LIES told by your food addiction. My story.

sad girl eating disorder food addiction scale

It can take decades to unlearn. My relationship with disordered eating & poor body image started when I was just 8.

I spent the majority of my childhood & early adulthood overweight & unhealthy. I was told in middle school by a teacher I was too big to be a cheerleader. Kids were cruel, calling me names like lambchop because I had big 80’s hair & even thicker thighs.

My disorder began with overeating & then restricting to punish myself. I’d try to skip breakfast & barely eat lunch (which I’d “allow” myself sugar free jello, a small travel size cottage cheese & 5 Ritz crackers).

My stomach would growl. I remember being embarrassed if the classroom was quiet enough for others to hear. Inevitably, I’d return home in the afternoon absolutely ravenous & binge on cookies, candy, cereal, chips, & junk food.

These episodes got more & more out of control. I continued eating less during the day, binging at night & sometimes I’d take cold medicine to make me sleep to keep from eating.

Years passed, & my eating habits fluctuated. I had never even considered throwing up until I saw a Lifetime movie about a girl who had bulimia. The process seemed easy. Eat whatever you want, throw up. The first time I purged was in middle school after eating a tub of ice cream.

Bulimia became a sort of coping mechanism for me. I told myself my obsession with diets & exercise were normal. It was about control. I was dealing with a lot of stress: school, college, later on, relationships, a failed marriage on top of debt & drinking too much.

There were lots of things in my life I felt I wasn’t able to manage. I’d binge & get a rush. Then I’d get an even bigger, better rush after getting rid of it all.

Takeaway: Don’t make my mistakes.
If you’re dealing with an eating disorder or disordered eating & exercise habits, I encourage you to seek help.

Life is more than choosing to shrink yourself as a hobby. Eating disorders like bulimia are often not just about losing weight. They also revolve around issues of control or negative thoughts, like having a poor self-image.

The first step is admitting that you have a problem & you WANT to break the cycle. Don’t make my mistake & fill your memory book with reminders of your eating disorder instead of the truly important moments in your life!

Adopting a carnivore, meat-based way of eating saved my life. It allowed me to lose 60 lbs over my lifetime, put my Crohn’s Disease in med-free remission, & cure my binge eating! Will be forever grateful for the decades of learning and the food freedom this lifestyle has given me! Here’s how I healed and lost the weight!

weight loss before and after katie kelly carnivore

Lies told by your food addiction.

I can’t abuse food & exercise. I’m fine.

Receptors in our gut respond to certain foods we consume by triggering release of dopamine in our brain. Exercise & social media can do the same thing. One of the hallmarks of any addiction is tolerance: progressively needing more & more of a certain substance to get the same effect. When the brain’s reward system is repeatedly flooded with dopamine, it responds by reducing the receptors as a protective mechanism. And as with drugs, people who are addicted to food often binge in order to get the same dopamine rush. The more sugar, alcohol, carbs, fat, & salt (for examples) the greater release of dopamine & “reward” we experience. Dopamine-enforced sensory cues mean we are motivated to have the substance again just by the sight, smell, & sounds of a food (like bacon cooking) or an endorphin high after working out.

I don’t have a problem. I’ll just have 1.

Addiction & recovery don’t discriminate. Most of us that have an emotional trigger to sugar, carbs, & hyperpalatable foods like dairy, cheese, bacon, keto/sugar free treats, ribeyes, ribs, nut butters, etc are abstainers when it comes to food. Abstainers usually have an all-or-nothing mentality. It’s far easier for abstainers to give something up altogether than to indulge moderately. Trying to moderate becomes an internal struggle & justification of actions like: Should I? How much? Can I stop? I’m a failure! Small portions intensify cravings & lead to wanting more. Avoidance of food helps cravings pass. We do better with food rules, meal plans, tracking food/macros, fasting windows, & meat based diets. avoiding trigger foods like carbs & sweets.

This is the last binge. Diet starts tomorrow.

Habits, habits, habits. Our habits make US. The issue with food vs drug addiction is we HAVE to eat. We cannot live without food, it is literally life fuel & what we’re made from. We often use it as a reward or punishment. When you chronically restrict, then binge over & over again, it becomes a cycle we deem as “normal” (as f*cked up as it is we justify it). We also physiologically cause imbalance & lose the ability to sense true hunger cues & satiety, making over eating & binging more prevalent. This happens by throwing off our hunger & satiety hormones, leptin & ghrelin. The more we participate in these behaviors, the more our brain is wired to believe they’re accepted & normal. Ima be blunt when it comes to sugar & carbs, the more you eat, the more you crave them & harder it is to stop the cycle.

I’ll stop once I reach my goal weight.

“You’re just not trying hard enough!” Sound familiar? I remember telling myself I “just didn’t want it bad enough.” Once I was skinny all my problems would go away & I’d be happy. Guess what? They didn’t & I still wasn’t happy even when I reached my “goal weight.” I still had an addiction to food & exercise, I still binged, & my health was worse. I gained weight back because it wasn’t sustainable, physiologically trashed my hormones, gut health, & metabolism. I ignored the poor relationships I had with myself, food, & exercise. Have you ever told yourself you, “Didn’t deserve to eat & needed to workout more!?” Let’s try harder to love ourselves & seek help over restriction & self loathing. I promise you’ll get a lot further & life will suck a whole lot less.

