Dr. Michael Brown: Breaking the Addiction to Food

Content taken from an interview with Dr. Michael Brown

I weighed about 100 pounds more back then. I was a food addict, said Dr Brown.

If I had continued eating the way I was eating, I would not be alive today. My cholesterol was 240, blood pressure 149 over 103, and I had sleep apnea, which required me to sleep with a machine.

I was 59 when I decided that I couldn’t keep up this way of life.

Life Now

After having made some seemingly “radical” adjustments to my life, I can truthfully say that I’m thriving, full of life, and it is amazing.

After my health was addressed I have seen not only a reduction in weight, but I have not had a headache for 9 and a half years, and my lower back pain is gone. My blood pressure is now 100 over 65, my cholesterol is about 135, and I don’t need a breathing machine anymore in order to sleep through the night!

While I understand this is not the case for many people, for me, the issue of health is ultimately about stewardship.

I have a mission from God and I want to be able to give, run, and serve until it’s time for me to go home. The same should be for every other believer.

What Scripture Says About Our Bodies

What does 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, which deals with sexual immorality, have to do with how we eat?

While it’s about purity, the verse ends with words that ring true for our health as well–“You were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body.”

Verses 24-27 in 1 Corinthians 9 are about discipline in all things. It says run to receive the prize. Those who compete in the games go into strict training. Athletes live in constant states of self-denial, pushing themselves to be at optimal health. They do it for an earthly crown, but we should be doing it for a heavenly crown.

Eight things That We Have to Break:

• One – Know that overeating is sin.
• Two – Understand that fat does not define you.
• Three – You’re an overcomer in Christ. Jesus in you is greater.
• Four – Grace empowers you to live above sin.
• Five – Freedom through obedience is a choice.
• Six – Spiritual warfare over food is real.
• Seven – With God all things are possible.
• Eight – Healthy eating is us cooperating with the Lord.

Ten Key Points

1. Don’t diet get a lifestyle change.
2. Don’t cut back, cut bad foods out entirely.
3. Recognize that food addiction is real and deadly.
4. Learn the difference between toxic hunger and true hunger.
5. Don’t snack between meals.
6. Recognize unhealthy eating is a sin to you.
7. Identify the main psychological reasons you eat.
8. Understand food is the fuel of your life, not the reward for your life.
9. Realize exercise is not a substitute for healthy eating.
10. Resolve to change today, tomorrow never comes.

Read: Pulling Down Strongholds