Thanks to  Sarah Ann from Faith Along the Way for sharing her story with us.  She is so transparent and wise and fun to work with in our Momsanity Sisterhood!  Food addiction is no joke, but God uses hard things to bring us closer to Him and sometimes that hard thing is food.

Signs of food addiction
Food addicts often….

fantasize about food or their next meal. They secretly obsess about food and planning what will be eaten that day.

turn to food for comfort, instead of crying out to God in moments of pain.

unknowingly create a false idol and place a higher importance on food than what should be.

sneak food in private.

gorge themselves even when they’re not hungry.

feel trapped in their way of life and are left frustrated by their obsession with food.

fill a void in their life by eating.

The damage of food addiction
While the addict will physically reap the affects, this disease will wreck havoc on relationships and leave a path of destruction once food becomes an idol.

A family suffers when mom can’t keep up with her kids because she’s tired and overweight. (I have battled this often in parenthood!)

A marriage suffers with the loss of libido or hiding a a body hidden in shame because of extra weight.

A spiritual life suffers when an obsession with food outweighs a hunger for God’s Word.

For those who bear the weight of this burden every day, it can seem as though there’s no way out.  One may feel trapped by the cycle of binging and self-loathing, yet feel powerless to stop.

Even in the darkness of addiction, God shines His hope and offers a chance to start again.

Breaking the chains

• Recognize

Just as with any obstacle, the first step is admitting you have a problem.  Acknowledge your dependency on food to fill a void and suppress the longing in your soul and call it what it is- sin.

As hard as it may be to hear, addiction to food is a sin.  It blinds from the truth that God is our hope in this world and ONLY HE can fill your deepest craving.

• Repent

Repent of your obsession with food and lay this struggle at the feet of Jesus.  Ask for His forgiveness and He will be faithful to lavish grace upon your transgressions if you have a relationship with Him.

• Research resources

There are SO many fabulous resources available for your recovery from food addiction. (Stay tuned for a post that outlines some of my favorites).

At the top of that list is Momsanity, a fabulous website and community that offers nutrition guides and at home workouts to help you break your addiction once and for all.  They make every aspect of wellness easy and simple for even a beginner. Most importantly, the coaches encourage readers to focus not only on getting physically fit, but on being spiritually fit as well.

I’m partnering with them on my journey towards recovering from my own battle with food addiction, and the results that I’m experiencing are life changing!

• Recruit a support team

No one can break the bonds of addiction alone!  Tell your friends and family about your desire to break the chains of food obsession for good.  You need a team to celebrate each victory with you and to encourage you when you stumble.

• Renew your habits

Choose TODAY to start your journey to a healthy and addiction free life.  You don’t have to wait until a certain day of the week (seriously, you can start a health journey even on Friday! You don’t have to wait until Monday!) or a certain event in your life.  Vow TODAY to start your journey to the healthiest you possible.

Pray, pray, pray!  God WILL give you the strength to say no to temptation and the self-control to walk away from food. Continuously seek His guidance and confidently stand in the promise that He won’t let you be tempted beyond what you can handle.  You ALWAYS have a way to say no to food!

Friend, today is the first day of the rest of your life! Let’s get healthy together and with God’s help, let’s break the cycle of food addiction for good!