I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

5 star review

Very informative book about a very difficult topic. Well written and easy to take in.

Thank you for this early copy

very very thought provoking and life changing in so far as this helps you understand why you form bad habits and arms you with the tools to change them and thus yourself for the better.

This book was particularly good as the tone is warm and friendly and not preachy.

A little too religious for me but still some strong valid points

This was a road map on weight loss with a Biblical perspective. The author does a good job referencing her personal struggles with different verses to promote positivity and continued effort. There is also a place in the end on what it means to be a Christian/How to know you were a Christian.

As I start on another attempt to lose weight for the last time I grasp for books to make the journey stick. To find out the “Why’s” because I do love to eat. I also hate to eat because it never fails to find a way to stick to my body! So here are my thoughts…

This book was great if you have issues with “who you are in Christ” which is important to know and delving in to the “why’s”. I’m sure this will be helpful to some. I personally didn’t have an lightbulb moment.

I've always been a big fan of Elyse Fitzpatrick and the way she applies the gospel to real-life situations. While this is not my favorite of her books, I know this one will be a helpful tool that sets many women free in Christ.

I started reading this book, but I didn't not find enough eating advice. I thought it started with too much Christian content.

Love to Eat, Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick is a book that aims to deal with your beliefs about food and to help you bring them under control with God’s help. While I agree with a lot she says and do really like parts of the book, I have some serious concerns about the way she deals with eating disorders. I think some of those statements could be dangerously misinterpreted. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I’m sorry I really couldn’t get on with this book. I had missed the religious aspect when I requested this and started to read it, but I tried to keep reading. Unfortunately I found it preachy and heavy on the religion. I realise I am not the target market for this book so it feels unfair for me to review it. Sadly I didn’t find any use from this book and it was a DNF

Unfortunately this book never was sent to my kindle despite sending it multiple times so I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed the book or not! I tried to come on again and try another round of sending it but it won't even let me do that anymore.

I think every woman at some point in their life no matter their walk with Christ, has struggled with body image and particularly eating habits. Based on the back cover description, I was excited to read this book and get a better perspective on God's view of eating and practical ideas to break the bondage we fall into.

Unfortunately, I didn't gain much from this book. A very large majority of the book felt like I was listening to a sermon. I believe her intentions were right: start with your relationship with Christ. No sinful habit or struggle can be resolved without first looking to Christ.

A lot of the information she provided seems very logical and already known, especially if you are a believer. I think most people are looking for something more practical from this book in regards to their eating struggles and that wasn't provided.

I did find her DISCIPLINED method quite interesting. She created this to help herself think about the purpose of her eating habits:
- Doubt: do I doubt that I can eat this food without sinning?
- Idolatry: will eating this food demonstrate a heart of idolatry?
- Stumble: if I eat this food, will it cause some weaker Christian to stumble?
- Covet: am I eating this food because I saw someone else with it and I'm coveting?
- Inroad: if I eat this food, will it create an inroad for sin in my life?
- Praise: can I eat this food with thanks and gratitude?
- Life: Would eating this food harm my life or health in any way?
- Illustrate: Am I modeling good eating habits for others?
- No: am I able to say no to this food, even if I know that I can eat it without sin?
- Emotions: does the desire to eat this food flow out of any sinful emotion?
- Distract: will preparing or eating this food distract me from something more profitable?
- Enslaved: will eating this food bring me under any kind of bondage?

As you can see, almost every point focuses on sin and bondage. Yes, our eating habits can be sinful. They can also be a chemical imbalance in our brains. And a lot of times it's simply that we are satisfying a void with food rather than with Christ. But ultimately, I was seeking more than a theological sermon on sinful eating habits. I wanted more in the way of understanding the "why" and the "how".

I was sadly disappointed in what the book provided.

I received an e-copy of this book from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

It is a question of what you feed your desires with? How do you respond to your emotions?

This is not about another diet fab or a how to book. Or even a self-improvement book. There are so many however, none of them get to the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter doesn't always mean overeating. It could mean overspending. It could mean any addiction. The text goes into the triggers of our emotions and desires and redirects them to the word of God.

Using the word DISCIPLINED, your thoughts are challenged and questioned to make better choices. Lasting change only happens when intentional and discipline is the tool that helps us achieve. With anything, I find cheating does not work, commitment does. This is not addressed in the text but for me, it helps me not to take two steps forward and three steps back. Discipline also helps with despair in our failings. The discipline is not about what steps I need to do but who I need to be. In my desires that lead to sin, if desires turn to God's word, my desires become God's. Being in God's word is not a one time your done but it is breathing, it is food, it is life. Seeing God's word that way is one of Elyse Fitzpatrick's greatest strengths in teaching. Highly recommend.


A Special Thank you to Harvest House Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I thought this was a good book! I appreciate how the author applied real life stories. It was a little long for the information provided, but overall, it was good!

"Love to Eat, Hate to Eat: Breaking the Bondage of Destructive Eating Habits" claims to want to achieve better eating habits through spirituality and faith. However, in reality, it gives little actual advice to improve your eating habits, as the majority of this book consists of bible citations and heavy religious discourse.

