Health Coach | Speaker | Writer | Welcome to my digital diary! I'm here to help you blend life & fitness to find your health & happy! Thank you for being part of my family & allowing me to add value to your journey!
The carnivore diet is simple. It worked for me. I’m not here to tell you it’s right for everyone but I want to share my story in hopes of helping at least one person out there that has also struggled with weight, gut issues, & a poor relationship with food & self.
As long as you are eating exclusively animal products, you’re on a carnivore diet, or a meat based diet as I like to say. I simply hope that everyone that finds a solution that helps them feel & look their best!
Tips:
Make fatty red meat from ruminant animals the staple of your diet. Ground beef is my go to & it’s a budget buy! They can also be from steaks & roasts. Eating leaner cuts can be okay too on occasion but you’ll want to add more fat (butter, tallow, etc) to make sure you’re getting in enough calories.
I love to dip my meat in butter. It tastes delicious, is anti-inflammatory, & is a cheap/tasty/easy source of fat-soluble vitamins. Tallow & other real animal fats are great too!
Eggs are magical & contain a powerful punch of healthy nutrients we need to function at our best including protein, healthy fats, iron, phosphorus, selenium, & vitamins A, B12, B2, B5, etc.
Dairy is also a source of healthy fat & protein as well. Consume obviously only if you don’t have a sensitivity to it. Read your labels & choose those low in carbs & zero sugar. The more natural the better.
Non-ruminant meats like seafood, chicken & pork are a great affordable option for many too. They taste great & offer versatility. Pork can be a trigger food for gut issues & histamine responses for some. Just pay attention to how you feel after you eat any food. It’s a trigger for me & I have to consume in moderation. Seafood can be good as well, but are generally too lean.
Organ meats are without a doubt the most nutrient dense foods on earth. Once a week is more than enough, eat as needed. Try out different animal organs, some taste better than others. I personally don’t like them & take a beef organs supplement from @ancestralsupplements
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!
“Abs are made in the kitchen.” — possibly every fitness trainer & influencer who ever lived. LOL!
We’ve all heard this statement before as we try to figure out why the countless hours we have spent sweating in the gym & eating all the “healthy diet food” have yet to turn into that chiseled six-pack we desire.
While the obvious answer is that regardless of how hard you work in the gym, if you don’t eat “right” FOR YOU, you’re only working against yourself. Health first, aesthetics will follow.
What if I told you the quality of what you’re eating every day was related to & a predictor of the quality of your life?
We’ve all heard how important healthy eating is, but we all tend to put it on the back burner because we’re too focused on working harder in the gym & chronically dieting.
While I did hit several personal & fitness goals by just outworking my former self (to my demise in the long run) what I recognized was that by focusing on self love & my eating first, I didn’t have to work as hard in the gym anymore & discovered a number of other areas of my life became much easier & better to manage.
I’ve lost 55lbs in my lifetime, put my Crohn’s disease in remission, & live med-free via the carnivore woe (way of eating).
One positive change led to another that created an almost domino effect of favorable results in my life, ultimately leading to a more well-balanced, happier life!
Hoosier farm girl & Purdue University grad, Katie is a multifaceted girlboss! She’s a nutritionist, radiologic technologist, personal coach, 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 & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
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.
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.
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.
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!
WTF is considered middle-aged anyways nowadays? I remember when I thought 30 was old?!
Who doesn’t love a good leopard print? Amazon find 🙂
I have a big birthday coming up, the BIG 4-0! For many, this is a death sentence. It’s all downhill from here…
…like you magically turn the page, become less attractive, less desirable, boring – kind of like an old penny you find on the ground.
But for me, I feel a sense of pride & appreciation for my body & my life at this point. Every wrinkle, scar, sun spot, stretch mark & dimple of cellulite, baby. Let’s throw a couple divorces in there, too. LOL.
(I did LOL)
They all tell my story.
Did you know my friends used to call me “Momma Cougar” after my FIRST divorce?
–those are stories for another day (& another drink).
What can I say?! I’ve historically been attracted to younger men. My last husband, yes, SECOND divorce, was 10 years younger than me.
Amazing man, really, I did pick a good one. No need to end things on bad terms. Remember that thing I preach? Learn to let people go with a loving heart. Your life will be more peaceful that way, I promise.
