Dieting vs Fasting: Can You See The Difference?

by Lisa Bevere

Sophia is the Greek word for Wisdom, and Propel Sophia seeks out the voices of truly wise women and asks them to share worked examples of how they express faith in daily life. Pull up a chair at Sophia’s table, won’t you? There’s plenty of space. Learn more here.

I remember the day I began to struggle with my body image. I was a competitive swimmer and track athlete in high school. I competed hard, which kept me in pretty good shape. But I tore my Achilles tendon in my junior year of high school, which kept me from training and competing. Although I wasn’t exercising like I had been, I kept eating as though I were.

It didn’t go unnoticed.

One fateful day, I came home from school and my dad said, “Come over here.” I walked over to him, unsure of what to expect but sensing I was in some sort of trouble. As I approached him, he said, “Turn around.” As I did, he exclaimed, “Your butt is huge. How much do you weigh right now?!”

I told him I didn’t know, so he told me to go step on the scale. I was probably twenty-five pounds heavier than I am right now. He went on to explain that I was fat—and that no guy was going to like me if I was fat.

I was mortified.

Immediately, a sense of body shame came over me. For the first time, I hated my body. I remember thinking that if I was thin, I would be in control of my life. I thought that if I was thin, my father would be proud of me. As I looked in the mirror, I hated what I saw.

And thus began a long, arduous struggle with the mirror and the scale. For years and years after this, I would try everything to lose weight—but it never seemed to be enough. I starved myself, developed an exercise disorder, and eventually, succumbed to bulimia. Even when I would hit my target weight, I'd still feel all kinds of empty on the inside. The line kept moving.

The details of your story may or may not line up with mine, but I do know this—I don’t know a single woman who hasn’t struggled at times with what they see in their reflection. For most, it's an all-out war.

Our world obsesses over the external, and if we don’t live in active resistance to it, we will fall into the same trap.

There is a reason every time we stand in line at the grocery story, we are bombarded with magazine headlines pushing the latest diet and fitness trends on us. This world wants us to conform to its image.

But God wants something entirely different for us—He wants us to conform to his image.

While our obsession over the latest weight loss fad may border on insanity, God is after something so much deeper. He wants to transform us from the inside out. All lasting liberation, healing, and change begins with inward transformation.

That’s why He invites us at times to fast.

Now if you are anything like I was, you are probably asking, “Isn’t fasting just a spiritual form of dieting?” I thought the same thing—but God showed me it’s so much more than going without food. I had already abstained from eating that when I had an eating disorder, and believe me—I knew nothing of fasting at the time (Note: If you struggle with an eating disorder, I’d suggest fasting something else besides food). Dieting focuses on the external, but fasting goes much deeper. A true fast realigns our hearts so we hunger for God above everything else, transforming us from the inside out.

You see, a diet may change the way you look, but a fast changes the way you see—and if we are to be the expression of God on the earth, we need to see with His eyes. Eyes that see that we are enough because He is enough. Eyes that see that we are beautiful because He has made us after His likeness. Eyes that don’t see our flaws as much as the love that covers them.

When we fast, we respond to an invitation to be transformed from the inside out. It’s an invitation to press into God’s heart in a deeper way—and when He reveals His heart to you, you will discover a truth almost too good to comprehend. You have been there all along as the apple of His eye.

In fact, Scripture tells us that, "for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross" (Hebrews 12:2).

You see, beloved, you are that joy.

May the eyes of your heart will be opened to know that truth—truth that will make you freer than you've ever been.

He sees you. He knows you, flaws and all. And yet He loves you still—so much so that He gave everything to have you.

Beloved, it’s time to allow God’s love to change the way we see so He can change the way we live.

Lisa Bevere

Lisa Bevere has spent nearly three decades empowering women to find their identity and purpose. She is a New York Times bestselling author and internationally known speaker. Her books, which include Adamant, Lioness Arising, Girls with Swords, and Without Rival, are in the hands of millions worldwide. Lisa and her husband, John, are the founders of Messenger International, an organization that gives translated discipleship resources into the nations. Find her on Facebook and Instagram.