Frankly, I thought this was infuriating, ridiculous and outright offensive sometimes. Overall, I found this book to be extremely unhelpful and misleading.

Thanks NetGalley and Harvest House Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"Love to Eat, Hate to Eat" by Elyse Fitzpatrick tackles the question of what should a Christian girl feel about her body. Fitzpatrick brings faith and God into the conversation of body image and dives into the reasoning behind poor body image. 

Fitzpatrick begins by relating to her audience and I think that is incredibly helpful in giving her credibility. People reading this book are looking for answers and to hear from someone who has been through it can be incredibly helpful. I think this book did lack a little of the practical aspect if you were not reading as a group with leaders and accountability. 

The helpful worksheets and questions seem like excellent tools to use for a group meeting. Fitzpatrick seems like someone who would run an amazing retreat or workshop. There are lots of tools within this book that could be so helpful if put to good use.

Yet, I find this book is a hard read. It identifies struggling with weight as a sin and something that likely just requires self-control. I don't really relate to the topic, but I could see this being offensive to the new believer or person who may feel they need more support than this book thinks is reasonable. 

In the end, I gave this book 3 stars because it requires so much more than a read through to see the full value and change discussed in this book.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book was not for me. The author was too preachy and it read in a negative light for me.

This is not a book to sit and read through in one sitting. In fact, it isn't one to take a week with.

This book is extremely weighty. It is one to take your time with and really mull over the contents and really consider the root of our issues with food.

Love to Eat, Hate to Eat takes you on a journey with food that few other books even dare to step into. Love to Eat, Hate to Eat addresses the spiritual issues related to our relationship with eating. This is not a book to undertake if you are looking for a way of eating to adhere to. This book isn't going to give you the rules for a diet. This book leads you on a discovery of how your eating habits can be linked to sinful behavior and addressing that sinful behavior It isn't an easy book to get through. But then, what book is when it is calling out sin? I'm not saying that your weight issues are all because of sin. There are physical and even emotional reasons why our weight isn't where we should be. And even with those other extenuating circumstances, they may be intertwined with outright sin and sinful tendencies. I know for me, there are a lot of emotional issues involved with my relationship with food. There is sin involved with those issues, and those issues feed that sin. And I know for a fact that you need to work on both issues or it will never be fixed. This book gives you the tools you need to address the sin issues you have regarding food.

This book will change your life if you let it. I challenge everyone who has issues in their relationship with food to sit down, take a long hard look at themselves and let the Spirit change your heart in this matter. It is quite a journey to undertake. One that is not well understood by many in the world. But in the process of refinement and submitting ourselves totally to the Lord, this book will be an invaluable tool in that journey.

This book wasn't what I thought it would be like. Unfortunately the cover is a little deceiving and the book is a little preachy. Maybe it was in the wrong category?

This book infuriated me. Christian-religious books should be properly identified. If so, I would not read them. The title-the donut-in no way does this book look like a "Trust in God do not eat book' which is how it comes across.
"We are God's Temple"?! " "Everything I possess was given to me by our Great God and his wonderful children..Thank you Father." "Christ is your Life." "The refelection of Jesus in You."

In the future, please take into consideration that some people may be offended by this book and its 'practical religious dogma' that is insulting and could be damaging to someone who has an eating disorder or is dieting.

Fitzpatrick brings us squarely to the spiritual truth about our eating. While she reminds us that God loves us no matter our size, she also reminds us God's plan is for us to glorify Him in all we do, including eating. I like her emphasis on God's desire to transform us on the inside, a much deeper transformation than our outer appearance. I really like her teaching that we will ever only find satisfaction when our life is centered on God. She admonishes us to remember that our focus should be on pleasing God, not our bellies.

There are many helpful issues addressed in this book, such as the truth about our outer appearance. Yes, we are to care for our bodies because they are created in God's image, but we are to also have a proper view of beauty and what beauty is in God's eyes. I really like her emphasis on the role of our thoughts and her good ideas on how to conform them to God's Word.

I had not thought of transforming my eating as a spiritual discipline. Fitzpatrick suggests a practical plan of admitting our sin, seeking to conform our thoughts to God's thinking, and persevering in the practice of disciplined eating. She has added a number of pages at the end of the book for recording the daily act of discipline.

While information on food, nutrition, exercise, etc. is included, the emphasis of the book is on the spiritual nature of our food consumption. Questions for discussion and reflection are included at the end of each chapter so this would be a good book for a small group. You'll find helpful information, inspiring encouragement and good suggestions for transforming your life with respect to food.

Food for thought: There is no Scripture that commands or even commends thinness. (Loc 498/2736)

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

1 star
I was really hoping this was going to be a good book. The author uses the KJV of the Bible. I was enjoying 3 well enough until she says " I'm not saying it is unbiblical to dress nice or wear makeup "per say".
Wow, really? She says this after going on and on about the cultural bombardment women get to look nice. I just can't even...
Do not read this.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.