Time for a Life Edit. 5 Simple Steps to Stop Drinking & Eating Too Much.

When I was in my 20’s & early 30’s, I used to drink a lot on the weekends.

Every Friday and Saturday night, my friends and I would head to a local bar. We’d start with a few beers or cocktails, have dinner, and then head out for the second half of the night, often drinking until 3 a.m. Finally, after 12 hours of overindulging, I’d pass out in my bed until noon the next day. I’d wake up to the bad decisions still lingering from the night before.

I’m embarrassed to say this behavior went on for years. I was, by some definitions, an alcoholic. And eventually my binge drinking ended me in the hospital, on a vent with a blood alcohol level of .346. I’m lucky I survived.

I had terrible side effects: I hated my unfulfilling life, had anxiety attacks, binge eating, gut symptoms, my Crohn’s disease was out of control, relationships in the shitter, & over 50k in debt.

I share this story as a cautionary tale, but I’m not here to say that you should never drink alcohol. I still drink occasionally, but I use it now with respect to enhance and savor an experience. I no longer drink to get drunk. I rarely have more than two drinks and rarely more than once every couple weeks.

If you’ve recognized that you drink too much &/or binge eat, then it’s time to implement a life edit & the system that worked for me when I was cutting back.

Love this blog! Wonderful tips on how to do a life edit!

This system uses five simple steps that anyone can follow, and over time, builds habits that dramatically reduce your dependency on alcohol and junk food.

Step 1: Spend Time with the Right People (Your environment is everything!)
This lesson comes straight from entrepreneur, author, and speaker Jim Rohn. Here’s the gist: You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If you spend your time with people who are getting drunk all the time & eating shit food, then guess what you’re going to do?

Think about it—do you really think you’re going to have superhuman willpower and be able to stop at one drink or eat healthy when all of your friends are grabbing a second, third, and fourth and smashing pizza and nachos all night?

On the other hand, if you spend your time with people that drink less, they eat well & exercise often—then you’ll soon have control over your poor habits.
Pick your friends wisely.

Step 2: Slow Down
It’s easy to say you’re going to stick to just one drink or eat a healthy, protein based meal when meeting a friend after work in the right atmosphere. But when the bar is buzzing and you’re starting to loosen, slowing down just isn’t going to happen. The next thing you know, you’ve downed that first beer or cocktail in record time and you’re ready for a second & a huge plate of loaded fries because you’ve numbed you’re decision thinking.

Here’s how you get over the “suck it down vs savor” urge: Order a drink that doesn’t go down so easily. Mine is vodka water. Even better, order a shot and a water then mix your own. That way you are in charge of the alcohol content you consume.

Once upon a time, I used to love drinking margaritas, malibu & coke, & anything sweet! The trouble was, they were sweet and I have a strong sweet-tooth & poor relationship with carbs and sugar. They’re triggers to binge eating (& bulimia), over indulging, gut issues, & me feeling like crap. It’s no surprise that those drinks went down fast and easy.

These days, I order bourbon, a glass of vodka & water on the rocks or maybe tequila & water on the rocks. If I want flavor, I add electrolytes (Ultima Replenisher or LMNT) to my water. The flavor is powerful—and remarkably un-sweet—so I sip it instead of down it. As a result, I don’t drink more than I should.

Success requires removing obstacles, leading yourself out of temptation, and getting accountability to stick to your goals. With these in place, you’ll soon kick the booze & junk food to the curb and start enjoying more nourishing, higher performance days—moving you closer to your big goals and dreams.

Step 3: One Drink of Alcohol + One Glass of Water. Stick to Protein at Meals.
This one seems obvious, but so many people forget to drink water while they’re enjoying alcohol. It’s critical to keep yourself hydrated—not only to prevent hangovers the next morning, but also for slowing down your intake. Every time you finish a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine, make sure to take a pause from the booze and down a glass of water.

Keep your meals to a lean protein source like chicken breast, lean beef, pork, or seafood. You’ll be more satiated & less likely to overindulge. Grilled chicken is my go to.

Step 4: Ask Yourself These 2 Questions Before Eating
2 things changed my relationship with food. They allowed me to beat binge eating & lose 60 pounds while healing my gut👇

1️⃣Before I ate, I asked myself, “How does this food make me feel?”
⁃ Does it help or hinder?
⁃ Do I feel energized & satisfied? Bloated & tired?
⁃ Am I still enjoying my meal? No? Time to stop eating. Yes? Ok, I’ll eat a little more.
⁃ Does it make my gut feel happy & healthy? Or inflamed & painful?
⁃ Does it support me physiologically, aesthetically, & mentally?

2️⃣I asked myself, “As fuel, what am I using this food for?”
⁃ To fuel a workout? A meeting? Playing with your kids? A walk?
⁃ Am I truly physiologically hungry or am I bored & this just a craving?
⁃ Am I numbing a difficult emotion with this food?

The food, environment, habits, & information you consume each day are the soil from which your future thoughts, body, & reality are grown! Many of the best things in life grow along the way by simply having better awareness, understanding, & then once you know better, you CHOOSE BETTER!

Start hanging out with high value people & success & love grows along the way.
Start exercising & eating well & motivation + results grow along the way.
Start writing, therapy, spending time alone & aligned inspiration grows along the way.

Start now & watch the feelings & results follow!

Step 5: Schedule Something for the Next Morning
Let’s say you’re planning on heading to the bars on Friday night. Set up a workout, an appointment or meeting for Saturday morning. Knowing that you have that appointment—and that you have to be ready for it—will keep you from going overboard at the bars. (I often recommend setting up a physical activity. Your body will hate you if you try to do it while nursing a hangover, so you’ll quickly learn not to overindulge.)

These five steps can help you cut back on alcohol & binge eating and regain control so that you can focus on the more important things in life.

For example, cutting back on my drinking allowed me to tackle my gut issues, have better sleep, higher energy, more mental clarity, more money, and more freedom to focus on my life’s work – serving ya’ll!

