by Heidi Bylsma | May 21, 2018 | Blog
In today’s blog post, we answer a question asked by one of our readers.
If YOU have a question you would like to see answered, please post your question in the comments below!
One of our readers of our Thin Within blog asked this question:
Is the size I will land on by doing Thin Within diligently, a weight or BMI that my doctor would call “healthy?” I am not sure if I am at my God given size as I still mess up with 0 to 5….
Thank you so much for asking this great question!
Short answer: It depends. Maybe not!
Long (ok…REALLY long) answer:
Even amongst medical professionals there is disagreement about the value of the BMI. I want to address the first part of the question and then your comment about not being sure if you are at your God-given size. 🙂
I lost 100 pounds once with a popular regular dieting program in 1996. I rigidly restricted my food intake, trained for one marathon and another, strength trained, and was fitter and trimmer than I had ever been before. I was weighed hydrostatically (the dunk tank which was thought to be the most accurate measure of body composition) to see what percentage lean and percentage body fat I possessed after a year of dieting and exercising “religiously.” My results indicated 14.5% body fat which is very lean! I had started at 32% body fat according to the caliper test.
I wanted to be a meeting leader of that popular dieting program because the thought of helping others, thrilled me! I was so excited about the role this company played in giving me my life back again!
The interviews went well. The person interviewing me for the last interview said that she had to check a couple of things with “corporate” and she would bring forms (after she made a phone call) for me to sign to get the ball rolling for me to start working for them as one of their meeting leaders.
She came back a few minutes later and began asking me about my weight–the specific number. My primary care physician had previously sent a letter to this company telling them that I shouldn’t lose any more weight because I was healthy, but lean.” For a frame of reference, a search on Google about women’s body fat percentages brought up these numbers:
- Top athletes: 15 to 20%
- Fit women: 21 to 24%
- Healthy/acceptable: 25 to 32%
So, given I was just under 15%, it wasn’t a good idea for me to lose more weight.
Heidi’s body, according to body composition testing, is healthy here. Her weight on the scale, however, is a lot higher than most. The place she fell on the BMI when she was in this condition was “OVERWEIGHT” close to “OBESE.” !?
Even though my body fat percentage was so low, my weight was high (muscle weighs more than fat). I was fit, I was active, healthy, muscular. When the lady interviewing me returned after her phone call, I was told that they wouldn’t hire someone with a doctor approved recommended weight if it was higher than the highest “healthy” range BMI. My BMI, given my weight, was 29!!! Just three points below OBESE!!! 14.5% body fat and almost obese? I wasn’t even CLOSE to needing to lose more weight!
I did the calculations to find out what would happen if I lost ONLY fat (not the muscle I had worked so hard to build) in order to get down to the highest number within my acceptable BMI. The calculations I made at the time landed me at 11% body fat! This is a number that is associated with women who struggle with anorexia. No thank you very much.
Soon after that experience, I ended up being admitted to the hospital with a challenging health crisis. They had to restrict what I could eat…that little sign “NPO” that means “NOTHING PASSES ORALLY”…all my meals and liquids came to me through an IV. After 10 days in the hospital with NPO for most of the time, I had lost more weight all right. I had another body fat composition test and it indicated that my body fat % had gone up even though my weight went down! My body had metabolized some of the muscle or other lean tissue (my body had thought it was starving when I wasn’t allowed to eat, so it had begun to “burn” the stores…most of which were muscle, not fat!).
Photo Courtesy of iStockPhoto
Had I gone to the organization that I had almost been hired to work for previously, they might have PRAISED the accomplishment of arriving at a lower number on the scale. What was true, though? I had less muscle and more fat percentage wise. Once again, my own experience defied the value of the BMI. I was literally *more fat* than I had been at a higher weight.
