Exercise Obession to Contentment, Part 2: Peace || An RTTB Interview with Teresa Lopez

What if you could break free from the chains of exercise addiction and eating disorder and transform your life? Part two of our conversation with Teresa Lopez offers a raw and poignant exploration of her struggle with exercise addiction, food, and body image issues. Teresa courageously shares the severe physical and emotional toll these challenges took on her life, including a broken hip and stress fractures. Her story reveals the consuming nature of body dysmorphia, where daily thoughts and actions were dominated by the need to exercise and control her body. We discuss the importance of empathy and honest communication in understanding such struggles, drawing parallels to the compassionate approaches found in spiritual teachings.

But Teresa's journey doesn't end there; it's also a story of hope and transformation. Through faith in Jesus Christ and the support of a nurturing community, Teresa has found a path to peace and contentment. We discuss how spiritual growth can shift one's focus from societal pressures and appearance to a more fulfilling identity rooted in faith. This episode highlights the power of community support, illustrating the profound difference it makes when friends value you for who you are, not just what you look like. Teresa's journey is a testament to the enduring peace and happiness that come from faith in Jesus Christ and supportive relationships, reminding us all that while the journey requires effort, the rewards are deeply gratifying.

Transcript

Addiction, Obsession, and Body Image

Speaker 1 0:19

Hello and welcome to Reasoning Through the Bible . Today we've got part two of a story with a person that you'll meet in just a second . If you haven't listened to the first part , I encourage you to go back and listen to that first , because what we're going to hear today is a continuation of that , and last time's message really sets the groundwork . Today's message is going to talk about some things that I think are a little more sensitive , and so just wanted to remind our listeners that mostly what we do at Reasoning Through the Bible is verse-by-verse Bible study through the Word of God , so tune in to our regular programs for Bible study and learning about the Bible . You can also find us at our website , reasoningthroughthebiblecom . But today we're going to be talking again with Teresa . Welcome back to Teresa Lopez .

Speaker 2 1:13

Thank you so much , Uncle Glenn , for having me . I'm grateful to be here .

Speaker 1 1:17

Last time we gave your testimony of how you grew up and how you came to Christ . That's really , I guess , the most important message . But I want to go back and talk more about the body image and the exercise , because I think there's a little more there to tell and I think that there's some things there that can help a lot of people , both people that might be into body image issues and people around them , and so I want to just jump into that . So , help us out . How severe was your problem and how would you describe it at the worst of it ?

Speaker 2 1:53

Yeah , obsession . You know they're all consuming and controlling and there are several severe consequences as well . I had a broken hip from overexercising , so hip pinning surgery . Well , I had a broken hip from overexercising , so hip pinning surgery . Eating disorder , my overall health , my hormones , my blood work , my body , you know , hamstring tears and just severe impact to my body , my overall health .

Speaker 1 2:18

So get the picture you actually stress fractured your pelvis , is that correct ?

Speaker 2 2:24

Yes , just from severe impact . You know it wasn't a one-time event , it was just overuse and continual impact on my hip . And actually there's it's pretty , I wouldn't say common , but for women that have this obsession with exercising and are not eating enough , you will see that many of them do break or fracture their hip because of just the intense , continual impact on their body and stress on their body In the depths of your problem .

Speaker 1 2:57

What was your daily schedule like ?

Speaker 2 2:59

Fully immersed in just food and exercise . Just that was the first thing I thought about when I woke up , and that's what I would do is go to the gym and then think about how I could eat and what the next meal was like and how I could be active . It was just full , just fully consumed all my thoughts and all my time , all my energy .

Speaker 1 3:19

So would you use the word addiction ?

Speaker 2 3:21

Oh yeah , A hundred percent , yeah , addiction for sure .

Speaker 1 3:25

To get this idea , you were getting up very early in the morning and exercising before work for approximately how long .

Speaker 2 3:33

Oh , two hours at least . Yeah , two hours , and that wouldn't always be enough . And then walking throughout the day just getting my steps in and then also , just again , thoughts on food . It was just food and how I could control that and eat little , and again it was just all consuming .

Speaker 1 3:51

So a couple hours in the morning , walking during the workday and then after work , you would do what .

Speaker 2 3:58

You know , continue to move . Sometimes I would teach fitness classes and then many times I just want to go to bed , just pure exhaustion . And also I didn't want to give myself the opportunity to fall into temptation , I guess , to eat more , and so I tried to avoid messing up and just want to go to sleep .

