Might be one of the most impactful things you read this year.
Self reflection and confession time.
You may relate to this if you’ve been frustrated with food, your body, & let’s be honest here, — adulting so hard.
Thank you for reading vulnerable pages of my storybook❤️
Swipe thru some chapters. Read more about my weight loss journey here.
The root of the word ‘Inspire’ is ‘in spirit.’ I reflect on my own journey—from thinking money and material things would bring happiness to realizing that true joy comes from using your gifts to serve others.
Be Unique. The opposite of bravery is to conform.
Be a Leader. A “true leader knows when to follow” means that a good leader understands the importance of not always being in charge, but also recognizing when to listen to and learn from others on their team, leveraging their expertise in specific situations instead of insisting on making every decision themselves.
Be Love. The more you truly love the more you get back.
Be Truth. Honor your truth more often.
Be Kind. One of the rarest things in the world right now. It changes lives. It is free.
Be Beautiful. Celebrate your beauty. Humble confidence, flexibility, adaptability, positivity, reliability, and being someone who strives to always be useful are some of the sexiest and most beautiful things a person can be.
Be Movement. Movement is health. Emotions are physical too. Movement is medicine and life. Stagnation builds resistance.
Be Growing. You’re either growing or dying. You choose.
Be Playful. Approach life as play! It’s a constant evolvement of experimentation and experiences. That’s it.
Be Forgiving. It will set you free. It’s either medicine or poison. It’s the poison that poisons you.
Be Courageous. The most courageous people experience the greatest emotions, and therefore, the greatest life experience. Courage is taking action in the presence of fear.
A current reflection…
As I sit here listening to this podcast and reflecting about my recent experiences with food and my body… (tip: journal your thoughts and realizations. They are pages, secrets, and solutions to your best life.)
💭🤔Katie: Why I can eat carbs and still stay lean & not gain fat per se (maybe a little water weight gain, brain fog, & inflammation from eating shit I know I shouldn’t for a few days…Like cookies lately 😆 🍪 freaking love cookies. Confession.)
💭💡🎙️🧠💪🏼While listening to podcast episode: It’s because I’m metabolically flexible. I gave myself time to heal via strict carnivore for years. I healed my relationship with myself. It’s because I walk after I eat. If I do consume carbohydrates or a larger amount of calories, no matter what food I’m consuming, my body uses them efficiently now. My cells are happy. My hormones are happy. Because I sleep, eat, get sun, & love the shit out of myself 99% of the time. My daily routine supports this.
✅I have realized my body absorbs and utilizes carbohydrates more efficiently and shuttles them into my muscles and as repair versus fat storage more now at 42 than it ever did in my 20s and 30s. This is the power of simple movement and functional fitness. My entire day is my workout. My job is active and challenging af moving patients all day as a radiologic technologist. My workouts are play vs punishment now. Or something I “have to do” to stay lean.
✅I never realized how powerful fidgeting and being an active person was on maintaining a healthy body fat level and weight. I thought my workouts were the only things that mattered, which they do and have helped me build the body that I have today, but the most impactful factor was the food I put in my mouth, my
Mindset & inner narrative, and how active I was throughout the day.
🚶♀️🏃🏼♀️🏋🏼♀️Get up and move throughout the day! Workout snacks and wonder walks are everything! I am rarely sedentary. I am always up moving and doing things.
📈I find I do feel better cycling carbohydrates or days of larger amounts of calories about every three days. This is just a Recent observation. I will admit I feel better following strictly an animal-based diet. The carbs that I feel best consuming are plain rice cakes, plain white rice, and gluten-free, Whole, natural food options. Confession: I am able to consume sugary treats every once in a while, but I do realize these affect me like drugs, it’s hard to stop, and I always want more. But rarely do I ever gain weight anymore from eating these, which does bring me a sense of safety and comfort, but I do realize how out of control And high my blood sugar gets after consuming them.
🥩🍚So considering my recent experimentation and observations, I stick to meat, eggs, healthy animal fats, and occasional dairy 99% of the time. I INTUITIVELY sprinkle in occasional refeeds of higher calorie &/or carbs via low fiber, gluten free, rice based options.
🏆As long as I get in ample movement, lift more and utilize my muscles shuttling those nutrients and calories efficiently, + get adequate sleep 👉 I function like a mf champ.
❤️I love the way my body looks and feels. I’m proud of myself for learning to separate emotions from science and what my body is doing. I take everything as data and I don’t take it personally.
👩🏼🏫I learned macros, tracked food, coached hundreds of athletes and people, tracked my steps, wore a continuous glucose monitor, experimented with all different kinds of fitness and was a competitive athlete, and have done everything in between including tracking ketones and blood sugar. I fucked up and continue to mess up more times than I can probably recall. It’s all ok! So are you! 🫶
👏 I no longer need to track these things for validation because they’ve become part of who I am. I don’t “have to” because I know exactly what my body is doing.
‼️I recently quit wearing my fit tracker and tracking anything because I realized all of these things were taking energy away from myself and my day that I could be focusing on purpose and service and wealth building and other things that mean more to me. I don’t need these things to be my healthiest anymore because I’ve done the due diligence to learn all of them. So a reminder, you don’t have to do this shit forever, but learn it so that you don’t need them anymore!
❤️🩹If I eat too many carbs one day and I feel like shit, I own that, I give myself grace, and take actions appropriately the next day to feel my best.
🥳Don’t be afraid to experiment. Don’t be afraid to mess up. That’s how we learn. That’s how we learn about our bodies and what we need to do to look and feel our best. You don’t have to fear carbs or any food for that matter. View them a tool and a learning experience.
🙌You will never know if you don’t try new things. I used to fear carbs, getting fat, basically I feared eating altogether. I would throw up my food to “undo” what I had done. I abused my food. I abused exercise. I abused myself.
💊🙏Forgiveness, gratitude, and love are the true medicines. Be a leader and a forever student. Learn, grow, evolve. Once you know better, do your best and DO BETTER. That doesn’t mean perfect. We’re never perfect. We fuck up all the time. That’s just how it is. Your character is revealed by how you respond next.
**Steps off soap 🧼 box 📦.
***Pats myself on back. 👋 😆😎🤗😉🙃
Oxox Coach K
A letter to myself and hopefully inspiration for you.
Katie Kelly is a nutritionist, writer, travel registered radiologic technologist, Indiana farmer’s daughter, Crohn’s warrior, experience collector, and athlete of life. Former hot mess down 60lbs + financially free with nothin’ but an airfryer & a prayer. Location: Aging gracefully somewhere between scrubs & steak.
On social, she’s better known as Coach K, but most of all wants you to know she’s struggled just like you. More importantly, she wants you to believe in yourself, your health, your voice, & your ability to live your best life!