Success requires removing obstacles, leading yourself out of temptation, and getting accountability to stick to your goals. With these in place, you’ll soon kick less optimal habits to the curb and moving you closer to your big goals and dreams.

When you’re ready to move from distractions like alcohol to the tools and routines that build your dream body and life, I urge you to check out resources that helped me + a Blog Guide I created just for you documenting how I lost 60lbs, healed my gut, & beat binge eating:

Atomic Habits by James Clear
Perfect Day Formula by Craig Ballantyne
My Story & Weight Loss Journey Transitioning to a Meat-Based, Carnivore Diet & Losing 60lbs!

Thousands have used the insights from these sources—all gathered over decades of experience. Take your life to the next level!

If you want to improve your relationship with food, reach your fitness goals, increase your income, stress less, love yourself more & become the person you’ve always wanted to be…Katie Kelly is the coach who will help you do it! With more than 20-years of experience as a multimodality travel clinician , nutritionist, & high performance coach, she specializes in helping struggling women & men get out of the mud and build the life & body of their dreams. To see if you qualify for Katie’s Coaching Program, fill out an inquiry form here.

Like blogs like this one? Sign up for her weekly Email Newsletter Community here

June 14, 2023

Simple Strategies That Helped Me Stop Binge Eating And Start Treating Food As Fuel

strategies that helped me stop binging & start treating food as fuel, abstainers vs moderators

I didn’t dare talk about it much publicly when I was younger, I used to binge eat — A LOT. It didn’t help my health, gut issues, gym performance, or fat loss goals either.

It would happen mostly when I was lonely, stressed, or bored out of my mind. Sometimes, it would happen when I was celebrating, too — but always when I was alone. I would go to the store, buy all the junk food, then go home or sit in my car & eat as much as I could. I was an addict, food was my drug, & binging was a high.

I’d eat until I didn’t think I could eat another bite, & then felt so sick I’d puke to “undo” what I’d done. Sometimes even after I threw up, I’d wait a while, & when the feelings of nausea started to subside, I’d start eating again until either the food was gone, I vomited, or until I went to bed in deep shameful sleep.

Without fail, I’d wake up feeling like absolute shit the next day. I’d beat myself up, forcing an unending spiral of guilt, restriction, & punishment.

To make myself feel even worse, I’d look in the mirror & tell myself how terrible I looked, & that I would never be good enough until I could stop eating & got as thin as I could. That if only I could somehow turn myself into one of those people who just “forgets” to eat, then I’d finally be good enough.

But that was the wrong approach.

Learning to Treat Food as Fuel
Looking back at how I used to treat food & abuse my body, my first reaction is to wonder what the hell was wrong with me. After all, the binge eating obviously made me feel like a dumpster fire, physically & emotionally, yet I kept doin it.

But when I took the time to look deeper into my behaviors & habits, I started to be kinder to myself & feel empathy for that past Katie.

Back then, I didn’t treat food as fuel as I do now. I treated it as the enemy.

So if you deal with binge eating at times, or know someone who does, know that you’re not alone. Know there’s hope. But you have to start treating food like you should — as nourishment, not punishment, a treat, or reward.

Here are the strategies that slowly helped me learn to stop binging & start treating food as fuel!

If you don’t know how to stop binge eating start here

Start Eating Enough During the Day

One of the constant mistakes I used to make was to eat as little as possible throughout the day, often limiting food intake to as little as 1,000–1,200 calories. I thought I was being “good” & if I could eat as little as possible without completely crashing, the better.

This caused several problems:

Incredibly low energy, meaning my workouts were shit (if I worked out at all).
Mental fatigue, due to lack of fuel — your body needs food to function at an optimal level.
Feelings of endless hunger due to hormones bring completely f*cked, even after eating a reasonable meal. This made me more susceptible to binging!

The key was pretty simple: EAT enough throughout the day.

Start tracking your calories if you need to keep yourself accountable, & aim to eat at least every 4 hours. This strategy may scare you a bit & make you feel like you’re eating “too much.” But trust me — eating enough during the day does wonders to help you avoid binging.

Don’t Keep Trigger Foods Around

We all have certain foods that once we start eating them, we just can’t stop.

A few of mine:

Cracker, cookies, cereal, cheese nips, goldfish
Sweet sugary candy & drinks
Ice cream, cool whip, chocolate, nut butters
Cake, cupcakes, doughnuts, rolls, biscuits
Rice, french fries, mashed potatoes – basically any CARB.

I’m an abstainer, carbs are drugs for me so I cut them out of my diet almost completely switching to a carnivore WOE (way of eating). Not only is my Crohn’s disease in remission, I’ve lost 55lbs, & healed my binge eating changing the way I eat.

weight loss before and after katie kelly carnivore — Tap here to learn how I healed my gut and lost weight via the carnivore diet

Why do I not “cheat” on my diet? Because it’s not worth it. You’re not winning by cheating on yourself.

Grace & Control Your Environment

Nobody is perfect. We will all have days when we eat too much, choose the less healthy option.

That’s why I follow a flexible “carnivore” low carb approach. I eat well 90% of the time, eating perfect & healthy 100% of the time is unrealistic.

One of the most common questions: How do you stick to a healthy diet when you’re surrounded by tempting food?

The answer: change your environment.

In other words, make it as easy as possible to eat healthy food & as difficult as possible to eat unhealthy food.

Keep healthy food with you so you’re never tempted.
Make it harder to eat out by cooking more meals at home.
Don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry & make sure you’re eating enough to fuel your day!

Restriction or Food Freedom?

Abstainers vs Moderators

Food & sugar addiction are not bullsh*t excuses people make to eat & live a certain way. I lived food addiction for 30+ yrs. It negatively affected me physically & mentally.

I am definitely an abstainer when it comes to carbs & sugar. It is freeing to me to have food rules & not have to waste energy justifying my choices & actions. I either DO or I DON’T. I also understand not everyone is wired this way.

Moderators & abstainers are often very judgmental toward each other, as they both believe that their way of approaching temptation is the right way.

