knew. Kim – HOW DO we rely on GOD fully? What does that LOOK LIKE? How do I recognize when “I” am in my own “self-effort “?
Does my question make sense? HELP
Hi Kimberly – Actually, I think you know the answer to this one. I’ll illustrate it with a story.
A grandfather tells his grandson: “I’ve got a terrible struggle on the inside of me. I have two natures. One nature is evil – full of anger, pride, envy, jealousy, self-pity, fear, ingratitude, and without restraint.
The other nature is good – loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, patient, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled. These natures are always fighting with one another.”
After thinking for a moment, the grandson asks, “Which nature will win?”
The grandfather answers: “The one you feed.”
I think the reason for your frustration and feeling helpless is that you are expecting your flesh to WANT to do the right thing. But your flesh will NEVER want to do the right thing. That’s the first thing to understand and accept.
Next, you must decide each day which nature you will “feed.” Not only does it mean feeding on Spiritual food so that your spirit gets stronger, but it also means setting up your environment to make it easier to do what you know to do.
The sweet tea was a stumbling block for you. So the wise thing to do was to leave it at McDonald’s, where it could not hurt you.
If you go to McDonald’s again, now you know the danger of bringing a gallon of sweet tea home. Don’t waste that knowledge. Use it to protect yourself from self-harming.
Even the apostle Paul wrote about his struggles in the flesh. Here are 3 articles I want you to look at. I think it will show you very well what is going on in your mind:
Power to Do the Right Thing
5 Scriptures When you Feel Helpless
Sugar: Your Emotional Pain Killer
I understand exactly what you mean. I had similar incident years ago when I left my job eating a brownie and almost went off the road from sugar intoxication. I cried out to God because I knew I had a real problem and if I did not get the help I would not be alive to tell the story. Since that day I have had my battles. I have gone as high as 285 and I have stayed lower than 150 for more than 15 years. But when I get upset if I am not careful I will find myself slipping into old patterns but not nearly as bad or as long as before.
This post came right on time. I was dealing with a battle yesterday but thank God I won. We do have the victory in Jesus Christ!
Thank you for blessing us with your testimony. I too have been an emotional eater since I was a child. Sugar and carbs have been my best friend. I feel depressed about my weight and how I’ve let myself go but just feed that emotion with sugar. Only this week I’ve felt God show me I need to use His word for my strength, and to lose weight to honour and worship Him. For me it’s not just about losing weight now but to worship God with what I eat and drink
You have found your answer! At age 67 I am still struggling with weight issues. Maybe I think this is my thorn ( Pauls) I struggle up & down with using common sense & then indulgence with food. My whole day is consumed with what I will eat & what I won’t eat for the day ( or what meals I need to fix for husband (as he does not cook)) I would say I binge eat at times. Go frack for 2nds & thirds & 4ths until stomach is feeling stuffed. Not that is WRONG. I ask forgiveness then I repeat again weeks later( sometimes days)
I will follow & read ……
thanks
Thank you so much for sharing. My cousin sent me your link after I commented on how good she looked in her profile picture. Like you I exercise (run 5k!), do the whole smoothie think, Duncan diet etc and have had some measure of weight loss, my weight goes up and down like a yo-yo! Although I am not overweight I think about food ALOT and have realised I comfort eat especially at the weekend. Your quote below pierced my soul “Now I realize all the food did was medicate me so that I didn’t notice the space at all. The space never went away. My need for God never went away. Food was just a way for me to deny my need for God, to hang on to my illusion of independence. It was my not-so-subtle form of rebellion, rejection.” How could I, a child of God be using food to fill a void in my life”? I realised that although I know God, God wants intimacy and I used food to push Him away. Knowing that hurt but I am glad because the truth you know sets you free! Thank you for opening my eyes. I start this journey of partnering with God in my eating and exercising knowing that, like you said, one day I will give an account to God about how I looked after his temple. Looking forward to what God is going to do! God bless you REAL GOOD! Tee x
Do you have any articles on how to eat sweets? Or how to deal with addictions to sweets? Thanjs, Kim
Thanks for writing Judy – Here are a couple of articles that may interest you:
The Hidden Reason We Overeat
Sugar Addiction: Breaking Free for Good
The Spirit of Addiction
You may also use the Search button at the bottom of the website for articles on topics in which you are interested as well.
Kim, you look sooooo much younger after losing your weight. How mych di yoy weigh in the latest picture? Yoy look very slim. You look fabulous! !!!