Other things that will make your life more peaceful: treat your body & mind like a temple, ladies.
Eat well, lift weights, be happy, do sh*t you love, don’t wait on anyone or anything, always remember your worth, & remind yourself you ain’t got time to teach, try to change someone, shrink to their level, or be someone’s mom.
Change takes time y’all. I’m 3 years “Carnivore” with my lifestyle & healthier than ever!
I call myself “Vintage.”
Vin·tage /ˈvin(t)ij/
of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality : CLASSIC
There are 10 years between these 2 photos. Like a fine wine, bitches,
Does my life look different than I thought it would at 20? Hell to the mf, YES!
I thought I’d be happily married, 2 kids, a dog, white picket fence, workin a 9-5 M-F, still doin Jazzercise at church. When in reality, I happily live alone in an apartment with my cat, Pete. I’m divorced, kidless, have more hats on my coat rack when it comes to jobs than you can shake a stick at.
Unapologetically living life in hair extensions & lashes somewhere between scrubs & leggins. I’m clothed in purpose, smashing #meatbars with my 2 boyfriends, Al & Abe (my airfryers) on the daily.
I love every minute of it & I laugh.
I laugh because life is funny. You think you can control every outcome with precision as long as you do everything PERFECT. As long as you make all the “right” choices, it’ll go as planned. Doesn’t matter if it’s with love, money, or your body. It applies across the board. Just roll with it.
Thing is, I’ve aged, but I’m not aged. I think and feel and breathe like I always have. I’ve grown wiser, but not stupid. There’s still a ton of dreams that will be realized, adventures to be had, and a life to be lived.
I hope you feel that way, too.
My advice?
Keep going. Be your best YOU. Take every day as a blessing. Tomorrow is not promised. The best is yet to be, even if today is in shambles.
Yesterday is a bridge to nowhere, but tomorrow is a bridge to everywhere.
Carpe Diem!
I’ll leave you with some life lessons because, well, that’s how I roll.
No aesthetic #glowup & extensions can overshadow the lessons you’ll learn with life. I hope these spark a thought-provoking flame for your own reflection.
Unapologetically Be Yourself
I too feel the word “authentic” gets thrown around & over used nowadays, but it still doesn’t discredit its truth & power. I’ve learned no one can be me & it takes way too damn much energy to try & be someone else. What happens is you lose yourself & attract the wrong kinds of people in your life.
Success is Not Defined by Numbers, Titles, Productivity, & Achievement
I am worthy simply because I exist. Not because of my weight, the titles before or after my name, how many hours I’ve worked, my relationship status, or numbers of likes or followers. Success is defined by me, happiness is defined by me, relationships are defined by me, Joy is defined by me & I create my reality.
Love Shows Up For You Every Day Love shows up every single day if you let it y’all. Let go. It may not be in the exact form, person, or way that you think but it’s always there. Let the Universe take care of the how, why, & when. You just gotta roll with it & have fun on the journey to whatever it is that you want. Pay attention to the signs & pings that you’re drawn to, like places you’re drawn to, food you love, jobs, workouts & gyms that call to you, people that always show up in your life or your mind. Those are signs.
Take Time for You & Realize There’s A Big Difference Between Alone & Being Lonely
Remember when being alone was boring & scary af & you thought that made you a loser? My alone time now is like Church & something I’ve come to cherish. I have to have it to refresh. Taking time for myself is vital to all my relationships. You can’t serve anyone with an empty cup.
Just Do It
I’ve most definitely learned that magical things come from working outside of one’s comfort zone. I admit I LOATHE being a beginner. I wanna be a master of everything like right now. Starting new jobs are extremely hard but I know as soon as I find my groove I rock whatever is thrown my way. Fear of failing, fear of embarrassing myself, fear of exposing myself stifled me for decades. Now, it might take me some time to pursue something, I may have to figure some sh*t out first, but I will never have a dream I don’t follow because I don’t believe in myself.