Some think that a meat-based diet or “carnivore” is too extreme and restrictive. But whether that’s true for you might depend on whether you’re an Abstainer or a Moderator. This is why we determine which one you are. It makes choosing a nutrition approach easier because sustainability, ease, & adherence are everything.

I feel our society as a whole has a strong moderator bias. How many times have you heard someone say: “Everything in moderation”?

As one who is an abstainer & suffered with food addiction, disordered eating, orthorexia, alongside an autoimmune condition like Crohn’s, I know first hand not everyone can moderate & eat all foods without repercussions.

Saying things to an abstainer like:

“You’re too restrictive.”

“Just loosen up.”

“One won’t kill you.”

etc…

…is like telling an alcoholic or drug addict to “just have one drink or one hit, you’ll be fine.”

How to Handle Food Pushers & Moderators If You’re an Abstainer

“You’re too restrictive.” We’re all different & I respect your choices. To me, the way I eat is freeing & meets my needs so I can be the best for you. I honor my body & that may change in the future, but for right now, I feel great!

“Just loosen up.” I’m happy you can moderate food choices, but that does not align for me. For people who are abstainers, we have specific needs & approaches that work better.

“Just have one.” I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t feel my best when I have those foods, mentally or physically. Thank you for understanding!

“Meat is bad for you.” Well, so is drinking nothing but celery juice. ( jus sayin lol)

Everyone has the freedom to eat & live as they choose. Right now this is my choice & I respect yours. I feel great, it’s easy & sustainable for me. If I get to a point where I feel like I need to make an adjustment, I will honor that.

Go your own way.

Can you relate to my story too?

oxox Coach K

All resources, links, discount codes, guides, recipes, coaching, & more here. Thank you for allowing me to add value to your lives!

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers — Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her family’s beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohn’s Disease, disordered eating, CrossFit, & adapting a carnivore diet lifestyle.

Katie also has over 18 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & personal life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com

June 7, 2023June 7, 2023

A Simple Guide to Fasting And Why It Isn’t Working For You Especially With A Disordered Eating History

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This guide has now passed thousands of views! Big thank you to everyone who continues to share (my posts & your story too) & be a big part of my life as my digital family!

You guys make my days so much brighter & I hope you know how much you mean to me!

I’ve lost 55 lbs thanks to carnivore & intermittent fasting! Follow me on Instagram (@lil_bit_of_fit) to see my day-to-day journey with living a meat-based life as a busy xray tech & 40 year old athlete with Crohn’s Disease.

Interested in trying carnivore & fasting with me? Join my coaching community & book a coaching call! I also provide you with a recipe book, Meat & Macros Guide & 2 workout plans!

I tried every diet in the book to lose weight & heal my gut issues. While I did see occasional results, I eventually couldn’t sustain it and then yo-yo’d. IF & carnivore have been the simplest and most manageable way I have found to improve my health & fitness (and stick with it).

This post is intended for my friends (and friends of friends) who have been following my health journey on Instagram, Facebook, or have asked how to get started. Because the interest has been in the thousands (so amazing!), I’ve wanted to share this information more publicly.

In the interest of time, I’ve created this super quick educational start guide with a couple troubleshooting videos!

Let’s dive into fasting & why you may not be seeing results.

I see this oftentimes with all y’all chronically under eating, trying to do protein sparing modified fasting (PSMF) or OMAD (one meal a day) with a disordered eating history.

Tap for a short video on why fasting may not be working for you!

Yes, I prefer to utilize intermittent fasting. It works best for my digestion. I eat when I’m hungry & fast when I’m not. Typical fasting window is around 14-20hrs, biggest meal I consume after my workout in the am. I also love to incorporate fat & carb cycling.
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It is not necessary for you to fast to achieve your health and body goals no matter what diet you prefer.

Remember: health & happy hormones first.
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Here’s a previous video answering a client question talking about why fasting wasn’t working for her

Coaching FAQs Here if you’re needing help

What is intermittent fasting?⁣⁣

Intermittent fasting, also known as intermittent energy restriction, is simply an umbrella term for various meal timing schedules that cycle between voluntary fasting or reduced calorie intake and eating over a given period of time.

It is just a tool to help you to manage meal times & calorie intake, it is not a dirty word nor is it a quick fix or magic pill. There are 100 different ways to “fast” & everyone has their own “definition” of what they consider fasting. Some drink coffee & water, some don’t. Some use no calorie sweeteners, some don’t. There are more optimal times, situations, & schedules that are more effective & efficient. Make sure it fits easily into your lifestyle & schedule. Pick whatever suits your needs. Remember adherence & consistency are always keys!

Most utilize the 16/8 or 14/10 or 12/10 windows. (Fast 16 hrs/eat 8) You can also periodically fast 24 hrs or longer. I personally do NOT do extended fasts.

16/8, 14/10, 12/12 Protocols – Ex: Fast 16hrs/8hr eating window
OMAD – One meal a day, fast the rest
TMAD – Two meals a day, fast the rest
PSMF – Protein Sparing Modified Fasts: highly restrictive diet that involves severely limiting the intake of calories, carbs, & fat & consuming only lean (zero-low fat) protein
5:2 – Eat normal 5 days, restrict calories to 500-600 for 2 days
Eat Stop Eat – Eat normal for 5 days then fast for 24hrs for 2 days
4:3 or Alternate Day Fasting – Fast every other day, eat normal on non-fasting days
Skip Meals Spontaneously – skip meals when you’re not hungry

Will fasting help me lose body fat?

Why your story & background matter when it comes to fasting efficacy

Before we dive into fasting deets I want to reiterate & touch on WHY your story & food/dieting/health history matter when it comes to the experiences & results you get (or lack of).

Lets be honest, the main reason most people choose the Carnivore Diet & utilizing fasting is because they want fat loss. That’s fine, we all wanna look good nekkid, HOWEVER, the difference lies in our starting point: calorically, metabolically, hormonally, physiologically, mentally, emotionally – the whole picture.

I feel we really should approach any nutrition protocol from a health/healing perspective, first, aesthetic perspective, second.

