Helping Your Husband Understand Your Body Image Issues [Podcast Transcript]

Title: Helping Your Husband Understand Your Body Image Issues

Podcast Date: February 4, 2025

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Description

If you're married or in a relationship, this episode is going to be key to helping your husband understand why you feel insecure, have body image issues, or don't see your body the way he does. Christian body image coach, Heather Creekmore offers 6 tips for you to share with your husband (or listen to, together) talking about what's behind body image issues and why helping your wife "eat better," or telling her she's beautiful just as she is, doesn't work. Heather breaks down why we have such a difficult time understanding each other around these issues and Heather helps husbands, specifically, see why their wives are struggling and what they can do to help her get free and find the confidence, peace, and freedom, they'd like for her to have too.

Learn more about the work of Compared to Who? at: https://www.improvebodyimage.com

Need coaching? Heather's here for Christian body image coaching for women of all ages. Learn more by dropping an email to: [email protected]

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript is AI-generated and has not been edited for accuracy or clarity.

[00:00:02]:

Life audio. Hey there, friend. Heather Creekmore here. I'm so glad you're listening to the compared to podcast today. Today's conversation is going to be very important and very relevant to you if you're married. But even if you're not, maybe someday you hope to be married, maybe you were married. Maybe this will just help explain what happened in your marriage. Maybe you're just in a dating relationship and thinking about getting married.

[00:00:30]:

Let me tell you, friend. Where we're going today, I think, is going to be pivotal. Let's say, key to your relational health. And that's what we're doing all month, really. We're talking about marriage this month. But seriously, friend, like, any kind of relationship you're in, this is going to help. We're going all different directions. We're gonna talk about what to do if he struggles with lust and pornography.

[00:00:51]:

We're gonna talk about what to do if he's told you he's not happy with your body. We're gonna talk about what's underneath some of the issues that we frequently come across in our marriages. We're gonna go lots of different directions over the course of February, so I'm glad you're here for it. But today, we're talking about how to help your man understand your body image issues. Because let me just be straight with you, he doesn't. I mean, some of y'all are married to men or in relationships with men who maybe have had body image issues of their own. And so there's probably some level of understanding there, but I still think it's a little different for women. So if you are with a guy who just doesn't seem to get it, today is for you.

[00:01:36]:

And so here's my encouragement. Maybe you wanna share this episode with him. Right? Just forward it like, hey. Maybe this will help you understand me. Or maybe you want to, those of you who are really brave, listen to it with him. Listen to it together, and really help him understand where you're coming from and how he can help. Because I think most of you have the kind of guy who just really wants to help. He wants to be supportive of you, and he's just lost.

[00:02:07]:

He has no idea how to help with this. So today's episode is gonna help with that. I'm glad you're here for it. Hey. We got another 40 day journey starting next month. We're changing days because I know some of you just will never make it on a Tuesday. So we're switching it to Mondays. Go check it out.

[00:02:23]:

You can find out everything you need to know to join us on the next 40 day journey at improve body image dot com. Now let's get to the day show. Welcome to Compare to Who, the podcast to help you make peace with your body so you can favor God's rest and feel his love. If you're tired of fighting body image the world's way, Compare To Who is the show for you. You've likely heard lots of talk about loving your body, but my goal is different. Striving to fall in love with stretch marks and cellulite is a little silly to me. Instead, I want to encourage you and remind you with the truth of scripture that you are seen, you are known, and you are loved no matter what your size or shape. Here, the pressure is off.

[00:03:05]:

If you're looking for real talk, biblical encouragement, and regular reminders that God loves you and you're not alone, you've come to the right place. I hope you enjoy today's show, and, hey, tell a friend about it. Okay. Before we get going today, I wanna kinda just give you some, I don't know, ground rules or guidelines as you think about talking to your husband about your body image issues. I want you just to understand a couple things. So thing 1 is I want you to understand that you might be speaking a foreign language. Okay. They say men are from Mars, women from Venus.

[00:03:40]:

I don't know. This is probably even further away than that. Because the truth is when you got married or when you started dating, you were probably already speaking a different language, and he probably didn't understand that. Maybe you were talking about calories or macros, or you were speaking your language of intermittent fasting and eating windows, and you were probably talking about all of these things years ago when you met. And there is a solid chance that he hadn't really heard of many of them. Now okay. Things are changing rapidly, and there are probably more men on YouTube trying to sell you diet plans than there are women at this point. Right? So this is increasingly becoming an issue for men.