I’m just health conscious. I’m not obsessed.

NO. This is called Orthorexia & leads to you chronically yo-yo dieting, exercise hopping, over training, pissed off & life sucking all the time. Orthorexia nervosa is perhaps best summarized as an obsession with healthy eating with associated restrictive behaviors. However, the extreme attempt to attain optimum health through attention to diet may lead to malnourishment, loss of relationships, & poor quality of life. Basically, this is you making shrinking your body your biggest hobby & priority in life. It gives you food anxiety, social anxiety, & you lose yourself. You compare to everyone, often get lost in all the information, & are confused af all the time. Hire a coach or practitioner to help guide you. More does not always mean better results when it comes to over exercising & restricting food.

The weight on the scale doesn’t trigger me.

Ever wake up & feel great only to step on the scale & see you gained 3lbs & instantly you hate yourself & the whole day turns into a dumpster fire? You look in the mirror & tell yourself you’re “fat” & only eating bread & water or whatever specific diet food all week simply because you base your worth on your appearance & number on the scale. Fat is not an emotion. You most likely are FEELING: stressed, sad, anxious, vulnerable, angry, ashamed, jealous, alone, etc. These feelings are often triggers for continual emotional eating &/or exercise abuse if you use food & exercise as numbing & coping mechanisms. Complete this statement: “_____ happened & triggered me. I am not “fat” & do not need to punish myself. I am actually feeling ______ & choose to do _____ instead.”

Orthorexia Warning Signs

Compulsive checking of nutritional labels & obsession about the “health” of ingredients & specific foods.
Obsession with steps, fit trackers, & calories burned.
Feeling compelled to exercise to compensate for what you ate, when you’re ill/injured, sacrificing your mental health/work/social life to burn off calories & workout.
Refusing to eat anything but foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘clean’.
Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating, fitness goals, & exercise routines.
Food consuming your every thought & feeling guilty if you didn’t workout or “ate the wrong things.”
Showing high levels of distress & anxiety when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available or you’re presented with social situations.
Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on social media.
Body image issues such as body dysmorphia.

Watch your words. Common phrases that encourage disordered eating & exercise habits:

“Diet starts tomorrow, or Monday, or January 1.”
“I deserve a ‘cheat meal’ or ‘treat’ because I’ve been, ‘good’ all week.”
“I already messed up my diet, might as well splurge & start again tomorrow or Monday or January 1.”
“If I eat that I’ll need to make sure I workout enough to burn it all off.”
“I’ll be happy when I reach my goal weight.”
“I don’t deserve to eat that.”
“I can’t do that until I lose the weight.”
“You just don’t want it hard enough.”
“It’s fine, we’ll work it off in the gym tomorrow.”
“Whatever, calories don’t count today.”
“I already messed up, might as well make a whole day/week/month out of it.”
“Ugh, look at everything I ate. I’m so fat.”

Final Thoughts

When you are scrolling thru pictures on social media, remember your worth lies in your essence & your heart. You’re amazing for the sum of everything that you are. What you look like is the least most interesting, magnificent thing about you. What is: Your intelligence. Your kindness. Your relationships. Your smile. Your wrinkles. Your impact. Do not let comparing pictures & the constant pressure to shrink yourself believe that you aren’t enough & you need to be more. Go build your life & embody your big beautiful world. Self-love is an important part of a happy life. When we love ourselves, it becomes easy to go through life. There’s no judgment, fear, or low self-esteem, & instead, there’s immense gratitude & compassion towards our own selves.

The best thing is that self-love helps us have healthier relationships with the people in our lives. It’s a true win-win situation!

Oxox
Coach K

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March 21, 2024March 21, 2024

Bulimia And Body Dysmorphia: Beauty Beyond Binge Eating

Unveiling the part of me that went unseen.

I’ve never talked about it like this before.

I’ve disclosed to close friends & coaching clients that I battled bulimia & body dysmorphia since the age of 8.

It started with a scarcity mindset around food. I was the “fat” girl in class & “bigger” than my brothers. Kids in my class were cruel & mean.

As I got into middle school & adulthood it exacerbated into full blown bulimia with bouts of anorexia.

Life was bleak & I KNEW I was 50 shades of F*cked up. I knew I had to stop or I was gonna die because of my disorder &/or my Crohn’s disease complications.

With this blog post, I’d rather focus on the healing part than rehashing the past. Grateful it made me who I am so I can now help you.

In a way, I’ve purposely avoided sharing TOO much about my pre-recovery story because it can horribly backfire.

Those in the pre-contemplation or contemplation stages of change can hear these stories & think, “I’m not sick enough to get help,” “I don’t have a problem,” or “She was far worse than I am.” or even get ideas to further deepen the dark relationship with food, exercise, & self hate.

But when carefully crafted, these stories can be the very propellant that pushes someone into taking action.

The reality is, millions of people, right now, are living the secret life I once was as they battle disordered eating & body dysmorphia.

May my story instill the hope that you, too, cannot only recover but take back your power!

The Beginning

My relationship with disordered eating & poor body image started when I was just 8.

I spent the majority of my childhood & early adulthood overweight & unhealthy. Had a middle school teacher tell me I was too big to be a cheerleader at tryouts.

Kids were cruel, calling me names like lambchop because I had big 80’s hair & even thicker thighs.