Be Present, Speak Up, Gratitude, Always
Being present – really fckin hard for me too. I miss out on the beauty of the now when I don’t slow down tho. Take time to pause. Literally tell myself this numerous times a day. Speaking up & standing strong in my beliefs also plagued this recovered people pleasing crowd follower back in the day. You just end up a watered down version of yourself. Gratitude is always the answer, like walk. If in doubt, walk, you’ll hear me say. Every single day is a blessing & I don’t dare take that for granted. In the last 10 years, I’ve witnessed how precious life & health are. I look for little ways to celebrate everything, I wake up & say thank you to the Universe & God every morning. I tell my plants, appliances, & my cat Pete I love them. I know, I know…I’m a special kind of weird. I make a point of reflecting on the people & things I’m grateful for…and THIS my friends, all of THIS in its collective has made all the difference.
Cheers to defining your own life . Here’s to many more years of awesomesauceness! (Yup made that up)
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. 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, Crohn’s Disease, disordered eating, CrossFit, & adapting a carnivore diet lifestyle. Katie also has over 16 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, & Sales Consultant. You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
I’ve struggled with body dysmorphia, orthorexia & disordered eating. Swipe for some things you may relate to like I did.
Lately I’ve been experimenting, reflecting, & redefining what “beauty” & physical beauty mean to me. At 40, beauty is a feeling & state of being that becomes from knowing I’m listening to, honoring & taking really good care of myself. In my teens, 20’s, & early 30’s beauty meant a certain size, weight, body fat %, barbell PR, & things like how many compliments I got about how I looked… Beauty encompasses the whole body & soul. To me, beauty also has a visual, aesthetic element too (if you want that to be part of your definition) that includes who I want to embody AND see in the mirror. How do I want to feel? For me, the emotions around my body & mind were the pivotal helping or hindering factors on redefining the identity & relationship with my body AND other people. Going carnivore significantly healed my gut issues & relationship with food. Life dramatically improves when you simply honor yourself & stop trying to fit into somebody’s box. As for other people, life dramatically improves when you start seeing people for who they truly are & what they show you instead of romanticizing about what they could be. If some of these sound like you, know you’re not alone. Things won’t get better until you really “do the work” & that starts from within. Sending love & hugs 🤗
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. 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, Crohn’s Disease, disordered eating, CrossFit, & adapting a carnivore diet lifestyle. Katie also has over 16 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, & Sales Consultant. You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
It was hard enough worrying about fitting in with the popular sorority girls in college. Special dietary needs and digestive issues piled on added physical, emotional, and mental weight. My body image and food issues started at the age of eight, and exacerbated as I got older — food fear, disordered eating, orthorexia, gastrointestinal bleeding, chronic constipation, abdominal pain, fatigue, weight gain, and bloating… just to name a few.
Decades later, I finally received a diagnosis.
Crohn’s Disease can occur in people of any age. By simple definition, Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
In the years that I have been managing this disease, I have been able to find health, happiness and wellness, even living with Crohn’s. What I’ve discovered is that it’s all about boundaries and vocalizing specific needs that would have solved a lot of suffering over the years had I shared them sooner.
Have you ever stopped to think about how 90% of your relationships are arguing over picking out a place to eat then ending up smashing pizza or Mexican & sayin the word “babe?”
Don’t lie. Y’all know it’s true. 😂🤚
Now embracing my Crohn’s & Carnivore lifestyle, I realize sticking to my boundaries, non negotiables, & OWNING my special needs would’ve solved much suffering in my lifetime.
Dating & relationships are challenging enough, let alone the added stress if you struggle with any kind of special health & digestive needs.
It’s like the Bumble Prompt: “We’ll get along if…”
— literally have put “You aren’t vegan. 🥩“ there before.
(No diet dogma here, but let’s be real 😆)
I hardly think we’re gonna have a great relationship as you sit there with your kale salad glaring at me like I’m a degenerate as I’m devouring burger patties. 🥗🍔
Ok, ok, joking aside, here are my top pieces of advice for successfully navigating dating and being social while living with Crohn’s. These tips are also helpful to those living with other special digestive needs and diets.
1.) Be honest and upfront about your needs.
Not only do you deserve the freedom to be yourself, others deserve to know who you truly are. Everyone deserves to know the real you and you deserve a real relationship. You do not want to jeopardize your health and eat or drink something that will trigger issues just because you are embarrassed to be yourself. Use it as an opportunity to educate. Embrace your uniqueness, most people don’t know what they don’t know. Education drives compliance and acceptance.