[00:04:29]:

But if you've been married a while or with your guy for a long time, I'm gonna say 10 years or more, there's a solid chance that you taught him about diet culture, that you taught him the rules of diet culture. And then as he heard these things in culture around him, right, on social media, on YouTube, he gets the ads too just like we do. Right? It reinforced it. Right? And so you taught him this foreign language. You taught him this way of thinking about the world and seeing the world. In some cases, you may be with a guy who never really thought a lot about his body. I mean, he probably didn't think a lot about what he ate. Maybe he worked out some, but he wasn't overly concerned.

[00:05:13]:

He can look in the mirror and smile at himself without thinking twice. And you may have taught him to over analyze things, that certain foods are good for him or certain foods are not good for him or certain ways to exercise are better and will get better results. Like, there's a good chance that you've educated him. And so now as you are learning perhaps a new way to think about body image issues, as you are learning a new way perhaps to relate to food, you gotta give this guy some grace because you taught him everything he knows. And now he's gonna have a hard time keeping up because he's probably not reading and listening to the same things that you are reading and listening to if you are on, let's say, an intuitive eating journey. So give the guy some grace and recognize you probably taught him well. And also understand that for most men right? And I don't oh, it's so hard to generalize because these marriage and relationship things are so nuanced. Right? So my sincerest apologies if I miss you when I say most.

[00:06:22]:

Okay? But I really believe for most men, they have believed us when we've told them if we could just get a better body, if we could just lose the weight we wanna lose or look like we wanna look, then we'll be happy. And so in a guy's mind, right, he wants you to be happy. And so if you are telling him the formula for you to be happy is for you to change your body, And in his mind, he's thinking, okay. She's gonna be happy when her body changes. That means she's gonna stop complaining. Maybe she'll eat normally with us. Maybe she'll even wanna have sex. Maybe she'll want she'll let me see her naked.

[00:07:03]:

Like, these are the, like, check marks in his mind, and you've given him this formula. If I could just have a better body than all these things. And so he's like, yeah. I'm on board, babe. Like, let me help you have a better body so this will be the outcome. And there's a solid chance you've been telling him this for years. I know he's believed you. And so maybe now you have a guy who's your accountability partner.

[00:07:27]:

Maybe he's the food police. And maybe he's doing that because of what we just talked about. In his mind, you shared a formula with him, and the formula was if I have a better body, then all these things. And so he's like, okay, babe. I'm on board. I'm gonna help. And here's where it gets so messy. Right? Some of us have literally explicitly asked our husbands to help.

[00:07:54]:

But then when they do, when they say, are you sure you need that bowl of ice cream? We over analyze it. And we think, oh, he's saying that because he doesn't like my body. Oh, he's saying that because he's not happy with the way I look. Oh, he's saying that because he's really upset about the way my body looks. And it may be that he's just saying it because you told him to do that. You asked him to do that. You gave him the formula, x plus y equals z, and he wants to help get to z, so he's gonna help with that formula. Oh, friend.

[00:08:33]:

Let's not overanalyze the things that our husbands do, especially when they're things that we've asked them to do. And I think at least to the conversations and I've had this conversation with my husband many, many times. Right? He's always like, I don't, like, think about things and scheme and manipulate and contrive. Like, it's not that deep when I say something. And that's hard for me to believe because in my mind, I'm like, oh goodness. If I say something, I've riddled around it for at least 15, 20 minutes or much longer, maybe a day. And then I've said it, Carefully calculated in saying it, and it means something. But for him, it just comes out.

[00:09:15]:

Now don't get me wrong. Right? Sometimes sometimes there is manipulation and contrived statements and hurt and pain that come directly from our men. I get it. But here's a scripture that I rely on in this kind of situation. Maybe the scripture was even read at your wedding. It's 1st Corinthians 13. Okay? The famous love passage. Right? But in verse 7, there's several different translations of this, but I like the way the amplified reads.

[00:09:45]:

Because in verse 7, it says, love bears up under anything and everything that comes, and get this part, is ever ready to believe the best of every person. Its hopes are faithless under all circumstances, and it endures everything without weakening. Is ever ready to believe the best of every person. So what about when your guy makes a comment about you getting dessert? Are you having seconds? Or your jeans fitting a little tighter than they did last month? What about when your guy makes a comment like that? What would it be like to go to 1st Corinthians 137 and say, I'm gonna believe the best. I'm gonna believe that he's not saying that because he's unhappy with me or doesn't love me or, you know, is angry with me for my body changing or aging. I'm gonna believe that he's saying that because he honestly believes he's helping me, or he honestly believes that he is just doing what I asked him to do. He's helping me be accountable. Yikes.