Another incident that formed my view of BMI and doctors came when I had a doctor (temporarily, as it turned out) who considered BMI as a guide for her patients’ weights. During my normal physical, she expressed concern about the number on the scale, which was higher than most women my age and height who have no weight to lose. I would have been hard pressed to lose any weight without cutting in to the lean on my frame once again. Singles and doubles competitive tennis several hours on most days, combined with working out with “TurboFire” on some of those days (I loved all of this!) and I was in fighting shape!
Many of us have a body type that, when we are at our leanest, we nevertheless, simply will NOT land in the BMI–not without being anorexic!
“No more dragon lady doctor!” I decided to schedule an appointment with a new primary care doc. I told him about the conclusion of the other doc and he was noticeably surprised that she concluded I needed to lose some weight. He told me that regardless of what the BMI said, I looked fit and I was active and not to give it another thought.
How could both be right?
If one doc can see this differently from another, I imagine God may see it very differently from docs, too! 🙂
So, for the reader who asked the question…I guess you can see why I don’t give the BMI much credence.
Only the Lord knows what the best size and shape is for you today. I personally believe that what our size (weight) was in high school is NOT a good indicator of our “natural God-given size” today…today, after we have had 3 babies. Today, after we have gone through menopause… So often we are chasing after the “skinny idol.” That may not be the case for everyone…but it is for many of us.
That said, it really is true that if we renew our minds, if we realize that our hearts are deceitfully wicked and that they try to fool us often and will if we aren’t vigilant and hyper-aware, if we are committed to eating only when hungry and stopping when no longer hungry, and do the best we can, observing and correcting each time we “mess up,” allowing God to redeem all our mistakes and stumbles, we will get to a size that we can live with to sustain. This is a place of peace. It isn’t anxiety producing.
Do I really WANT to insist that I should get smaller if it would mean being hungry more often and not eating? A lot of people on diets or even using Thin Within principles, lose/release a lot of weight and wonder why they can’t get the last four or five or even 10 pounds off. We need to ask ourselves what we can live with and enjoy peace with ourselves, food, God, and our bodies without any anxiety.
As for our reader’s comment about “I am not sure if I am at my God given size as I still mess up with 0 to 5″ reality is, we are on a journey of sanctification. It is, by definition, progressive. I don’t believe we WILL ever be “perfect” in 0 to 5 eating this side of heaven. I really believe that life is composed of steady steps taken, one at a time, in a Godward direction…then out of nowhere (it seems)…OOPS! We slip! We overeat and go past 5 or pre-empt 0. That is the way of things. Do I really think that I can get the “last” 5 pounds off and keep it off if it means I have to be PERFECT? No way! I know I can’t be perfect!
God longs for us to allow His grace to cover us. When we observe our behavior, our choices, our struggles and invite God to show us what corrections we can make so we can be equipped for victory in the future when all things are equal, we are applying God’s grace to our repentance. His KINDNESS leads us to repentance.
So, dear reader, what do you think? Should you look for a doctor to confirm that you are, indeed, within the BMI? Or is it possible that you are healthy even if you aren’t perfectly matched to the numbers that the BMI chart (created in the 1830s, by the way) says you should be? Will you ever be PERFECT about eating only between the parameters of physical hunger and physical satisfaction?
God’s ways are perfect. He created your body, food, eating, all withOUT the BMI in mind. The BMI is a man-made tool and while it has its usefulness (I guess…I am not sure what it is, to be honest), it is nevertheless not to be given authority over our lives.
That all said, if you are eating 0 to 5 nine times out of 10 and maintaining a size that is physically comfortable for you…maybe that is your stopping point. You just keep on eating 0 to 5 and you will stop releasing weight, but start maintaining the same size. This is a wonderful place to be. No new maintenance plan. We keep doing what we did the entire time we were releasing the weight!
Now, then, reader, will you rest in the blessings he has supplied?
by Barb Shelton | May 6, 2018 | Blog
I’m not the neatest baker, nor is my mixer the neatest mixer, at least not when its beaters, generously coated with batter, get turned up to the highest speed. No idea how I did that, but I did, and I had quite the mess to clean up!
