Health Coach | Speaker | Writer | Welcome to my digital diary! I'm here to help you blend life & fitness to find your health & happy! Thank you for being part of my family & allowing me to add value to your journey!
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!
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 17 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, & Sales & Brand Growth 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
I’ll be the first to admit I realize now I was in an abusive relationship the majority of my life.
– with myself.
I did some pretty f*cked up things to this 5’1 frame. Reflecting back, they were a result of childhood trauma from bullying, being called the “fat girl” & believing the lie I wasn’t enough unless I was a certain teeny tiny size.
It caused food addiction, body dysmorphia, orthorexia, a cultivation of self sabotaging habits, scarcity mindset, & a dangerously poor relationship specifically with carbohydrates. They were my drug of choice.
Basically, dieting & chasing a smaller body were my hobbies. I thought, “Well, every woman I know talks about dieting. The most admired are thin. I must not be trying hard enough. Eat less & workout more.”
You’re brainwashed to think chronic dieting & living off diet & sugar free foods are just a “normal” part of being a female & a requirement to attaining better body. They can reap long lasting issues that affect every coat of paint you throw on your life.
I remember being as young as 8 comparing my body to skinnier girls in class. I was teased & the disordered eating & bad body image grew — to the point I remember putting a belt around my tummy rolls in middle school under my jeans so I looked thinner. I needed to “suck it in” then maybe they’ll be nicer to me.
At 16, lunch was cottage cheese & a few ritz crackers, no more than 5 crackers I reminded myself. And I thought that was too much. I wore restriction like a badge. The smaller I got, the more attention I got. After a traumatizing break up in high school, I lost 15lb in 2 weeks right before the end of summer break. Everyone raved how “good” I looked.
The bottom photos I was struggling significantly with my disordered eating. I never thought I was thin enough.
The more praise, the more I craved the look of bones in the mirror.
Being thin meant I received love & was more worthy.
In college, I obsessed with working out to counter my binge drinking/eating. I threw up my food & took diet pills. I just wanted to be thin like the other sorority girls.
Even when I married at 22, I hid my binge eating & orthorexia. The drinking also spiraled out of control. I ended up in the hospital on a vent one time with a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of .346. Talk about a wake up call, I almost died.
I later divorced at 27, had a handful of failed relationships thereafter. I always numbed & sought control by not eating or excessive drinking. I’d take shots of cold medicine at night so I’d go to bed earlier to avoid eating.
I remember after one breakup I got so thin people started talking, I lost my period. I went to my OBGYN, she checked my urine. She said, “Your ketones are high, your weight has dropped. Has your diet changed? Are you feeling ok?” My blood pressure was 80/58. I didn’t know what that meant. My body was literally eating itself.
The bingeing, purging, restriction, & eating diet foods tore my gut up — all spiraled into a mess of health problems later. Which initially was diagnosed as IBS, then in 2018 as Crohn’s.
Left at my heaviest weight at 160, center struggling with Crohn’s flares, right after transitioning a whole year on the Carnivore Diet.
It didn’t stop there.
In 2013, my gallbladder quit functioning after so many years of disordered eating. I got cervical cancer, had to have part of cervix removed, & royalty f*cked up my hormones, metabolism, & gut function.
At 31, I discovered CrossFit. I dug myself a hole of further metabolic adaptation over training & undereating. Struggling with eating so many carbs & foods I didn’t realize my body wasn’t digesting and absorbing. It wasn’t that the carbs or foods were “bad,” it wasn’t that I didn’t need them for fuel or that they weren’t “healthy” – it was my relationship with them, the emotional triggers, & the physiological fact that my body couldn’t digest or absorb them properly.
One of the best gifts I ever gave myself was the permission to view these years of hardships as lessons to become a better human, and thus, help you all learn from my experiences.
True freedom is gained by learning to love your seasons, honoring what works for you as far diet and exercise, & simply appreciating your body for keeping you alive — not just for what you look like.
I 100% believe the Carnivore Diet put not only my Crohn’s in remission, but cured my disordered eating and food addiction. It gave me a new start at life.
My lens is clear now. Food doesn’t control my every thought. I don’t binge. I know exactly what to eat to stay my happiest & healthiest. It is simple & delicious. My health, mentally, emotionally, & physically haven’t been better.