My disorder began with overeating & then restricting to punish myself. I’d skip breakfast & barely eat lunch which I’d “allow” myself sugar free jello, a small travel size cottage cheese & 5 Ritz crackers.

These episodes got more & more out of control. I continued eating less during the day, binging at night & sometimes I’d take cold medicine to make me sleep to keep from eating.

Years passed, & my eating habits fluctuated. I had never considered throwing up until I saw a Lifetime movie about a girl who had bulimia.

The process seemed easy. Eat whatever you want, throw up. The first time I purged was in middle school after eating a tub of ice cream.

Bulimia became a sort of coping mechanism for me. I told myself my obsession with diets & exercise were normal. It was about control. I was dealing with increased stress: school, college, & later on, relationships, a failed marriage on top of debt & drinking too much.

There were many things in my life I felt I wasn’t able to manage. I’d binge & get a rush. Then I’d get an even bigger, better rush after getting rid of it all.

12 Years Old: Barely Average

In so many ways, I guess I was an average midwest farmer’s daughter, pre-teen girl growing up in the 90s.

I played catcher, 3rd base & outfield in softball & threw shot put in track. After being criticized for going out for cheerleading being “my size,” I was mortified & self hate thickened.

I idolized Britney Spears & wished I was liked enough to be invited to the popular girls’ parties. I had boy crushes & a very small circle of friends. I was the smart girl & quiet & extremely insecure. I didn’t dress “cool” like all the pretty girls or athletes. I was awkward af. (hell I’m still awkward af 😂)

Then, one day, I did something not so average. Something I’d never done or known anyone who had but recently learned about from a boy at school.

I wish I could say I went home & masturbated, but that would be an untruth. Instead, I did something that felt extra perverse. I made myself vomit after eating.

Yes, I thought. This would make me skinnier faster & then I’d be liked.

I swore it would just be this one time. I’d just try it.

See, for about a year up to that point, I’d struggled with binge eating and fantasized about food because I allowed myself so little. My body starving, I’d gorge.

I just needed a single “fix” of ice cream or cake or cookies, and then I’d be good to go.

But then it happened again. And again. And again.

In no time at all, I met the diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa.

We always had junk food & snacks at home, so despite eating large quantities, my mom or siblings never grew suspicious. I also purged when no one was home to eliminate any risk of them finding out.

Bulimia had become my dirty little secret. A secret, unbeknownst to me at the time, I would carry for another 20+ years.

12–17 Years Old: Popularity and Pleading

Part of what fueled my eating disorder was my insatiable need to have something most every kid my age wanted: popularity.

My theory went as such: restrict food > be thin > get more friends/a boyfriend.

I went through many school days with only nibbles of food in my belly. If I had gym or farm chores in the evening, I ate a little extra so I could basically not pass out.

I wound up bingeing and purging when I got home because starving myself intensified the urge to eat uncontrollably. I could smash whole boxes of cereal, cheese nips, & goldfish.

All the while, I portrayed myself as the nice girl, the smart girl. I never reached Homecoming Queen nominee status, but I did bounce around between multiple friend groups. I got along with everyone.

I was in the honors society, president of the FFA & 4H, top part of my graduating class & received numerous scholarships to Purdue University.

I had duped everyone — even myself, at times — into thinking I was “normal.”

But no one saw me crying in the shower because I was so sick and scared or throwing up my food after every social gathering.

No one saw me looking at my reflection in the mirror and telling myself how hideous, fat, and worthless I was.

No one saw me keeled over after purging, pleading with God to forgive me for my gluttonous, grotesque behavior.

After every episode, I swore to higher power that it would be the last. Tears streaming down my face, I begged for God to not to give up on me. But week after week, month after month, year after year, the scene kept replaying.

18–22 Years Old: A Not So New Chapter

In August of 2000 I moved into my dorm freshman year & then participated in sorority rush.

I joined as a sister of Delta Gamma at Purdue University. Perhaps this — and my new life in college, in general — could be a chance to begin again.

Unfortunately, my keenness outweighed my hopefulness. I quickly learned my roommates’ schedules and when I could be alone with my behaviors.

But after a couple instances of them arriving home early or not leaving at their normal times, I realized I wasn’t guaranteed any solitude.

I secretly ate in my bedroom, blarring music to conceal the purging. They overheard on more than one occasion, and I either blamed it on being sick or hungover.

Swollen lymph nodes, puffy cheeks, and blood-shot eyes. A broken-out chin and sores on my lips from the stomach acid that often coated them.

WTF was I doing?

Still, I carried on as a social butterfly. Like my friends, I went to parties, took shots of God awful cheap tequila & vodka, and ate fourth meal at 1 a.m.

Unlike my friends, I made myself pay for it. I could easily down a super size fry & 20 piece chicken nugget meal from McDonalds. I could eat a whole box of Mad Mushroom Cheese sticks.

To make matters worse, at 22, I married my college sweetheart, not even knowing myself. I couldn’t love myself, How could I love another? My first marriage lasted 6 years, we were together 11 total. That post divorce hoe phase is real y’all 😂 let me tell ya. Added fuel to the fire.

In retrospect, my life hadn’t changed much at all in college. It was still an endless stream of lies, deception, self-hatred, and suffering.

What’s more, I’d completely lost sight of who the real me even was anymore & that continued well into my late 20’s & early 30’s.