[00:10:50]:

So what would it look like in your marriage when your husband says those things to assume that he's actually thinking good thoughts instead of assuming the worst, instead of assuming that he thinks you're fat or ugly or not good enough for him. My experience has been that most women are thinking these thoughts, these negative thoughts about themselves, and these negative thoughts about their husband's opinions of them, and they're thinking thoughts that their husbands have never had. And the challenge is that most of these thoughts that are stuck in our heads, not in our husband's heads, but stuck in our heads, they come from our family of origin. Maybe they come from statements that other men we've dated have said, or even worse, maybe men we didn't date, but things that were just said to us that were just straight mean. And we believe if one person said it, then probably everyone believes it. And it sticks with us until we deal with them. Right? And it may be that your husband's getting punished and blamed for these things that you're thinking, that he's thinking about you, and he's never said them and never even thought them. This is about something that happened with your dad or an uncle or that guy you dated in the 9th grade.

[00:12:14]:

Of course, friend. Like, I hear you. This can be a two way street. Your guys got baggage he's bringing in too. And that's why later this month, we're gonna talk about story work and attachment theory and some related concepts that are kinda under the surface of a lot of our marriage issues. But for right now, here is my ground rule. Unless he said it directly, don't assume it. And even if he said it directly, and, oh, friend, hear me.

[00:12:35]:

Like, that hurts so much. I get it. But here's what I recommend. I recommend you be honest with yourself. You face those words again, and if you can, have a calm, not angry conversation, and tell your husband just how much they hurt you. No. He can't take it back. He can't.

[00:12:51]:

Like, he can't even say I take it back. I didn't mean it. I'm I was wrong. Like, it totally just came out. I didn't mean it. It. It doesn't matter because the words are out there. Right? But it can help you to process if you tell him that it hurt.

[00:13:03]:

And don't be mean. Okay? Don't hurt him because he hurts you. That's not the way to do it. But then you gotta choose to forgive him. And forgiveness, like, it's not really optional, of course, biblically. Now hear me. There is such a thing as emotional abuse and verbal abuse. And so I'm not saying if you get constantly berated, you just forgive and move on.

[00:13:24]:

No. No. No. No. No. If you're in that situation, I want you to seek help, seek wise counsel from someone who knows you both. If you can go to marriage counseling, that would be ideal. I'm talking about here just, like, this 1 or 2 flipping statements about your body or the way you eat that you can't shake.

[00:13:39]:

And let me be straight with you. It might be something he said 10 years ago. It might be something he said 20 years ago. I remember, when I was pregnant with our first, who is 18 now, so this is almost 19 years ago, I remember that my breast got bigger. And I remember my husband making some very flippant comment about now I could work at Hooters. And he was kinda joking. It was just stupid. It was just a stupid thing to say.

[00:14:10]:

But for someone who had been kind of small chested for most of my life and kinda felt maybe a little bit like, oh, maybe I wasn't good enough in that area, him saying that to me, I heard, oh, you've always had too small a breast for me. I've never liked the size of your breasts. Oh, finally, you're doing better. Finally, you've got breasts that are a more acceptable size. Finally, I can like this part of your body more. Was he actually saying any of that? No. But that's what I heard. And I had to forgive him and ask god to help me erase that Because I know how it works for y'all.

[00:14:48]:

They those statements, they just go through your head, ping pong ping pong, bounce around. You can hang on to them for way too long. And it took me a little effort right now, friend, to share with you that story, because God has truly erased it. I don't think about that anymore. I had to dig deep to find that one, and to kinda go back to that place and hear him say that again. So God can do the work. He can help you erase him. Okay.

[00:15:13]:

We're gonna take a quick break, and then we're gonna get back to my, I think it's like 6 tips to help him understand your body image issues. Okay. Here we go. Let's dig into these tips. The first one is he needs to know guys, if you're listening, if you could just shake this off, you totally would. It is deeper than that. Okay? If he tells you shake it off, don't worry about it. You look great.

[00:15:38]:

I don't know what you're so stressed about. I love your body. You look great. You know? Like, guys think that they can just say things like that and that we'll get over it. And it's kinda like telling someone who's depressed to cheer up or telling an insomniac, you should get some more rest. Right now, it's so much deeper than that. And so although we do need our guys to affirm us, and I'm gonna get to that in a minute, we do need to hear those affirming, loving things. Know that because we are stuck in these issues, our problems are so deep that we're not really hearing you.