Speaker 1 4:18

The idea here , though , to me , is really an addiction For those of us that don't really understand addiction , and part of the reason I wanted to do this was for the people that might have an addiction problem , but also the people around them , their family members and loved ones that don't really understand these things , because I know I still don't , and it's , I guess , no one .

Speaker 1 4:41

Unless you're in the mind of the person , you never will , but I think one of the things I wanted to do with this session is to give some advice to the people around the person , and the person too , but speak to the people that might see a loved one going through this . What advice would you give ? Because it seems to me that mentioning it to them all the time is counterproductive , because , okay , shouldn't be doing this , not good , please stop , that's just nagging , that's not going to help , but , on the other hand , it also would seem to be counterproductive to just back away and never say anything . And so speak to those of us that don't really understand addiction , and the family members and the loved ones . What advice would you give ?

Speaker 2 5:30

You know , I think empathy but also not complacency . So you do need to speak truth to that individual that they are harming themselves and this is not the right way to live and you need to get help . But you don't want to do it in an unkind manner or a if-or manner get better , or I'm going to leave you , or get better or I'm going to take this away from you , those types of directions . You need to be kind and I always think about Jesus . He always did it well . You know the example of the woman at the well right and how he was empathetic and kind about her situation with several divorces and several men , and he didn't lie and didn't allow her to lie . He spoke truth to her , but he did it in a kind way and I would say it's the same for us as well .

Speaker 1 6:26

The idea of exercise controlling you , and you'd use the word exercise addiction .

Speaker 2 6:32

Right , that's what you would describe it as Exactly .

Speaker 1 6:36

But I think , from talking with you , you never had anorexia or bulimia , really right , you never had any of those , but it was a body image thing , right ?

Speaker 2 6:44

So I think disordered eating and body dysmorphia . You know it's interesting if you listen to the prior episode about performance and achievement , I saw this eating disorder as another kind of goal , and it was . It was sad to me that I wasn't able to look the part of anorexic per se or and so I wasn't able to achieve that goal . But I achieved it in other ways , I would say , with the fractured hip , with the hormones , the detriment to my hormones , to my blood work , to the other injuries , the detriment to my hormones , to my blood work , to the other injuries . So although maybe I didn't look the true picture of an anorexic , I certainly had other pieces of evidence to show that .

Speaker 1 7:33

And I think at one point correct me if I'm wrong you told me you were taking pain pills so you could keep on working . Am I correct ?

Speaker 2 7:40

Exactly yeah , several pain , nothing illegal but Tylenol every morning and a significant amount to just perform , to just work hard and to get to do enough . And what I thought was enough in my mind I would . I would take Tylenol every day , and also a significant amount of caffeine as well , to just perform .

Speaker 1 8:04

So when you were working a couple hours in the morning , walking during the day , maybe in the evening on weekends , you said this was a seven day a week thing . It's , it's constantly on your mind . It's also watching your weight . You were watching food intake and calories . So in addition to just the physical exercise , there's all the food part of it too , right .

Speaker 2 8:27

And I think that's the worst , because that's just so much more prevalent in your life Food , you're always exposed to that , especially , you know , at work , and so that that is always on your mind , and , furthermore , you're hungry , so you just can't get that , you can't get away from it , and then it's just all so consuming and overwhelming .

Speaker 1 8:53

Those of us that would see this happening to somebody from a distance . The first thing comes into my mind is the old dumb cornball joke . You know the guy that goes to the doctor and says , well , doctor , it hurts when I go like this . And the doctor says , well , don't do that , right ? So to me , well , if you're having to do all these things and you're getting injured and you're having to do all this compensation , well , just don't do that . But that's not really good thinking , right , because it's . It is an addictive behavior , correct ?

Speaker 2 9:25

Right it's . It's not that easy just to tell someone with an eating disorder to eat more . It's a fear , a fear , innate fear of for me , of of gaining weight , that , and then being judged for that and you'll do anything to avoid that that experience of of judgment and not being validated and being approved of . So it's fearful .

Speaker 1 9:51

So all that was going on while you were working through the course of life , you you got divorced , you you had a layoff and then you dove into it pretty much full time Right . And so what was life like during those days ? You were working out ? How many hours a day ?

Speaker 2 10:07

You know , there were days that I was working out six , seven hours a day . That was before I started my second job at Phillips . But there were , there were days just fully consumed with exercise and and there was always a longing to achieve that that day , every day , right there , that was , that was a good day , and then every other day compared to that was not . So it was just always trying to achieve that unsustainable way .

Speaker 1 10:35

And I remember watching from a distance and what , of course , the lens that I looked at you through was more of a spiritual lens and what I saw is this whole world because you were in I guess it wasn't exactly bodybuilding competitions , it was swimsuit competitions- yeah , more fitness competitions .