Some of us come from the SAD (Standard American Diet), some have been dieting basically our entire lives & still think 1200 calories is the magic number for weight loss, some fear fat, some fear carbs, some are binge eating &/or suffering from disordered eating & still in denial, some come from Keto, some have been struggling with gut issues/autoimmune stuff for decades & really have no idea what they can eat.

All of these different stories & starting points impact the transition & adaptation to any diet. You do not have to fast at all if you don’t want to.

Usually I see two different stories, & thus experiences, when working with clients. We’ll call them Peter & Patty.

Are you Peter or Patty?

PETER

Peter is male, used to over consuming the typical SAD, dad bod (aka looks like he might lick something deemed “healthy” & work out occasionally but really loves tacos & would much rather smash a 6 pack vs have a 6 pack). Simply eating meat & cutting out all the other crap significantly reduces his caloric intake & the fat just falls off.

PATTY

Patty is female, lets say 30-40yrs old, habitual yo-yo dieter, excessive exerciser, wants to lose fat & build muscle but doesn’t wanna be “bulky” (sigh smdh), scared to eat more than 1200-1500 calories & gaining weight is one of her biggest fears.

She’s tried every diet in the book. Had some success with “Keto” (doesn’t really know what keto means but she’s eating less carbs right?!) but always falls off the wagon, stressful home life/ job, struggled with bloating & gut issues for years.

Her neighbor, Peter, looks great since carnivore, so she decides it’s gonna be the magic quick fix to all her issues. Sooo Patty stops tracking food (because she was told it didn’t matter on the carnivore diet) & starts smashin all the bacon, ribeyes, cheese, ribs, & chicken wings.

Her gut issues get better, the first week she dropped 3lbs, but now she’s about 6 weeks in & hungry, tired, & the scale is going up! So she decided to start fasting more, & ups her steps to 20k/d. (Further stressing her body out more btw).

She gives it another month with more weight gain. She wants to quit after a couple months despite her gut issues resolving. It doesn’t work she says, “I didn’t lose weight.”

Things that matter when choosing any diet, macros, calories, &/or fasting protocols

Things I need as a coach to help you figure out appropriate macros/diet/fitness/fasting approaches:

Age, Current Weight, Height⁣⁣
Training modalities⁣⁣ (how you prefer to workout. CrossFit vs running vs yoga vs Orange Theory vs walking vs Barre vs Bodybuilding vs power lifting etc)⁣⁣
Daily Activity ⁣⁣(steps, job, kids, schedules etc)⁣⁣
Training Frequency, Volume, Intensity ⁣⁣
Previous Dieting History⁣⁣ (disordered eating, low carb, high carb, low fat, have you been chronically dieting, eating surplus, etc)⁣⁣
Medical History⁣⁣ (allergies, IBD, IBS, gut issues, hormonal issues, cancer, thyroid, etc)⁣⁣
Your goals, preferences, special needs)⁣⁣
Mindset & mental health⁣⁣
Lifestyle⁣⁣ & Stress (kids, stressful job, shitty sleep, relationship problems, etc)

That’s a LOT of stuff, right? It’s not as simple as just picking a set of macro numbers, or calories, or a magic diet camp or fasting protocol. You are not a template or calculator, you’re a human. This is why we set up coaching consultations to help you!

indiana lilbitoffit maintenance calories chart carnivore reverse diet katie kelly — A BIG reminder, we should not be dieting any more than 1-2 times per year, no longer than 12-16 weeks. You should be chillin, eating at your maintenance calories, enjoying life and getting strong AF the majority of the year! Like this chart? Allllll the free content available on Instagram!

Why should I try fasting?⁣⁣

It’s simple, eating fewer times works better for your schedule, less thinking/measuring. Your lifestyle aligns w/your eating schedule. Helpful when in a calorie deficit to allot larger meals.⁣
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Metabolic flexibility. It will utilize the fuel from previous meals/glycogen first, then it will use your fat stores to fuel your day.⁣⁣

Hunger response. Are you bored or really hungry? You learn/feel the difference. A big reason I would utilize IF with clients. It helps connect with your body’s true hunger signals.⁣⁣

Benefits of fasting: hormone balance, reduced insulin resistance, risk of diabetes, inflammation, improved focus, gut health & digestion, fat loss in a calorie deficit.

Why it works for fat loss

While I will reiterate fasting is not a diet, it can help with fat loss goals by creating a calorie deficit in various ways:

Reduces the number of meals in a day

Helps create food rules to prevent over eating & snacking, especially for people who are abstainers

Helps reduce your weekly calorie average

Helps you feel & get back in tune with true hunger cues which helps prevent eating when you’re not truly hungry. Many of us eat out of learned habit like eating in front of the tv at night, eating desert just because it is available, or seeing/smelling/hearing food cook

When should I not fast?

You’re on the gain train. If you’re ok cramming 3-4000 calories down your pie hole in a short amount of time go for it. For most, IF protocols are utilized for eating less calories simply by decreasing feeding time.⁣⁣
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It screws with your mind & feels restrictive. Can’t sustain it easily & comfortably w/your lifestyle. If it increases cortisol/blood sugar/affecting your sleep/mood/energy negatively.

If you can’t feel fullness cues & eat past satiety & all you do is think about eating during your fasting — STOP! Try eating more frequent meals during the day.

Who should NOT fast &/or fasting is not ideal

Pregnant Women
Women who are nursing
People who are reverse dieting
People training for high performance
People who have abused or overly fasted
People who have chronically under eaten for an extended period of time (aka you’ve made chasing a smaller body your hobby)
People who are trying to gain muscle
Women a week before their cycle
People healing &/or struggling with adrenal insufficiency & fatigue
People with eating disorders &/or disordered eating habits, poor relationships with food, exercise, &/or body image where restriction is a huge trigger

Getting Started

Chances are that you’ve already done many intermittent fasts in your life.

If you’ve ever eaten dinner, then slept late and not eaten until lunch the next day, then you’ve probably already fasted for 16+ hours.