[00:16:15]:

It's just kinda bouncing off. And what happens is because we're not really hearing you, you stop saying those things because it doesn't work anyway. It doesn't seem to make a difference. I think these are all things my husband would have said. And so don't stop saying those things, but just know it's not your fault that it's not helping. It's not your fault at all. It's deeper than that. And that takes me to point 2.

[00:16:42]:

He needs to know this isn't about your body. It's not about your body at all. And you may still, depending on how long you've been on this journey, you may still believe this is about your body. You may still firmly believe that if you could just lose the weight, you would not have body image issues anymore. And I would love to direct you to dozens of other episodes I've done on this topic, but body image issues are not about your body. In fact, my new 40 day body image workbook, I make the statement that body image issues are actually more issues of theology than they are issues of, I say, physiology. I think it's the opposite. They're not about your physical body.

[00:17:21]:

They're about what you believe about your body, about your worth, and these are deeply ingrained beliefs. These are neuro pathways that are carved so deep in your brain that have been there for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years, or you've believed these things. And he cannot snap them away with a, you look good, babe. I think you still look good. Oh, yeah. I think you're beautiful. You're beautiful to me. Isn't that all that matters? No.

[00:17:53]:

But he also needs to know that he can't help you fix your body, quote, unquote, fix your body in a way that will make you happy, that formula we talked about in the warm up. Right? It just doesn't work because you can get the body, and here's what happens. You get the body, and it's it's really the body image idle talking to you, and we'll talk about that a little bit more later. But let's say you lose the weight. Well, then you got extra skin. Right? Or you lose the weight and maybe, like me, your breasts deflates. Right? Or you lose the weight and you realize, like, you know, oh, I need more muscle tone. There's always something else.

[00:18:31]:

It's like this carrot dangling on a stick, and then you think, if I could just lose the weight, then I'll be free. Like, then he's gonna love me more. I'm gonna love my body. I'm gonna be able to feel comfortable. I'm gonna wanna jump in bed. I'm gonna want him to look at me naked all the time because I'm just gonna love the way I look, and you lose the weight and it wasn't enough. Okay. Well, now I need the surgery.

[00:18:50]:

Okay. Well, now I need to do something with my hair or I need to do something with my skin. Right? It's always something else. So he needs to know that even though you may firmly believe there's a finish line, Body image issues don't have a finish line. Like, you I mean okay. I I work with women all the time, every week, who have lost the weight that they thought they needed to lose in order to be happy with their bodies. And sometimes they will say that they felt really great for, like, 2 months. I've never heard anyone say longer than 2 months.

[00:19:24]:

Because really, after about 2 months, your body starts to change a little bit, so it's really hard to maintain after that 2 month period unless you develop an eating disorder. A lot of women do. I think it's, like, one out of every 5 goes from dieting to an eating disorder. Right? And it's a long windy journey, and you don't really know that you've signed up for that journey. It just kinda accidentally happens. Because some of us are really good at restricting food, and we kinda get a high from restricting food. And so, putting us on a diet, going on a diet, going on some sort of restrictive food plan, kinda leads us down this really damaging, detrimental, and could be deadly. Let's just be honest.

[00:20:02]:

Eating disorders are the 2nd largest killer behind, drug overdoses. Right? So, like, this is not we're not playing here. Right? It's not good to be really good at restricting. And, you know, guys, if you're listening, you need to know this. Like, your wife could be in dangerous territory if she's really good at restricting. So be honest about that. Watch and talk about those kind of things. Right? But even if the diet works or even if the diet leads to an eating disorder that leads to you being in a much smaller body, It's not gonna solve it.

[00:20:38]:

Eating disorder certainly won't solve it, but shrinking your body doesn't fix your body image issues. And, hey, guys. You need to know that Taylor Swift has had tons of plastic surgery and has body image issues she shared about in a couple of in her documentary on Netflix. I can't think of what it's called, but she's shared about in a couple different, venues. Carrie Underwood, body image issues. I mean, supermodels notoriously have body image issues. Right? Like, so it's not about your body. Guys, if you're listening, it's not about her body.