Speaker 2 10:57

I would say and I wouldn't be able to do bodybuilding with that style of exercise that I was doing a lot of cardio and a lot of high intensity , so there wasn't really too much way to add muscle mass , which is what bodybuilding really is , but I was able to get lean enough to show the muscle that I had , which essentially is fitness competition .

Speaker 1 11:19

And my memory is , you did quite well in the competitions , as far as that goes right .

Speaker 2 11:30

Yeah , I was able to do well . I was able to use the work ethic that was instilled in me to achieve that goal and I learned a lot . I'm grateful that I was able to do that and do it well , but it cost me a lot .

Speaker 1 11:38

And I guess , back to the lens I was seeing this through was a more of a Christian spiritual lens . It seems so self-focused , oh yeah , it's so self-focused to the point that I knew , just from a spiritual standpoint . The scriptures tell us that the heart is deceitful above all things . Who can it ? And so if whenever we're so focused on self , it's not going to ever end well , am I right ?

Speaker 2 12:06

Oh right , yeah , it was just all about me , all about me . And I remember just , I remember being mean , I remember just not wanting to deal with others and just being very , I guess , stoic and not compassionate and relatable and I lost a lot of well , I never really had too many friends , but you know connections that it was just fully about me . For those that are suffering , when I say get help , I do recommend professional help , whether it be , you know , a drug addiction or exercise addiction , eating disorder , I recommend that if you have the resources and the opportunity to get someone who's trained in these fields , christian-based , that has really opened my eyes . The help that I've gotten with my eating disorder . My exercise obsession has been Christian-based and it has really changed my motives and why I want to get better and how I see health and wellness , and so that's what I'd recommend is getting the right help , the professional help and possibly Christian-based help .

Speaker 1 13:16

What would you say again , again , to the people around the person with a body image and exercise addiction ? Because I remember seeing again you from a distance when you were entering these competitions . Part of me wanted to go to the competition to support you , because at the time that was important to you and at the time I wanted to go . Okay , I'm here for you . You know , I support you as a person . But then , on the other hand , it just seemed so over the top and kind of so severe from one perspective . So I was personally struggling . Do I support this ? Do I not support this ? And so , of course , that's just one example , but that would play out into other types of addictions , right , right . So what about the , the , the families of those and the loved ones of people that are watching somebody just injure themselves and do things that's that's self detrimental because of their addictions ?

Speaker 2 14:18

mental because of their addictions ? That's a very tough question . I don't know if there's an answer anywhere in the world about that . There's a right way . But I again , I believe it's being empathetic but speaking truth , just like , like Jesus does , showing that you care for this person but you will not condone their behaviors , and never being complacent and continuing to fight for them , despite their behavior and despite their continual sin . I think being empathetic but speaking truth is the way to go .

Speaker 1 14:51

How has your conversion to Christ and your salvation in Jesus impacted the whole body , image and exercise thing ?

Speaker 2 15:00

It's transformed my mind , although I won't lie that it's always here and it won't ever go away . I'm still working through it now . Quite a bit Big journey God has been putting me on , but I start to see it differently now . I see my body now as serving God . He created this for a purpose . He created my body in a serving God right . He created this for a purpose .

Speaker 2 15:19

He created my body in a unique way , his way , and I have tried to take control and tried to change it , and certainly hasn't turned out very well for me in that way , and so I started to see it in his eyes . You know that this body that I have and my health is for his purpose . What does he want me to do and how can I serve him ? Because that's the ultimate joy and peace that you achieve is serving him . And when you try to take the reins and control it yourself , as you always say , uncle Glenn , all you're going to do is just get tired . You can't . So looking for a different purpose , his purpose is how I start to , how I've started

Transformation Through Faith and Community

Speaker 2 16:00

to change .

Speaker 1 16:00

I know , just watching you from a distance , there's really a before Christ and an after Christ . Before Christ , just again from a distance , I saw no desire on your part to even change Right From the exercise body image addiction and I saw a desire to change after that . I remember you telling me within days of your salvation , you put the scale away .

Speaker 2 16:25

Yeah , desire to change . You know that's right To , to move on and look at things differently . You know it . It's just a never ending cycle . Before Christ , you know , there was no goal . There's just continual drive and work . But once you start to see or Christ allows you to see there's a way to peace and there's a way to contentment . You want to , you want to seek that and you want to change , and there's no other explanation than just him coming in and helping you transform .

