Breaking free from being bonded to the physical world.

Rabbi Nachman says that when a person works on the physical discipline of controlling his eating, he is affecting himself, he is transcending a physical order of himself by his own choice. This will help him to transcend other physical nisyonos that come along later.  This comes from training himself to build up strength in breaking free from being bonded to the physical world.

We tend to think that by indulging ourselves we are controlling ourselves and calming ourselves down.  The reality is that by controlling our eating we are building a framework that will help us to  grow spiritually.

We have to eat to live, not live to eat.  We can not allow ourselves to indulge ourselves like an animal, our physical behavior is totally tied to our spiritual growth.
from the Shiur :
Eating:Advice Series (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)  by Rabbi Yitzchack Kirzner
http://www.rabbikirzner.org/system/scripts/search.cgi?category=1