Hi Judy – you know, I don’t know how much my weight was in that picture. I focused on my clothing size (8) because the scale was driving me crazy! I call that scale worship – if the scale is up, you feel bad about yourself – so you eat. If the scale is down, you want to celebrate what you accomplished – so you eat. Get the picture? I didn’t want to continue that cycle. I just wanted to live my life, eat healthy, exercise to get stronger and stay flexible and trust that the weight would take care of itself. Which it did 🙂
Great writing. I am also a recovering emotional eater, and subconscience self sabatoge. I say recovering because as you know its a process. As I learn to turn to God to help me deal with the feelings I want to instead stuff with food Im recovering. As God is showing me my self sabatoge tendancies when I am doing good and the under lying feelings that keep people sabotaging themselves, aware or subconsciencely.
Though Im still VERY MUCH overweight. Im learning to take back my temple with God, body mind and spirit, step by step.
Thanks for your writings, they are an inspiration in many ways, spiritually and weight wise.
I am praising God for the deliverance He is bringing about in your life, Kim! He is the one who deserves all the glory for His wisdom.
I could feel the shame, humiliation and invaladtion as if I were there in that room with you for I was. I suffer from Osteo- Arthritis and so many times in the past going to a Rheumotogist and Otherpedic doctors in deep physical pain all they would give a long dispassionate lecture losing the weight. Yes, the weigh is adding greatly to the deterioration of my joints I wanted to be treated with the same respect and dignity a woman of healthy weight would have been given coming to specialist seeking relief from crippling joint pain.
I have come to release even the most well meaning persons forget the overweight and in my case obese person is just that “a person” Praise be to God that our Lord and Savior never forgets that. Thank you God for leading e to TBYT and Kimberly and the program. Its a safe place to learn God based principals to weight loss. It can be done but effective life long effect can only be done through a body, soul and spirit renewal, TBYT does that. Thank you again Kimberly for reminding me why I chose this program.
I love this, Gwen “It can be done but effective long-term effect can only be done through a body, soul, and Spirit renewal.” So very true, Gwen! If anyone is looking for a quick fix, that only leads to a short-term result. But if you are looking for a permanent solution, then you need to build on a sure foundation, which is relying on God’s wisdom to help you build healthy habits that you can live with. God is truly awesome!
God has led me here as a part of the transformation that is about to take place in my life. I thank God for using you in such a mighty way!! I look forward to what God is about to do! Please continue to share your testimony for His glory!!!
Dear Kimberly
This gas really minister to me. I have be en asking God for a long time to deliver me from overweight. I believe my Journey has startet.
Thank you for sharing
Love Lene
I meant this has really ministered to me ☺
Your articles always inspire me Kim…It’s taken me years to realize my problem is a spiritual one. I haven’t loved myself for a long time, and it’s hard for me to believe that God has not given up on me either. I also believe my problem is rebellion and independence. And possibly entitlement. I’m embarrassed by my actions and usually by the end of the day have given up on myself. But I do know that the more time I spend with God and His Word, the more at peace I feel. I know this is the answer and I appreciate your web site and program so much!!
Praise the Lord, Sherry – so happy that you are coming into the knowledge of the TRUTH!
I’ve been looking for something that only God would be able to help me.
So He sent you, to help me through His word. I’m just getting started and I plan to be obedient to what scripture says. Thank you Kimberly from the bottom of my heart. God bless you and keep you and all who may see this post “safe”
Lovya
Thank you Maria! The good news is that God not only gives us His word to set us free but also the power to walk it out. It is a day by day process. Each day, you will get stronger step by step. Stay the course. The results are worth it 🙂
Kimberly thank you and I’m also thankful for each of you. We share our most heartfelt feelings and reading through them we share so many of the same struggles and look forward to the awesome outcome of overcoming being overwieght. We all can look to the hills from where our help comes from and know our help comes from our Lord! Kim victory is our victory let’s keep encouraging ourselves that we are beautiful in Gods’ eyesight and we will have a healthy life style by his grace and mercy, He promise us that they are renewed everyday. Each day let’s know what we didnt do today if God grant us another day we can do better and be better. Let’s keep encouraging each other and as Kim said together we can do it! You Pray for me and I’ll Pray for you. Thanks Kimberly and all of you.
Beautifully said, Mary. We are helpers to one another!
Hello Ms. Kimberly. I have read many of your inspirational comments in my emails and yes I can definitely relate to your weight loss journey. God is the head of my life but I’m obviously lacking faith when it comes to Him helping me lose weight. Right before I wrote this comment I ate a king size almond hershey bar with ice milk and then I felt convicted. It’s very hard to stay motivated with weight lose because my ankle gives me a lot of trouble so i try my best not do to much bouncing on it and running is not an option. I try to exercise but it’s hard to be consistent because it doesnt seem like I’m getting anywhere or it’s taking too long just to loss one pound. Despite the fact that I ate that candy bar I truly am trying to change my eating habits but I know many times I eat out of boredom or just because I feel like I need to be chewing on something. My stomach is one of the hardest things to get rid of. Not only is having a fat belly bad for your health its also very unattractive. I’m wore out but I truly want to thank you for your motivation and I don’t believe finding you online was a mistake. May God bless you.