41 Year Old: Current Flexible Carnivore Me

“My Fitness Journey” started at the age of 8. I started my Instagram over 10 years ago & that has been one helluva transformation story all on its own. I don’t even know how it happened but I feel it’s important for you guys to know the person behind the Instagram handle.

I wanted to share my fitness, health, & healing journey with y’all because it’s similar to many of yours. I want you guys to know you’re not alone, you’re seen, & you’re heard.

Before I started sharing my story, meals, fitness tips or acting like I know “everything” about “healthy” living, it’s important to share I am not a therapist, a doctor, or the best trainer of any sorts, yet, I am a person who lost a significant amount of weight, kept it off & has dedicated her life to living a healthy lifestyle & forgiving herself of her mistakes.

I’ve overcome decades of gut issues. Physical & mental hurdles.
⁃ Crohn’s disease
⁃ cervical cancer & infertility
⁃ numerous other health issues including renal stones & having my gallbladder out
⁃ decades of disordered eating, bulimia, orthorexia, & food addiction
⁃ managing Crohn’s & being a Crossfit athlete
⁃ managing social pressures of being told I needed to eat, workout, live, & BE a certain way to be “significant” & fit in a certain box

Some of you have watched & have been there for my journey since the beginning, while others are reading about this for the first time.

To put it out there plain & simple though, I’ve lost 60 lbs over my lifetime & transformed my body to all different shapes & sizes.

While that may not seem like a huge or significant feat to some, on my petite 5’1 frame – the transformations have been huge, mentally, physically, relationally, & spiritually.

Throughout my whole journey, my heaviest was 160 lbs at barely 5ft tall & my lowest in my adult life has been 97 lbs.

I’ve had ups, downs, I’ve gained, I’ve lost & learned a whole lotta life lessons along the way. My journey started at 8 years old, I’m 41 years young now, will be 42 in July, & the best is yet to come!

Everyone’s journey is different & this is mine…
I hope it can help you in any way possible & know my door is always open.

Join my Newsletter Community! I’d love to share & grow with you! It’s a weekly newsletter full of ideas to help you become the most EXTRAordinary version of you!

Age [Whatever You Are, Doesn’t Matter]: YOUR Moment

Whether you’ve been secretly battling an eating disorder for a few months or 50 years, I want to make 3 things very clear:

You are sick enough
You deserve help
You can’t do it alone
Sadly, there are thousands upon thousands of eating disorder stories like mine, but each one is still different. Some cases are more severe, some less. But that’s all irrelevant.

What matters is knowing, at your core, you have an unnatural or undesirable relationship with food. That realization, alone, warrants getting help.

It doesn’t matter how much you’re restricting, what you weigh, how often you’re purging, or how much you’re bingeing. Yes, certain factors will determine the level of treatment you need, but you deserve help, regardless.

The first step is saying something. Is there someone who’s been there for you when you confided in them about other personal matters? Someone who exudes kindness & compassion?

I hope you can also learn from my experience and not hold out for a wake-up call or a feeling of readiness to tell someone. If you do, you may never get the chance.

As long as a piece of you recognizes there is a problem and wants something different, you are ready to start your new life & begin again!
Who you are with your eating disorder is not who you are destined to be.

You can heal yourself.

You can find yourself.

You can be the version of yourself you wish for you and the rest of the world to see!

oxox Coach K

Resonate with my story? More resources here!

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers

December 11, 2023September 5, 2024

My story & weight loss journey transitioning to a meat-based, “carnivore” diet & losing 60 lbs!

Katie kelly fishers indiana lilbitoffit carnivore fat loss journey

You asked the questions, here are your answers! Documenting my story & weight loss journey on the carnivore diet!

Chronic bloating, constipation, weight gain, feeling like your body is fighting against you – all the feels, right?!

That is what I lived for 3 decades. Hopefully my story can help shed light for you!

Without further adieu, let’s dive into your questions!

1.) Introduce Yourself

Anyone else get anxiety when asked this question? Like where do I start? 🙂

Indiana farm girl & Purdue University grad, I like to say that I’m a multifaceted human!

I have many loves, interests, & hats.

So who is this awesome chick? 😃 My name is Katie Kelly. Professionally, I’m a multi-modal travel radiographer RT 🩺💀 with Aureus Medical & functional nutritionist with over 20 years experience.

I specialize in improving your health & fitness goals utilizing a flexible, non-dogmatic carnivore nutrition approach while providing high performance coaching.

On social I’m better known as Coach K & want you to know I have struggled just like you! I created this safe space over 10 years ago & welcome you to this amazing community!

More importantly, I want you to believe in yourself, your health, your voice, & your ability to live your best life!

I believe in vibrational living in life, fitness, money, health, & relationships. Intuition is one of our greatest gifts! I’m here to help you discover & follow yours to a more abundant, joyful life!

Vibrational living is being in alignment with your true self—choosing thoughts, behaviors, habits, & environments that nurture, expand & empower you. Living with an awareness of your energy vibration & understanding of yourself completely change your reality, creating your heaven every single day.

I mentor to help you find your power & solutions to create the body, career, finances, relationships, purpose & fulfillment you’re seeking.

I’m just a sweary, Indiana farmer’s daughter who went from a sick (Crohn’s Disease & bulimia), overweight (lost 60lbs via the carnivore diet & CrossFit), broke bish (was 50k+ in debt) to a thriving, self-loving human here to inspire, educate, & mentor!

