Episode 19: Heidi Bylsma – What Does it Mean to be Thin Within
About the Show
In this episode, we’ll be talking about how God created our bodies fearfully and wonderfully. Thin Within encourages people to break free for life from dieting and allow God’s wonderful signals of hunger and satisfaction to direct our eating as we prayerfully submit to Him, aware that our hearts can be deceptive if we aren’t circumspect. There are a million reasons to love this approach to lasting weight loss!
You will learn
1. That God has made your body as a reliable indicator of when and how much you should eat without ever having to obsess about food again.
2. That God grants you discernment as you move along this path so that you notice how your body reacts to some foods.
3. That you can exercise in the same way that you eat…when you need to in the amount that you need to selecting exercise activities (like we do food) that are “whole body pleasers” and delight the soul…even as an act of worship.
About the Speaker
Heidi has been a part of the Thin Within ministry since 1999, but it wasn’t until 2006 that she began to really live out the principles. She collaborated on the Thin Within book and workbook series, but struggled with overeating behaviors that God wanted to heal. In 2006 to 2007, Heidi released 100 extra pounds by eating when she was hungry any food that she desired and stopping when she was no longer hungry. She went to God to help her with all the other reasons she had a tendency to eat. Since 2007, Heidi has maintained a healthy size, but she has broken free from the bathroom scale.
Gift
Click here to watch videos to encourage you and educate you about this journey.
Click here to listen to audios to encourage and inspire you.
Click here to visit the website with blog posts – new content several times each week.
Free online classes via secret Facebook groups. Visit the ThinWithin website.
Show Notes
Thin Within book
Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World book
ThinWithin website
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO EPISODE 19 WITH HEIDI BYLSMA
Excerpt from our interview – BEEP Model
Kimberley
Okay, so that’s ThinWithin.org. Now, we’re going to move on to the BEEP round. Heidi will give quick tips on the four disciplines of Bible study, eating healthy, exercise, and prayer or BEEP. So what do you have for us for a quick tip for Bible study?
Heidi
Bible study—Romans 12:2 says, “We are transformed by the renewing of our mind.” So we can become aware of the lies that have driven the challenges we have with food by submitting to time in God’s Word. He will minister to us and give us the truth that we need to replace those lies that have driven us to eat outside hunger and satisfaction. This will change us permanently.
Kimberley
I love it. And your quick tip for eating healthy?
Heidi
Getting acquainted with your body’s signals for hunger and satisfaction is going to be super helpful. Fuel your body when you’re physically hungry and then stop fueling it when you’re physically satisfied. It’s amazing how efficient God has made our bodies. It doesn’t take much food. We are made fearfully and wonderfully.
Kimberley
And your quick tip for exercise?
Heidi
Rather than use exercise to make up for the food that I hope to get away with eating I consider exercise, and I encourage your listeners, to consider exercise to be another way to worship God. To express to Him their joy and their delight in the body that He’s given them to steward here on earth. First Corinthians 10:31 says that whatever we do can be done to His glory. So rejoice in Him. Choose an exercise that you love and do it to glorify God, praise Him.
Kimberley
Like dancing around to some praise and worship music.
Heidi
Yeah, exactly. And to be honest, Kimberley, I also would encourage people that if your body needs exercise, just like if it needs food, then move it. And do so joyfully. And if it no longer needs exercise because you’ve done enough, stop. And that’s just great. We can move our bodies, we can eat all to the glory of God. It’s awesome that He even lets us do that.
Kimberley
And your quick tip for prayer?
Heidi
This is vital. Learn to praise God. Some people might say, “What does that have to do with anything?” I like to make a list of the attributes of God and how He deals with people and then I use my list—I call that my God list—and then I use my list to then say back to Him His attributes. As I learn to praise my God I find that my heart is filled up. He says He inhabits the praises of His people, Psalm 22:3 in the King James version. And I really believe that since He placed eternity in my heart, from Ecclesiastes 3:11, that by praising Him I’m filled up in a way that I might not have been before and that might have been one reason that I was going to physical food. To fill this heart that actually needs Him to fill it with Himself. So praising God puts Him in His place and me in my place. It’s His will, His way, His eating for me. We want to live for Him. It’s about Him instead of my way, my body, my my my. I hope that helps.
This interview has been brought to you by the Fit for Faith–a 7 week program to improve spiritual & physical health. This workbook unites physical health and spiritual health through a 7-week program to lose weight and develop a deeper relationship with God.
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