Wonderful testimony! This could be an excellent encouragement to many!
Hi Kim, I thank God for you submitting yourself to Him and letting Him use you to help people let us who struggle with their weight. I have been struggling with obesity, procrastination and emotional eating most of my life. I have tried to lose the weight by my power and it has not worked. But now after going through your website, I realise that it not by power nor by might but by the Spirit of God. Please keep me in your prayers for weight loss. I weigh 235 pounds and my goal is to lose 80 pounds. By faith from today, I believe that all things are possible with God.
Hi Kim, what prompted me to log on this website was because of a compliment i received from from colleague this morning telling me “I swelling”. I felt very bad. I once went through weight loss plan and i did lost weight, I relaxed and i started eating. I tried to stop but i cant get myself to. Really i know what to do, i know the right thing to do yet i find it hard to do. your post and other peoples’ comments made me realize i need God to help me. please i wont mind encouragements from you as i start over again but now with GOD
Esther, I praise God that you now know He is the answer. It is a day by day process. This article also tells you how some foods you may be eating can make it hard to stop eating: The Hidden Reason you Overeat. I think of it as like a food allergy. Check it out because I believe it will help you to regain control. God bless you on this journey!
Day One
Matthew West
Well, I wish I had a short term memory
Wish the only thing my eyes could see
Was the future burning bright right in front of me
But I can’t stop looking back
Yeah, I wish I was a perfect picture of
Somebody who’s never not good enough
I try to measure up but I mess it up
And I wish I wasn’t like that
I wish I wasn’t wishing anymore
Wish I could remember that nobody’s keeping score
I’m tired of throwing pennies in a well
I gotta do something
Here goes nothin’
It’s day one of the rest of my life
It’s day one of the best of my life
I’m marching on to the beat of a brand new drum
Yeah, here I come
The future has begun
Day one
Well, every single day Your grace reminds me
That my best days are not behind me
Wherever my yesterday may find me
Well, I don’t have to stay there
See my hourglass is upside down
My someday soon is here and now
The clock is tickin’
And I’m so sick and tired of missing out
It’s day one
And here comes the sun
Every morning, every morning
Every morning, mercy’s new
Every morning, every morning
Every morning, I will fix my eyes on You
Every morning, every morning
Every morning, mercy’s new
Every morning, every morning
Sun’s coming up, the beginning has begun
Starting over, I’m starting over
Starting over, I’m starting over, starting now
I’m starting over
Starting over, I’m starting over
Starting over
Starting over, starting now
I’m starting over
This song resonated with me after reading all the comments and replies from Kim. God is enough. We have the Creator of the Universe living inside us. He wants us to to be at the end of ourselves, so He can do His best work through us one minute at a time, choice by choice. “Lord I’m ready now.”
Powerful, powerful Leisa! I’ll have to check out that song on YouTube. One of my favorites songs by Matthew West is “Child of the One True King.” I know the Lord will be with you as you are starting over. He is faithful!
Thanks so much Kim for posting this. Everyday I grow closer and closer. You are a continual encouragement. kp
Thank you, Keren – I really appreciate your encouragement!
Kim,
This speaks to my heart. I could have written it myself! I continue to look in the wrong places for something to fill emptiness. Only God can fill it.
Thank you for putting yourself out there. Your vulnerability is opening my eyes and heart to how many times I’ve allowed Satan to deceive me. And I appreciate it deeply.
Thank you.
You are welcome, Janet. Even now, I have to keep reminding myself of the truth. If I don’t, I am liable to forget. A couple of years ago, God told me that “forgetfulness is the enemy of faith.” So it is a necessity to remind yourself of the Lord’s goodness and what He has for you. Otherwise the enemy will try to snatch that knowledge from you to get you back into bondage. My advice? Hold on to the truth, walk in it and never let it go! It’s the only way to stay free.
Thanking for sharing your story. I definitely can relate to it. Like others…I too know what to do to but doing it is the hard part. My health is starting to get bad and I know it’s from all the weight I’m carrying. I hate being fat…I hate the way I look and feel. I have allowed Satan to steal my joy,peace, and my body.
Please pray for me that God will give the power and strength to beat this obesity bondage.
Hi Mary – I am praying with you. You already have the strength and power. As a believer in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, which is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (see Romans 8:11). I’d recommend asking God in prayer to show you what is the first step He would have you take to use the power He has already given you.
Hating and condemning yourself for the results of your habits won’t help. All it will do is make you feel depressed and discouraged to stop you from even trying to change. Believe me, I know! Many people hate the results of obesity, but are still in love with the habits that got them there. But to change, you’ve got to fall out of love with those habits, break up with them, and replace them with new ones that help you, not hurt you.