Welcome to my digital diary & wellness blogs full of life lessons learned the hard way🫶

I post content about self improvement anywhere from fat loss, budget beauty, decorating, disordered eating, feng shui, Crohn’s, self love, entrepreneurship, healthcare, food, fitness, finance, laughs & everything in between to a social media audience of 48K+!

Thank you for allowing me to add value to your lives! Grateful to have you part of my digital family ❤️

As far as nutrition, I specialize in gut health, sports & performance, disordered eating, low carb/carnivore approaches to healing. I help you to optimize life by creating a success routine.

All preferences & skill levels are welcome with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.

You can catch me via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit

carnivore katie kelly indiana lilbitoffit

I appreciate everyone who allows me to add value to your lives!

2.) How Did You Eat Before Carnivore?

I grew up as an overweight kid. I was told to lose weight & tried to diet before I was 10 years old. My self-esteem & body image issues started at 8. Standard American Diet, being a “farm kid” we ate the home cooked stuff. I had no portion control whatsoever.

Kids were mean, & I couldn’t tell you how many times I was told, “If you’d just lose weight you’d be pretty like the other girls.” This translated into, “You won’t be successful, loved or worthy unless you’re thin & look the part.”

Following came the years of disordered eating & orthorexia — binging and purging with intermittent phases of anorexia. I would gorge & then hide Reese’s wrappers, tubs of ice cream, bags of chips, crackers, cookies – anything I had denied myself.

Then the guilt-restrict cycle would kick in as I layed there with puffy cheeks & bloodshot eyes from throwing up food. I had a food addiction and carbs were not only a big autoimmune & gut trigger, but they were like giving an alcoholic a drink.

I found CrossFit in 2013, was a competitive athlete & then beat my body down into a hole of metabolic adaptation, exacerbated gut issues, & hormonal imbalances due to over exercising & under eating.

It took 4 years for me to reverse diet up to my true maintenance calories so know this is a long journey. Have patience.

I was misdiagnosed with IBS, as many are. Went through tons of testing & doctors.

Honestly, I feel the only diet I haven’t done is a vegetarian diet. I’ve done’em all.

As a CrossFit athlete fueling for my sport, I leaned more towards a high carb diet. (Knowing I had a poor relationship with them.)

Helpful guide post below why I do better on a meat based diet + supplement guide!

3.) Why Did You Try Carnivore to Begin With?

My last Crohn’s flare was over 4 years ago, which was when I started the Carnivore diet approach. I knew I needed a reset. I was stressed out, eating out more, sleep was terrible, and I felt horrible. I had put on 10lbs of inflammation & felt I was insulin resistant. So I thought, this is my time. I’m gonna commit, cut the carbs & clean my shxt up.

As for my relationship with carbs, I am an abstainer. I am not a moderator when it comes to food. You need to determine which one you are too, an abstainer or a moderator? I do better with food rules and an all or none approach. I cannot have just 1 cookie, that leads to wanting the whole pan!

My own personal experimentation, data keeping via tracking food, journaling symptoms & triggers were my best “doctors.” Figuring out my trigger foods took YEARS. Years of getting to know myself, my needs, and how my body responded to food and stressors.

As far as my specific needs, I don’t digest veggies, fruits, fiber, gluten, dairy, lectins, high oxalate, or high fodmap foods well. ⁣That’s a lot, right?!

trigger food gut lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana carnivore

I noticed when I finally got my gallbladder out, I could eat meat just fine. My digestive symptoms went away.

I suggest for anyone else out there struggling with chronic bloating, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, heartburn, feeling like your food just sits there and you’re bloated and look 6 months pregnant every night, etc — these are warning sings. They are not normal and sign of an imbalance. An elimination diet like the carnivore diet is a great first step. Seek help from a qualified coach, dietitian, or practitioner. Coaching options & services are available here.

Often we don’t realize the ‘healthy’ food we’re eating are the culprits because we cannot properly digest and absorb them. Often the plants, pre-packaged frozen meals, diet bars and shakes are the culprits. That’s what happened to me. The fiber, fruit, and veggies were causing me more harm because of my compromised digestive system. I’m grateful for these experiences because now I’m able to help clients pinpoint their trigger foods too and start the healing process.

Repeat after me, “We are what we DIGEST and ABSORB.”

My safe foods when having a gut flare were always soft meats like fish, ground meat, rice Chex cereal, eggs, plain rice cakes, & white rice. Basically a low residue diet & absolutely no fruits or vegetables. I could not break them down, they caused bloating & agony.⁣

⁣Nutrition is not a one size fits all. Reason we need to track, experiment, & realize templates or cookie cutter meal plans rarely work long term.

I created a whole Bioharmonizing guide with my favorite products and supplements HERE. Fitness over 40, I look and feel better than I ever did at 20.

4.) How Do You Personally Approach the Carnivore Diet?

People are more familiar with the term “Carnivore Diet.” I prefer to reference it as a meat-based diet. That’s because there are 50+ shades of the Carnivore Diet. I feel you have free will and choice to eat the meats & foods that make you feel your best. You don’t have to be strict carnivore (beef & water). We all have different trigger foods, preferences, and individualized needs. I like to use the flexible & functional meat based approach to nutrition.