Since I couldn’t tend to clean-up right away, (I had to finish getting the banana bread into the oven, and tend to other matters,) my beautiful red mixer was now laden with hard, caked-on batter, topped off with a fine coating of flour. And all of this dulled the shiny red color of my mixer.
As I was wetting a dishcloth under the faucet, I could tell my mixer was cringing at what it knew was coming.
I brought the damp cloth over to the mixer and started wiping and scraping the debris off of it. But the more pressure I applied, the more it inched away from my cleaning efforts.
The more I wiped, the more obvious it became that my traveling mixer was simply not going to stand still for my plan. So, as one might guess, it wasn’t getting any cleaner. How could it – when it was just inching away from the very process and pressure that would make it clean and beautiful again?
I finally decided to lay it down on its side, where I could apply pressure from the top. Sure enough, pressing down, it was much easier to wipe the gunk off, now in a position that it couldn’t squirm out of.
The whole scenario brings to mind several truths…
One is that God’s sanctification of us is something we should not be avoiding. For one thing, it’s part of our inheritance as children of God:
“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” (Hebrews 12:6)
For another thing, we can’t get away from Him, even if we are foolish enough to try!
“I can never get away from my God! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me.” (Psalms 139:7-10)
The Lord also showed me that, just as it was easier for me to clean up my mixer when it was laying down, so is it easier for Him to clean me up when I am laid down – surrendered – not resisting – rather than “standing up” and inching away from Him.
I remember with sadness the times that I have pushed away from Him when he was trying to do – or show me – something that would help clean me up, heal me up, free me up, and make me more into the “Barb” He originally had in mind when He designed me!
He desires to remove all the caked-on gunk of my failures, weaknesses, mistakes, and sin – which are multitudinous – as well as wipe away the dust-coating of worldly influences that still cling to my soul and dull the brightness of it.
He wants to wash me whiter than snow – which reminds me of one of my “uncomfortably favorite” Scripture verses,
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalms 51: 10)
Yes, Lord, give me a fresh, clean heart.
Give me ears that delight to hear Your voice, rather than try to ignore You, or drown You out… (– like when You’re trying to tell me I’m getting close to “five,” but I don’t want to hear that!)
Breathe into me a spirit that’s surrendered to You, not standing stiff-necked in opposition to what You are wanting me to surrender… (– which I know is my rights to eat all the food I want, when I want!)
Scrape away from my heart what isn’t holy or helpful, rather than me continuing to let it cling to me. (– along with the excess weight that clings to my frame)
And help me renew my mind so that I have a correct and truthful view of You… of your discipline and sanctification of me… of the boundaries You have set for me that I have not seen as “pleasant,” but that You say otherwise…
“For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11)
In essence, Lord, I need and want You to give me a right view of anything I currently have a wrong view of.
For this to happen, Lord, I need You to continue doing a cleansing work in me. So I choose to lay still in Your Master-surgeon arms, and, instead of inching away from You and the heart surgery You want to do in me, I choose to inch toward You, and let You do whatever You want to do in my heart!
All this so that I can better reflect the “true colors” of Your nature, Lord, better represent You, and thus be better at drawing people to You.
by Barb Shelton | Apr 20, 2018 | Blog
Several weeks ago a couple came over for dinner (yes, we had invited them; they didn’t just show up) and brought us a potted miniature rose plant. It had some pretty red roses blooming, and was healthy and thriving. Which actually made me feel bad that it was now going to have me for its owner, as I do not generally do well with indoor plants. (Well, outdoor ones, either, but we’ll stick with indoor ones herein.)
However, the sweet beauty of this plant made me that much more determined to not only keep this one alive (like for more than a week), but to have it flourish! So I have done my best to water it with the “right“ amount of water – not really knowing what that is, but trying anyway.
I do remember my plant-whisperer mother-in-love saying something about watering plants when they’re dry. Okay, maybe she didn’t mean “dry for three weeks,” so I touched the surface of the dirt every day, and when it felt dry, I watered it.
