Bible Verses for Your Weight Loss Journey (The Ultimate Guide)

Use this ultimate guide to Bible verses for your weight loss journey for Scriptures on emotional eating, temptation, gluttony, & more!

When people ask me about how I lost 100 pounds, they are almost always expecting me to answer with some miracle diet or workout plan.

The truth is, one of the most powerful things that helped me lose weight and keep it off is Bible verses!

Let’s face it – losing weight is hard. It’s usually a much slower process than you want it to be, and it’s so easy to get discouraged, disheartened, and believe that it’s just not worth all the work when you don’t see the progress that you feel like you should.

The good news is, that you don’t have to just give in to the discouragement (the Bible shows you how to have endurance when you feel like giving up).

You have all the tools you need to fight back and the best tool of all is the double-edged sword of God’s Word.

How To Use Bible Verses In Your Weight Loss

I know how easy it is to skim through posts like this and nod at their truths…then click away from the page and forget all about them.

If you want these verses to actually impact your life, I would highly encourage you to pick the ones that resonate most with you and memorize them.

• write the Scriptures on notecards
• use a dry erase marker to write the Bible verses on your bathroom mirror
• make the verse the lock screen on your phone
• go through Less of Me: A 30-Day Weight Loss Devotional for more faith-focused encouragement from my own 100-pound weight loss journey
• ask God how these Bible apply to your life right now
• journal your thoughts and feelings as you read through each verse and how they apply to your weight loss journey

That way, when those negative thoughts rush in (like when you step on the scale and see that you gained a stinkin’ pound instead of losing after you worked so hard!), you are ready to push them out of your mind with the Truth.

Body Image

1. 1 Peter 3:3-4

Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

1 Peter 3:3-4

I know that a big part of losing weight is about changing your appearance. I get that you want to lose your muffin top and that bothersome flab that hangs down under your bicep! But I’m telling you, it’s about more than that.

Physically, making healthier choices can start to change your insides (like how your internal organs are functioning) long before you can see anything different on the outside.

And, as Christians, that extra weight is often a symptom of something else going on in your heart; something that is holding you back from experiencing true freedom in Christ.

Get to the root of the problem, the heart of the real issues, and focus more on those things than what your body looks like on the outside (or that pesky number on the scale!).

Check out this post for more Bible verses on body image.

Glorify God In Your Eating

2. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Your body is more important than you give it credit for, and taking care of it has a greater purpose than looking good, attracting men, or fitting into a smaller pant size.

You have a calling, a purpose for your life, and taking care of your body is about glorifying God!

Your body houses the Holy Spirit and your food choices, your exercise, your sleep, and how much water you drink – it all matters to God!

Check out these 5 ways to glorify God in your eating.

Resisting & Overcoming Temptation

3. 1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

I know what it’s like to go up against temptation, especially when it comes to food.

For years, I let that voice of temptation win out and dictate my decisions (and I’d end up eating an entire box of Nutty Bars in one sitting). I didn’t fight back against it much, because the food simply sounded so good!

Letting temptation win over and over again led to obesity, a long list of insecurities, and so many other consequences for me.

It’s not worth it. Combat those temptations with Truth! God will provide another way. Take the time to stop and look for it. Put up a fight and don’t let temptation win!

Check out more Bible verses on temptation (and how to resist & overcome it!).

Offering Yourself As A Living Sacrifice

4. Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.

Romans 12:1

Have you ever thought about exercise as a form of worship? It is! (Here are more Bible verses on exercise.)

I know exercise is hard and you probably don’t think it’s all that much fun! But offering your body as a living sacrifice means giving Him your best, even when it’s not the easiest path.

Every time you make a healthy choice that you know is good for your body (especially when a not-so-healthy choice is tugging at you) for Him, you are worshipping God.

Don’t just lift your hands and your voice to Him on Sunday – worship Him with your body, mind, and soul!

Click here for more on how to use your weight loss journey as a way to offer yourself to the Lord as a living sacrifice.

Emotional Eating

5. 1 Corinthians 10:31

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Yes, God cares about what you eat! He created our bodies in such a way that we need certain nutrients to survive.

Eat vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. (Check out these Bible verses on healthy eating.)

Don’t just do it because you know it’s good for you or to get your doctor to stop hounding you.

Don’t do it for the Instagram picture to prove that you ate a salad this week (though I do love all of those healthy meal pictures on Instagram!).

Do it for God. Glorify Him in every aspect of your life, including your diet!