2.) Eat beforehand, bring your own food, and check the menu prior to your event.
This eliminates food issues completely. Social functions and dates do not need to be centered around food or cocktails. They should be centered around connection. By preparing ahead of time, you alleviate the stress of the unknown. Determine your nonnegotiables. They can be things like choosing to have a cocktail over a meal or choosing to savor a special meal from your favorite restaurant over your typical meal prep. I have literally brought @Zevia as a mixer or eaten an hour or two before dates/social functions.
Luckily with Carnivore, most places have a meat option. Custom order your food with specifics like grilled over fried, no oil, seasoning, sauces, or creams. Request an earlier time if later meals trigger gut symptoms and works better for your schedule.
My go to‘s when ordering out:
Burger patties
Grilled chicken
Chicken wings (naked, no seasoning)
Grilled salmon, fish, scallops, shrimp
Chopped steak, steaks
Fajita meat only when eating Mexican (ask for them to be cooked in no oil, seasonings, and no veggies)
3.) Request to have your cocktails crafted to your specific needs.
Most restaurants will cater to your food needs, don’t forget about cocktails, too. Read the ingredients in cocktails. Set drink limits. I have a two-three drink rule and personally avoid any calorically dense beverages with an abundance of sugar, carbs, or gluten. Remember that no one wants to be the girl or guy sitting on the corner trying to find your dignity down the street the next day. That look is not cute on anyone.
4.) Be an unapologetic question-asker and boundary-setter.
If you don’t ask questions, you’ll never know. Simple as that.
Boundaries are paramount. I struggled setting and standing by my boundaries when I was younger. I felt I was apologizing for everything whether I needed to apologize or not.
I had a professor tell me one time, “Never apologize for something you purposely set out to do with good intentions or a minor mistake simply because you’re human. If you go through life always apologizing, people will take you a lot less seriously, and so will you.”
Healthy boundaries are there to protect you. Don’t apologize for special needs, non-negotiables, and protecting your energy. Maybe you require more alone time or maybe you don’t feel like going out. Own your boundaries or people will continue to step over the line.
5.) Be a realistic relentless optimist.
Accept the facts but choose to always look for the silver linings.
Thoughts become things. Most would prefer to be around people who radiate joy and positivity.
I have a letter board in my kitchen that reads, “Stay close to the people who feel like sunshine.” I choose to be one of those people and bring the sunshine more than the rain.
Remember, just because you have special needs or a chronic illness does not mean you have to dull your sparkle!
You can save and share this post with Infographics on IG HERE
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’re just too big to be a cheerleader, hon.” -cheerleading coach, middle school
“Pretty girls are in the front, you fit better in the back.” -a mom, childhood birthday party pictures
“Well, you’re just not polished enough.” -recruiter, job fair in college
“I’m sorry I cheated, I like you, it’s just, she was prettier.” -someone not even worth mentioning here
Naturally I’d be lying if a part of me didn’t want to tell these people of past chapters of my life they can suck it.
I’ll take the high road & use it to help y’all if you’ve ever struggled when someone has devalued you.
People will teach you how to love well by hurting you. They will teach you how to love yourself by not loving you back. Life will teach you evolution & growth through pain & stagnation.
Pay attention to the wisdom the Universe is trying to teach you. Gold is found sifting thru gravel & diamonds are created under pressure.
Hell, crispy airfryer #meatbars were discovered by me being late to work & literally throwing the shizzle my nizzle in the airfryer basket. Now we can’t live without them!
In my youth, I shouldn’t have taken these statements as a reflection of my worth, simply moved on, & not allowed a single encounter to take up so much energy in my heart & taint decades of my being with shame.
This world is made up of a plethora of different people with different priorities with different life situations all 50 shades of f*cked up.
You’re not alone, the difference is how you react to what life throws at you.
People who have broken my spirit have actually led me to having more empathy, more self worth & appreciation for who I am, & the desire to reach out to all of you because I have felt what a lack of human acknowledgment & compassion can do to a person.
Know that your feelings have a real place, & this life can be so much more beautiful & grander if we let love & optimism fully into our hearts.