A good place to start changing is to be sure you have reached your ENOUGH point. Check out this article to see what I mean: https://takebackyourtemple.com/christian-weight-loss-enough-enough/
God bless you on this journey.
God always shows up!! Oh my goodness….I was just praying this a few days ago as I was going through some photos where I made attempts to lose weight. I would lose and get to about the same weight and something would happen. I would get bronchitis or an injury and I quit. The revelation of this led me to pray the God what’s blocking me, what is it….I wanted to dig deeper and it’s no longer just weight loss I want to know me…through Him! My mind was quickly drawn to your ministry and today i see this and praise God. Thank you my sister you have blessed me and directing me and I’m grateful for you
You are welcome, Vanessa. To Him be all the glory!
Thank you for not only sharing your experience with emotional eating but how you learned to allow GOD to fill your empty spots. I struggle with emotional eating and there are times I feel I’ve been disconnected from GOD. By sharing your testimony I know there is hope for me…..be blessed
It’s my privilege to share what God has done for me. He is no respecter of persons so when you trust Him with your feelings, He will prove that your trust won’t be not misplaced!
Thank you for sharing your story. I am now where you once were. Your encouragement has helped me to understand that with God’s help I can do this.
Amen, Elaine – you CAN do this. Choice by choice. Just remember – you are never alone. You have many people who are cheering you on and upholding you in prayer 🙂
How could I not write after reading your journal entry. Kim, since I first ” accidently” ran across TBYT the end of dec 2014 I felt like you were my best friend( silly to say , I know but sometimes God just places people in your path to whom you ” knit hearts with”. I appreciate your minestry and how you are affecting so many lives for the kingdom of God. What I saw so clearly today that the difference between you now and that Dr. So many years ago is…..LOVE. You love people with a God kind of love and people recieve that…just where they are spiritually. Love changes us. Love opens our eyes, love NEVER FAILS as 1 Corinthians 13 tells us. If we would read that today and apply it to our lives good things will happen…from the inside out! I recently began to pray for a Baptism of Love and while spending time in prayer I saw two candles one tall thin one and one short chubby one. I said” lord, I want to burn brightly the rest of my life ( I saw myself as the tall thin candle) then I was picked up by my wick by The Father then He dipped me in His liquid love, and suddenly I began to cry out ” dip me again Father, dip me again!over and over the layers of liquid love attached to my candle making me a nice fat candle able to burn brightly and not burn out.
All this to say that the TBYT program has encouraged me to be more diligent in reading / studying my bible and prayer time with The Father. And yes a few months ago I weighed 219 lbs. today I weighed191.5 lbs my food choices are better. I recently went to Mexico on a mini mission trip and we walked door to door evangelism in very primitive conditions and I felt strong, I’m 66! I have a new love for my hour a day on the elipital machine, every day and That is supernatural! I have never done anything even close to that, ever and I love it, wow God is good! My goal in s still another 50 pounds or so but I’m not worried about that as I grow larger Spiritually I’m growing smaller physically! It is no stress, honestly it is just ” happening” my love and appreciation to you and mike, may God continually bless the efforts you both put forth. Heart hugs, Sherry
Love ya back, Sherry! My constant prayer is that the Lord teach me to love people as He loves them. Praise God for your weight loss. I know you have been very consistent with this and your faithfulness is paying off! That is too funny about your love of the Elliptical being supernatural. It is amazing what God can do through us when we let Him. Thank you so much for your testimony and encouragement. I know that you are helping many. I am looking forward to hearing about your continued progress. You can do this!
All of us are carrying baggage around. I want to be smart enough to let it go but yet I get stuck at action. My condolences to you Major for your loss and your bravery. Thank you Kim for helping others.
Trish, you are right – we all have baggage of some kind. As I often say, “I’ve got issues, you’ve got issues, all God’s children got issues!” Typically when there is a problem letting go of issues, it comes down to fear or overwhelm. The thought is: “I won’t be able to handle it.” But with God, all things are possible. What’s required is belief in His promise to take a first step of faith. And yes, small steps do count! God bless you 🙂
Sister Kim, What a beautiful pictures of you. The last picture shows just what the Holy Spirit did with your countenance. You are such a beautiful person. Thank you for sharing your stories. I’m working on myself with the help of the Lord. I’m encouraged.
Hallelujah, Ann. I appreciate the compliments too. We are truly blessed: “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance (Psalm 89:15).”
I just cried as I read some of these entries and I felt so selfish for having a moment and really needed to get it out. But truly that prayer be for us all. My heart is wrenched with all the pain we go through because we struggle to see our selves they way HE sees us. And so we let our value diminish in our sight-how that must pain the FATHER Who placed such high value on us. No different from the one who hasn’t accepted salvation in Christ-just having difficulty calculating the value. Ha! Glad to have a place to let this out, even no one ever read this, if feels better to let it out. Glad HE loves us. Rejoiced to know HE has given us victory in HIS SON, JESUS. LORD, reign in this area of our lives that we may know peace even in this. Amen.