[00:21:15]:

She will not get a body that will make her feel happy and comfortable and wanna be naked in front of you all the time. This issue is deeper than that. So if you keep trying to help her with physical things, you're gonna miss the heart of what really needs to change. The third thing is he needs to know that what you need most from him is not for him to be your food police, your accountability partner, but you need his unconditional love. He needs to know that you have enough shame, that you feel so much shame. And anything he says to you is gonna be heard through the lens of shame. You're gonna hear it like you're just not doing good enough. You're not enough.

[00:21:54]:

He doesn't love you because you don't look like this. And you would be loved more if only. Like, guys, you need to know your words matter, so choose them carefully. But she's gonna filter it all through this lens of shame. And what she needs to hear is that you love her no matter what, and you're there for her, that you support her, and you understand that she's struggling. You understand that this is hard for her, and you are there for her. And maybe, guys, okay, this could be a hard one. Maybe that just means you listen as she vents about her body.

[00:22:33]:

Even if in your head, you are thinking, you're crazy. You're not fat at all. I don't see that. I don't see what you see is wrong with your body. I mean, body dysmorphic disorder is very real. I've had it. She might be obsessing over things that you've never even noticed, but she doesn't need you to reply with, what? No one even notices that. What? You're ridiculous.

[00:22:57]:

What? That's insane. No one thinks about that. No one sees you like that. She needs you maybe just to listen and say, I love you so much. I think you're beautiful. I know this hurts. Let's talk about ways to get you help. Okay.

[00:23:12]:

Number 4, this is kinda connected. Oh, but he may say that he's your food police accountability partner. He may believe that he needs to help you be healthier. He may believe that by being your food police, he's helping you with your health. Okay. Guys, if you believe this, just stop. Just stop it right now. Okay? I understand that you're worried about your wife's health.

[00:23:37]:

I understand that. That's that's part of marriage. Right? Like, we should be concerned about the health of our spouse. But if your wife has body image issues and she's expressed that to you and she's sharing this episode with you, you need to know that shaming her, which is again what she hears when you say, do you really need that? Shaming her is not the way to help her get healthy. Shaming her is the way to help her maybe turn inward and be even less healthy as she says to herself inside her head, screw it. I might as well eat all the Oreos anyway. It's never gonna be enough for him. Friend, oh, if you wanna help your wife, do not be a nag.

[00:24:19]:

Do not. It is not gonna help her. The best way is to love her and encourage her to get help that's not you. Because, friend, you probably just oh, I know you're trying. I know you're trying hard. But this is so nuanced. You are not going to be an effective accountability partner for her. The best way for you to proceed if you are worried about her health genuinely is to just encourage her.

[00:24:49]:

I love you, and I know that you're gonna make healthy choices for your body. I'm just gonna trust you with that. Like, I'm not gonna nag you. I'm not gonna shame you. Like, if you feel like you can't be trusted around food, or if you feel uncomfortable with food, or you feel like you've got an unhealthy relationship with food, then, guys, help her find someone who can support her on that journey. Help her find and there's different levels and qualities of support here. So I'd reach out to me, and I can help you connect with a dietitian who will be supportive and loving and Christ centered and can truly help this woman that you care about get healthier if that's where you're coming from. Okay.

[00:25:30]:

The next one, you need to know that your wife has a hard time believing that she is worthy of love aside from or outside of her body and appearance. And probably for, let's go back and say decades again, she has believed that the way she looks is what gives her value. She may have learned it from her parents. She may have learned it from an ex boyfriend, school. She learned it from culture. She learned it somewhere. But she needs to know that she is worthy of love no matter what she looks like, no matter how much her body changes. Because, guys, I don't know how old y'all are.

[00:26:10]:

Right? But it's gonna change. She's gonna change. She's gonna have babies, maybe. That's gonna change things. But even if she doesn't do that, things are still gonna change. They're gonna change in her thirties. She's gonna look different in her forties. She's gonna look different in her fifties.

[00:26:27]:

I was talking to a friend this weekend who's about to turn 40, and she's like, you know, it hit me. I was looking in the mirror today. I was like, this is as good as it's gonna get. And I was like, oh, yeah. Because I just turned 50, and I know it's as good as it's gonna get. Because it's hard to admit that you're gonna go from, I don't know, trying to look hot to, the best I can do is attractive. So, guys, she's gonna change, but here's the truth. You gonna change too.

[00:26:57]:

You're gonna look different. You probably look different than you did on your wedding day. You probably look different in your fifties than you did in your thirties. So you guys both have to give each other grace, so much grace. Grace upon grace to age and to change. And she will feel from you either your love and support or your shame and condemnation. Okay. Almost to the end of this list.

