Reshape and Recover

09/02/2026

Eating out doesn’t have to mean overeating. 😊

I got home from work tired last night, and neither Tony nor I felt like dealing with dinner, so we went out to eat.

We ordered this taco platter and shared it. We each had 1½ tacos. Tony ate most of the rice (I stole a few bites 😊), and I had about half of the refried beans.

And see that empty little plate in the background? That was for the chips.

I didn’t have any.

Not because chips are “bad,” but because I know myself. They’re one of those foods that are hard for me to stop eating once I start. Rather than spend dinner trying to control how many I ate, I simply chose not to start.

I had water with lemon, enjoyed every bite of my meal, and left feeling satisfied.

And there were a couple of bonuses: sharing the meal saved us money, and after a long day at work, there were no dishes waiting for me at home! 😊

Recovery doesn’t mean we can’t go out to eat or enjoy delicious food. Sometimes it simply means knowing what works for us, making those choices ahead of time, and then enjoying the meal.

All in all, it was a delightful dinner. ❤️

09/01/2026

Have you ever felt hungry—even though you knew your body didn’t really need more food?

Sometimes what feels like physical hunger is actually something deeper. We may be tired, stressed, lonely, discouraged, or simply looking for comfort.

In this week’s Reshape and Recover podcast, Tony and I continue our Recovery Through the Psalms series with Psalm 42 and ask:

What am I really hungry for?

We talk about how to pause before acting on a craving, identify what may be underneath it, reach out for support, and turn to God with the needs that food can never satisfy.

If you struggle with emotional eating or find yourself wanting to eat outside your food plan, I hope this episode encourages you.

🎧 Listen here:

🎧 Listen to our latest episode of the Reshape and Recover Podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YVgDTVGcUNQ2ygwW6UDzb?si=9eKWldbqTS6CI-QQC8FF-A

08/31/2026

What could change if you gave your recovery one weekend of your full attention?

Most of us are trying to work on recovery in the middle of everything else—work, family, responsibilities, appointments, errands, and all the demands of everyday life.

Sometimes it helps to step away.

That’s one of the reasons Tony and I are hosting Renew • Reflect • Restore, a Christian retreat for recovery from overeating and emotional eating, October 30–November 1 in Phoenix.

It will be a weekend to slow down, spend time with God, take an honest look at what may be keeping you stuck, and learn practical tools you can take home with you.

We’ll also have something that can be hard to find in everyday life: time with other people who understand the struggle with food and genuinely want recovery.

I can’t promise that one weekend will change your life. But I can tell you that a recovery retreat became a turning point in mine.

If you’ve been thinking about joining us, today is the last day to save 10% on registration.

There are only 8 spots available, so it will be a small, personal retreat with plenty of opportunity for conversation, reflection, and connection.

Learn more or register here:
https://www.reshapeandrecover.com/retreat2026

08/30/2026

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
— Luke 11:9–10 (NIV)

When we’re struggling, it can be easy to turn to food for comfort, relief, or escape. But Jesus reminds us that we can ask God for the help we need and seek His presence for the peace and comfort our binge foods can never truly provide.

We can also knock on the doors God places before us—doors that lead to support, healing, growth, and deeper recovery. Today, instead of reaching for false comfort, we can ask, seek, knock, and trust God to provide what we truly need.

Dear Holy Spirit, thank You that I can come to You and ask for help whenever I need it. Help me to seek Your presence for the peace and comfort I sometimes look for in food. Give me the willingness to knock on the doors You place before me and the courage to walk through the ones You open. Help me follow my food plan today and make choices that support the healthy and blessed life You desire for me. May the blessings You give me also allow me to be a blessing to others. Amen.

08/29/2026

Have you ever overeaten and then immediately started beating yourself up?

“I did it again.”

“Why can’t I get this right?”

“I’m such a failure.”

But shame doesn’t lead us toward freedom.

Step Seven is about humbly asking God to remove our shortcomings—and those shortcomings extend far beyond our struggles with food. They can show up in our relationships, our attitudes, our reactions, and the way we treat others.

One of the things I wrote about in Step Seven of 12 Steps to Recovery From Overeating is this:

“When we make a mistake, we can acknowledge it without thoughts of being a mistake.”

There is a big difference between saying, “I made a poor choice” and “There is something wrong with me.”

Romans 8:1 reminds us, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Step Seven isn't about approaching God weighed down by shame. We come to Him knowing that we are already loved and forgiven. We can honestly acknowledge the things that need to change and ask God to help us become more like Christ.

Maybe you overate. Maybe you lost your patience with someone. Maybe you were selfish, unkind, prideful, or reacted in a way you wish you hadn't.

Acknowledge it. Bring it to God. Ask for His forgiveness and His help in changing it.

But don't turn what you did into who you are.

You are a loved child of God—and He is still at work in you. ❤️

08/28/2026

For years, I tried to change my eating on my own.

I knew how to diet. I knew how to lose weight. What I couldn't seem to do was make those changes last.

It wasn't until I joined a support group that I began to experience lasting change.

Why did a group make such a difference?

Because no single person has everything we need.

In a community, we each bring different strengths and different experiences. Someone may have an idea that helped them through the very struggle I'm facing today. Someone else may offer encouragement. Another may remind me of a truth I've forgotten.