Thank you for that prayer Janelle. Your heart comes through! I know the Lord has heard and answered. May we all receive the blessing the Lord wants all of His people to have: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 1:2)”
Wow! “I don’t have the strength to fight anymore. ..my weight is a Spiritual battle.” I am so there! And I no longer want to rebel-never did, actually. My inadequacies-whatever they may be-have kept me and I doubt that I will be successful. And I know this doubt is based on my ability, thus, not trusting in HIS. How wretched of me! How could I doubt the ONE Who loves so perfectly? Who never leaves nor forsakes-the ONE Who promises to be with me always? I guess I figure I’ve got to be responsible for something-can’t put it all on HIM. Can I? Scripturally, it appears I can according to Proverbs 3:5-6 and 1 Peter 5:7 and my favorite Matthew 11:28-30 and many others. O LORD, let me not just have a mental understanding of this, but let these truths reign in my heart that truly my life be lived to the praise of YOUR glory! Thank YOU for accepting me in The BELOVED. In HIS Precious Name I ask and pray. Amen.
And thanks to you, Kimberly, for sharing and allowing us to share our burdens. What a BLESSING you are. Truly you are doing the HIS will. I will have a big hug for you when we finally meet-here or there:)
Hi Janelle – preach, Sister! Many of us know the scriptures with our minds, but only with meditation on them do they sink into your heart. Then, when you practice what the scriptures say, they become a part of you and shape who you are! It is a beautiful process…but it is a process. It takes faith AND patience to inherit God’s promise. May God richly bless you in becoming all that He has created you to be!
Thank you Kim, for helping me to open my mind and heart to the realization that my overweight problem is an outward sign of an inward spiritual power struggle.
I do need guidance to take charge of my problem!
God bless you –
You are welcome, Laurie. Awareness is the first step of change so you are on your way!
Thank you for sharing this. It is a spiritual issue for me, too. I still struggle with believing the lies that food could satisfy me more than my heavenly Father.
Hi Michele, it is a struggle but it does get easier with practice. Don’t forget to use your Spiritual Caller ID too: https://takebackyourtemple.com/do-you-have-spiritual-caller-id/
Thank you so much for being willing to be used by God to share your story. So many of us can relate, I’m sure of it! You are a blessing and a wonderful leader to so many through your website. Thank you! Much love to you my friend!
Thanks Christy – I am so thankful that God has given me this forum through which we can all connect with each other – all over the world!
I can also relate to each of your stories. I have been struggling with my weight all my life. I am 47 years old. I finally had a break through, I was molested as a child and I never told anyone. I ate because I didn’t want anyone to see me. Now all you see is me and I can’t disappear to save my life. I want the weight off as bad and as fast as I put it on. I have tried every weight loss program I can afford. I have high blood pressure I have knee problems and I am praying to God for relief. I believe in my heart that He will never fail me I just needed to know why I was eating and I just had that revelation what I was doing and why. I finally found a husband who loved me for me a few years back fat and all. I told him what happen to me and he still loved me and never judged me. May 7, 2012 we were in a car accident and he died. God spared my life that day and I was devastated that the man who loved me was gone and I would never know love again. I was wrong I am sill alone but I know what it feel to be in love and to have love and I know God will bless me with that again. I am taking back my temple and my life.
Thank you Kim for what you do and all you do. God is able
I pray you all and God bless you all.
Major, you said something very profound: “I ate because I didn’t want anyone to see me.” I’ve had the TBYT site online since 2006 and a HIGH percentage of people who write me about emotional issues and weight have had a sexual trauma of some kind, whether it be molestation, incest, abuse, even rape. Some have been neglected or rejected by family. And not enough food in the world can heal things like that. But God can. I applaud your courage in sharing your story.
I can’t imagine the pain of losing the love of your life. I am sorry for that but glad that you found each other even for a brief time. And since you are still here, that must mean God still has a purpose for you. Perhaps it’s to minister to others who have also suffered as you have: “who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:4).”
I know that you have comforted others just by sharing your testimony. God bless you!
[Kim, I am re-posting my comment from earlier due to errors and incorrect email address]
My current struggle exactly! I too am a Registered Nurse and I am obese. It sounds sort of like an oxymoron that they both exist. One thing I heard at a sermon last night was this: “knowledge without faith (PROPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD) is stagnation-I cannot move forward! Your post is just further confirmation for me. How awesome is it that the Lord desires me to be even closer still to Him? I’m ready now…We’re ready now, because Lord knows I can’t do this alone, even with the knowledge I have!
