March 9, 2026
How to Desire Body Change Without Self-Hate: Embracing Acceptance While Pursuing Goals, Ep 9 Waiting for Weight Loss Series
Welcome back to the "Waiting for Weight Loss" Lenten series on the Compared to Who? Podcast! In this heartfelt episode, host Heather Creekmore dives deep into the challenge so many face: How can we desire body change or weight loss while still honoring, loving, and accepting the bodies we have—right now?
Episode Highlights:
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Heather Creekmore unpacks why self-hatred is NOT a biblical motivator for change, and what healthier (and more effective) alternatives look like.
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You’ll hear practical, grace-filled advice on:
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Buying clothes that fit and flatter your body today, not waiting for a “goal weight.”
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Stopping the cycle of body checking, mirror scanning, and anxious self-critique.
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Shifting your mindset from shame-driven to gratitude-driven, even if you’re still on the journey to acceptance.
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Releasing comparison and learning to thank your body for all it’s helped you accomplish, instead of shaming it for what it’s not.
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Embracing the foundation of being loved and accepted by Jesus as you are, regardless of your current size or shape.
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Key Takeaways:
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It's absolutely possible to want change for your body without making shame your motivation.
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Acceptance now actually sets you up for healthier choices later—no more waiting for the "perfect" time or body.
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True transformation starts with knowing you are already fully loved in Christ.
Join the Community:
Don’t try to tackle these tough topics alone! Join our free Waiting for Weight Loss community at waitingforweightloss.com and connect with other like-minded Christian women, get your questions answered, and receive coaching and encouragement on your journey.
Let’s heal together—and walk through Lenten transformation with acceptance, dignity, and hope.
Subscribe and share if you found this episode helpful, and don’t miss out on future encouragement from Compared to Who?
Want to go deeper? Join the conversation in the Waiting for Weight Loss community today!
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hey friend, welcome back to our Waiting for Weight Loss series on the Compared to You podcast. I'm Heather Creekmore, your host, and I'm so glad that you are going on this Lenten journey with us when we're talking about how to desire weight loss and not make it the goal or the god of your life. We're meeting here every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We're also meeting in our brand new community called Waiting for Weight Loss. You can join absolutely free at waitingfoweight loss dot com and then you'll get to interact with our coaches. You'll get to ask your questions, and you'll get to talk to like minded Christian women about the hard stuff that we're talking about here. An amazing thing happens when you make connections with Christian women who are on the same journey that you're on. You know what That thing that happens is you realize you're not alone. And once we realize we're not alone, oh boy, then the healing today. Our topic is a big one. It's how to desire body change without self rejection. How do I hold these two things at the same time that I really do want my body to change. I want my body to look different without sitting in this. I hate my body, I don't want to go outside. I'm embarrassed, I'm ashamed of my body. I hate where I'm at now, and I want this other thing. How do you do that at the same time, because I think a lot of us probably have been told that it's that hate or despisal of our bodies that will actually shame us and propel us into that body change, like you need a ton of body hate in order to ever pull off the body change. But friend, I don't think that's biblical. In fact, as I see it, I don't think shame should ever be our motivator for anything healthy. So here's where I want to go today. It is possible to want your body to change without hating the body you have. In fact, I think that's a much healthier foundation or platform from which to desire body change or desire weight loss than the platform of self hatred. Right, And these two things often get all tangled together, Right, It's as if the desire for change has to be fueled by the frustration or the shame or the disappointment. But again, I tell you, it doesn't have to be that way you can desire change without hating who you are right now. And here's some ways that might look for you. It might look like you need to go buy some new clothes so you have something that fits you right now, that fits your actual today body. Not saving that as a reward for progress, like I can buy clothes that fit me when I lose X number of camps. No, Instead, that's a radical act of accept where I'm at now, what my body has gone through to get here, just what my life has looked like that has led me to this point. I accept perimenopause like whatever it may be. That's going to be a radical act of self acceptance. But from that radical act of self acceptance, I believe you are better set up to make healthy choices for your life. Right You know how it is like when you start to lose some weight on a plan, you actually kind of get to the point where you want to make more healthy choices because the weight loss feels good. You kind of start to feel like, Okay, I feel a little better in my skin. But you don't have to wait for the weight loss in order for that to happen. You can start to feel better in your skin right now. Today, before that scale ever even moves, just by showing your body some care and some respect. Of that care and respect, it's finding some clothes that fit. You. Don't have to spend a ton of money, but find some clothes that you feel comfortable in, you feel like look decent enough on you, and feel