Some people instinctively eat this way. They simply don’t feel hungry in the morning.

Many people consider the 16/8 method the simplest and most sustainable way of intermittent fasting — you might want to try this practice first.

If you find it easy and feel good during the fast, then have fun, experiment and maybe try moving on to more advanced fasts like 24-hour fasts 1–2 times per week (Eat-Stop-Eat) or only eating 500–600 calories 1–2 days per week (5:2 diet).

Another approach is to simply fast whenever it’s convenient — simply skip meals from time to time when you’re not hungry or don’t have time to cook.

There is no need to follow a structured intermittent fasting plan to derive at least some of the benefits.

Experiment with the different approaches and find something that you enjoy and fits your schedule.

At the end of the day, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to nutrition. The best diet for you is the one you can stick to in the long run.

I find for those who have a poor relationship with carbs & sugar, chronic gut or health issues, autoimmune needs, etc for example, a lower carb, animal or meat-based approach is extremely effective for health, healing, & fat loss.

body transformation woman carnivore diet

Here’s my routine & what has help me drop 55lbs & put my Crohn’s disease & bulimia in med-free remission.

https://lilbitoffit.com/the-stupidly-simple-system-i-use-to-stay-in-shape-and-love-my-body-as-an-empath-at-age-40/

Intermittent fasting is great for some people, not others. The only way to find out which group you belong to is to try it out.

If you feel good when fasting and find it to be a sustainable way of eating, it can be a very powerful tool to lose weight and improve your health.

oxox Coach K

All links, coaching, services, discount codes, & free content Here!

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana — Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her family’s beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohn’s Disease, disordered eating, body transformation, & adapting to a carnivore diet lifestyle.

Katie also has over 18 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, Brand Growth & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com

March 6, 2023

If You Struggle With Binge Eating Watch This

If you struggle with binge eating, this is for you

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“I forgot to eat.” “I need to restrict more.” Things you will never hear me say now.⁣⁣⁣
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Years ago, I wore my ability to restrict food like a badge. There were days I had to pull over to catch a quick nap because I couldn’t keep my eyes open driving.⁣
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You can read more about my struggle & how I healed my disordered eating, gut issues, & dropped 55lbs here in this blog!

There were workouts I thought I was gonna pass out. Blood pressure was super low, like 80/58. I remember the doctor saying do you feel lightheaded often? ⁣⁣⁣
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A woman messaged me & stated she didn’t “think” she was restricting food but still binge eating. She noticed the more she controlled what she was eating & the LESS she ate consistently, the less hungry she felt.⁣
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She didn’t understand how eating more food would help. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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So I put it this way…⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Dying animals have no appetite & don’t eat. Thriving animals fight for their food. Starving animals gorge themselves. Nourished animals eat till they’re comfortably satisfied.⁣
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Which one do you wanna be?⁣⁣⁣⁣
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A decrease in hunger after living in a calorie deficit for too long is our body shutting down to survive. ⁣⁣⁣ #bingeeating is another survival mechanism.⁣
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This is why females eating below their BMR or at a low body fat don’t have a period, you’re commonly constipated, digestion slows, you’re cold & lack energy. Your hormones & systems down regulate to compensate.⁣⁣⁣
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Other Common Symptoms:⁣⁣⁣⁣

Irritability⁣⁣⁣

No sex drive⁣⁣⁣

Increase in belly fat⁣⁣⁣⁣

Chronic fatigue/soreness⁣⁣⁣⁣

Malabsorption, gut inflammation⁣⁣⁣⁣

Increase in binge eating, etc⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Tips:⁣
Eat enough food to fuel your body. 2-3 meals/d⁣
Stop over exercising/over caffeinating/negative self talk/overly fasting⁣
SLEEP! HYDRATE!⁣
Get trigger foods out of your home. Eat more meat & eggs, less processed food, more natural whole food⁣
Stay busy! Get accountability.⁣
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Eat when there is physiological/internal cue – in other words, when you either feel that hunger pang or become aware your body is in need of nourishment. ⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣I hope this helps!
⁣
Oxox⁣
Coach K

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March 2, 2023

A Simple Guide To Why You Eat Past Fullness

sad girl eating pizza over eating feeling guilty

As I was creating these for you today, I recalled how scary & powerless it felt to not truly know when I was full.

For me, I was less troubled by feeling when I was actually hungry. But the fullness thing & binge eating were out of control at one point.

It took time. And a lot of learning about how my body worked, why it happened, the foods I needed to eat, the foods I needed to release, & forgiveness.

The MOST significant thing I do to keep fullness signals regular is to not get to the point I’m “hangry” & starving. I stick to a meat-based diet. Carbs & sugar are addictive drugs for me. Huge triggers & hard to portion control.

Most of my clients are emotional eaters.

I understand that it is really hard to break that cycle & there is a good reason for this.

This is because you haven’t figured out how to deal with those emotions or behaviors that lead to overeating or binge eating.

I have been there myself & understand. It takes time, there is no quick fix, but in the end you will be in control & see food as fuel rather than reward or punishment.

Sending you lots of hugs & I hope this post helps! Share it & let me know if this resonates with you too!

Oxox
Coach K

If you like this, make sure to check out my Hopeful Gut Healing & Body Transformation Guide Here! This may be the light you need at the end of your tunnel!