Hi Rhonda, it is sad but there are a lot of overweight nurses. And there are a few overweight doctors as well. Sometimes the message is “Do as I say, not as I do.” That doesn’t work any better with medical professionals than it does with parents! I am glad that this message confirmed what God has already speaking to you. He shows up in exactly the way that you need Him. You can do this Rhonda. You’ve got the knowledge. God can help you translate that into wisdom through doing what you know. God bless you on this journey. Remember – one wise choice at a time 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this. The part that stood out for me the most is that you learned through God to love yourself before you ever lost a pound. I’m in that process right now and it’s such a sweet and tender place to be with God! The more I see myself through His eyes and yield to His ways, the more I grow to love myself. That in turn helps me to make wiser choices in regards to food and exercise. It also allows me to extend grace to myself when I mess up. No more guilt trips or defeatist mentality! I’m so thankful for this process and as Maya Angelou said, “I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.”
Amen, Faith. Truer words have never been spoken!
Kim thanks for sharing, I could really feel your heart in what you wrote. And what’s so good about your story is that it seems that you can really understand and relate to people and their various struggles in life with a heart of compassion. Also, you look great.
I appreciate those kind words Linda. I do care because I know what obesity feels like from the inside out. But I am here to testify that things can change with God’s help. Thanks for your compliment too – that made me smile!
Wow! you are truly an inspiration! I am so embarrassed by my weight right now I was doing well and had lost 23 pounds, but then I just quit doing the program. Now I am too embarrassed to go back, so I have been lying to myself and to my husband saying that I have only gained a little and I stayed the same this week! I think I have probably gained back at least half of what I had lost. This is just a drop in the bucket, because I need to lose about 100!
Dianna, start praising God that you’ve kept half of it off! An old African proverb says, “Don’t look where you fell, look where you slipped. Retrace your steps. What caused you to get off-track? This article may help to put this in perspective: https://takebackyourtemple.com/recovering-from-weight-loss-setbacks/.
God bless you,
Kim
Thank you, Kimberly, for your ministry.
Hi Colleen – I am thankful that the Lord has given it to me to manage. To Him be all the glory!
Wow, I could have wrote the words. Thanks for helping me to remember that I’m not alone.
You are welcome, Keisha. We all need to know that others understand what we are going through.
Kim
Thank you Kimberly, I too have used every excuse in the book! My favorite is, I’m divorced, I live alone, etc. I have a total gym, not an up to date one, but it works, I have walk away the pounds DVDs, FREE DVDs I received from AARP. I make plans, exercise to do lists . They’re great on paper. I need God to deliver me completely from Procrastination! ! I love TBYT, it keeps me accountable. The Procrastination spirit ends today April 28, 2015!! Amen ♡ Thank you for your testimony! !
Ha, ha! Been there, done that Dorothy. You are an inspiration for us all. I know you can do this 🙂
Kim,
I have been sick for over a month, and would love to start over with the program. I have all the literature, just need you 31 days of promptings again. If there any way I can start receiving them again. I need to start over. I had released 10 pounds while working your program, but while being sick I put most of it on again. I can’t exercise a lot but have started doing some stretching in the morning again. My reason for releasing weight is Spiritual. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, but there was no way I could find to become willing to do the things I needed to do. Your program
is the first time I have felt like I was not on a diet. I was told once that you don’t want to lose weight cause you can find it again. Also to remember that the word “diet” has “die” in it. I needed a life change, and your program has given me that. Thank you for sharing so personally with us.
Sue
Hi Sue, Thank you for your comment. When you have recovered, you can view the 31-day tips here:
https://takebackyourtemple.com/small-steps-to-weight-loss-tips-start-here/. God bless you!
Kim
I just cried when I read Kim’s story and the comments that followed. All of them are ME!!! Since the unexpected death of my husband in 2013 I have constantly put on weight. Now I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. I realize now that I can’t do this by myself. I need help. It’s not what I’m eating- it’s what’s eating me. I pray this program will help me. Thank you all for your honest stories.
“It’s not what I’m eating- it’s what’s eating me.” So very true, Rita. But praise God, nothing is too hard for Him. You have a built-in Comforter in the Holy Spirit. May He give you His comfort and peace. Much love to you!
Powerful and very relatable story! Thanks for sharing.
All glory to God, Kimberly!
Thank you for your story. I have struggled in this area a lot during my adult years. It was a constant topic in my home growing up. My dad was pre-diabetic, then diabetic and he was always looking for the “right” diet, although he didn’t use “fad” diets. However, my husband and I acknowledged this year that our weight problem was a sin problem, looking for satisfaction in food rather then in the Lord. We have both given this over to the Lord and are struggling through each day as we make the changes needed to shed the weight so we are in better health to serve Him as a Godly example before a watching congregation. My husband is a pastor and of course that makes me the “pastor’s wife.” Love ministry, love serving, now love watching God take control of a much needed area to give to Him. Thank you for your wisdom through God’s Word.
God bless you & your husband on this journey!