good about your body where you're at today as much as you can while you're on your way to that goal. Here's another one, body checking. You know, I talk about body checking in this book, My forty Day Body Image Workbook. This is such a big thing. If you're not sure what body checking is, it's you know, I don't know. You wake up and you feel your chin, or you feel your stomach or the other body parts. You are kind of checking them all the time to see if they've grown, or if they feel boppy, or if they feel more jiggly than they did last week. Right, But choosing to stop body checking or could even be like mirror scanning, you know, taking mental measurements of yourself. It's constant evaluation. Choosing to stop that is a way to let your body know that it's safe. Right. Your body is okay, just as it is today, And when you choose to take that action to stop all your body checking behaviors. It can actually help you feel better. It can help calm that anxiety down because he's kind of what these things are. They're kind of anxious habits. You're calming the anxiety down. You're saying, I'm okay, just as I am today. I'm gonna hold the truth that God made my body good and that I did not mess it up beyond repair. And I can also hold the truth that it desired my body to change. I would like to lose some weight or have my body change another way. The third thing I would encourage you to do and as a way to accept where your body is today while holding that weight loss goal, is to stop comparing yourself to other women. Friend, God gave you your body. He knows your story, all that body has been through, all the ways that body has served you, helped you, kept you alive. And your story is not the same as anyone else's story. Your genetics are not the same as anyone else's genetics. Your stress, what you've been through not the same as anyone else's. Your body has a lot of unique characteristics to it that reflect your story. So don't shame your body for what it's been through. Instead, we can actually thank for bodies now. I know for some of you were like, I'm not there yet. That's okay, just hear me out. Thank you body for going through for pregnancies. Thank you body for enduring that tough, stressful season I was in. Thank you body for helping me be a caretaker as I watched over and helped that loved one and poured it all out. I was exhausted. It took a toll on my body. Thank you body for being there for me. Preciate and respect the body you have today for all it's done for you, and still desire for it to change. Scripture reminds us not to be anxious about anything, right Matthew six twenty five talks about like, don't be anxious about the clothure, where of the fooji eat? And none of that is because our bodies don't matter. It's not what Jesus is saying at all. He's saying it's anxiety. He's not going to help you, right, So who can add a day to his life by worrying? Friend, being anxious and stressed about what your body looks like today is not a good foundation for your body change goals. Instead, I think a better foundation is feeling loved right, knowing you are already fully accepted in Jesus Christ, just as you are today. Jesus isn't waiting for you to drop a couple pounds and then he'll say, and it comes into my arms, you're my adopted daughter. No, that's already done right. That's the unique thing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ compared to all other religions, is the Gospel is the only path that says the work's already been done and you didn't have to do it. Jesus did it for you. He accepts you, and he loves you just as you are today. Oh yeah, he's going to sanctify you. There's some things that'll change. I'm not saying you should stay where you're at today. We're all on a sanctification journey. But that sanctification journey comes little by little, degree by degree. Like verse Timothy, excuse me, tewod Timothy one seven says God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind. Right. Shame doesn't help us make wise decisions. Shame actually keeps us from worship and service and loving others well, because it keeps us hiding in our houses, on our phones or on television, like just doing inward focused activities, waiting for that one day when I'll feel good enough about my body to go out. It's actually using your body that will continue to make you feel good enough. It's using your body for the purpose Guy created it for. That will help you feel alive, and that will propel more energy, more inertia to continue to help you feel better and better. So don't hide it home because of shame waiting. You can hold these two things together. My body is okay, just as it is now. It is accepted and it is loved, even if not by me or anyone else. I know I'm accepted and loved in Christ. And God gave me a body to use on purpose, for his purpose, and I'd like it to change. But I'm not going to get so concerned, so consumed, so fearful and anxious about that change happening, that it's going to stop me from doing what it is asked me and directed me to do, and called me to do with this body I have. Right now, you're allowed to want change, and you're allowed to treat yourself with dignity as you go for it. These two things can exist together. I'm so glad you were here today. I hope this encouraged you come back. Join the Waiting for Weight Loss community. We're waiting for you there Waiting for weight Loss dot com. I hope to meet you over there. The Compared to Podcasts is proud to be part of the Life Audio podcast Network from work great Christian podcast go to lifebudio dot com. Hey friend, would you check out the date on that episode you just listened to? Yeah, it's been a minute. Listening to old podcast is almost like reading my diary from several years ago. In some cases, it's even a little embarrassing. So instead of listening straight through season by season, can I encourage you to skip ahead? I released brand new episodes every Tuesday and Friday, and if you're not sure where to start, you can go to Improvebody Image dot com find the start here button and I've got several episodes listed and categorized so you can find the topics that are of most interest to you. Your time is valuable, so skip straight to the good stuff. I'm glad you're here. Thanks for letting me be a part of your body image and food freedom journey.
Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hey friend, welcome back to our Waiting for Weight Loss series on the Compared to You podcast. I'm Heather Creekmore, your host, and I'm so glad that you are going on this Lenten journey with us when we're talking about how to desire weight loss and not make it the goal or the god of your life. We're meeting here every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We're also meeting in our brand new community called Waiting for Weight Loss. You can join absolutely free at waitingfoweight loss dot com and then you'll get to interact with our coaches. You'll get to ask your questions, and you'll get to talk to like minded Christian women about the hard stuff that we're talking about here. An amazing thing happens when you make connections with Christian women who are on the same journey that you're on. You know what That thing that happens is you realize you're not alone. And once we realize we're not alone, oh boy, then the healing today. Our topic is a big one. It's how to desire body change without self rejection. How do I hold these two things at the same time that I really do want my body to change. I want my body to look different without sitting in this. I hate my body, I don't want to go outside. I'm embarrassed, I'm ashamed of my body. I hate where I'm at now, and I want this other thing. How do you do that at the same time, because I think a lot of us probably have been told that it's that hate or despisal of our bodies that will actually shame us and propel us into that body change, like you need a ton of body hate in order to ever pull off the body change. But friend, I don't think that's biblical. In fact, as I see it, I don't think shame should ever be our motivator for anything healthy. So here's where I want to go today. It is possible to want your body to change without hating the body you have. In fact, I think that's a much healthier foundation or platform from which to desire body change or desire weight loss than the platform of self hatred. Right, And these two things often get all tangled together, Right, It's as if the desire for change has to be fueled by the frustration or the shame or the disappointment. But again, I tell you, it doesn't have to be that way you can desire change without hating who you are right now. And here's some ways that might look for you. It might look like you need to go buy some new clothes so you have something that fits you right now, that fits your actual today body. Not saving that as a reward for progress, like I can buy clothes that fit me when I lose X number of camps. No, Instead, that's a radical act of accept where I'm at now, what my body has gone through to get here, just what my life has looked like that has led me to this point. I accept perimenopause like whatever it may be. That's going to be a radical act of self acceptance. But from that radical act of self acceptance, I believe you are better set up to make healthy choices for your life. Right You know how it is like when you start to lose some weight on a plan, you actually kind of get to the point where you want to make more healthy choices because the weight loss feels good. You kind of start to feel like, Okay, I feel a little better in my skin. But you don't have to wait for the weight loss in order for that to happen. You can start to feel better in your skin right now. Today, before that scale ever even moves, just by showing your body some care and some respect. Of that care and respect, it's finding some clothes that fit. You. Don't have to spend a ton of money, but find some clothes that you feel comfortable in, you feel like look decent enough on you, and feel good about your body where you're at today as much as you can while you're on your way to that goal. Here's another one, body checking. You know, I talk about body checking in this book, My forty Day Body Image Workbook. This is such a big thing. If you're not sure what body checking is, it's you know, I don't know. You wake up and you feel your chin, or you feel your stomach or the other body parts. You are kind of checking them all the time to see if they've grown, or if they feel boppy, or if they feel more jiggly than they did last week. Right, But choosing to stop body checking or could even be like mirror scanning, you know, taking mental measurements of yourself. It's constant evaluation. Choosing to stop that is a way to let your body know that it's safe. Right. Your body is okay, just as it is today, And when you choose to take that action to stop all your body checking behaviors. It can actually help you feel better. It can help calm that anxiety down because he's kind of what these things are. They're kind of anxious habits. You're calming the anxiety down. You're saying, I'm okay, just as I am today. I'm gonna hold the truth that God made my body good and that I did not mess it up beyond repair. And I can also hold the truth that it desired my body to change. I would like to lose some weight