Plants seem to enjoy light, as well, but living in the non-sunny (I’m trying not to actually say “cloudy and dreary”) Pacific Northwest, and specifically living in our house that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight anyway because of being in the woods, I had to get a bit creative. I thought it might help to put it in a spot where there was more light – specifically directly beneath an under-cupboard fluorescent light in my kitchen.
As you can see, I put it in a mini red crock pot, (which matches my Mary Engelbreit kitchen,) but it is not turned on, so that had no effect on its growth. That was just the only counter space available below any of the fluorescent lights under my cupboards!
Well, I am thrilled (more than you know!) to announce that my rose plant has thrived in this spot! It not only stayed alive, but it has actually GROWN!!! (I kid you not!) Three times its original size!!!
The original mini roses eventually matured and I picked them off, but that’s normal. The rest of the plant still grew. No more mini roses, but, in faith, I knew they’d eventually come. At least I had a green plant in the meantime.
While working in the kitchen one day, I happened to bend down further than I usually do and noticed something interesting: Two darling little roses right at the top of the plant, the spot that was closest to the light!
I looked through the rest of the plant, and did not see any other rosebuds anywhere else! (I’m pulling them down to get a picture of them, so that’s why they don’t appear to be right at the top by the light. This is a few days after the picture above, which is why they’re bigger.)
Whether or not this is the norm for miniature roses (growing in mini crock pots directly below fluorescent lights in Pacific Northwest kitchens), it wasn’t hard to run with and “interpret” this analogy!
Obviously, the closer we position ourselves to the Light ~ Jesus Himself ~ the more we will blossom and grow in our walk with Him!
There are many good reasons He uses “light” to refer to Himself. Many more than I thought as I discovered when searching for Bible verses about light. I was delighted to find that the Word even get very specific about how, as “the Light of the World,” Jesus: (For your graphic-viewing pleasure, I made scripture-graphics of some of these verses.)
Jesus…
…helps us.
“Many say that God will never help us. Prove them wrong, O Lord, by letting the light of your face shine down upon us.” (Psalm 4:6)
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…keeps us from stumbling.
“Jesus said to the people, “I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.” (John 8:12) “Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling. (Psalm 119:105)
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…gives us life.
“Answer me, O Lord my God; give me light in my darkness, lest I die.” (Psalm 13:3) “He floods the darkness with light, even the dark shadow of death.” (Job 12:22)
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…counsels us.
“Your laws are both my light and my counselors.” (Psalm 119:24)
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…gives us wisdom and joy.
“God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light.” (Psalm 19:7-8)
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…dispells our personal darkness.
“You have turned on my light! The Lord my God has made my darkness turn to light.” (Psalm 18:28)...
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…warns us of danger.
“For their [it’s actually referring to parents’ advice, but because many parents are living ungodly lives, I’m using the word “godly” instead] advice is a beam of light directed into the dark corners of your mind to warn you of danger, and…” (Proverbs 6:23)
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…gives us a good life.
[For their advice is a beam of light directed into the dark corners of your mind to] give you a good life.” (Proverbs 6:23)
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.…leads us.
“Oh, send out your light and your truth—let them lead me. Let them lead me to your Temple on your holy mountain, Zion.” (Psalm 43:3)
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…blesses us with good things.
“For Jehovah God is our Light… No good thing will he withhold from those who walk along his paths.” (Psalm 84:11)
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…protects us.
“For Jehovah God is our Light and our Protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk along his paths.” (Psalm 84:11)
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…sheds glorious light on us, healing us, leading us forward.
“If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.” (Isaiah 58:8)
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WOW! I knew that what I’d find when I looked up “light” would be good, but to see all these verses ~ and benefits of light ~ in one place is just a deLIGHTful BLAST of BLESSING!!!