Praise the Lord for His grace, Lou Ann! What you said is the main reason to do this – so that we are no longer in bondage to our own weakness, but replace our weakness with His strength so that the work of the ministry gets done. We need to be out there reaching lost people who don’t know the Lord. Then they can experience freedom in Christ Jesus, just as we have!
I believe for some of us the power of the bondage of the bulge is the “secrets” we maintain in our thoughts (how much we ate, why, if we were really hungry or not–trying to fool ourselves and others) so I appreciate your vulnerability in sharing your personal journal thoughts. My greatest past weightloss success has occurred when I was requested to share my food journal and have personal one on one accountability/”check-ins” about my progress/challenges. Are you aware of an online forum for this type of support? Perhaps this could be an addition to your site with mentor/support/coaching and accountability check in with tbyt “graduates”? I’ve tried the “my fitness” and other apps but there is something more effective about a real person response than automated computer generated responses. Thanks for fulfilling the call to challenge us to support our temples to more appropriately reflect the One who dwells inside.
Heidi, as part of the TBYT program I have a secret Facebook group in which we are accountable to each other. It is like group coaching. Some members are further along the journey and help encourage others. And I am on there 5 times per week so you hear about my own workouts and challenges as well. It is a great place to be since we are taking this journey together. Click here to learn more about the TBYT program here.
In addition, I have materials for those who want to start a TBYT program in their church or in a group so they can have in person support. Click here to learn about TBYT small group materials.
I can totally relate to your story, to all the doctor’s appts I have missed for the very reason of feeling like I did something wrong and not wanting to get a lecture. I know that almost all of my eating is to make bad feelings disappear and that God wants me to depend on him and not the food. Thank you for sharing.
You are welcome, Sherice. It was really hard reading again how I felt back then. I remember feeling like I was invisible to the doctor. I think I might have gone back to him one other time, then stopped going to him. When I wrote my first book, I sent that doctor a copy to testify what the Lord had done in my life. As bad as I felt that day, I thanked that doctor for telling me the truth, even if his “bedside manner” could have used work 🙂
Hello Kim and thank you for so many wonderful directives and words of encouragement!
I’m happy that doctor used no “bedside manners” during his counseling session with you because had he done so, it probably would not have resonated with me as it just did. My treating my heart…a vessel in a tiny Volkswagen… as though it’s being carried by a Mack truck brought me so much revelation! OUCH! That’s what it takes for some of us stubborn, hardhearted meatheads! God knows best
Thanks for giving us your heart! Agape!
You’ve got a point, Lola. Maybe if the doctor had said it in a kinder way, it wouldn’t have had the impact that it did. Truly in many ways, we can be as stubborn as the children of Israel, making the same mistakes over and over again. That’s why we need a Savior: https://takebackyourtemple.com/christian-weight-loss-wins/
Let me share another secret with you…even after that doctor’s visit, somehow I went back into denial about my weight! It took another 1 1/2 years before I had what I call “the chest pain that saved my life.” When I had that chest pain, it was like what the doctor said became reality to me. My little “Volkswagen” heart started a revolution against the “Mack truck” weight I forced it to carry! I knew that I was headed towards a heart attack if I did not change. When God said “it is not supposed to be this way,” I had a choice whether to BELIEVE him. I chose to believe Him and I am so glad I did.
That’s when the blessings come – when we only believe Him enough to do what He says.
God bless you, Lola – you made me smile!
Wow, Kimberly. Thanks for the article The Hidden Reason You Overeat. I just read it in Charisma. And the Scriptures to “feed” myself with. As someone with weight issues, for some of us, it stems back in our childhood, when the devil tried to kill, steal and destroy us, because when he sees our human image, it reminds him of the image of God (we were made in God’s image). But God wants to turn around what the adversary did into something good. Also, learning to forgive our parents for their ignorance, abusing us, ignoring us when we needed them and making us clean our plates when our tiny tummies were already full. Then we “stuff” our emotions down instead of being allowed to express our emotions (as in, “children seen, not heard”?). The brain needs renewal from the Word all the time. As hard as it has been, I had to take ownership that it happened to me, but I can see the little successes you call it, where I don’t desire certain foods anymore, because they never really filled up my empty love tank. Only the Lord and Him alone can do that. Sometimes, I think about a certain piece of cake I want and I say to myself, “REALLY?!? You have lived on this planet long enough to know how it is going to taste, this is probably piece #850 in your lifetime. Do you really have to be reminded how good it tastes again?” I’m in my 50s and you get to a place, you just don’t digest food like you did in your 20s. So not overeating is getting easier. Having healthier options that tastes good is a blessing. Now I need God to retrain my brain and get a love to MOVE more! 🙂
As for that doctor, he could have at least looked you in the eye. I probably would have reported him to the state medical board, but your idea of sending your book to him tops it all. I know the Lord humbled him. BTW, you look great, healthy and so young! God bless you and yours.
