Compared to Who? Body Image for Christian Women

Today Heather digs into the topic of gluttony. So many of us have been taught in the church that gluttony equals overeating. We've felt shame, guilt, and stress as we've tried to not be "gluttonous" in the way we've related to food. And, in that desire and pursuit of not committing this sin, we've been co-opted by the myths and rules of diet culture. We've learned that going back for seconds or en...

Heather Creekmore tackles the issue of food idolatry and how it relates to body image. Idolatry is a tricky topic, and many women who wrestle the body image idol may secretly desire to label food as an idol too. Heather asks listeners to carefully consider several questions in the form of an "idols test" to see where if food is really their idol, or if it's something else. Here are some key topics...

Today we explore the uncomfortable changes women go through as they age. We discuss how perimenopause and menopause are not talked about enough in society and how there is a movement to normalize aging. And, Heather gets an exclusive coaching session from Ruth Harper, a registered dietitian and intuitive eating coach. Through the coaching time, Heather and Ruth talk about naming the feelings we ha...

Today Heather and her guest, Ruth Harper, a registered dietitian, and nutrition therapist talk about Ruth's journey to making peace with both food and aging. Ruth struggled with body-consciousness and a strong perfectionist mentality as a teenager, as a result of her involvement in track and field. She tried to control her eating habits by eating less and running more, but ended up feeling devasta...

On this episode of Compared to Who?, Heather Creekmore is joined by Erin Kerry to discuss a simple and effective way to feel better in your body without weight loss or changes in diet and exercise. Erin, an integrative nutrition health coach and a survivor of bipolar disorder, advocates for safe sun exposure for vitamin D production, gut health, and overall wellness. She also recommends apps like...

Do you struggle with thinking bad thoughts about your body? Today Heather will unpack a new way to think about the famous passage in Romans 12:1-2 which tells us to be transformed through the renewing of our minds. Heather will talk about how the key strategy to thinking differently about your body isn't found in the transformation but in believing that you are a new creation from 2 Corinthians 5:...

Today's show is dedicated to giving you a new playlist for when you have a bad body image day. If you're struggling with how you look or feel down about your weight or appearance, pull up these songs and listen on your way to work, while you exercise, or wherever your day takes you. If we can train our ears, hearts, and minds to worship instead of obsessing over our bodies, we will feel freedom li...

day we're talking about all things music, television, movies, and social media. If you want to be free from body image issues, chances are you're going to have to re-examine how you relate to these forms of media. It's impossible to stay free if you are feeding on a constant diet of unhealthy images and messages. For Christian women who want body image freedom, we have to carefully evaluate every...

I've had many women reach out to me over the years with this sentiment, "Help! I hate pictures of myself!" Today's episode of the podcast is dedicated to you. Let's talk through why we hate to see ourselves in pictures, what's really going on in our heads, and what's really going on in our lives when we get our pictures taken. Today, we talk through why pictures of ourselves can be so triggering,...

Have what we've been told about exercise and the way it changes the look of your body been skewed? Today Heather looks at some relatively new data that shows how not every person responds to exercise in the exact same way. While it is certain that exercise has mental and physical health benefits for most of us, there is a certain group that does not respond in an expected way. They are termed "exe...

Today we talk about all things fitness. What does it mean to be fit? Is physical fitness something that all Christians need? Why should we pursue fitness and is there ever a danger to pursuing physical fitness? Today Heather digs into how fitness and health aren't always synonymous. She also talks about how fitness can help us fulfill our calling and serve God with our bodies. But, she shares from...

Do you love exercise? Do you hate exercise? Today we're talking about what a healthy relationship with exercise looks like and what a healthy theology of exercise is. What does the Bible say about exercise explicitly, and what can we extrapolate about exercise from the ways God designed our bodies? Here are some things we dig into in today's episode: Does God command us to exercise? Did he design...

