I've decided to read this book because my youngest daughter read it and gave it a 5-STAR. And yes, I could stand to lose some pounds too. The author expresses herself, and how most girls and women in general, feel about themselves, in a hilarious and very relatable way.

This is not just another diet book. It is about your “journey” to get closer to Jesus, and to prove you do love and trust Him. You start off being honest with yourself: What is the ONE thing you crave more than Jesus that you feel you can't, or won't, give up? What is the ONE thing you arrange your life, or your thoughts, around? (Matthew 19:21) It isn't always necessarily about food either, although that is what this book is about: 1) Recognizing your cravings, 2) lusting after what you see with your eyes, and 3) boasting about what you have or do. 1 John 2:15-16 reminds us that these three things are NOT of God. When you do say no to certain foods or anything else you find yourself idolizing, you tell yourself, and you show God, that you are relying on Him and His Truths.

After reading this, I realize I may have more than one thing to work on. I need to change my mindset to believing that this is NOT about dieting (simply saying yes or no), or about my feelings of insignificance, but this is about my "journey with Jesus...in learning self-discipline for the purpose of holiness" (p. 158).

So, if your desire is to get close to Jesus and be the holiest person you can be, then this book should encourage you to start saying no to some things. If not, then you'll need to find another book or another path to follow. ( )

Love this author; Very gifted and full of wisdom. ( )

b>The Short of It:

The concept of being “spiritually malnourished” is presented and it blew my mind.

The Rest of It:

One could say this book is geared towards people who are struggling with their weight and health issues as a whole. TerKeurst’s focus is food but really, what she talks about could apply to any vice, be it food, drugs, shopping, etc.

The writing is based on Biblical teachings so I want to share that up front. Each chapter includes a personal experience or challenge that TerKeurst faced, Scripture to support her findings and then a summary of what was covered. The big take away is that a person can be “spiritually malnourished” when food takes a front and center place in your life.

In my late teens, I battled eating disorders of every kind. If you didn’t have an eating disorder, then you surely knew someone who did. It was the thing back then. Obsessions with food, not eating, getting rid of what we ate, etc. After some heart issues, I just stopped. I stopped cold turkey and went on to live a happy life.

Well, a happy life of gaining and losing over and over again. A life where I get excited about tacos. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? I can never keep it off though so I reached for this book just to have a different take on the situation and I’m so glad I did.

Food is a big deal to me and this book made me realize how obsessed I’ve been with it. Are events that you attend successful because of what’s served on the menu? If you have carrot sticks in front of you, are you still dreaming about the last chicken nugget on your kid’s plate? This is what she writes about, this obsession that some of us have over food.

After finishing this book, I came away with a new understanding of how I think and where my focus lies. It’s good to do a little internal tweaking now and then. I’m not a fan of self-help books but Made to Crave did not feel like one at all. In fact, I need to buy myself a print copy just to keep it on hand.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter. ( )

Shows women's desires to be heathy with the religious reasons behind them.

I’ve been waiting for this book since September… And, I’m so glad to have finally received my copy (bought through Amazon.ca), and read it.

This is a fantastic book that can be used in conjunction with whatever diet/healthy eating plan you choose. But, be forewarned: if you don’t like the Christian viewpoint, you probably won’t like this book.

Lysa starts off by reminding the reader that we were made to crave… but those cravings should be directed at God, and nothing else. She goes on to tell us her story, and to encourage us by giving us tools to use to combat our cravings, all the while reminding us that we were made for more ~ more than being stuck in this rut, more than frustration… We were made for victory!

A lot of the book focuses on discipline and self-control. And, on how those things will lead us down a path in pursuit of holiness. We’re reminded that we cannot do this on our own, and that in order to succeed, we need to rely on God’s strength and not our own.

My favorite chapter had to be the one on exercise (if you can believe it!). Mind you, I think it’s because it’s the one chapter that focused the most on discipline & self-control, and I’ve known for a while now that these are areas where I’m lacking. I loved the quote on page 89 (still in the same chapter) where it said, “Each pound lost was not a quest to get skinny, but evidence of obedience to God.” And, the chapter also talked about divided loyalties, and how we can’t be loyal to God when we’re being loyal to our cravings.

I found myself relating to so much of what Lysa wrote about her struggles with losing weight. While she didn’t have a lot to lose, she still struggled with whether or not to make the same rationalizations and compromises that I, myself, struggle with on a regular basis. But, through God’s strength, Lysa learned to overcome her struggles, and to have victory over this battle — so I feel encouraged that I, too, will have victory in this area of life.

Overall, this is a great book. It’s not preachy, and Lysa’s writing style is very down-to-earth and “girlfriend-to-girlfriend”… she’s hilarious, but also very wise. I highly recommend this one! ( )