The first time I set a “fitness goal, “I didn’t even know fitness goals were a thing. I just wanted to lose as much weight as possible.
I started out doing videos at home in my room. I swapped two and three portions of food at dinner for a salad and then walked a mile on the treadmill instead of sitting and watching TV.
I started working out and setting more intentional exercise goals in the 7th grade. I was the heaviest I’d ever been. I was 160lbs and barely 5 foot tall.
Me at my heaviest
Kids were extremely cruel. They called me names. I will never forget the kids who were mean to me, their names, or the way they made me feel.
And I took that as a life lesson into my adulthood that I would be aware of how I made other people feel because the way other people made me feel made a huge impression on the trajectory of my life and perception of myself.
The imprint you make on other people’s lives is truly your legacy. It’s not the number in your bank account, what you look like, your size, achievements or how many titles you have before or after your name.
“To live in the hearts of those we love is to never die.”
Hazel Gaynor
I was 11 years old feeling trapped in an overweight, changing body I didn’t recognize or understand. All I wanted was to be accepted and loved.
As I spoke before my body image issues started at the age of 8 and I had already absorbed the message that being skinny was desirable, powerful even.
If I could just shrink myself down to the “right size”, I’d ace all my classes and win the hearts of all the boys and the popular girls would want to be friends with me.
Although more intentional exercise goals are a positive thing in the right dose, I noticed all I wanted to do was skip meals and exercise more.
My lunch used to be a handful of Ritz crackers and one small snack size cottage cheese container. Dessert, some sugar-free Jell-O.
In retrospect, at 40 years old, it’s something I can only guess was an attempt to exert control over my body, life, & other people in an attempt at “happiness.”
Throughout my school years, college and even when I married early at 22 years old, I struggled with my body image and self-confidence.
I skipped many social functions to exercise and avoid eating. With all my gut issues I didn’t know what to eat without causing some sort of flare up anyways. I resorted to diet pills and taking shots of cold medicine to make myself sleep so I wouldn’t eat.
I figured out when I binged, ice cream was the easiest to indulge because it was easy to throw up. I’d down 2-3 gallons of ice cream in one sitting.
I missed the beauty of exercise as a celebration of what my body could do & the simple love & joy it brought to my life.
I couldn’t see the ways I was hurting myself, pushing myself too hard, eating too little, and denying myself basic care, pleasures, and missing out on making memories with friends and family because of my addictions.
This pattern continued even into my early 30s, even after I shifted my focus away from being purely about aesthetics and losing weight towards performance goals like CrossFit, running, spartan races and lifting.
I knew I had the heart of an athlete and so much potential but why did I always feel like a total failure?
The answer arrived when I broke up with aesthetic or performance goal setting, at least in the way I’d been doing it.
I started focusing more on improving my health, especially my gut health which I struggled with my entire life.
I stopped trying to fit into a box and eat a certain diet because certain athletes ate that way or my favorite Instagram account ate that way.
I started looking at goals as destinations on the horizon, an invitation to do better because now I knew better.
Goals aren’t a finish line or a final destination. There’s simply an invitation.
I started choosing workouts because I loved doing them and they made me feel amazing whether it was running, bodybuilding, spartan races, or CrossFit.
I started eating food that made me feel amazing and I took the knowledge I had gained working as a nutritionist to make smarter adjustments and decisions with things like quality, quantity, macros and the types of foods I was eating.
We’ll talk about food & gut specifics later on in the book.
I’ve been meat based or ”carnivore” for almost 3 years. Outside of coffee & occasional social alcohol, my diet is 99% comprised of meat and eggs. I haven’t had a full blown Crohn’s flare since I started this way of eating.
And in the process of learning, experimenting, and authentically stepping into myself, my greatest fears since childhood, gaining weight and failure, fell away.
I got stronger, leaner, and healthier. I can confidently say at 40 years old I am the healthiest and happiest I’ve ever been.
This hasn’t been a linear journey, I’ll remind you it takes a long time.
Simply sit back and enjoy it. It’s taken over 10 years to build the physique you see today. It took me 4 years of intentional healing and doing things I didn’t want to do like eat more food and gain weight to gain my health back.
I tell everyone, especially my clients, any weight that you gain in the process of gaining back your HEALTH is weight you needed to gain.