I call my myself a “Liberal Carnivore.” I believe in flexibility. The majority of my meals are ground meats such as ground beef & ground turkey/chicken, pork, eggs, steak, ribs, ground lamb & veal. I personally don’t like organ meat after experimentation.

Tap for two of my favorite recipes here!

If I feel I need a refeed day of higher carbs, I would choose white rice or plain rice cakes around workouts. They don’t typically bother my digestion in moderation. Rarely do I go over 50g of carbs, my average is around 20g daily. I don’t deny myself or feel guilty if I need to consume them for my health, gym performance, & recovery. All carefully portioned, of course. Now I find I don’t need or crave them anymore.

Another common question I get is, “Do you drink?” Not much anymore. If I do choose to enjoy socially, I set boundaries to no more than 1-2 beverages. Usual choices are an occasional craft cocktail like an old fashioned or tequila.

**Disclaimer: This is what works for ME. I am not a medical doctor giving advice, simply sharing my experiences.

As far as macros and ratios, again, we are all different. I prefer a higher protein approach for my needs. As far as my activity & physical stats for comparison, I’m currently 42 years old, 5’1, 100 lbs , I enjoy walking, functional resistance training, Orange Theory, & occasional CrossFit. I train 5-6 days a week, average 15k+ steps/day.

Here’s an updated blog post on my current training and daily routine HERE. This varies with travel assignment & my life season. It’ll give you a good sense of what a typical day is like.

Here’s a super helpful blog on workouts, supplements that will help, macros, fitness stuff and routines HERE too.

My “sweet spot” for maintenance seems to be around 1850-2100 calories per day, ratios around 65% Fat, 30% Protein, 5% Carbs. I eat when I’m hungry, fast when I’m not. Fasting window is around 16-20hrs. I prefer to work out fasted most mornings during the week. Largest meal post workout with another meal around 1-3pm. I don’t force fasting and I don’t do extended fasts. Average 2lbs of meat daily.

I do track occasionally with food & macros via My Fitness Pal. I track weight, sleep, & steps via my Fit Bit Sense 2. I’ve also teamed up with NutriSense utilizing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). What gets tracked gets managed. Not necessary, but I’m a data girl 😉 It helps me make more educated decisions and adjustments.

Just to clarify what a macro is if you’re a beginner.

5.) What Benefits Have You Seen Since Starting the Carnivore Diet?

A TON! The biggest benefits have been no gut issues or flares, increased, steady energy (once adapted, it took me about 8 months), no carb cravings or binge eating urges, no more constipation, normal appetite and satiety, no more inflammation, and eventually, fat loss.

I didn’t go into the Carnivore Diet chasing fat loss or weight loss, I went into it chasing better health. I preach this to my clients, chase health and healing first, everything else will fall into line. The problem with yo-yo dieting is chasing unrealistic goals and expectations with an unsustainable diet &/or training approach.

6.) What Negatives Have You Found With the Carnivore Diet?

I’m gonna be real, I gained 15lbs total when I started the Carnivore Diet. After 1 year, I lost that 20lbs, however. I wanted to quit many times and felt like shxt early on trying to adapt. I listened to the veterans and my own intuition, kept going.

Your appetite does correct and level out. Performance in the gym does suffer, initially. Depends on what modality of training you prefer. Take it easy. I significantly reduced my workout volume and intensity with no HIIT for about 6 months. Did a lot of walking and lifting simple weights, keeping my heart rate in a lower range.

About month 8/9, I noticed I was able to hit it harder in the gym and everything else was falling into line. That’s about when my weight started dropping as well.

Meal timing is important, especially when timing appropriately for your workouts. If you eat larger meals, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to digest them. Meat and fat are naturally “heavy” and the body has to work hard to break them down for digestion, affecting your energy levels. Again, everyone is different.

7.) Do You Exercise on the Carnivore Diet? What Do You Do?

Yes, absolutely! The gym is my sanctuary. I found CrossFit in 2013, drank the Kool-aid. My love affair has been ever since the first sound of a barbell dropping. My weights, intensity, and volume have changed with my seasons. I no longer train like a competitive CrossFit athlete. Yes, its hard to beat the competitiveness out of me, but is absolutely necessary for longevity.

I modify weights and movements to my needs. I listen to my body and rest when needed. Workout 5-6 days a week. I get in over 15k steps a day. Also enjoy FUNctional lifting 😉 and orange theory!

I feel the term “CrossFit” gets an unfair bad rap. It’s simply a term and just another modality of exercise. I love it because it combines strength and conditioning made up of functional movements performed at a your desired intensity level. The intensity and approach are up to you. Anyone can do it and you determine the pace and modifications of your workouts. Invest in a quality gym with quality coaches.

8.) What Piece of Advice Would You Give Someone Who Is Interested in Trying This Diet, But Hasn’t Taken the Leap Yet?

Thinking about carnivore in terms of 3 phases is helpful starting:⁣

1.) Just get adapted – eat meat, find the low carb sources you love, cut the junk, find what eating windows work for your schedule, track to make sure you’re eating enough food.⁣

2.) Focus on healing any G.I. issues & give it time. Be patient & consistent. You don’t feel good all the time, as with any diet it takes time to find your groove. Most hit a slump around 2 weeks. You didn’t develop gut issues overnight and you didn’t put on 30lbs overnight.⁣

3.) Thrive & THEN play around with fat loss or muscle gain goals. You’ll be more self aware & educated once your reach this point.⁣

⁣Highly recommend getting the book Carnivore Cure by Judy Cho & Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon.

