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.

  • LIES told by your food addiction triggering disordered habits

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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Breaking cycles, color therapy, current obsessions, & life realizations

I was always drawn to mood rings…

Today’s Message & Ponderings: Breaking cycles, color therapy, attracting health/abundance/love by the way you dress (present yourself), current obsessions, what I’m most proud of & life realizations

🗣️On breaking a cycles👉channeled message… 

Themes for October: clearing out the cobwebs & RE LAUNCH!

A “LFG”. A wake up to what has been dormant inside of you. A reboot, a transformation, an innovation. A time to go for what is right in front of you. It’s not out of reach anymore, It’s here. This eclipse portal is going to provide you with so much insight, wisdom & understanding (even if you feel like you don’t have the whole direction. Join the club. I feel you.)

  • What areas have you not been developing or harnessing at full potential? 
  • What weakness do you need to work on?

Take fitness for example. Are you not working out intentionally at the gym? Are you there but not fully committed & doing what you need to be doing with your workouts?

Are you wanting to make changes in your diet, but not fully committed to that? Are you “shoulding” all over yourself? 

Don’t be angry if you’re not getting the results you want because you’re not putting in the work or resting when you should be resting.

Are you struggling in your relationships but not taking the time to efficiently communicate with your partner or friends or family? 

It’s ok. It takes time to develop & bloom. The valleys allow you to feel where you don’t wanna be to give you the energy to ascend up the mountain to a better destination, your “peak.” 🏔️🌋🌄

There are no finish lines only the journey & the experiences along the way. 

The eclipses in October will give you the energy to uncover what needs to change.

Love yourself along the way. Self observation/critiquing doesn’t have to be mean or hard or harsh. It just is.

In the current world today we’re so disconnected from our bodies & our minds. We let distractions of the outer world muddy the waters. 

Spend time in nature, spend time alone, spend time in quiet, disconnect from social media. Unfollow accounts. Read a book. Connect with strangers, actually talk to people & get your nose out of your phone.

Something my mom told me a long time ago, stop, living your life through your phone. And that changed everything for me.

You’re back, but you’re different.

You’re always a different version of yourself. So it’s OK if you repeat cycles, just observe the energy around the cycles & why they’re happening.

Maybe you’re meant to go through those cycles again as a different version of yourself. It’s time to step out of your chrysalis.

This is the time around the holidays that people start putting themselves & health (as well as finances) second.

They start feeding the fiend instead of the friend, especially when it comes to overindulgence with the food & spending.

Thinking of food with this perspective helped me heal my bulimia & binge eating, addiction to exercise, & orthorexia.

You want to feed the friend not feed the fiend. Your body is a machine. It loves you. It keeps you alive. Food is your friend that loves you & keeps you alive. Keep the nourishing things close to you & get rid of the rest.

Feeding the friend = self loving exercise, nourishing food, portion control & mindful eating, fueling your body & eating for FUEL, positive self talk & inner chatter, surrounding yourself with a positive growth invoking environment, sleep, self care, nature, deeper community connections, personal development, avoiding trigger foods/people/places/habits, saying NO when you don’t want/need something without feeling you have to explain, resting.

👆Get the idea? 🫶🥰

🌈COLOR THERAPY

color therapy podcast walaa

Follow @walaa.colorways & her work

Color therapy is a huge tool in my life to increase my frequency, give me energy, more happiness, attract more abundance, more love, better health, and enable myself to be the person that I want to be. I don’t consider myself materialistic, but an aficionado of creative expression. My wardrobe is a HUGE part of who I am, how I feel, & express myself. I dress accordingly. It is true what they say, how you present yourself not only dictates the way you present yourself, how you feel about yourself, AND the way that others treat you as well. 

Personal ponderings

Fuchsia, Gold, & magenta are my favorite colors the majority of the time. (Fyi: Fuchsia is usually a more pinkish-purplish color, whereas magenta is more reddish. Nerd alert 🤓🚨🙋‍♀️)

I find I am typically drawn to bold, bright colors & neutrals.

I don’t typically like dark colors or black. I used to wear a lot of black when I was younger. I’m aware now this was because I wanted to hide, I didn’t feel good about myself, & I thought I looked skinnier in black, which came from a scarcity self loathing mindset.

I am currently drawn to:

  • Anything sparkly ( 😂 ALWAYS)✨💖🪩
  • pinks 💓 & purples 💜
  • orange 🧡
  • golds 💛(Boiler up) 🚂
  • Colts blue 💙😉🐴🏈

+ Decadent neutrals like:

  • camel 🐫 
  • white 🤍
  • cream🍦
  • rich browns🤎

Patterns/Styles/Themes:

  • Western/rustic/ranchy (again, always 😆 🌵🏜️🐮🤠👢Yellowstone af)
  • Regal (think queen, victorian era)
  • Lacey, pearly (think feminine, denim & diamonds)

I find I get the most compliments when I dress in: Sparkles, Blue, Red, & Pinks

Our aura colors change based upon how we feel. I’ve always been in tune to this about myself. Even with other people, I can feel their vibrations & energy. I wear m headphones a lot when I go to the store & when I’m at the gym because I’m so sensitive & it helps me simply focus on myself more.

It’s “weird” but I can sense what’s going on in someone’s life, their emotional state, even see & hear their thoughts sometimes. I thought I was making the shit up when I was younger but now I realize this is one of my biggest gifts (and also a bit of a curse.) 

I have to wear my headphones OFTEN & make sure I stay consciously present in my own body & mind & spend a LOT of time alone (which people interpret as me being antisocial, stuck up, etc. which isn’t the case at all.) I do it so that I can love others & serve others at my fullest. I have to serve myself first because of this. 