It took faith, patience, & much experimentation. I had an interview where I talked about my whole first year and what I experienced going carnivore HERE. It will answer most of your questions.
Did you know about 45% of women and 23% of men within a healthy weight range think they are overweight, & at least 20% of women who are underweight think they are overweight, according to Eating Disorders Victoria.
How to learn to love your body
STOP IGNORING YOUR BODY
Get to know your body, it keeps you alive. Your body is a miraculous creature it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Every bump, crevice, scar, sunspot, stretch mark, freckle, wrinkle — those are badges of LIFE. You earned it!
•Don’t avoid mirrors.
•Spend more time naked.
•Wear the bathing suit
•Buy clothes to flatter your body not the other way around. You wear clothes they don’t wear you. You don’t change your body just wear clothes.
•Touch your body, sexuality is NATURAL & NECESSARY. Take pictures. CELEBRATE your body.
•Learn your true hunger cues & when you’re emotional eating. If you have a poor relationship with specific foods, OWN IT. Make changes and choose different foods. For me, carbs trigger poor habits, meat and eggs are satiating, nourishing, and delicious. They give me food freedom. Yours may be different. Experiment.
•Eat what you’re craving & don’t restrict all the time.
•Ditch the scale and focus on how you FEEL. The more you do to get in contact with and accept your body the way that it is, the more you are likely to develop better body image.
STOP CHECKING YOUR IMPERFECTIONS
Are you the one who does the ab check at every mirror? Pinch fat? Guess what? Our body changes & fluctuates every day, every hour sometimes. You don’t have flat abs all day, it’s called eating food, which keeps you alive. When you sit, we all have rolls! It’s called skin.
Write a list of your “checking” behaviors. Once you become aware & how often, slowly try to reduce the times you engage in these behaviors. I promise it will become easier & less work time & awareness.
STOP COMPARING
It’s a challenge, I get it. Especially with social media at our fingertips. We spend so much time rubbing a freakin piece of glass. Make that time a positive impact on your life. Unfollow accounts that make you feel bad about yourself. Follow those who are uplifting, love their bodies, and resemble a body like yours!
Again, note when this happens. What & who were you looking at? Is that body a realistic goal for you? How do you want to FEEL? Often that has nothing to do with your aesthetics. Happiness starts on the inside. Follow podcasts, accounts, YouTubes, whatever media you want that promote health and body positivity and acceptance.
SEPARATE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS FROM FEELING FAT
Often when we have a bad day, a fight with a friend or partner, maybe our clothes don’t fit “just right,” or someone made a comment that made us feeling uncomfortable, we let those emotions wreck our entire day. Those emotions have nothing to do with what we look like but what we feel about ourselves.
They’re triggers. If I tried on a bathing suit & it looked hideous, I’d be pissed off all day & want to starve myself as punishment. Sound familiar? When this happens, remind yourself that your weight & reflection were the same before the incident.
CHANGE YOUR SELF TALK & PRACTICE ACCEPTANCE
Would you talk to your best friend like you talked to yourself? Remember thoughts become things & you attract what you put out.
The more negative self talk, the more it makes you feel awful, because you believe it. The more your feel awful the more likely you are to restrict, binge, emotional eat, & self sabotage because that is what you’re attracting into your life.
Instead of saying, “I look horrible in this outfit, I need to lose 20lbs.” Say, “I’m excited to make healthier changes to feel my best. Everyday in every way I am better and better.”
A big key to changing negative body image is to kill the critic.
FORGIVE
For me, I forgive the human who made the human mistakes. For without that version, she wouldn’t have learned her lessons and turned into the woman she is today. ❤️
Sending you a great big virtual hug! If you need to talk, don’t hesitate to reach out on Instagram!
Hoosier farm girl & Purdue University grad, Katie is a multifaceted girlboss! She’s a nutritionist, radiologic technologist, personal coach, executive assistant, motivational speaker & writer, & brand growth consultant working with individuals, businesses, organizations, & executives.
She specializes in gut health, sports nutrition, disordered eating, social branding, human connection, and how to optimize life to attract health, wealth, & happiness.
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
You see there are different seasons of life I’ve in catagories:
The Mundane – the everyday “boring” stuff. Routine, chores, work, etc.
The Mess – the chaos, the road blocks, the f*ck ups, the contrast, the things & shadows we don’t like about ourselves.
