Reshape and Recover

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.

08/22/2026

Sometimes overeating isn’t really about the food.

We may turn to food after an argument. When we’re resentful. When someone hurts us. When we’re afraid, disappointed, or feeling sorry for ourselves.

That’s one reason Step Six is so important in recovery.

By this point in the Steps, we’ve begun to recognize some of the patterns within us that contribute to our struggles—things like resentment, fear, self-pity, impatience, perfectionism, criticism, or pride.

Step Six asks us to become ready to let God change those things.

We don’t have to figure out how to change ourselves. Our part is willingness.

Instead of holding onto resentment, we can become willing to forgive. Instead of allowing fear to control us, we can learn to trust God. And instead of turning to food when painful emotions surface, we can turn to Him for the comfort and healing we really need.

Sometimes freedom from overeating requires more than changing what’s on our plate. God wants to change what’s happening in our hearts, too.

👉 Ready to take the next step in your own journey of recovery and freedom?

Grab my book 12 Steps to Recovery from Overeating on Amazon and start walking this path today: https://a.co/d/b59l7hh

08/21/2026

Have you ever reached the end of the week and realized just how tired you are?

Not just physically tired, but mentally and emotionally tired too.

Sometimes we may even feel tired of trying — tired of working on the same struggles, tired of making good choices, tired of waiting for things to change.

But God does not grow tired.

"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom."
— Isaiah 40:28 (NIV)

I love the reminder that when my strength is running low, God's isn't.

He understands what we're facing. He sees the things that no one else sees. And He never gets tired of us coming to Him for help.

Whatever you're carrying into this weekend, you don't have to carry it in your own strength.

Turn to the One who never grows weary.

08/19/2026

You don't have to figure out how you're going to eat well for the rest of your life today.

You only need to make the next right choice.

For me, recovery became much more manageable when I stopped looking so far ahead.

What will I do at Christmas?
What about my next vacation?
Can I really give up my binge foods forever?

Those questions could become overwhelming.

Instead, I learned to focus on today.

What food have I planned for today?
Have I prayed about my eating today?
Am I willing to follow through on my commitments today?

Jesus said, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Matthew 6:34 (KJV)

We don't need tomorrow's strength today.

God will give us what we need when tomorrow comes.

For today, we can simply ask Him for the willingness and strength to make the next right choice.

08/18/2026

Have you ever reached for food when what you really needed was comfort, relief, or peace?

In this episode, Julie and Tony begin a new feature called Recovery through the Psalms. They take Psalm 23 one line at a time and explore how this beloved passage speaks to recovery from overeating and emotional eating.

You'll discover how the Good Shepherd leads us toward the peace, comfort, and restoration that food can never provide. Julie and Tony also share practical ways to pause, turn to God, recognize what you're really hungry for, and keep walking with Him through difficult seasons of recovery.

If you've ever used food to cope with stress, anxiety, loneliness, boredom, or discouragement, Psalm 23 offers a beautiful reminder:

Food may comfort us for a moment, but God restores our souls.

🎧 Listen to Finding Peace Instead of Food (Psalm 23) on the Reshape and Recover Podcast:

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

08/17/2026

Some of my closest friendships began at recovery retreats.

There is something special about spending a few days with people who understand the struggle with food — people who don't need a long explanation because they've been there too.

At retreats I've attended over the years, I learned more about the 12 Steps and how to actually apply them to my life. I picked up practical tools that helped strengthen my recovery. I had time away from everyday distractions to focus on God and what He wanted to change in me.

But I also found something I didn't expect: friendship.

Some of the people I met at those retreats became lifelong friends.

That's one of the things I'm looking forward to most about our Renew • Reflect • Restore retreat this fall — bringing together a small group of people who want to grow in their recovery, deepen their relationship with God, and encourage one another along the way.

Whether you're just getting started in recovery from overeating or you've been walking this road for a while, I'd love to have you join us.

October 30–November 1
Phoenix, Arizona

Only 8 spots are available.

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

08/16/2026

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 any 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.