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December 19, 2022

Binge eating almost destroyed me but here’s your message of hope

I didn’t dare talk about it much publicly when I was younger, I used to binge eat — A LOT. It didn’t help my health, gut, performance, or fat loss goals at all either. I was scared to strength train because I have no idea where to start. ⁣
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Binging happened mostly when I was lonely, stressed, or bored. Sometimes, it would happen when I was celebrating, too — but always when I was alone. I would go to the store, buy junk food, then go home or sit in my car & eat as much as I could. I was an addict, food was my drug, & binging was a high.⁣
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I’d eat until I didn’t think I could eat another bite, & then felt so sick I’d puke to “undo” what I”d done. Sometimes even after I threw up, I’d wait a while, & when the feelings of nausea started to subside, I’d start eating again until either the food was gone, I vomited, or until I went to bed in deep shameful sleep.⁣
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Without fail, I’d wake up feeling like absolute shit the next day. I’d beat myself up, forcing an unending spiral of guilt, restriction, & punishment. My gut flares out of control!⁣
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To make myself feel even worse, I’d look in the mirror & tell myself how terrible I looked, & that I would never be good enough until I could stop eating & got as thin as I could. That if only I could somehow turn myself into one of those people who just “forgets” to eat, then I’d finally be good enough.⁣
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But that was the wrong approach. Obviously.⁣
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I took the time to look deeper into my behaviors & habits, I started to be kinder to myself & feel empathy.⁣
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Back then, I didn’t treat food as fuel & workouts as a celebration of my body as I do now.⁣
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So if you deal with binge eating or know someone who does, or don’t know where to start on your fitness journey 👉know that you’re not alone.⁣
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Here’s your reminder you CAN! ⁣
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I’m over 3 years meat-based with my diet! It serves my autoimmune, physical & emotional needs! ⁣
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Here’s to a lifetime of living vibrationally & giving myself what I deserve. ⁣
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I wish the same for you too!⁣
Can you relate to my story?⁣
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oxox Coach K #fitnessjourney #crohnsdisease #weightlosstransformation #bingeeatingrecovery

November 8, 2022

Top Strategies That Actually Helped Me Beat Sugar Cravings, Heal My Gut, Lose Body Fat & Love Myself

top strategies that actually helped me beat sugar, heal my gut, lose body fat & love myself

Worrying about my weight was the epicenter of my life for as long as I can remember for about 3 decades. I’m 40 years young today 🙂

From an early age, I struggled with food & body image issues. From being told I needed to lose weight by my doctor to being called chubby by friends & family…well, that stuff sticks with a young, impressionable girl.

I remember counting calories excessively in high school & college, & seriously undereating, especially as I transitioned into a more competitive CrossFit athlete in my early 30’s. I was severely under fueling & my health suffered metabolically, hormonally, & digestively.

In the past, I experimented with Weight Watchers & other extreme diets like crazy “detoxes” & diet pills. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve even bought “tummy-slimming” teas & would exercise for hours to burn off calories. I also suffered with binge eating & bulimia.

Having such obsessive, restrictive thoughts around losing weight made health & fitness feel like a chore. But, upon approaching my late 30s, I had a miraculous epiphany: I needed to fully change my mindset & lifestyle in order to embrace new habits & become the abundant, healthy version of ME!

Once I cultivated these important mindset & lifestyle shifts, I lost weight without thinking much about it 7 have kept it off for over 3 years adopting the carnivore WOE (way of eating).

I hope you find what works for you & these tips can serve as a beacon of hope!

Resources to help you are available in the link in my IG bio. My DM’s are also always open to listen!

4 Important Mindset Shifts That Actually Helped Me Lose Weight

“All or Nothing” Perfection → Grace with Myself: When I attempted to lose weight before, I maintained a toxic, all-or-nothing mentality that left me striving for unattainable perfection. If my diet started that day & I “fkd up” by eating ice cream or not exercising, I would mentally beat myself up. The perfection mindset made me crazy & left me in a constant cycle of yo-yo dieting. But when you have grace you understand that you are just a human, doing your very best. If you miss a workout one day, it’s okay. You can always try again tomorrow. Perfection is not the expectation — progress is.
Exercise as a Punishment → Exercise as a Celebration: Far too often do we allow ourselves to view exercise as an obligation or worse — a punishment. With this connotation of it, why would we ever want to exercise? Back in college, I would force myself to run 5 miles on a treadmill every weekday. Why? To punish myself for the calories I ate or drank the day prior. When I shifted my mindset to seeing exercise as a celebration rather than a punishment, I started finding workouts I loved, rather than workouts where I felt I was going through the motions. Soon, I started finding gratitude in movement. Gratitude for my body, its strength, & what it could do. I started finding joy, especially with the release of intoxicating endorphins.
Viewing Food as a Treat or Reward → Viewing Food as Fuel & Eating Healthy as a Form of Self-Love: Once you start eating a little healthier, something beautiful happens: you start to feel better, overall. Your energy levels increase. Your mindset has newfound clarity, inflammation is down, your gut feels better. Feeling these natural benefits to eating well made me want to continue doing it, as it was no longer an obligation, treat, or reward. It was a form of self-love & life fuel to be my best! Food is not a treat, reward, or something that needs burned off. It literally makes US! The better I felt the more I began to love myself exactly how I am.
Numbers-Focused → Feeling-Focused: Seeing the numbers can make us feel like we’re on the right track. But, weight fluctuates hour-by-hour. If you’re constantly stepping on the scale to gauge your progress, you may feel defeated more often than not. That was the case for me, I had to take to take a break & make peace with the scale. Instead, I started viewing numbers simply as data, I took the emotion out of it & focused on how my body & mind were feeling. How did I feel during & after my workouts? How was my sleep? How did I feel after consuming certain foods & drinks? Staying attuned to my feelings helped me gauge my progress more than the numbers on a scale ever could.