The Magic – the sweet spots, the little things, the peace, the moments that make your heart sing with joy & make everything else melt away.
We must learn to nurture & love every season with grace. They make us – US.
My body has been all shapes and sizes through the years.
When I first started struggling with body image I was around 8 years old.
I was labeled as the “fat” girl and that label stuck with me for years. It paralyzed me from reaching my potential. Total mindf*ck. When you’re attached with a powerful label, it’s hard to simply pull that label off like a tag on a new pair of leggins. It takes the dirty work to remove.
I’m almost 60lbs lighter now today, after going meat-based with my diet over a year ago to manage my crohn’s. I’m a lot less f*cks lighter too than I was decades ago. Most of all I’m proud to love ALL my seasons, and I know my worth is not based on a number on the scale or my barbell.
My biggest pain point of criticism – I loathed my legs. I hated the way they looked. I hated the way they rubbed together. I hated the cellulite, the stretch marks. I hated the way they jiggled.
I spent years trying to attain slender legs with fasted cardio, strict low fat & low calorie dieting, binging, purging, running and walking often 30,000 steps a day – that’s not a typo.
What did I lose? Not the legs I was trying to get rid of. I lost friends, and memories, my health, and MYSELF along the way.
Here are some life truths I discovered along my journey that I hope can help reframe your life wherever it may be…
1.) You will never become the person you want to be if you don’t take care of your body. Do you perform, feel your best, & serve your family at your highest when you’re tired, overweight, your gut is a mess, and/or you’re obsessed with food, exercise, & basically hating life? Didn’t think so. Invest in yourself, it’s not being selfish.
2.) You are the sum of your surroundings. This includes your friends, your work, your hobbies, your food, and what you mentally consume. Are they nourishing you or depleting you on your path to who you want to be?
3.) A wish is not a goal. Make a plan and ACT. THAT is when your dream becomes a goal. You know my MO, you either DO or you DON’T. You wanna be a DOer or a DON’Ter?
4.) The most important relationship you have is with yourself. Noone can make you happy but yourself. If you can’t love the reflection in the mirror with tummy rolls, you can’t love the reflection with a six-pack. Appreciate your seasons. Losing lbs is not the answer to gaining your happiness. It’s a band-aid.
5.) The beauty is in the mess. It’s ok to try and chase the best version of your life, but if you’re constantly dreaming & searching for the perfect life you’re never truly living in the now. You’ll be forever unsatisfied.
6.) Rich is in the eye of the beholder. Rich doesn’t always mean money or material things. In fact, the most important things aren’t seen or felt. They’re experienced-freedom, peace, pride, laughter, love.
As we grow older, and hopefully wiser, we realize that a $300 or a $30 watch both tell the same time. You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world. Whether you fly first class or economy, if the plane goes down-you go down with it. -Steve Jobs
7.) The most important food in the world is soul food. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
“Find what makes your soul sing with joy & try, as much as you can, to let that happen as often as possible. Listen to the inner-workings of your mind and be honest with yourself when things don’t feel right. Leave what doesn’t sit well and walk into new relationships, connections, & places with open arms. Forgive yourself for the shortcomings you’ve had (or think you’ve had) & celebrate where you will go next.And most of all, know that what you have to offer this world is valuable. And noone else can do it.” -Marisa Donnelly
Real Steps to consider for Successful “Dieting”
Everyday I have beautiful women come to me wanting to lose body fat. Absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to see what your body can do. Change is good. Change is energy. We are entitled to see what our bodies can do no matter what season we choose.
The question: have you earned the right to lose body fat and are you mentally ready?
Avoid Common Mistakes:
Not being clear about what your goal really is? Do you want to gain muscle or lose fat? Two different things. Two different requirements, one a calorie surplus, one a calorie deficit.
Not setting a realistic goal and not being honest about how flexible or strict you want to be. Eating for general health and wellness is more flexible. You can go out with friends and have those occasional cocktails. Cutting for a photo shoot or competition? That means strict diet, training, and minimal “cheats.”
These require different levels of commitment:
Not periodizing your nutrition. You should not be “cutting” or “dieting” forever. Keep cuts 8-16 weeks MAX, limit to 1-2 times per year. Follow up with 4-6 months of maintenance or surplus calories to upregulate body systems.