In Genesis 2:25, we read how Adam and Eve were in the garden and "naked and unashamed." But most women with body image issues aren't experiencing this kind of freedom in their intimate lives. Just thinking about being "naked and unashamed" is nerve-wracking for most of us. But the truth is: What your body looks like has little to do with how well you can connect with your husband in the bedroom. I...

In today's About 7 Minutes of Scripture episode, Heather explores how the message of the Gospel can specifically encourage us around our specific body and food issues. We have so many messages coming at us, and every day we choose to believe certain things are true and certain things aren't true. We can choose to believe that carbs are bad or that intermittent fasting is the best way to live. We c...

Today Heather continues her conversation with  Tracy Brown, RD  about the strange or unusual physical symptoms that can connect to dieting, food restriction, eating disorders, and disordered eating. Though some doctors fail to make the connections, it's clear from Tracy's work that many women who have this kind of history also have similar symptoms that show up in the form of GI tract or stomach i...

Today Heather interviews Tracy Brown, registered dietitian and trauma-informed eating disorder recovery coach about all the physical issues that can accompany or follow seasons of dieting, disordered eating, or an eating disorder. Are you always cold? Have you experienced seasons of hair loss? Have you had joint or bone density issues? GI and digestive tract issues, no matter what you eat? Today H...

Do you hate to buy bigger clothes? Is it a mental battle when you try on the size you thought you wore only to find that you need another size or two (or more) larger? Have you been frustrated with your body because it has changed sizes and now you don't even know what size you wear? Today, Heather unpacks our complicated relationship with clothing and clothing sizes. She gets real as she discusse...

Heather continues her conversations with Ashley Smith of the HA society about hormonal issues, infertility, and body image issues common among women she works with. Part two of this conversation goes far beyond the medical and fertility implications of disordered eating that often accompanies body image issues. Today, Heather and Ashley dig into what it really means to find body image freedom and...

omen who are struggling with hormone issues surrounding fertility, loss of cycle, early menopause diagnoses, and body image issues. Ashley shares her story and how her own experience has led her to a ministry and coaching business where she helps women get pregnant (without IVF), regain their cycle, and make peace with their bodies and food. Today Ashley and Heather talk about: Heather shares her...

Do you have a rival? Hannah in the Bible did. As did Rachel and Leah. Today we look at rivalries, competitions, and comparisons that happen between women. Whether you've always been compared to a rival sister or cousin, or whether or not you've just found yourself in competition with a woman at church or at work, this episode is for you! Today, Heather explores the stories of Hannah from 1 Samuel...

The concept of stewardship is often used with our bodies and money, but are there more connections between money and body image than we may know? Today's episode explores these connections, how eating disorders show up in the way we deal with money, how eating disorders can connect with hoarding and more. Have you heard of financial anorexia? How about having "shopping bulimia?" How about an "orth...

Do you ever just feel sad about your body size or shape? Part of finding body image freedom is recognizing the truth that sometimes you will just feel sad or discouraged about your body. Grieving the lost dream of a "better" body that would "cure" everything or the loss of youth or the loss of the body size or shape you once had is a normal and healthy process. On today's show, Heather looks at wh...

Today Heather talks with one of her Intuitive Eating Coaches, Erin Todd, about step one of Intuitive Eating, which is giving up the Diet Mentality. Erin and Heather hash through how conditioned we are to believe that diets and plans are the only ways to be "healthy" or be on the "path" to a better body or better health. They also talk about the following: How we feel "safe" when we are conforming...

Let's face it. We all want to be special. We all want to know that our lives are significant. We each desire to know that we matter. But, sometimes our lives can feel anything but significant. We may know that God says we are, but then we look at our schedules or our days and think: Does any of this really matter? Today, Heather's guest is Rachael Adams, author and host of the Love Offering Podcas...

In today's interview with Amy Carlson, MS, RD, LD, Amy and Heather talk about the ways that "Purity Culture" a movement in the church through the 1990s, has paved the way for Diet Culture in the church. The duo explores the language we use around our food choices like "being good" or "being bad," how we admire those who can "abstain" from eating, and how we've put a lot of weight and value on our...