Lifestyle Changes That Actually Helped Me Lose Weight

Low intensity, stress relieving movement all day: Our bodies were not made to be sloths. Break up periods of sitting. Ideally, for every 25–30 minutes that you sit, you should move for 5 minutes. But at an absolute minimum, get up every hour. I have a non-negotiable goal of taking at least 10-15k steps/d. Find a goal that is achievable for you — something you can achieve every day, but not too easy. Set alarms if you have to. I walk circles around my CT machine & around the building in between patients at work. I also workout in the morning.
Weightlifting – pick heavy sh*t up & put it down: Lifting weights is an effective way to increase metabolic efficiency, as well as increase muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn on a daily basis. Lift heavy things 2–3d/wk. Focus on compound movements, such as the big 5 — deadlift, back squat, bench press, barbell row, & overhead press. These movements engage a lot of your muscles all at once, making the lifting benefits even greater.
Get your heart rate up a few times per week: One of the biggest benefits of getting your heart rate up (HIIT) is its impact on boosting the metabolism. Not only does it burn more calories than steady-state cardio of equal length, but you will also continue burning calories long after your workout is finished. Incorporate cardiac conditioning into your workout regime, 1–2x/wk. If you like group classes, there are tons available out there like CrossFit, F45, Orange Theory, Spin, etc. You can also YouTube & Google search HIIT workouts! Do your own life admin.
Reduce sugar, processed food, & veggie oils: I’ve adopted the carnivore diet as my lifestyle of choice to suit my Crohn’s disease & special autoimmune needs. Sugar is highly inflammatory, & leads to large blood glucose spikes & crashes. This can lead to issues such as insulin sensitivity & diabetes, & an inflamed body is more likely to put on fat & hold onto it. Processed foods & vegetable oil essentially clog up your metabolism & makes it really hard for your body to burn its own stored fat for fuel.
Eat optimal protein: Protein is vital, whether we’re exercising or not. It is the building block of our tissues, from muscle & skin to our DNA. Protein also has a thermic effect, meaning we burn calories breaking down protein during digestion & metabolizing; protein takes energy to digest. Furthermore, protein is highly filling, meaning if we’re eating adequate protein, we’re likely to be too full for other, less healthy foods. Aim to consume at least 30g-50g of protein at each meal during the day. Pick a meal routine that works best for you. Most have 2-3 meals/d. The primary driver of muscle protein synthesis is leucine (an amino acid), not total protein. We need 3g of leucine to trigger MPS. Protein is ~10% leucine, so we need to eat 30g+ of protein to hit this.

Tips & Final Thoughts

Get the trigger foods & temptations out of your house & environment. Set your environment up for success. Communicate your needs to family, friends, & coworkers if you need to but remember you don’t owe anyone anything or an explanation. You are ultimately in charge of what you put in your body.

Remind yourself you’re not going to stay stuck in the restrict/reward/binge cycles because they do not serve you in a positive light. Our habits make US. Thoughts & the story we tell ourselves become our reality. So what are you telling yourself?

Do not “save” calories, excessively fast, or let yourself get too hungry in between meals or social functions. Eat regularly scheduled meals centered around protein. Keep meats on hand & meals simple.

The answer is always WALK & SLEEP! We tend to think we’re hungry or need carbs/sugar when we get bored, we feel we lack purpose, we’re thirsty, we’re stressed, lacking sleep, numbing emotions, & wired ourselves to want these things like after dinner, in front of the tv, in certain social situations, or if we see or smell food.

Make sure you’re eating enough food to support optimal body function and your activity level. Under eating is a huge culprit of disordered eating, metabolic & hormonal imbalances. Also make sure you’re getting ample fat. Add fat like butter & tallow to meals if you have to. Choose higher fat meats like ribeyes, ribs, salmon, 80% ground meats & whole eggs. If you’re constipated, adding fat will help that too.

Remove or significantly minimize artificial sweeteners. The more sweet things you consume, the more your brain is wired to want them. The sweet taste is like a drug, it’s a dopamine hit. Especially if you’re an abstainer when it comes to food. The “right” way is to abstain – that’s what that means. It’s ok if you’re not a moderator, you’re not alone. Do what you need to do to be successful.

If you’re bored with your food, increase your variety of meats, change the way you cook them, add different seasonings. Be mindful of cheese & dairy too, they are also addictive similar to sugar. You can airfry, pan fry, bake, instapot, slow cook, crockpot, smoke, grill, etc. There are tons of seasonings without carbs & all kinds of different meats & eggs. If you manage to resist & reset, the cravings will get weaker over time & eventually disappear, I promise!

oxox Coach K

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November 4, 2022

The Carnivore Diet Healed my Crohn’s and Binge Eating. A Vulnerable Story.

Had a person tell me that they thought I “looked better” when I was heavier & eating carbs. That I was crazy for eating carnivore & it was just another shade of a f*cked up relationship with food.

how carnivore healed my crohn's disease and binge eating — Left is 3+ years ago pre carnivore, Right is today, 40 years old

Bless your heart, Karen🖕

What you don’t see from pictures, although you see a smile on the left, I felt like absolute shit on the inside.

I don’t think I look bad, more inflamed, absolutely, but I wasn’t as healthy as I am now. Today I’m med free & in Crohn’s remission🙏
I no longer binge eat & throw up my food.

HEALTHY is what matters.
Doesn’t matter if you gain weight or lose weight, if you gain your HEALTH in the process, THAT is what matters.

Here’s how you turn pain into power & let your mess be your message…

I remember it well, it was a Saturday morning. I snuck an unopened package of Girl Scout Tagalong Cookies into my bedroom. I ate the entire box while everyone slept.⁣
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Who would’ve known the gates of addiction, self sabotage, sickness, obesity, & decades of debt & relationship debacles would follow.⁣
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My body image issues, food addiction, gut dis-ease, & disordered eating started at the age of 8 with the opening of a package of girl scout cookies.⁣
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I could put away more food than my father did at dinner.⁣
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I’ll never forget my mom (bless her heart she meant well) saying, “If you keep eating like that you’ll get as big as a barn.”⁣
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I grew up on a family farm in small town USA, Indiana, raising crops & beef cattle. We ate good y’all. ALL the meat, potatoes, home-cooked baked goods, fried spam & bologna. ALL the down home country sht.⁣ ⁣

I am the oldest of 3. I have 2 younger brothers, both “skinny” growing up, I was always the “fat” one. There was a reason I played catcher in softball & threw shot put in track. You wouldn’t think it lookin at my 5’1, 105lb frame today at 40 years old.⁣ ⁣

I remember crumpling the package of cookies under my bed, hiding it in shame. I curled up in pain, stomach so full & nauseous from all the sugar. At that time I willed myself not to throw up. I was swollen, sick, ashamed, & unaware of the drug addiction that had only just begun.⁣ ⁣

“What have I done? What would my parents say or anyone else if they ever found out?” I thought.⁣ ⁣

Then the binging & purging began as I got older.⁣ ⁣

I discovered I could make myself throw up & “undo” what I had done. I could workout more. I could restrict more so I could enjoy my binges more & eat MORE.⁣ ⁣

Fucked up, right?!⁣
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The thing is the “monster” inside of you doesn’t see it that way.⁣

Sound familiar?⁣
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As painful as it is reliving these nightmares, I’m writing this for YOU.⁣
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YOU have the power to change. Use your struggles for STRENGTH.