I have to ground often (time in nature & solitude) I have practices in place to energetically & physically cleanse what is not mine everyday. (Infrared sauna therapy, red light therapy, colonic enemas, nature, workouts, meditations)

🧿🧠Personal observations at this snap shot in storybook time

Proud of myself for being unattached to things, people & places. (For you👉Research stoicism. That’s your homework if you’re not familiar 😉) Unattachment has taken a long time to develop & embrace. I finally released fear + labels & truly embodied & embraced my authentic story + everything that makes me (not what I think I need to be for other people).

Truly enjoy conversation & deeper connections with people. Anyone from coworkers to strangers, to patients, to my family & friends. Quality over quantity. These give me energy with the right people.

Such Gratitude for the special friends in my life. They mean much to me. The ones that don’t make me feel guilty for not keeping in constant contact, but always making me feel loved & supported no matter how much or little we talk or physically see each other.

Super proud of myself for loving my body & health, food & workouts & everything that I am enough to not feel the need to chase body goals or change myself anymore. No more self judgment from a criticism standpoint, but an appreciation & observation standpoint.

Super proud of myself for being able to stay present and savor the things I truly enjoy and consider decadent. Especially with carbs, spending, & alcohol. They no longer control me. I no longer use them as numbing mechanisms but something I use for enjoyment. I no longer drink to get drunk, but to savor what I desire in the moment in self loving moderation. Same with safe carbs & spending (I now say investing &/or gifting the Universe).

I no longer feel guilty for spending money like I used to. I tell myself now when I spend I’m gifting the Universe & the people I invest in.

If I know I made an ego or impulse buy, I return it & say thank you for however it served me. Amazon is my best friend, easy returns! If I buy something, I also make myself release/give away something. I don’t like clutter, I like a clear, organized fresh space.

I purge my space weekly. Anything that feels heavy or hordes old energy I now am unattached to & get rid of.

As far as career & fulfillment, I realized it doesn’t matter what job I’m doing or task I’m doing, I simply like doing things, learning, being productive, connecting with people, taking care of people & as long as I’m satisfied in what I’m doing, everything will be amazing. I love being physical & mobile & moving energy. 

 I don’t have to have a particular job to be worthy or successful or important, I just have to do what lights me up, be kind, & mostly importantly, leave myself & other peoples’ lives better than before they met me. 

I realize no matter what I do & put out into this world. My purpose is to make people feel something.🥰

I realize I have the absolute perfect professions for me as a radiologist technologist (which I used to doubt in the past). I literally see people’s’ inner beauty & this matches up perfectly with my medium gifts + being a nutritionist. I finally feel I am on my divine path without the need to question everything.

Current Obsessions:

  • Fanny packs
  • Soft, Comfy, loose clothes, Joggers
  • Gold jewelry
  • Cute/girly/sparkly hair ties, bows
  • Chill vibes, positive affirmation music
  • Music: Warren Zeiders, Zack Bryan, Bailey, Zimmerman, Morgan Wallen, Post Malone
  • 90s music, 90s/2000s shows
  • Travel healthcare (love working with Aureus Medical & adore my recruiter Lesa Modde. I’m currently finishing up my assignment in Quincy, Illinois at Blessing Hospital & embarking on a new 20 week assignment in Omaha Nebraska with Williams Family Medicine on November 6th. I have been with Aureus since 2015)
  • Being at home in Indiana with my family on the farm
  • Ribs, higher fat, lower volume carnivore diet
  • Omad & fasting for better energy management, and digestion
  • My mom’s home Cookin
  • Aura of a Women perfume (random find at TJ Maxx. I was actually blessed with another bottle yesterday in Quincy. I happened to look up and saw a bottle on the shelf. You can’t find it anywhere! Thank you Universe!)

OK I need to stop mind vomiting now. 🤭🤣🫣

Thank you to all who read the randomness of the daily K🫶 

I hope these messages, ponderings, & pages  of my storybook help you discover the depths of yourself & bloom into the most brightest, boldest, beautiful YOU! 💐 

Oxoxo Coach K

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers

Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of healthcare, fitness, & personal development. Travel Radiographer, motivational writer, nutritionist, Medium — gifts of many things, she grew up on her family’s beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture & healthcare were her first loves. 

She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through Crohn’s disease & life as a radiologic technologist with 18 years experience!

After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive CrossFit athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, embrace their gifts, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit

Blog: Lilbitoffit.com

All links:  https://linktr.ee/lil_bit_of_fit

You can simply book a call via email: katieokelly2@gmail.com

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!

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

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!

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

4 Important Mindset Shifts That Actually Helped Me Lose Weight

  1. “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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
Hoosier farm girl & Purdue University grad, Katie is a multifaceted human!

She’s a nutritionist, radiologic technologist, motivational speaker & writer, brand growth consultant, & connection maker working with individuals, businesses, organizations, & executives.
She specializes in mental health, IBS/IBD conditions, sports nutrition, disordered eating & how to organize/optimize life for better health, increased wealth, & happiness!
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, 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 can find her on the gram at http://www.instagram.com/lil_bit_of_fit

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

carnivore healed my eating disorder

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.⁣

Who would’ve known the gates of addiction, self sabotage, sickness, obesity, & decades of debt & relationship debacles would follow.⁣

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.⁣

I could put away more food than my father did at dinner.⁣

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.”⁣

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?!⁣

The thing is the “monster” inside of you doesn’t see it that way.⁣

Sound familiar?⁣

As painful as it is reliving these nightmares, I’m writing this for YOU.⁣

YOU have the power to change. Use your struggles for STRENGTH.

how carnivore healed my crohn's disease and binge eating
I’ve lost 55 lbs, no longer binge eat, & am med free in Crohn’s remission via the Carnivore Diet

Do you relate too?

Love & Hugs,
Oxox Coach K

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
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 can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit