Can I share something honestly?

This summer has been full, and I mean that in the best possible way. There have been family gatherings, days spent enjoying the Cape, beautiful coastal views, and hydrangeas blooming in every shade of blue and purple. These are some of the things that fill my heart with gratitude for the life God has given me. 🩵

Of course, summer in New England also comes with its signature foods.

There are lobster rolls by the water, creamy clam chowder, and homemade ice cream on a warm afternoon. These foods are part of the season for me, and many times they are connected to people, places, and memories I cherish. 🍦⚓

But when there are many gatherings and special occasions close together, it is easy for my usual habits to loosen.

One indulgence becomes several. Portions gradually grow. Foods I normally enjoy occasionally begin appearing more frequently. I tell myself that I will return to my usual routine after the next gathering, the next weekend, or the next trip to the Cape.

Then I finally step on the scale.

⚖️ When the Scale Confirms What I Already Know

Usually, I know that I have gained weight before the scale confirms it.

My clothes fit differently. I may feel more sluggish, and I remember the choices I made when I continued eating even though I was no longer hungry.

The number on the scale is information, but it does not always feel like information. Sometimes it feels like an accusation.

After working so hard to lose nearly 100 pounds, seeing the number rise can bring fear with it. I remember how difficult it was to lose that weight, and I do not want to return to the life I worked so hard to leave behind.

Fear can quickly turn into guilt.

I begin thinking about what I should have done differently. I remember the extra serving, the dessert I did not need, or the weeks when I avoided the scale because I did not want to face what was happening.

I also have to be honest with myself. Sometimes I knowingly chose to indulge. I cannot blame every pound on a busy schedule, a vacation, or a family gathering. Taking responsibility for my choices is part of caring for my health.

But responsibility and condemnation are not the same thing.

That distinction has changed the way I approach my health journey.

🌊 Enjoying Life Is Not the Enemy

I have been thinking a great deal about what it means to live the abundant life Jesus spoke about:

“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:10 NLT

Jesus was speaking about the life we receive through Him as our Good Shepherd. This is not a promise that we will always be comfortable, wealthy, or free from hardship. It is the full life we have when we belong to Christ and live under His care.

For me, caring for my health is part of that life, but so is enjoying the life I am trying to preserve.

God created food to nourish us, but He also created flavor. He gave us taste buds and the ability to enjoy what we eat. First Timothy 4:4 tells us:

“Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.”
1 Timothy 4:4 NLT

Food does not have moral character. Eating one kind of food does not make me good, and eating another does not make me bad.

Some foods nourish my body more effectively than others. Some are better suited to my everyday life, while others are best enjoyed occasionally. Recognizing that difference is wisdom, not condemnation.

When I label certain foods as “bad,” I may begin labeling myself as bad for eating them. That carries an emotional cost.

Instead of enjoying a reasonable portion and moving on, I may eat it with guilt, decide I have already failed, and then continue eating because I believe the damage has been done.

That is not balance. It is another form of the same unhealthy cycle.

I can enjoy a lobster roll without guilt and still pay attention to what my body needs. I can share homemade ice cream with my family without believing that I must either refuse it completely or eat far more than I need.

Balance leaves room for nourishment and enjoyment. It allows me to receive food with gratitude, enjoy it, and then continue practicing the habits that help me feel well.

🔄 I Have Started Over More Times Than I Can Count

For years, starting over felt like proof that I had failed again.

I would begin a new diet, buy the foods I believed I was supposed to eat, and promise myself that this time would be different. If I regained weight or returned to an old habit, I assumed everything I had accomplished was gone.

My response was usually to become stricter.

I thought I could repair the situation by creating more rules and depriving myself of anything I enjoyed. That approach might motivate me temporarily, but it never produced lasting change.

Eventually, I would become tired, discouraged, or overwhelmed. One unplanned meal could make me believe the entire day was ruined. A difficult week could convince me to give up altogether.

I would overindulge, feel ashamed, create rigid rules, struggle to maintain them, and then condemn myself when I could not.

Grace began to change that cycle.

🌅 God’s Mercy Meets Me Again

Lamentations 3:22–23 says:

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
Lamentations 3:22–23 NLT

These words were spoken during a time of great sorrow and devastation. Yet even in that difficult place, Jeremiah remembered the faithfulness and mercy of God.

If God’s mercies begin afresh each morning, then beginning again cannot automatically mean I am a failure.

It means God has given me another opportunity to respond with wisdom.

Grace does not pretend my choices do not matter. It gives me the freedom to face those choices honestly without believing they define me.

I can acknowledge that I have been overindulging. I can recognize that I have gained weight. I can make a different choice today without attacking the person I was yesterday.

God’s mercy does not run out because I need another opportunity to make a wise choice. His mercy meets me right where I am and helps me continue.

🌱 Falling Does Not Mean Staying Down

Proverbs 24:16 says:

“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.”
Proverbs 24:16 NLT

Scripture does not say that godly people never stumble. It tells us that they get up again.

A few gained pounds do not erase nearly 100 pounds of weight loss. A full summer does not cancel everything God has taught me. Enjoying special food with my family does not make the entire season a failure.

At the same time, grace does not require me to ignore what is happening.

If I notice old habits returning, I can respond before they become firmly established again.

Getting up may mean stepping on the scale even when I am nervous about the number. It may mean returning to meal planning, preparing more nourishing food, paying closer attention to portions, or becoming more aware of my hunger and fullness.

These are not punishments.

They are ways of caring for the body God has entrusted to me.

🦋 I Am Not Starting Another Diet

For most of my life, I thought about health in terms of starting and stopping.

I would begin a diet, try to reach a particular number, and hope that one day I would finally arrive at the end. If I regained weight or struggled again, I believed I had returned to the beginning.

I do not see my life that way anymore.

This journey is not a temporary diet with a beginning and an ending. It is a new way of life. I am learning to care for my whole self, spirit, mind, and body, with Christ at the center.

Some seasons will be easier than others. My routines may change, my body will continue to change, and there will be times when I need to make adjustments.

None of that means I have returned to the beginning.

I am still moving forward.

A holistic Christian lifestyle is not a single diet plan, and it will not look exactly the same for everyone. We have different bodies, needs, responsibilities, resources, and seasons of life. We must each make informed decisions about our health and seek appropriate professional guidance for our individual needs.

For me, this journey means making thoughtful choices without becoming afraid to enjoy my life.

I can eat foods that support my health most of the time and enjoy a special meal without attaching shame to it. That is the freedom I did not have when I was always either “on” a diet or “off” one.

💜 My Journey Does Not Have a Finish Line

When I step on the scale and see that I have gained weight, I do not need to rewrite the entire summer as a failure.

The time I spent with my family was not a mistake. The days at the Cape were not wasted. The meals we shared and the memories we made still have value.

I can be grateful for a full summer while also acknowledging that I lost some of my balance.

Both can be true.

There will be more family gatherings, changing seasons, coastal days, blooming hydrangeas, and meals that carry memories with them. There may be times when the scale goes down and other times when it moves in the opposite direction.

That number can give me useful information, but it cannot measure the fullness of my life.

My journey will end when the Lord takes me home. Until then, I want to live the beautiful and bountiful life He has given me.

I want to stand beside the water and take in the coastal views. I want to notice the hydrangeas blooming. I want to enjoy the chowder and thank God for the people sitting at the table with me. I also want to care for my body so that I can remain present for the life God has placed around me.

Sometimes wisdom means enjoying the chowder.

Sometimes it means choosing what my body needs more that day.

Both choices can have a place in a healthy, faithful, and grateful life.

I am not starting over because my summer was a failure. I am continuing a lifelong journey, making adjustments when I need to and receiving God’s mercy along the way.

I am not beginning another temporary diet.

I am living a life that belongs to Christ. 🌿

🙏 A Prayer for This Continuing Journey

Lord, thank You for the beautiful and abundant life I have in Christ. Thank You for family, shared meals, changing seasons, and the many good things You allow me to enjoy.

Help me receive Your gifts with gratitude and wisdom. When I lose my balance, help me respond honestly without condemning myself. Teach me to care for my spirit, mind, and body without allowing fear, guilt, or rigid rules to control me.

Give me wisdom to know when to enjoy something special and when to choose what my body needs more. Thank You that Your mercy is new every morning. Help me continue this journey with grace, responsibility, freedom, and gratitude.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

💬 Join the Conversation

Have you ever felt as though needing to begin again meant you had failed? What would change if you viewed caring for your health as a continuing way of life instead of another temporary diet?

Share your thoughts in the comments. Your experience may encourage someone else who is learning how to move forward with grace.

Visit HisWordsMinistry.com for more Scripture-centered encouragement for living a faithful and holistic life.

Faithfully Well shares personal experiences and general encouragement for a Christ-centered, holistic lifestyle. This content is not medical advice or a substitute for guidance from a physician or another qualified healthcare professional.

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