Excellent analysis, TB. Childhood is where things started with me as well. Praise God for His word because that shows us the truth and the truth makes us free! It is a retraining process, but SO many blessings await as you go along. Thank you for your compliments. I just turned 50 so that really means a lot to me 🙂
T.B., I love your insight into piece of cake #850! I’ve lived long enough to know what every fork of food tastes like. I’m going to use your way of talking to myself when tempted to taste dessert #851. 🙂
Really I want to.lose weight.due yo kmee pain cant do exercise also..very depressing listening to al negative comments on me.really God Shud help me to.loose weight
I needed this. This is my current struggle. I know exactly what to do, yet I don’t do it
Danna, this truly is a one choice at a time process. What is God telling you in your heart that you need to do? Write it down. Then get honest with God: “Lord, I want to do this. But I’m scared. I’m overwhelmed. Show me something small that I can start with.” He will show you something small to start with, where you are. As you get those small successes, that will give you confidence to do more. You will need both faith and patience to inherit the promise of better health. With those two things, you cannot fail!
This is like a balm from Gilead. What I know to do, I don’t do.
Thank you, Kimberly, for your ministry.
Marvelous insight into how to trust God on an immediate and individual basis. We all have issues that hinder our total reliance on Him. You’ve motivated me about my Temple , but just as much about my personal accountability to God as my Father. He says, Ask in my Name, and I will give it to you. We must believe Him. Thank you for your testimony. I look forward to your posts.
I can truly relate this was for me. My Doctor has good bedside manners but let me know I’m the only one that can make the changes for my health. I need God help now! It’s about saving my life and being in good health. I’m sick and tired of what the weight is doing to me emotionally, physically and spiritually. Thanks for sharing!! A light came on!!
You are welcome, Velma – glory to God for His wisdom!
Thank you so much for your honestly. It sounds like my story and i feel that most overeating is emotional and it takes more that just a diet and exercise program to get to us healed. It takes God! God bless you.
Amen, Susan – it took a long time for me to learn this lesson but I thank God He never gave up on me 🙂
Carbs and sugar are the things I turn to for comfort. I don’t always realize what I’m doing. I’m not hungry a lot but I eat. I was over weight when I was 12 went on a diet lost healthy weight then a trauma happened in my life and it turned into anorexia. The two have battle each other since then. The anorexia isn’t there anymore the body image issue has calmed a little can’t say I love myself where I am. I’ve gained weight here recently because of my binge eating. I have a relationship with God but I can’t say that I turn to him with everything its a process. I accepted Jesus last year. My husband has not yet and I try to let God take care of that but tend to pick back up what I have laid at his feet. I didn’t realize I was binge eating and emotionally eating till the last month. I ask for help with it and get frustrated that God hasn’t changed me, I know I have to be a part of the process which I also haven’t asked anyone to help me be accountable with that one. I try to do it by myself and that just doesn’t work. I also am kind of afraid I guess to ask someone to hold me accountable with that one because it sounds silly to me not that it is silly because I know it’s serious because I’m not taking care of my temple. I always tend to be a perfectionist which makes it hard for me to give myself grace when I fail. Thank you for your emails and for transparency.
Hi Misty – I am just now seeing this. I understand completely! It is a process to change because the old way of coping with our emotions feels so safe and comfortable – even as it is slowly killing us! I created a video called, Sugar: Your Emotional Pain-Killer?. Check it out and see what you think.
You may also want to check out a couple of other articles I believe will help. God bless you!
The Hidden Reason you Overeat
Who I AM in Christ
Tell me more Kimberly! Tell me more… God bless you! xox Halda
Mrs Kimberly
Good morning my name is Anne Iam christian who I BELEIVE IN OUR LORD GOD LORD JESUS AND HOLLY SPIRIT.
Awsome
Praise the Lord.
It is since Iwas a young girl i had to lost pound.Now Iam 190 punds and I paray the Lord to help me in any situation for loosing and be healthy.
May the Lord Blesses you and all your familly.
Anne
I too struggle with my weight all my life.. Then I lost 85 pounds from diet and exercise. I began to gain the weight back, but I knew there was something in the word of God that could help me keep the weight off, something more than just diet and exercise, I realize that I had to take my power and use it for God’s glory, every aspect of life for his glory including my weight..l started looking at what scriptures said about the body and healthy temple.
I’m now praying seeking God for support..
You will get back on track, Doris. As you put His word into practice and make straight paths for your feet day by day, you will see results.
Thank you for sharing your story even though I don’t suffer from weight problems but I’ve learned something from it. seek the Lord and He Shall help you in any trouble area in your life I thank you again and God bless you.
Thank you for being transparent. Finally I found someone who could relate to what I am going through. This site is truly a Blessing and encourages me not to give up hope.