I Know What to Do...So Why Can't I do It?

Romans 7:15 (NLT): “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it…”

The gap isn’t just about habits — it’s about heart, healing, and the Holy Spirit. Here’s why you might struggle:

1. You’re relying on willpower instead of staying connected to God’s power.
2. You haven’t identified the “why” behind your health — purpose > performance.
3. You’re stuck in shame or perfectionism and think, “If I can’t do it perfectly, why try?”

3 STEPS TO APPLY WHAT YOU KNOW

1. Confess and invite God in: “Lord, I’m stuck. Help me walk this out with you.” 
   
   
2. Pick one tiny step and do it imperfectly. 
   
   
3. Celebrate obedience, not outcomes. 

Lord, I want to live in obedience, not overwhelm. I know what to do, I need to let you work through me. Lord forgive my need for control or thinking you’re tired of this area in my life. Lead me Lord, help me do it with your strength, not mine. I love you, Amen.

Are you sick of trying diet after diet and NOT losing weight?

Hey there friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late twenties and struggled for years to get it off. Seven years ago, I found a basic system that worked and has helped me lose 90 of those pounds. I’ve been working with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since to break chains of diet culture, embrace their bodies and fueling instead of dieting.

In this podcast, I'll teach you how to:

• • Lose Weight in a Way that honors God without obsessing about the scale
  • Meal Plan and Prep for Your Family
  • Follow a MACRO based plan that allows you to eat the foods you love.
  • Recognize and pray through triggers keeping you stuck.
  • I’ll help you Plan your week and schedule your self-care time.
  • Cultivate a spirit of self-discipline in your workouts you actually enjoy.
  
  It's time to give God your health journey and watch Him make you new, from the inside, OUT.

Join The Biblical Weight Loss Framework: https://www.herweightlossmindset.com/framework

Join my FREE Community: https://bit.ly/JoinTheChristianWeightLossCommunity

Join my Insiders List with weekly tips for weight loss for Christian women: http://herweightlossmindset.com/herweightlossmindsetinsiders

Transcript

Today's podcast title, it just gets me, like to the core, it gets me.

It is the constant struggle I faced today and have faced since recommitting to Christ in almost 10 years ago.

I'm hoping today for some Holy Spirit clarity myself and a word on how to remove the strive and try and control from my heart.

I know that he knows best, and I know that he's in control, and I know that you know that too, because he is.

So, why can't I do it?

I know what to do.

Why can't I do it?

Well, we're going to dive into that right now.

Are you sick of trying diet after diet and not losing weight?

Are you tired of doubting your ability to actually lose weight in a healthy way?

Do you wish you could find a laid out for you plan that will help you stay accountable to your goals?

Hey, friends, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach.

I gained 100 lbs in my late 20s and struggled for years to get it off.

Nine years ago, I found a system that works and has helped me lose over 90 of those pounds.

I've worked with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since.

In this podcast, I'll teach you how to reframe your thoughts about weight loss and your ability to achieve lasting results and lose weight in a way that honors God without obsessing about the scale and meal plan and prep for your family.

So grab your pre-workout and let's chat.

What if in the next three months you could completely change the way you see weight loss?

What if 90 days from now you could be at a completely different place in your body, mind, and spirit as it relates to your God-given weight loss goals?

What if the biblical weight loss framework is here and it is waiting for you?

So if you're ready to take a Holy Spirit-led approach to weight loss God's way, go to herweightlossmindset.com/framework and sign up to join us.

That's herweightlossmindset.com/framework.

Tell me, do you get as tired of yourself as I do when it comes to this?

I know I'm not alone.

Listen, I know exactly what to do.

I have been a nutrition and fitness coach for almost nine years.

I know what to eat.

I know how to food prep.

No problem.

But when it comes to thinking about food or craving a treat and giving in, I am just not okay, especially in ice cream season.

I could legit eat ice cream every day.

A few weeks ago, I did.

I think I ate ice cream five days out of seven, which my husband was sure to remind me of a couple of times.

Every morning, I pray and say, okay, Lord, lead me in my choices today.

Help me honor you with how I eat.

By dinner, I'm snacking on my third or fourth of those stupid dark chocolate sea salt caramels from Costco.

The ones I'm talking about, the Snyders, do you feel me?

What's your sweeter savory craving?

Why do we do this?

Not to say a treat that is bad, I'm all about treats.

I teach you actually how to incorporate them in the Biblical Weight Loss Framework.

But there are times where we're to fast these things because they can become idols in our lives.

And knowing when and how to lean into God during these times is crucial if you want to achieve your Biblical Weight Loss goals.

So if you've ever thought, I already know what to do, eat healthy, move more, trust God.

So why can't I actually do it?

I'm going to tell you.

Here's why, because you're not meant to do it.

You're not.

It's the power of the Holy Spirit in you that does the work that we can't do.

You are not lazy.

You are not broken.

And you are not alone.

So today we're going to tackle the real reason that many Christian women struggle to apply what we know.

And I'm going to share with you how to finally bridge the gap between knowing and doing.

So Romans 7 15 says, I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it.

Paul said it first, why can't I do what I know is right?

Like the gap isn't just about habits.

It's about heart.

It's about healing and the Holy Spirit.

So here's why you might struggle.

