This book wasn't for me. The cover and title drew me in but I found it too heavy on the religion side.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarvestHousePublishers for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review.
For any Christian who has tried and tried to lose weight or who has struggled with bodily insecurities, this book will resonate with you. Throughout the book, the author has quoted and discussed bible verses (from the New International Version) that are related to body image in light of being God’s creation to encourage the reader to see their body from the eyes of God rather than from the eyes of the world. The emphasis is on being caretakers of our bodies rather than obsessed with everything that we feel is right or wrong with it and taking responsibility for how we treat ourselves. One chapter is titled “Picture This:Life Without Mirrors” which I particularly enjoyed where the author discusses all the lies imbedded in our culture concerning our appearances and their relation to our value.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others whether you have difficulty with your weight or not. The principles outline in this book are an excellent guide to any struggles we may have in life. #LoveToEatHateToEat

Unfortunately I gave up on this book. The cover drew me in and I was intrigued to hear the author’s story however it was just a bit too preachy for me.

Love to Eat, Hate to Eat does not address only those who need to lose weight. As she does so well, Elyse Fitpatrick brings the Bible to an everyday part of our lives and shows us how food affects our relationship with God. People make it their God-in eating too much or not enough in attempt to control something in life. She does a great job sharing her own story and I feel the reader will go forth better prepared to face their eating issues.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

An interesting book based on scripture and eating disorders. I found this book very informative. I highly recommend it. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

In Love to Eat, Hate to Eat, Elyse Fitzpatrick reminds us of the truth of the gospel and its implications for all of life, including what and how we eat. I found the first half of the book to be strong, even if the focus was more theological than practical. We are reminded that our identity, comfort, and righteousness come from Christ and Christ alone. When we turn to food for what only Christ can give, we have fallen into idolatry and will end up unsatisfied and enslaved. In his presence indeed are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11) and all the pleasures that food offers us pale in comparison to lasting joy.
In the second half of the book, the focus is more on practical steps to overcome damaging and sinful eating habits. We are encouraged to ask "D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E-D" questions as we eat to identify wrong thought patterns and attitudes we have toward food. I found this section of the book overwhelming, and if I took the time to memorize all of the questions, I feel like I would have trouble ever eating without guilt. Perhaps this would be helpful for someone who is at the end of their rope and is ready for drastic steps, but for someone like me who is simply looking to take a step in improving my relationship with food, it was too much.
I admit that I am maybe not the target audience for this book, as the author assumes that anyone reading it truly has a stronghold in their lives with food. I think it could be helpful as a supplement to in-person counseling, but otherwise I would be hesitant to recommend it.

Many of the things written in "Love to Eat, Hate to Eat" are really true, and I have seen it in my own experiences. Like some "wise" uncles trying to feel bigger at the expense of little girls, making jokes about their appearances, or parents trying to help but tearing down instead. The spiritual and emotional tips on how to overcome bad eating habits are great too, this book is a package for anyone who has unhealthy addictions to food or would like to help someone around them. It digs deep into the Bible and explores the "gluttony" sin with all it's shades of grey.

However, there is one big part missing - personal story. I am not really interested in reading about some abstract Marsha or Jean and two paragraphs of their supposed affliction. The author felt missing from the book, and so it came across as preachy and teachy, generic, and less memorable.

"Love to Eat, Hate to Eat" was a tough read for me. I have to admit that I DNF and gave up on it pretty quickly. I was hoping for advice on healthy eating and looking forward to some encouragement from Christian texts. I found this failed to do either and did not tie the two together. It was very disjointed but not helpful and hard to read. I'm sorry to say I don't recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I have read many diet books. This one was very good for me at this time. It really spoke to me and I felt it was written just for me. Now to put the things I have learned into practice.

In this book well known author Elyse Fitzpatrick outlines the importance of eating to the glory of God. She outlines how we should have healthy relationships with food which do not result in over or under eating as both are sin. I generally really enjoyed this book. It covers an issue which is often ignored in the church and offered many helpful pieces of advice as well as being a scripturally rich book. However I felt that it dragged a little at the end and i would be very cautious about who i would recommend this book too- I feel that it is more geared towards a chronic over eater and if it got into the wrong hands- someone who thinks they eat too much but really do not- it could potentially cause issues.

