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.

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.

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.

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,

Definitely not a good idea to sustain food principles by religion but some points made are valid. Overall, not very impactful for the current time and situation of nutrition & associated eating habits.

I am not a religious person, but have always been an emotional eater. I saw this book and thought “why not?” and am so glad that I did! I feel like I understand the patterns that cause me to overeat a lot better. This book put me in tune with a spiritual side that I didn’t explore before.