One, you're relying on willpower instead of staying connected to God's power, which we talked about this last week.

It's not our power, but His that lives in us through the Holy Spirit.

It's all we should be leaning on and listening to and obeying.

That is when we will finally be able to know not only what to do, but how to do it in a way that honors God and His plans for our body and our life.

Another reason why you might just not be doing it is you haven't identified the why behind your health.

We talk about purpose over performance.

We talk about obedience over outcome.

Simon Sinek says people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

And the same goes for you.

You're not buying the what, the weight loss.

You operate on the why.

Maybe it's because you want to be present with your kids or get off medication or be able to get off the floor with your grandkids without help or a chair.

Maybe you want to be your healthiest self at 80 or 43.

I'm a new mom.

I have a 7-month-old baby.

I'm 43 years old.

Like, I want to be my happiest, healthiest self for her.

I'm going to be 60 when she graduates high school.

I'm going to be 85, 90 when she gets married, Lord willing.

What is the why behind your desire for weight loss?

You have to connect with your God-given why.

And that is going to be what changes you.

It's never going to work to just focus on the weight loss.

It's never going to work to aim to fit into the pair of pants.

Like, it's not going to work.

You have to connect with the deep down why.

These are things we work with in the Biblical Weight Loss Framework.

Like, there's an entire section on identifying your why, praying over your why, and then learning to walk in your God-given why.

Maybe you're stuck in shame or perfectionism and think, if I can't do it perfectly, then why even try?

But we just talked about this, all or nothing does not work.

Life will always happen, and your plans will always get knocked off course.

But you can pray through the struggle of shame or the lie of perfectionism and seek God's will over your choices.

We try because the Holy Spirit living inside of us says to honor God and treat our bodies as a temple.

So when we get healthy for Jesus instead of vanity, life just gets better.

Perfectionism does not exist.

There was one perfect human that walked this earth.

His name was Jesus, and he was the manifestation of God, the creator of the universe.

So lay it down.

If you make one amazing choice today, fantastic.

Make that same amazing choice for the next 30 days, and then add another choice.

Like stop trying to do it all at once.

So I'm going to give you three steps to apply what we know.

The first step is I want you to confess and repent and invite God in.

Lord, I'm stuck.

Forgive me for trying to do this on my own.

Help me walk this out with you.

I know it is only your power that leads me to success in this area.

Show me how to move past old unhealthy habits and rely on you for guidance and direction.

Thank you, Father, for never leaving me or forsaking me.

Step two, pick one tiny step and do it imperfectly.

We've talked about that one thing many times.

Choose one area in your health journey that is achievable for you in the season of life that you're in right now and then just get really good at it.

Usually it'll take about 30 days.

I mean, it takes on average 62 to 200 and some days to build a healthy habit, but you can build the foundation in a month.

Progress, progress, progress.

We're not focusing on perfection.

We're focusing on obedience to the Holy Spirit.

So Lord, lead me and guide me to the one thing I need to focus on right now.

Maybe it's food prep.

Maybe I am running around like a crazy person because it's summer and my kids are home and I'm working and I have to be more prepared.

Help me to create a system of prep.

Help me to know how to shop, what to buy.

Thank you for the provision and the finances that I'm going to be able to cook whole healthy foods for my family.

Focus on one thing and once you've nailed that one thing, then you can add another thing.

Now that's not to say you can't focus on exercise as your one thing for the next 30 days, but still continue to drink water.

Like we want you to do all the things, but we're not focusing on nailing all the things.

Do you know what I'm saying?

The third step is we're going to celebrate obedience, not the outcome.

Obedience over outcome.

Repeat it right now.

Obedience over outcome.

Obedience over outcome.

You can not do this alone.

You won't do it alone.

You're not supposed to do it alone.

God wants this.

He wants this area of your life and he wants to heal the struggle for you.

Trust that he will take it if you have the strength to lay it down and walk in obedience.

Put it at the foot of the cross.

That's where it goes.

That's why he died for you.

Infest.

Invite God in.

Take one tiny step and do it imperfectly.

Celebrate obedience, not outcomes.

If God told you not to eat sugar today and you make it through the entire day without eating sugar, celebrate that.

That's huge.

I wanted to do that yesterday and I made it all the way through the day, but I ate too late and my sugar dropped.

So I had to eat.

I didn't have to eat.

I should have had a banana, but they're not ripe yet.

So I ate four chunks of that dark chocolate sea salt caramel.

This morning I was like, okay, Lord, lead me and guide me and help me to make better timing choices with my food.

Celebrate obedience, not outcomes.

Heavenly Father, I want to live in obedience, not overwhelm.

I know what to do.

I need to let you work through me.

Lord, forgive me for my need for control or thinking that you're tired of this area of my life.

I know that you love me.

I know you see me where I am, Father.

Lead me, Lord.

Help me to do this with your strength, not mine.

I love you and I thank you.

Amen.

Hey, sis, I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

If so, would you take 30 seconds and share it with a friend?

Also, please leave a quick review for the show on Apple Podcast.

It lights me up to know this podcast is helping you.

OK, it's time to go make a protein shake and get my sweat on.

No more standing in the kitchen waiting for motivation to appear.

I will meet you back here for another episode.

God bless.