You think your struggle with food is about willpower. Or that your body image issues are just about confidence. But what if the real cost isn’t on the scale, but it’s actually in your spirit?

In this powerful opening to the Spiritual Brain Surgery takeover series, guest host Leanne Ellington pulls back the curtain on what food and body obsession is really stealing from you. From missed moments with your kids to constant inner criticism and spiritual disconnection, she exposes how fixation around food and your body hijacks your peace, your presence, and your identity.

But this isn’t just about the pain. It’s about the pathway to healing. Leanne reveals how your brain was designed by God to heal, and introduces the science behind how that healing actually happens—through identity rewiring, spiritual renewal, and working WITH your brain instead of against it.

This episode will help you:

• Understand how food and body obsession hijacks your God-given peace, rewires your brain for fear and shame, and drains your spiritual bandwidth
• Finally put words to the invisible war you’ve been fighting—between your faith and your fixation, your logic and your longings See why white-knuckling through cravings or repeating “I love my body” in the mirror won’t work if your nervous system still feels unsafe—and what to do instead to rewire it at the root
• See why white-knuckling through cravings or repeating “I love my body” in the mirror won’t work if your nervous system still feels unsafe—and what to do instead to rewire it at the root

Because God doesn’t just want your body free. He wants you free.

Resources and Links

• Previous Spiritual Brain Surgery Guest Host Series: Leanne Ellington's Path to Healing and Hope, Part 1
• Previous Spiritual Brain Surgery Guest Host Series: Leanne Ellington on Science and Faith, Part 2
• Watch Leanne's on-demand workshop.
• Listen to Outweigh Podcast.
• Listen to What's God Got To Do With It? Podcast.

• (00:05) - Introduction to Spiritual Brain Surgery Podcast
• (01:36) - The Spiritual Cost of Food and Body Fixation
• (04:35) - Exploring Ozempic and Brain Function
• (05:37) - Understanding Body Image and Self-Worth
• (08:00) - The Impact of Food Fixation on Spirituality
• (12:08) - The Science of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex
• (14:42) - Healing Beyond Discipline and Willpower
• (16:57) - The Power of Renewing Your Mind
• (19:26) - Naming the Bondage of Food Obsession
• (21:30) - Steps to Awareness in Healing
• (24:29) - Inviting God into the Healing Process
• (27:11) - Repetition and Truth in Rewiring the Brain
• (30:05) - Regulation: Calming the Nervous System
• (31:15) - Integration of Science and Faith
• (34:30) - Reclaiming Your Spiritual Bandwidth
• (37:44) - Conclusion and Invitation for Further Healing