Really enjoyed reading this one. It was full of fantastic information. Great hints and tips to try out. A must read for any woman

I don't know if this book will help me lose weight or not, but it has helped me take a look at myself from God's perspective, helped me to think about why I emotionally eat, and offered encouragement and a positive outlook no matter your weight or eating disorder. I found the scripture motivating and hope I can turn words into positive action for my health. This was well worth the reading.

This is a rich book with a topic close to my heart. I’ve watched God transform my life in the last year through fitness and food. I’ve learned so much about His goodness and character as I’ve learned to care for my body. It’s been incredible.

I recently stumbled across this book and read through it out of curiosity. I’d read another book by a Christian author with a similar synopsis and had been disappointed by a few of the takeaways. I felt it was more formulaic in nature and less about the posture of the heart. I have many friends that ask me questions about my lifestyle change and I was hoping to have a resource to point them to.

I’m happy to say, this is that resource. This book is focused entirely on our heart posture toward God, ourselves, and our food. It is not just another diet book. It is not a quick fix all. It is a journey into self discovery. A process of uncovering our doubt, fear, and other limitations that we cling to.

I will be buying many copies of this and giving them to people in my life that have been stuck in this cycle for years. I really believe if we engage with the truths in this book, we’ll come out better for it.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for a fair review!

I felt that this book was far too religious based. As a non believer in God it felt preachy rather than a self help book for eating issues.

While there are some valid points made within the book the book is focused far too much around religion to make this an easy read for someone who doesn't have religious beliefs

I am not a religious person, and I didn't realise it had a religious context to it. I picked it based on the description. I found that it talks a lot about eating disorders, If you have an eating disorder like mentioned in the book then God is not the answer, you need medical help. It was well written and easy to follow. There are lots of verses and references to the bible which may help people. This book just wasn't for me.

Elyse Fitzpatrick's book Love to Eat, Hate to Eat, attacks the common struggle with weight issues at a heart level. Anyone who has struggled to lose weight or has struggled with eating disorders will find a loving, caring friend in Fitzpatrick as she offers biblical wisdom and practical helps for honoring God with your body. She doesn't offer any quick fixes or any religious platitudes. What Fitzpatrick does do is show you biblical truth, lead you to rediscover your identity in Christ, and embrace God's methods for change. Again, it's heart change that brings change in outward behavior, so that's what makes this book different. You deal with the heart, and all you do flows from that heart change effected by the Holy Spirit at work in you. Follow Fitzpatrick's gentle guidance, step by step, and you'll find new heart attitudes that just might change your outward behaviors, freeing you from slavery to food.

While her book definitely draws from Scripture as the foundation of all she says, Fitzpatrick does give plenty of practical wisdom for every day life. She helps you understand why you do some of the things you do and how to embrace God's power. She helps you learn how to take thoughts captive, and she gives you plenty of "food" for your thought life so you can focus on godly things rather than focusing on those things that might drive you to emotional eating (worry, anxiety, fear, anger, etc.).

At the end of the book you'll also find practical helps like tips for using the book with a group, a helpful acrostic for D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I_N-E-D Eating, complet with questions and Bible verses for encouragement, a daily food diary, a personal growth sheet, and a couple of reference sheets for how to know you are a Christian and a list of destructive eating behaviors.

All in all, this is a very encouraging book for anyone who struggles with food issues. It's one I highly recommend.

Note; I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Is this just another boring diet book? No indeed! I was pleasantly surprised to read this totally different approach to you and your weight. The author gives a wonderful description of her faith-based approach to God and His plan for your weight. I loved her ideas of how a person can take control of their weight following biblical principles. In fact, this made a deep impression on my way of thinking and I feel that it has changed my way of thinking about my eating habits. Thank you Ms. Fitzpatrick for giving me new hope and something to stand on!

Love to eat, Hate to eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick is honestly one of the most helpful books I’ve read when it comes to eating! The book is easy to read and enjoyable. In this book you will learn to identify destructive eating habits
break the vicious cycle of emotional eating
develop a flexible plan suited to unique situations.
I recommend this book to anyone who feels they have trouble with food, allowing food to control them.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
I was so grateful to have found Fitzpatrick's book. I've personally struggled with various eating issues throughout my 20s and wish I would've read this before the many years of struggle. Fitzpatrick helps us to reshape our thoughts and attitudes towards our eating habits and the book largely focuses on how to do so while glorifying God through the way we think of (and treat) food. I'd recommend this book for those struggling with eating disorders but also to anyone who experiences particular eating habits they would like to address,