Speaker 1 16:58

What would you say to a person out there ? It's in , I think most , at least from my very limited perspective . Most of the people with body image issues are women , Although I'm sure there's probably some men out there , but for whatever reason it's , it seems to be greater in women , Does it not ?

Speaker 2 17:15

Agreed . Yes , I don't know the percentages and I'm not well-versed in that , but it does impact men as well , but more prevalent in women , and I think women have a lot of pressure to look a certain way and to be a certain way . Men do too , but women , they're very much glorified by their appearance and their body , and so that's what becomes an all-consuming obsession .

Speaker 1 17:40

And there's somebody out there listening that is now searching . They've realized that they have some sort of obsession . What would you say to that person ?

Speaker 2 17:50

I would say I'm so sorry and I know how it feels to be in that position and I would say get interested and maybe just get some knowledge on God , whether it be in the Bible or whether it be just some articles , whether it be this podcast . Just start to learn about him and that , I guarantee , will change the way you start to think and maybe allow you to start to open your mind and eyes to a new way of life .

Speaker 1 18:19

From your description when , at the depths of your obsession , it was really deep , you had it bad .

Speaker 2 18:27

Yeah .

Speaker 1 18:27

And we already said that there was a . There's a change that happened when you fully gave your life to Christ , but it's not instantaneous , right ? You didn't wake up the next morning and life's totally different . So speak to that . It's been what a couple of years now , and so tell us what's happened on your walk since the two years since you've been . Christ has come in and changed you .

Speaker 2 18:49

Yeah . So it's a journey , right , it is an immediate shift , but God is slowly opening my eyes and helping me shed , lop off the old self , the old person , the sinful person , through daily experiences and also just daily knowledge in him . I , every morning , am in the Word and reading about him and learning about him , and it allows me to start to transform my view of myself and what my body is designed for and what my health is and why I'm here . So it's a it's a continual activity that I immerse myself in him , just knowledge every day that allows me to just change my perspective . It's and it it's not going to again come immediately and it's not going to come without effort either . I do want to make that known that you have to . It's a two way street . God comes and he justifies you , but through your sanctification process you have to do the work too and get to know him . It's a relationship , but it will change you when you do get to know him more .

Speaker 1 20:01

Are you in a better place now than you were two years ago ?

Speaker 2 20:03

Oh , yes , a hundred percent . I am a lot happier now and a lot more content and a lot more at peace . But I do know that I'll never be fully content and at peace until Christ comes back again and we are fully glorified . But I'm a lot closer to that place than I certainly was before Christ .

Speaker 1 20:23

I remember one instance . I don't know if you remember this , but you were again fully immersed into this body image , exercise thing . Christ comes in , life changes and you get plugged into a church and through the church and specifically the small group in the church , now you had friends . You had people around you that and in your words were correct me if I'm wrong Now they're friends just for friends , not because of something you're performing or something you're doing or see . Always before , with all the bodybuilding and the exercise and the pressure for the jobs and all these things , it was what can you do for me ? And other people were only there because of your performance . And now you had friends that just liked you for you . And I remember even specifically once it was not long after your conversion you had gone out with a couple of lady friends and you were saying you just felt so good that you just were struggling , that the evening was over , just because you wanted to just be with somebody else . That liked you for you , not because of something you were performing .

Speaker 2 21:36

Exactly . Yeah , it's so nice to have people that just want to be with you for who you are , not for what you can do for them or how you look . It makes a difference to get in a community like that . There's a saying that one of my friends has told me that anything done in secret is wrong , is sin . So what I think about is when I was fully immersed in exercise and food . When I was fully immersed in exercise and food , I'd always isolate myself right and try and be alone , and that was wrong . And now that I am able to be in community , they're so welcoming and kind to me , but that also they speak truth as well . So they don't , they hold you accountable , which also keeps you wanting to progress and change . So community and friends make the right . Community makes a difference .

Speaker 1 22:26

Any final messages that you'd have to say to the world here You've been a great guest , but any last things .

Speaker 2 22:32

Well , I would say I'm very grateful to be on this podcast , so thank you for this opportunity today . But also , I would say , get to know God . If you don't , he will change your life and this podcast is a great way to do so . There's so many resources online . Get to know Him and you'll be forever changed .

Speaker 1 22:52

I would support that . I am forever changed and everyone I know that has truly met Jesus is forever changed . Our ministry is called Reasoning Through the Bible . You can learn about us in our website , reasoningthroughthebiblecom . Mostly what we do is a verse-by-verse Bible study through the Word of God , and you'll find resources for that in our audio and video sessions online , so we'd encourage you to look there . We'll be doing our regular thing going through the Bible next time .