Not until someone is adapted & healed do I recommend any kind of playing around with fat loss cuts.⁣ For some it may take 3-6 months or it can take years depending on what kind of healing (gut, hormonal, metabolic etc) you have to do.⁣ Honor your biofeedback. Biofeedback means my quality of sleep, energy level, recovery, performance, mental clarity, menstrual cycle, sex drive, hunger & satiety cues, etc.⁣

Tips for tracking more accurately:

Pick meats that are easier to track. Ex: ground meats like beef/turkey/lamb/pork. The protein & fat grams are not as variable as say a ribeye or chuck roast.

Weigh your meat raw before you cook. Meat shrinks down something like 20-30% when you cook it. It can account for a big difference in protein/fat grams & calories if you’re logging the oz or grams of cooked meat vs the actual raw weight. Fat will differ as well, especially if you’re draining or dabbing the fat off your meat after cooking. Here’s a good resource explaining what happens.

Measure out your fats (butter, bacon fat, tallow, etc) Don’t guess. Weigh it out on a scale for most accuracy. Most of us use teaspoons or tablespoons but I don’t recommend eyeballing until you master accurately weighing food.

Reasons you may be gaining weight on low carb:

You’re eating in a surplus. As with ANY diet you choose if you are eating in a surplus chances are you will put on body fat. It’s part of it. This is when you should be focusing on muscle gain & strength.

You’ve been eating in a chronic deficit & your body is finally getting the nutrients it needs to function & grow muscle. You WANT muscle growth. More muscle=more food=more badass.

You’re snacking too much on things like pork rinds, fat bombs, or fake keto junk like Atkins bars. Guilty 🖐🏻 They’re easy to overeat & nutrient deficient. Go back to the basics. Simplify. Meat, water, coffee, no sweeteners, no supplements.

You’re choosing highly palatable low carb foods like ribeyes, bacon, & cheese & eating when you’re not really hungry. It’s like when you’re not hungry but then they bring out dessert. Most of us will have that extra piece of cake. Choose foods that are satisfying & get the job done. I find ground beef to be most satisfying.

You’re overly fasting &/or overly training. Chronically high cortisol & hormone imbalances affect your weight, recovery, energy, & fat loss. Reduce your intensity & workout volume. Walking & simply just moving does wonders. Don’t over complicate your workouts. SLEEP. Shorten your fasting window or STOP fasting.

You’re eating too much protein, throwing hormones & your biofeedback off. Try increasing your fats & start with protein around 1g per lb of lean body mass, your goal weight, or 20-30% of your daily calories. Our energy sources come from fats & carbs. Take away your carbs & what do you have left? Fat. Don’t fear it. Play around with it you’ll find your threshold.

A Guide On How I Fixed My Fat Loss Levers: Leptin Resistance, Insulin Resistance, & Cortisol Balance Hacks

9.) Do You Think the Carnivore Diet Will Ever Be Accepted Mainstream?

Never say never, but I doubt it. Carnivore is just like being a vegetarian only we prefer meat. No one bats an eye when you say you’re a vegetarian, but you say you only eat meat? They look at you like 4 eyes. The awareness, research, and education is spreading, however, so that is promising!

Is any diet really mainstream?

There’s hundreds of ways to eat. All that matters is you pick the one that suits YOU.

10.) Where Can People Follow You?

Everyone is welcome to become part of my digital family here, lilbitoffit.com and Instagram, @lil_bit_of_fit If you’d like to be added to our email list, click here!

All links & services here!

Join my weekly email newsletter here!

Thank you all for reading and allowing me to add value to your lives! I hope my experiences on this journey can allow you to find your authentic puzzle pieces to life!

oxox Coach K

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.

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!

June 2, 2023

The Hard Truths About Body Fat % & Getting Lean Af

My body shivered as I undressed & stepped on the scale.
I looked at the number. Shit.

But I’m different now. I’m better. I don’t read Anorexia blogs, starve myself, or equate my weight with my self-worth anymore. Yet, a tiny thought crosses my mind. “Just five more,” it whispers. “Imagine how powerful you’d feel. Maybe then you’d actually like yourself.”

Instead of glorifying shredded abs & single digit body fat, I’m speaking up. In a society that pressures us to look a certain way, I know others share my past struggle.
Yeah, they’re the parts of me I’m not proud of, but understanding them changed my life.

I used to believe that starving was an art, bare bones were beautiful, & I was an artist.

I’d try & mold my body to match the models on TV & in the magazines. I worked hard to paint the emptiness I felt inside.

When I was in 3rd grade, I got the honor of being ‘the fat kid.’ This event might not sound like a big deal to some, but to 8-year-old me, it was traumatic. Food became my enemy. My stomach hurt all the time, too. Later on in life to be diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. My poor relationships with food (specifically binging on carbs & sugar) & body image exacerbated.

At the beginning of 7th grade, we did weigh-ins. When it was my turn to stand on the scale, my health teacher made a frowny face at the numbers & pulled me aside. I was informed I was 160lbs & obese at 5ft tall.

My cheeks burned, & tears streamed from my eyes as I was lectured about exercising & eating less.

