How to Stop Comfort Eating and Turn to God Instead
It’s 9 p.m. on a Thursday, and I stare at the cupboard with an insatiable appetite. There are seasons, usually those long seasons of darkness, when I’m not sure I could ever feel satisfied. I want to learn how to stop comfort eating and find my comfort in God, but when I’m honest about it, chocolate feels more tangible at the end of a long day.
Two bowls of cereal, way too many chocolate chips, and an hour later, I lie in bed and ask God to help me find freedom.
The heavens are silent, and I open my Bible for inspiration.
What the Bible Says About How to Stop Comfort Eating
My bookmark leads me to an unnamed woman in the fourth chapter of John’s gospel as she walks to the community well in the heat of the day.
As she approaches the well, her eyes rise to the form of a man at the well. He is a Jewish man, and since Jews don’t associate with Samaritans, he most likely won’t even acknowledge her. She’ll draw her water and be on her way.
“Will you give me a drink?” The Man surprises her with the question, and she studies his face for a moment.
“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” she cautiously responds.
As the scene unfolds, the man offers her living water that will never run dry. In addition, he asks questions about her husband, and when she replies that she has no husband, he all-knowingly asserts that he is aware of this: She has had five husbands, and the man she currently lives with is not her husband.
At the woman’s declaration that a Messiah is coming, Jesus responds, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
The woman is completely undone. She leaves her water jar and returns to town to share this remarkable story with everyone she can find. As a result, many come to encounter Jesus, and they believe. (See John 4:5-42)
Are you turning to the wrong cistern?
While there may seem to be little connection between this woman and those of us who turn to food for comfort, we have more in common than we might first realize: We are turning to the wrong cisterns to fulfill our thirst. These cisterns fail to satisfy in a lasting way.
We are turning to the wrong cisterns to fill our thirst. These cisterns fail to satisfy in a lasting way. #comforteating #satisfactioninGod Click To TweetAfter encountering the true Source of living water that will satisfy her soul in a lasting way, the woman leaves her jar. She leaves the very vessel she’s been using to quench her thirst. Perhaps this is where we have gone wrong. If we would turn from empty vessels and encounter Jesus in fresh ways, his living water would offer the joy we lack.
It is time to leave our old water jars at the well and encounter the living water that permanently satisfies.
Practical Ways to Stop Comfort Eating
I know what you might be thinking: This is all very nice and spiritual, but I need practical help. I need to know how to get free from this snare of eating for comfort. Let’s look at some practical ways to walk away from comfort and escapist eating and not turn back.
1. Ask Jesus for help.
It sounds too simple, and maybe you’ve been asking for years and can’t seem to find freedom. I walked through this cycle for years. I would ask Jesus for more willpower, eat healthily, and eventually succumb to comfort eating again.
Perhaps we are asking for the wrong kind of help.
Willpower can be an important character trait, but willpower doesn’t hold the power to set us free.
Jesus holds the power to set us free.
Instead of asking for willpower, ask Jesus to give you his heart toward your sin of gluttony. Ask him to help you hate your sin. This is a prayer he will answer.
When you become so disgusted with your behavior that you can’t stand to indulge, you have reached a turning point that holds more power for change than willpower.
When you become so disgusted with the sin in your life that you can't stand to indulge, you have reached a turning point that holds more power for change than willpower. #comforteating #repentance Click To Tweet2. Fast from thinking about yourself.
Notice I didn’t say, “Fast from sugar or chocolate or carbs.”
A deprivation mindset will make it harder to lose weight or step into new patterns of healthy eating. Instead of fasting from certain foods or jumping into the latest diet craze, fast from obsessing over food or body image. In essence, fast from thinking about yourself.
When I’m stuck in a place of eating my feelings, it’s like the throne of my heart is occupied by two entities: thoughts about food and thoughts about my body. I turn to food for comfort and feel guilty about it. I resent what the food will do to my body, and I might even deprive myself for a few days, feeling accomplished when I turn to the scale and see the number drop.
It’s an ugly cycle, and self is at the center. In these times, I’m desperate to take self off the throne of my life and return Jesus to the throne.
When thoughts about comfort eating, depriving, or feeling fat come to your mind, cast down the thoughts.
Turn your eyes to the throne of God and ask for his eyes to see the needs of those around you. Don’t escape into food; get on the floor and play with your kids, turn off the TV and talk to your husband, or pick up the phone and call a friend.
This has been my biggest personal breakthrough in learning how to stop comfort eating. When I refuse to obsess over food, feel guilty about food, or crave food, I am surprisingly less tempted to eat my feelings.
3. Give it time.
Research suggests it takes a little over two months to start a new habit.
For two months, fast from thinking about yourself, aim to eat in a healthy and reasonable way, and keep asking Jesus for help in directing your thoughts away from yourself and toward him. Extend grace to yourself when you fail, and begin again the next day.
Also, experiment with different spiritual disciplines to see which ones are most life-giving for you.
Try these disciplines instead of comfort eating.
If we’re going to pursue Jesus in a way that satisfies us, we will need to actually encounter him through the spiritual disciplines we pursue.
Reading the Bible for an hour is unlikely to satisfy the longing within unless you encounter Jesus in a fresh way while you read. Praying for ten minutes is likely to feel like a monologue unless you actually encounter Jesus while you pray. For a list of ideas, check out this post.
Read About My Full Journey of Finding Freedom in This Area Here:
God is healing my relationship with food! I share my journey in this book, which is FREE on Kindle Unlimited or available in print for 12.99. As one reviewer wrote, “It’s worth its weight in gold.”
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book right here. This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