When we reach for food when we are stressed, bored, or exhausted, we are asking food to fix a problem it was never meant to fix (and it’s able to fix!).

Developing the habit of going to food before we even lift our problem up in prayer to God is a problem and can easily and subtly shift into making food an idol in your life.

Emotional eating is one of the biggest problems in most peoples’ weight loss journeys, but you can absolutely overcome this stronghold with God’s help.

Check out more Bible verses on emotional eating and don’t forget to listen for God’s voice, even in the midst of your emotional eating.

Grow In Character

6. Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

There was a defining moment in my weight loss journey when I knew it was no longer just a food or a weight problem I was dealing with. I was dealing with a character issue.

I was lying about my eating, hiding food, taking treats from loved ones, and hoarding them for myself. I had a self-control issue.

All of the characteristics in this verse are important to nurture, but don’t miss the “self-control.” You can be a kind, good, and loving person and still lose all control when a certain food is set in front of you.

You know when you are tempted to throw that self-control out the window.

Maybe it’s when you’re standing in front of a buffet and want to stuff yourself silly or you bake a triple-layer chocolate cake and want to eat the entire thing in one night.

Don’t pick and choose which fruit of the Spirit to include in your life. Work on all of them, including reigning yourself in to do what’s good for you instead of just what sounds good at the time.

That includes self-control is about saying no to overindulging on chocolate, but also getting out of bed to get your workout in, too!

Read more Bible verses on self-control here.

Overeating & Gluttony

7. Proverbs 25:27

“It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.”

Gluttony is one of the most glossed-over sins in the Bible. You can walk into a church potluck full of kindhearted, godly people and see overindulgence at every corner.

The overflowing dessert table itself is not a sin – take some and savor it! But don’t have too much of a good thing.

Gluttony is such an uncomfortable word to use, but gluttony just means regularly eating more than your body needs. You can read more about what the Bible has to say on gluttony here.

Research shows that your taste buds get tired easily, so even the most decadent things don’t taste as good after the first few bites. Serving sizes are generally a good guideline, but you need to determine what “too much” is for you.

This is not meant to punish or deprive you, it’s to protect you! God knows the physiological effects of overindulging, and He wants what’s best for you, so heed His warning. Stop before you hit the point of “too much.”

Self-Esteem & Self-Worth

8. Ephesians 2:10

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

As I mentioned earlier, you have a purpose! You were created to do good works and often your weight can hold you back from doing those things.

Maybe it’s physical, because you aren’t able to do some activities, or you just don’t have the energy or stamina to do them. Maybe it’s more emotional because your insecurities are telling you that you can’t possibly do those things.

And, often, when our view of ourselves doesn’t line up with what God says about our self-esteem and self-worth in the Bible, it drives us to overeat even more.

Study up on God’s love for you.

Break through the things that are holding you back and live your life knowing that you are God’s handiwork, created to do good works.

Step out of your comfort zone. Be vulnerable. Get out there and serve!

Fear of Failure

9. Galatians 1:10

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

The comparison trap is a very real and very dangerous thing to fall into. Spend 5 minutes on Facebook and you can see it in action!

You compare your body, your spouse, your vacations, your kids, your strengths, and your talents to everybody else’s, and you are most likely left feeling inadequate and jealous.

Don’t get stuck there!

You were created to be uniquely you. Spend your energy being thankful for your body, your family, and your strengths, instead of wasting it on wishing you had somebody else’s.

Win the approval of God, which only happens when you live out life as you, not imitating someone else.

Having a fear of failure is so normal and common, but it doesn’t have to stop your progress. Use these Bible verses on fear of failure to help you process that fear and move forward.

Making A Plan With Intentionality

10. James 4:17

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

You don’t always know what to do – what foods are healthiest for you, what exercises are best for your body, how to get a better night of sleep, or what changes you should be making in your life.

It can feel overwhelming, especially with the internet full of fad diets and “magic” weight loss products bombarding you at every turn.

Don’t hold yourself to a bar of perfection, expecting to know all of the right answers, but once you learn, act.

Take your good intentions and turn them into action.

Use these 10 goal-setting questions with prayers to help you start.

I absolutely believe that you can experience food freedom.

Whether you have been fighting to lose weight for 5 years or 50, whether you are 25 or 75.

If you are looking for more step-by-step help in losing weight while keeping Christ at the center of your weight loss journey, check out our Faithful Finish Lines 2.0 Christian weight loss program.

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