Automatically assume you need to cut carbs to lose weight. Carnivore, low carb, & keto absolutely have their place. They work wonderful for people who need an insulin reset, an elimination diet, have autoimmune disorders, poor relationships with carbs, etc, but they’re also not “right” for everyone if they don’t suit your needs or preferences. What kind of training are you doing? Are you doing CrossFit, HIIT training, Orange Theory, Bootcamps, marathon training? You may do better utilizing some quantity of carbs in your diet. All of our bodies are different. YOU have to eat for YOU!
You think punching numbers in myfitnesspal, an online calculator, or following a template will spit out magic macros to solve all your problems. Do you think a calculator or template cares you’ve been surviving on poverty macros, struggle with work stress, travel, kids back talking and getting in trouble at school, gut issues, and can’t sleep at night? All affect your mindset, digestion, recovery, relationships with food, relationships with other people, and most importantly yourself. INVEST in a qualified coach! I offer consults every single day, even weekends and holidays for YOU. Inquiry HERE.
These were from a fat loss cut for photo shoot prep. I reversed for 3 months prior and then ate at surplus (2300 calories daily) for 2 months prior to going into my cut. I didn’t have to drop below 1500 calories during my 12 week cut BECAUSE I did my due diligence to heal and recover FIRST.
Truths about Fat Loss:
Healthy, nourished bodies lose body fat. Eating 1000 calories a day, surviving on sugar-free jello & lettuce is not a balanced diet, nor a protocol to set you up for a successful fat loss phase. You need to work on yourself for months to get your calories up & your body functioning like a normal human being.
All your systems should be in check BEFORE considering diving into a cut: your metabolism, your hormones, your period, your mindset, your stress level.
Ladies, your period is like your internal gauge your body is functioning properly. If you’re not having a period that is the biggest red flag. Did you know your body can conserve 30,000 cal/year by not having a period. Why? If your body takes away a natural process to conserve energy, that’s called survival because reproducing is not a priority. This also goes for down regulating your metabolism, your thyroid, & your sex hormones.
Your metabolism is not one singular thing like your brain or your arm or your liver. Your metabolism encompasses everything it’s everywhere. Your brain, your digestive system, your reproductive system – they all contribute. It will adjust to low calories and this is when you plateau. We can’t cut you any lower as a coach when you come to us eating 1200 calories a day.
Your body will not respond to a cut if you have not properly taken care of it before hand. This could take months or even years. Your body does AMAZING things on the daily. Appreciate it. It’s main priority is keeping you alive & guess what?
Your body gives two f*cks that you want to have abs & look good in a bikini. #REALtalk
I empathize with your frustrations. It took me years to work my calories up to true maintenance, 4 years to be exact. Took me even longer to heal my gut, manage triggers, and most importantly, step into my worth and cultivate a growth mindset.
My door is always open. Feel free to message, dm, or email. I would love to help you on your journey!
But for real…I’ve received an influx of messages about emotional eating during this time of heightened emotions.
As one who suffered from disordered eating, body dysmorphia, bulimia, orthorexia…all the deep 💩 — I HEAR YOU❤️🙏🏻
Cred: Mymindmybody
FOOD & FEELS
They go hand-in-hand.
We use them for celebration, socializing, fitness, etc. They’re a necessity. We need food to LIVE. BUT if you feel like food is your go-to coping strategy, it may mean that you’re not actually meeting your needs — emotional &/or physical.
Cred: BlessingManifesting
How to approach emotional eating:
❤️Like not having your period ladies, categorize emotional eating as a red flag 🚩 Something is off balance. Physically &/or emotionally your needs aren’t being met.
❤️Journal. Let’s get to the root issue. Ask yourself “What am I feeling ?” “What do I need?”
❤️Braindump. How can you meet your needs?
✅journal, read, walk outside, sauna, read, listen to a podcast, workout, talk to someone, what puts you in a better mood?
EAT ENOUGH FOOD in the first place, we binge most often because we’re restricting in some way, positive self talk.
❤️Know thy self. If you know you can’t control yourself from trigger foods, get them out of your home. Find an approach to redirect those thoughts from ones that are hurting you to one a that are helping you.
The point is to become a mf boss at identifying & meeting your needs before they own you.
Emotional eating, like any gut &/or hormonal dis-ease, is a complex topic that affects many differently.
Please seek help from a qualified individual🥰
Leave advice & your thoughts for others in comments🙏🏻👇🏻