or have my body change another way. The third thing I would encourage you to do and as a way to accept where your body is today while holding that weight loss goal, is to stop comparing yourself to other women. Friend, God gave you your body. He knows your story, all that body has been through, all the ways that body has served you, helped you, kept you alive. And your story is not the same as anyone else's story. Your genetics are not the same as anyone else's genetics. Your stress, what you've been through not the same as anyone else's. Your body has a lot of unique characteristics to it that reflect your story. So don't shame your body for what it's been through. Instead, we can actually thank for bodies now. I know for some of you were like, I'm not there yet. That's okay, just hear me out. Thank you body for going through for pregnancies. Thank you body for enduring that tough, stressful season I was in. Thank you body for helping me be a caretaker as I watched over and helped that loved one and poured it all out. I was exhausted. It took a toll on my body. Thank you body for being there for me. Preciate and respect the body you have today for all it's done for you, and still desire for it to change. Scripture reminds us not to be anxious about anything, right Matthew six twenty five talks about like, don't be anxious about the clothure, where of the fooji eat? And none of that is because our bodies don't matter. It's not what Jesus is saying at all. He's saying it's anxiety. He's not going to help you, right, So who can add a day to his life by worrying? Friend, being anxious and stressed about what your body looks like today is not a good foundation for your body change goals. Instead, I think a better foundation is feeling loved right, knowing you are already fully accepted in Jesus Christ, just as you are today. Jesus isn't waiting for you to drop a couple pounds and then he'll say, and it comes into my arms, you're my adopted daughter. No, that's already done right. That's the unique thing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ compared to all other religions, is the Gospel is the only path that says the work's already been done and you didn't have to do it. Jesus did it for you. He accepts you, and he loves you just as you are today. Oh yeah, he's going to sanctify you. There's some things that'll change. I'm not saying you should stay where you're at today. We're all on a sanctification journey. But that sanctification journey comes little by little, degree by degree. Like verse Timothy, excuse me, tewod Timothy one seven says God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind. Right. Shame doesn't help us make wise decisions. Shame actually keeps us from worship and service and loving others well, because it keeps us hiding in our houses, on our phones or on television, like just doing inward focused activities, waiting for that one day when I'll feel good enough about my body to go out. It's actually using your body that will continue to make you feel good enough. It's using your body for the purpose Guy created it for. That will help you feel alive, and that will propel more energy, more inertia to continue to help you feel better and better. So don't hide it home because of shame waiting. You can hold these two things together. My body is okay, just as it is now. It is accepted and it is loved, even if not by me or anyone else. I know I'm accepted and loved in Christ. And God gave me a body to use on purpose, for his purpose, and I'd like it to change. But I'm not going to get so concerned, so consumed, so fearful and anxious about that change happening, that it's going to stop me from doing what it is asked me and directed me to do, and called me to do with this body I have. Right now, you're allowed to want change, and you're allowed to treat yourself with dignity as you go for it. These two things can exist together. I'm so glad you were here today. I hope this encouraged you come back. Join the Waiting for Weight Loss community. We're waiting for you there Waiting for weight Loss dot com. I hope to meet you over there. The Compared to Podcasts is proud to be part of the Life Audio podcast Network from work great Christian podcast go to lifebudio dot com. Hey friend, would you check out the date on that episode you just listened to? Yeah, it's been a minute. Listening to old podcast is almost like reading my diary from several years ago. In some cases, it's even a little embarrassing. So instead of listening straight through season by season, can I encourage you to skip ahead? I released brand new episodes every Tuesday and Friday, and if you're not sure where to start, you can go to Improvebody Image dot com find the start here button and I've got several episodes listed and categorized so you can find the topics that are of most interest to you. Your time is valuable, so skip straight to the good stuff. I'm glad you're here. Thanks for letting me be a part of your body image and food freedom journey.