Which my darkened-in-some-areas thinking could certainly use! I am on the path of getting my mind renewed, especially as it pertains to food and eating, but I need much more light to illuminate and correct my wrong thinking.
For others, maybe it’s a different addiction ~ shopping, alcohol, drugs, porn, too much of anything, be it TV, computer, games, entertainment, even exercise.
Any of these can be a little-g god in our lives, and, without them being exposed to the healing light of God’s truth, can (and will) keep us in darkness in that area, which will eventually spread to other areas.
Of course, to receive this new thinking, the very mind of Christ, we have to actually draw near to Him, who is the Light!
Which brings me full-circle back to my rosebuds and what they did. They drew near to the light, not because of how smart they were, but because of how attractive light is. By its very nature, light draws living things to it.
But that doesn’t mean all living things ~ including us ~ always make the choice to draw near to the light! It takes time and effort. And denying what our flesh gravitates toward, which feels good for the moment, but is not ultimately good for us. Nor is it what we really want; what our spirit longs for. But it is sooooo worth the time and effort! And what valuable rewards come of it!
There’s one other little detail that did not go unnoticed by me… There are two rosebuds side-by-side! If any of you have an active, growing relationship with an accountability/prayer partner, you will get this right away! As it says in Ecclesiastes:
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“…(O)ne standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
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It is the Lord ~ that Third Strand of the triple-braided cord ~ who binds us together and strengthens us! I love how He uses other sisters to help strengthen us! I know that, for me, having an accountability partner helps me “walk in the light” ~ which brings me full-circle to the focus of this article…
That nothing but good can come from drawing near to the Light of the World! He IS Light, He is FULL of Light, and He brings light to our darkness ~ whatever it may be.
When we go into a totally dark room, grope around on the wall for the light switch, and flip it on, there is no argument between the darkness and the light. Get that? NO ARGUMENT at all! The light always wins.
This is true in both the natural realm as well as the super-natural.
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So let’s take hold of what God has for us, stop stumbling in the dark, and receive more of the wisdom, joy, protection, good things and GOOD LIFE that God has for us, if we’ll only choose Him and allow Him to shed light on ~ and thus pull us out of ~ our “personal darkness” ~ whatever area that may be for us! He is stronger and brighter and bigger than anything that, heretofore, has kept us in the dark!
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“Lord, You have turned on my light!
You have made my darkness turn to light.”
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by Heidi Bylsma | Mar 27, 2018 | Blog
This could be YOUR lucky week! 🙂
Heidi and Christina welcome you to join them for a 10-week Thin Within small coaching group experience!
We’re giving away a scholarship to the upcoming Coaching Group session!!!
A $350 value! 🙂
(Actually, we think that it is worth way more than that! At least to US as we LOVE LOVE LOVE our coaching group participants!)
To qualify, please comment below with your answers to the following questions.
- Why do you need this coaching?
- How will this coaching change your life?
- What food, that’s been on on your “no-no” list, will you be able to enjoy freely?
Please be sure to scroll on down and answer these questions in the comments to be considered as our Grand Prize Winner! 😀
WHY do we consider Thin Within Coaching Groups the ultimate Thin Within experience?
Consider:
1.) Two coaches join together with 8 students for an intimate, deep dive into Thin Within for 10 weeks. We will provide you with more inspiring input and supply more effective strategies than Heidi offers even in 1-on-1 coaching!
2.) The other 7 students will contribute to your journey just as you will have insights and wisdom that may shed light on theirs!
3.) Heidi Bylsma works with Judy Halliday extensively, having collaborated on the writing of the Thin Within book and also the Thin Within Workbook series. In 2006 to 2007, using the Thin Within principles, Heidi released 100 pounds and kept a healthy size for 7 years. Heidi has joined you in the trenches, now, as she seeks to release weight that has returned to her frame due to a lack of diligence to renew her mind during a health crisis, and all that has been entailed in the dismantling of her 33-year marriage. She wrote the Fresh Wind Fresh Desire curriculum to share insights gleaned on her 18-year Thin Within journey.