And by my senior year of high school, I was a mastermind of my craft. I learned how to eat just enough to keep me from binging or passing out.

Losing weight was like a drug — each time I stood on the scale, dopamine rushed into my brain, & I forgot all my problems.

Getting smaller also gave me a sense of power — & I loved it. I loved feeling “better” than everyone else because I was the ‘perfect’ anorexic & bulimic.

No matter how skinny I became, I couldn’t get rid of my problems. My weight yoyo’d over the years. I was fading away from my life; I was lonely, miserable, & sick. I burned bridges in relationships because of my constant irritability, fatigue, gut issues, & obsession with losing weight.

While I’d been chasing the ‘high’ & power, there were other feelings, a deeper longing, that I needed to acknowledge. Helplessness & self hate.

From my struggles came my strengths & my passion for helping others. My awesomeness comes from being myself — from writing, speaking my truth, & kindling the potential energy within me.

We are all artists; we’re sculptors & painters, creators of our dreams, poets of our memories. Let our hands mold our ambitions, not our appearances. Because it is there where we find our true power!

oxox Coach K

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May 7, 2023May 7, 2023

My Biggest Fears Used To Be Failure And Getting Fat

I shuddered. “What would it take to lose you?”

“To be disappointed again?”

— “To abasemently change.” I replied.

𝘈 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 & 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴.

Learned a new word today as I was searching for an adjective to describe the emotion of abandoning yourself to change for another or some thing for this blog.

𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚗: 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝

𝟷. 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚔, 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚞𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

My biggest fears used to be failure & getting fat.

Now, at 40, my biggest fear👉abandoning myself.

I did when I was younger (along with struggling with obesity, bulimia, & Crohn’s disease) resulting in decades of pain (physically & mentally).

weight loss before and after carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly — I’ve lost 55lbs & put my bulimia & Crohn’s disease in med-free remission via the Carnivore diet

Funny🤔 I wouldn’t change a thing because that mess, my storybook, has made the woman writing these words for you.

Words in hopes of by sharing my story & things I’ve learned that you can live your best life, one that nourishes your body, mind & soul.

Here’s your permission🎟️👉do things your way.

When you’re being yourself & living authentically, sink into how fucking good that feels while you sit back & watch everything fall into alignment🙏✨ 👐🧿🪬

Life is like beautifully constructed architecture. If designed well, it works! It stands with regal command.🫡🇺🇸🏁

🚫It’s not vanilla.

It’s like exquisite, intimate, passionate sex that’s better with the lights on🔥

(𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩? 🙈🙉🙊𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵😉)

Make space for that shit.

Oxox Coach K

You can find this post here & others just like it on the gram❤️

#sundaychurch #loveindy #mystory #rev2023 #revindy @revindyevent @iuhealthfdn @indianapolismotorspeedway @lisamitchellindy

April 8, 2023

Vulnerability is the way. You were meant to hear these shameful confessions and message today.

MENTAL HEALTH: THE MOST COMMON THOUGHTS & FEELINGS OF SUICIDAL MEN.

One of the bravest things I ever did was own my eating disorder & hate for myself.

One of the bravest acts of faith in myself,
as a person of worth that wasn’t attached to what I looked like or what I achieved, was getting rid of an old pair of Abercrombie jeans that I bought that were two sizes too small.

how carnivore healed my crohn's disease and binge eating — You can read about my gut healing & weight loss story here in this blog!

Because I told myself when I was skinny enough to fit into these jeans, that’s when I would be happy & worthy.

No one wants to be uncomfortable. Everyone wants to be brave but no one wants to be vulnerable.

Vulnerability is not knowing, but doing it anyways out of faith because your heart tells you to.

That’s true bravery & courage.

Being a true leader is being honest about yourself & your life & saying I’m 50 shades of f* led up & I love every bit of it & I’m here to share my story & be vulnerable to help others out there who are too afraid to live the truth of their own lives.

Choose courage over comfort. You cannot be a leader or a luminary without being vulnerable. You can’t have both.

Love & empathy get you through the shame shit storms.

You own your story.
You write your pages.
And by you sharing your life, authentically, you’re giving someone else hope to do the same.

That is being a leader.

I hope you enjoy this message & it meets you where you need ❤️

Oxox Coach K

Guides, Recipes, Coaching, Discount Codes & More HERE!

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 17 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

http://www.instagram.com/lil_bit_of_fit

March 6, 2023

If You Struggle With Binge Eating Watch This

If you struggle with binge eating, this is for you

⁣
⁣
“I forgot to eat.” “I need to restrict more.” Things you will never hear me say now.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
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.⁣
⁣⁣⁣

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? ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
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.⁣
⁣
She didn’t understand how eating more food would help. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
So I put it this way…⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
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.⁣
⁣
Which one do you wanna be?⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
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.⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
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.⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
Other Common Symptoms:⁣⁣⁣⁣

Irritability⁣⁣⁣

No sex drive⁣⁣⁣

Increase in belly fat⁣⁣⁣⁣

Chronic fatigue/soreness⁣⁣⁣⁣

Malabsorption, gut inflammation⁣⁣⁣⁣

Increase in binge eating, etc⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣
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.⁣
⁣⁣⁣
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. ⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣I hope this helps!
⁣
Oxox⁣
Coach K

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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. ⁣
⁣
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.⁣
⁣
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. 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

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