And we're not all strong at the same time.

On a day when I'm struggling, someone else may be doing well and can help lift me up. Next week, I may be the one who is strong enough to encourage them.

That's the beauty of community.

We learn from one another. We encourage one another. We pray for one another. We share what's working—and sometimes what isn't. And we help each other keep going.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

You may be able to lose weight on your own.

But if you've struggled repeatedly to make those changes last, perhaps you don't need to try harder on your own.

Maybe you need a community walking beside you.

That's exactly why community is such an important part of Reshape and Recover. If you've been trying to overcome overeating on your own, we'd love to have you join us.

Learn more about membership: https://www.reshapeandrecover.com/memberships

08/26/2026

Years ago, when I attended my first recovery retreat, I was nervous.

I didn't know anyone.

Walking into a retreat where everyone else was a stranger was a little intimidating. But it didn't take long to discover that I was surrounded by people who understood something very important about me: my struggles with food.

I didn't have to explain why something that seemed so simple to someone else could feel so difficult. They understood because they had struggled too.

And those strangers became supportive friends.

At the retreats I attended, I found encouragement, laughter, honest conversations, accountability—and friendships. In fact, two women I met through recovery retreats eventually asked me to sponsor them. They became dear friends, and we're still friends today.

That's one of the things I'm looking forward to most about our Renew • Reflect • Restore retreat this fall.

The retreat is open to both men and women, and we're intentionally keeping it small—just 8 participants. I want there to be time for real conversation, personal reflection, and the opportunity to actually get to know the people you're spending the weekend with.

We'll spend time learning and applying the 12 Steps, talking about practical tools for overcoming overeating and emotional eating, and growing closer to God.

But we'll also sit together, talk, laugh, encourage one another, and spend time with people who understand.

So if you're thinking about coming but you're nervous because you won't know anyone, I understand.

I didn't know anyone either.

Sometimes God uses what we learn to change us.

And sometimes He uses the people we meet along the way.

Renew • Reflect • Restore
A Christian Retreat for Recovery from Overeating & Emotional Eating
Open to men and women
October 30–November 1, 2026 | Phoenix, Arizona
Limited to 8 participants

Learn more and register:
https://www.reshapeandrecover.com/retreat2026

08/25/2026

Pain in our lives and relationships can sometimes drive us to food.

That's one reason Step 8 can be such an important part of recovery from overeating and emotional eating.

In this week's episode of Reshape & Recover, Tony and I talk about making a list of the people we have harmed and becoming willing to make amends.

We discuss how Step 8 builds on the inventory from Step 4, the difference between an apology and an amends, why forgiveness is so important, and how God can prepare our hearts when becoming willing is difficult.

Step 8 isn't about making the amends yet. It's about allowing God to prepare our hearts through forgiveness, humility, and willingness so healing can begin.

🎧 Listen to Recovery from Overeating – Becoming Willing to Make Amends:

🎧 Listen to our latest episode of the Reshape and Recover Podcast: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YVgDTVGcUNQ2ygwW6UDzb?si=9eKWldbqTS6CI-QQC8FF-A

08/24/2026

Healthy eating doesn't mean avoiding restaurants or eating as little as possible. Tony and I enjoyed lunch out with friends this weekend—and it got me thinking about something I see happen often.

If you've gained weight, your first thought might be:

"I need to cut my calories."

But before you start eating less, take a closer look at what's really happening.

Are you eating according to your plan most days—but occasionally having a day when you binge, graze, or simply stop paying attention to what you're eating?

If so, cutting back even further on your regular meals may not be the answer.

In fact, it can sometimes make the problem worse.

Restrict → feel deprived → overeat or binge → feel guilty → restrict again.

Instead, try focusing on consistency.

Eat adequate, nourishing meals. Follow the food plan you've committed to. Pray for God's help when you're struggling. And if you do overeat or binge, don't leave that day out when you're evaluating what's working.

You don't have to count every calorie perfectly. But be honest about what happened.

The goal isn't to punish yourself for overeating. It's to understand the pattern so you can change it.

Sometimes the answer isn't eating less.

It's becoming more consistent with the healthy choices you already know how to make—and asking God for the strength to make them one day at a time.

Struggling with eating between meals or giving in to food temptations? Download my free No Extra Food guide to help you make a plan before temptation hits:
https://www.reshapeandrecover.com/noextrafood

08/23/2026

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:14-17 (NIV)

Temptation is much harder to resist when we wait until we're in the middle of it to turn to God. Scripture tells us to put on the armor of God so that we are prepared for the battles we will face.

That includes our struggles with food. We can begin the day grounded in God's truth, protected by faith, and ready to use His Word when temptation comes. We don't have to rely on willpower alone. God has given us spiritual tools to help us stand firm.

Today, before temptation comes, take a moment to put on the armor of God. Ask Him to guard your thoughts, strengthen your faith, and help you make choices that honor Him.

Dear Holy Spirit, help me to put on the full armor of God today so that I can be protected from all temptations, especially ones related to what I eat and how much I eat today. I thank You that Your armor guards my mind, my thoughts, and my desire so that I can walk in the Godly desires for me today. Help me use all the armor to live a healthy and holy life that is good for me and for my relationship with You, Lord, and with others too. Amen.