Heidi – Before
Heidi – After (She has temporarily gained weight since this photo was taken!)
4.) Christina Motley has coached others with Heidi Bylsma for the past 2 years. Christina has been involved in Thin Within for a long while and uses her experience and enthusiasm as well as her brilliance 🙂 to contribute to the Fresh Wind Fresh Desire curriculum and to our small coaching groups in a powerful way. Her “Porch Chats” provide continued encouragement and inspiration to our coachees–all new content created each week, often in response to questions or concerns raised during our group coaching calls. Learn the tips, tricks, tools that both of these women use for victory. Discover (and avoid) the pitfalls that keep you from victory on your journey. (Heidi has learned the hard way that when she stops using the tools, over-eating becomes an issue again…even after 7 years of maintaining a healthy size!)
5.) Facebook Group support all day every day where the 10 of us meet:
- Use the group for accountability by checking in each day if you like!
- Share prayer requests and praises about your journey specifically.
- Ask questions and get feedback from 9 others, including at least 2 veterans (the coaches are veterans, but many of the people who sign up for the coaching groups are veterans as well)
- When you need immediate prayer support and encouragement, you can post to our Facebook group.
- Porch Chat videos by Christina available and uploaded 2x a week.
- Heart 2 Heart videos by Heidi available and uploaded once a week.
- Other helpful files made available in the Facebook group
6.) This is the closest thing we have to an “Insider’s Club!” 🙂 All of us in the coaching group will become great friends with one another over the 10 weeks together. Many of our participants so far have continued to meet together!
7.) You WILL experience victory if you participate! We know this will UNSTICK you! If you haven’t seen ALL the details, including a video or two to show you what’s up, visit this page.
What questions do you have about our coaching groups? Christina and Heidi will be hosting a Facebook Live event on Thursday, March 29th at 10am PDT, 11am MDT, 12pm CDT, 1pm EDT. Visit Heidi’s profile page and keep refreshing until you see a live video. If you miss it, you can always catch the recording.
Remember! To be considered for a full scholarship in a coaching group this Spring, please answer the questions at the top of this post by typing your comments below and we will be selecting a “blessed winner” who will get free access to be in a coaching group from the week of April 2-June 3rd.
by Heidi Bylsma | Mar 27, 2018 | Blog
We continue to ask (and answer) questions here at the blog in a new series…called our FAQ series! These will be questions that are relevant to you. In fact, we would love to hear from you! If you have a question about Thin Within, chances are, someone else has the same question! Please share your questions with us using the form at the very bottom of this blog post and we hope to get an answer out very soon!
Question from Marcia (Thank you for your question, Marcia!):
I am brand new to TW and do not yet have any of the books or workbooks. Where would you recommend for a newbie to start? I am hoping to join the next FB group in maybe May, but right now I am just gleaning from the blog and videos. Thank you!
The absolute best place to start is with the Thin Within Jump Start Training! It can be sent to you via email or you can access it at the Thin Within Academy. We are upgrading it a bit (version 2.0, don’t ya know! :-)) and I think that is the best way to go personally. But click this link to find the Jump Start Training at the Thin Within Academy. Or you can click the photo at the top of this blog post!
The Jump Start training is a great way to get your feet wet in Thin Within. So that is the best place to begin. We have 30 days of emails (or posts at the Academy) that you can do. It breaks down some of the basics into the most manageable bite size pieces. We cover a bit about mind renewal, about the mechanics of eating the Thin Within way, activity and it’s place, ways to think differently about food, eating, emotions, etc…and more!
Why not join us by starting with this easy-to-do beginners training? Or, if you are a veteran who needs a “refresher” course, you could try Jump Start as well!
What questions do YOU have?
We are eager to continue this FAQ series with questions that you have and would like an answer to. If you have a question, please use the form below. No one else will see your question or email address.
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Thanks so much! Let us know how we can help or serve you!