Do you relate too?

Love & Hugs,
Oxox Coach K

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September 17, 2022

I Finally Quit Binge Eating & healed bulimia by learning these 2 simple things

sad girl at dusk binge eating blonde woman

I remember the binging days…& the more I thought & learned about it, I had bulimia.

There’s a slight difference between the two. While multiple similarities exist between the signs and symptoms of binge eating disorder & bulimia, there are distinct differences that separate the two.

People diagnosed with binge eating disorder do not typically force themselves to throw up (purge) the food they have just eaten. Alternately, people struggling with bulimia will eat & immediately throw up. Many tip toe amongst the shades of the two just like diets & different facets of life.

blonde girl in scrubs figs taking a picture — Scrubs: Figs. Shoes: Dansko

I remember the days I’d plan binges. The urge to eat welling up inside me. I couldn’t wait to get out of work & stuff my face. What am I gonna have? Something sweet & decadent?! Target has bags of Reeses on sale, I want cookies & brownies too! Maybe that box of gluten free chocolate cake donuts with the frosting! I’ll get one of those. Or two. I’m salivating already. 30 mins to go.

Full of shame, I’d buy everything I denied myself. They were my drugs. Sometimes I’d sit in my car & down 2 gallons of ice cream, boxes of cookies & brownies & then I’d rush home, gag myself & throw it all up. Then I’d wait for the nausea to pass & walk for hours to “burn it all off.” Anything I couldn’t throw up.

This isn’t true hunger I thought. This is something else entirely. Something darker. And it terrified me.

Everytime I’d say this was the last time.

But I’d break that promise every time the monster returned. The next day, the next week, the next month, for about 3 decades of my life.

What my f*cked up relationship to food did to me…

I lost all trust in myself. My broken promises proved that I was incapable of keeping my word, so I stopped committing to things. My response to social invitations changed from “Yes” to “Maybe” because I couldn’t predict when I’d be hit with another urge to binge.

I gave up on myself. I had tried everything to stop. I got angry, pleaded & begged. I listed the consequences on my wallet, waistline, health & social life.

I gave up on my dreams and ambitions and settled for just surviving.

I loathed myself. What kind of person goes through whole boxes of cereal in one sitting? I lived in fear. The next urge could control me at any time. I feared food.

The first step to recovery was truly admitting I had a problem. Surprisingly, it took me about 10 years to get to this stage. Then I chose to ignore it for almost 20 yrs after that but finally had enough of my bullsh*t & was saved by a book & adopted the carnivore WOE that helped me finally lose weight, stop the binging, & put my Crohn’s disease in remission.

You can read all about my story and first year transitioning on carnivore here in this blog.

The book: Brain Over Binge by Kathryn Hansen. It gave me the first glimmer of hope I’d had in a long time & this is what I learned…

I hope it gives you hope too!

This is something we work on together as client and coach. Often times we think the magic is found in macros or a specific diet when it is actually our relationship with our self and food that is the thing holding us back.

Swipe, share, & save warriors!

oxoxo

Coach K

Coaching, services. free content, & discount codes here!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com

September 3, 2022September 3, 2022

The secret to curing binge eating isn’t what you think

5 years ago, on a Saturday morning, I wrote a journal entry about my ongoing struggle with binge eating. I detailed my longstanding struggle with my seemingly endless appetite & f*cked up addiction to stuffing huge amounts of food in my face. I was struggling with gut flares & drowning in a black cloud of self loathing & frustration.

I had no “cures” as of yet, but I was now out of the closet & getting REAL with living in the haunted house of this behavior.

Since writing that entry, I created a community here simply sharing my life in hopes of helping others living a similar nightmare. I’ve received dozens of messages from readers asking about my journey of recovery from disordered eating, poor body image, food addiction, orthorexia, & Crohn’s disease.

Living 3 decades of 50 shades of f*cked up, I’ve learned so much about these demons that used to haunt me. I used to feel lost & powerless when it came to what I saw as my most shameful behaviors, but I’ve since found the keys to recovery, unlocked my own cage, & strutted my way out.

Today after going “carnivore” with my diet & changing my perspective on health & fitness, I never binge,& am healthier than I’ve ever been at 40 years old. I want the same for you.

carnivore woman eating meat — I’m 3+ years carnivore and thriving!

How did I crack the code?

Well, first, I stopped looking outside of myself for solutions, in online articles & advice from friends, doctors, & the latest fads. Instead, I decided to compassionately look inward & get curious.

I started observing myself to understand why I was engaging in this behavior. I found that without exception, I binged in response to 3 different situations that left me hungry physically & mentally:

When I’ve been “restricting” & trying to eat like everyone else instead of for ME
When I’m avoiding an emotion &/or lacking purpose
When I’m neglecting my own pleasure & needs

By addressing these 3 triggers, I’ve been able to completely eliminate binge eating from my life, lose body fat, & enjoy freedom!

My top-of-the-list priorities now are:
Great food in the form of meat & eggs — good sleep & exercise — plain & simple joy & peace.

I don’t categorize dieting & working out as a daily must-do activity anymore. I’ve learned to consider carnivore & exercise a lifestyle choiceI love, not a chore.

And it’s definitely not something I schedule or force myself to do every day because being a CHAMPION means to be someone that loves the work of becoming one more than the idea of becoming one.

Let your wrinkles & stretch marks & flaws serve as tree rings of growth.

Hope these tips help you! SWIPE, save, & share freely.

oxox Coach K

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