Already WholeSample

Anti-Diet Revolution

“‘Everything is permissible for me,’ but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me,’ but I will not be mastered by anything.” —1 Corinthians 6:12 CSB

Fifty-six percent of women have tried to lose weight in the last year. And while the pursuit of weight loss isn’t inherently bad, for most of us, the pursuit of a smaller body is loaded with additional shame, self-hatred, and struggle. Dieting is often synonymous with restriction and limitation. But God did not create you to hate yourself into a smaller frame. You are made in God’s image. This means that He knew the exact body shape you would have, and He blessed it. The truth is, it is better to be in a larger body as you pursue wholeness in Christ than to shame and contain yourself into a more societally acceptable size.

Today’s verse describes that “‘everything is permissible for me,’ but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians 6:12 CSB). Sure, you can diet if you truly feel this is the best course of action for you. But it is rare for the pursuit of a smaller body to be a baggage-free endeavor. According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Starvation and self- imposed dieting appear to result in eating binges once food is available and in psychological manifestations such as preoccupation with food and eating, increased emotional responsiveness and dysphoria, and distractibility.”4 Not only is dieting not beneficial, it can also easily become an obsession, impacting your mental and physical health.

What would it look like to trust God with your body? To bring your fears, your insecurities, and your feelings to Him, trusting that He created you as you are for a purpose? As the imago Dei, you can be free from the chains and the shame of diet culture. You can refuse to put yourself on an unnecessary diet, because you know that developing a positive relationship with your body is more about your mental health and your view of yourself than your physical body anyway. You can start your own revolution, refusing to be mastered by the lies of your insecurity and instead speak the truth of your beloved-ness over your life.

Embracing Wholeness: Losing weight and dieting will not soothe my pain or suddenly made me happier. Rooting my life in my relationship with God is the only thing that can set me free and bring me lasting peace.