[00:27:24]:

The next thing you need to know is that the body image idle is real. If you really could just get a better body and that would make everything better, then you probably would have arrived by now. It just doesn't work that way. And, guys, you've probably watched her. Maybe you've watched her lose weight and gain weight, lose weight and gain weight, or maybe you've watched her, you know, feel like she looked good for a season and then struggle, maybe in pregnancy and maybe with aging. Right? The body image idol that we talked about a little bit ago tells you that if you can just get that better body, then everything is going to be better in your life. But it keeps your eyes off of what's really important. And what's really important is Jesus, Family and loving God, loving others, finding out what God made you for, living on purpose for his purpose.

[00:28:15]:

Friend, those are the important things. And the idol keeps you distracted and keeps you self focused. And here's the thing, guys. You might be helping her chase this idol when you believe her, when she says, if she just gets a better body, then everything will be better in your marriage. It's just not true. This idol is in the way of you having a real intimacy, a true intimacy where you can see each other for who you really are. She just wants to get a better body so she can hide behind that. That helps her hide.

[00:28:48]:

What will make your marriage better is when you can both see the true you, and still love each other, and still connect, and still be intimate. Oh, friend, don't believe the lie of the body image idol. And so, guys, if you're listening to this, know this idol is real for her. It might be real for you too. I don't know. But understand the spiritual issue cannot be cured when she reaches her ideal weight, her ideal size, when she looks the way she wants to look, when she gets the surgery. You can keep throwing money at this. Throw money at the next plan and program, and it's not gonna cure what's beneath the surface.

[00:29:33]:

You really have to dig into the heart of these body image issues if you want her to be free. And digging into the heart of these body image issues, what this really does is this helps her learn more about who she is in Christ. It helps her identify, like, how God made her and what he made her for. It helps her develop an identity in him that is secure no matter what goes on with her body. Right? And she's free to pursue body change goals. Hear me. Like, if she wants to change her body, that's fine. But if she does it from a place where she's secure in her heart, she's secure in your love for her, and most of all, God's love for her, if she does it from that place, well, then it's not life or death for her.

[00:30:25]:

It's not an argument in your marriage for her every time she gains 2 pounds. It's not her getting on the scale every morning and being mad at you all day because that number was different and And saying, I can't believe you let me eat the ice cream, or I can't believe we had to go out and get pizza. Right? And being crazier okay, girls. I'm just gonna say crazy. Being crazy around food. It's not that. It's her being comfortable around food. It's her understanding that she is so much more than a body to you and to God.

[00:30:56]:

The real help she needs, guys, is from Jesus. And there's stuff there. Like I said, there's neuro pathways that need to be changed, and that neurology doesn't just change overnight. She needs help. She needs some support. She needs some encouragement. We offer all of that here. But what she really needs is a loving partner on a journey to body image freedom.

[00:31:24]:

Not an accountability partner on her journey to weight loss. Not an accountability partner on her journey to fitness. What she needs is someone who can help her see who she is in Christ and see yourself as god sees her, maybe even see yourself as you see her. Because I know I know you try to compliment her sometimes and she doesn't care. Maybe she calls you a liar. When I coach women, I talk to them about that. Like, hey. Don't call your husband a liar.

[00:31:52]:

That's not helpful at all. Believe him. Friend. It's so nuanced. I'm so glad you're listening today. I really pray that something here has helped you, and hopefully helps your marriage. And as I want you to have a strong marriage, I want you to be husbands and wives who can encourage each other to live the life God has called you, purposed you to live, and that life is so much bigger than just getting a fit body. It's even bigger than just getting healthy.

[00:32:24]:

Oh, he has so much in store for you. He loves you so much. He wants you to have a big life that's focused on more than calories and numbers and scales and genes and all those things. And, husbands, I hope this has encouraged you too. If you need support, if you need help, reach out. Heather at compared you dot me. I'm happy to help you. I do coaching, or you can join our next 40 day journey, and that's a great place to start your freedom journey.

[00:32:54]:

Ladies, thanks for listening today. Hope something has helped you stop comparing and start living bye bye. The compared to podcast is probably part of the Life Audio Podcast Network for more great Christian podcast. Go to life audio.com. And, hey, if you're brand new here, go to improve body image.com. We've got a list of recommended, podcast episodes to start with, and you can find out everything you need to know about me and about this show at improve body image.com.