And what I’ve learned throughout this process is that I can accept that sometimes I must get lost to find what I was looking for all along.
“Lost & found are from the same box. Remember this when you don’t know where you belong.”
“You know it’s actually rude for you not to eat their food.” or “Oh come on, one won’t hurt you.” 👉🏻Things I used to hear when I was going through my own food battles. Holidays & social functions were the worst.
On the outside we may look fine but on the inside we’re suffering.
I spent decades with food triggers, sensitivities, gut issues, constipation, bloating, G.I. bleeding, unexplained weight gain & disordered eating on top of it all.
I spent way too many years of life with social anxiety, especially challenging when dating or trying to be social.
I’m also a highly sensitive person when it comes to environments, emotions & other peoples’ energies. I like to eat alone.
Maybe you can relate too.
I don’t shame myself for all of these things that make me different anymore.
These are things I do & had to learn to do throughout my journey to be my healthiest. They often times are perceived as being rude for those who don’t understand special digestive needs.
The hard truth is, it’s hard to learn to love yourself for being different. And it sucks being called or thought of as rude. So let’s raise awareness on this!
Tag, save, & share freely via IG! Show this post or use the tips to help others out there who don’t understand or are struggling too💟🌈☀️🥩🥰🙏
@mikhailapeterson made a post today about how much time & suffering would’ve been saved if doctors would’ve just told us they didn’t know what was wrong & we were gonna have to figure it out for ourselves.
I wasn’t diagnosed with Crohn’s until 2018. I was 35 years old. I had lived 35 years with doctors telling me to eat more fruits, vegetables, & fiber when those were the exact things basically killing me.
Eating nothing but meat was frowned upon & frankly considered f*cked up & a shade of disordered eating, which is not. It saved me.
If you told me 2 yrs ago I could eat this many calories (2,000/d) & be happy, & maintain this level of leanness & health, I would’ve told you you were full of sh*t.
I understand what y’all are goin thru trying to figure out what food & fitness will give you the feeling & body you’re seeking. I know what it feels like to not know what to eat. I included my symptoms & a list of trigger foods along with all the many shapes & sizes of my 55lb weight loss journey in this post to help you.
I also understand what it feels like to not have the money to invest in someone to help you, which is why I created a 354 page Meat & Macros guide which you can find in the link in my IG bio at a reduced price because I want to help as many people out there as possible.
I simply want to remind you to listen to your gut, to your intuition & don’t be afraid to go against the grain, literally & figuratively if it feels right to you.
I love you guys & wish you the happiest of Fridays! ❤️
Other things I don’t share are toothbrushes & wieners but those stories probly aren’t IG appropriate & sure to spark conversations that’ll go down the gutter rather quickly.
Been throwin in some 2 a days the last couple weeks on days I have evenings free to experiment. Been craving carbs after my workouts in the evenings, so I honor my body & listen to her. My carbs of choice are rice cakes, easily tracked, portable, & don’t typically cause gut issues in moderation with my Crohn’s disease & autoimmune needs. Quantity varies, I am able to moderate these now. So far so good.
They help me with recovery, lower my cortisol, & help me sleep. Transparently sharing my experiences – go your own way. I stick to meat & eggs for everything else, rice cakes only post workout after an evening WOD with the 5:30 crew. I don’t crave them when I don’t need them. Rest days & days I stick to my morning workouts I don’t want them. Proud of my body & mind for supporting me in intuitive, nurturing ways compared to my self sabotaging self years ago.
Went back to CrossFit & Beats class more regularly. I realized how much more enjoyable & effective my workouts are with community. Being more social was a 2022 intention of mine, Its fed my soul & stoked my hunger in more ways than one & got me thinkin…
I remember being hungry all the time even after a huge meal, I still wanted dessert. I noticed my friends were able to eat smaller portions & be satisfied. I felt ashamed. As I aged & became more self aware, a sense of amazement & awakening crept over me…
Did this mean that the bottomless hunger I felt wasn’t physical hunger after all? Could I sit down at a meal & push away my plate, full & satisfied, without the urge to overeat?
I could, but only after I figured out that I wasn’t only hungry for food. I was hungry for enjoyment & satisfaction, & not just in my belly, but in my whole life.
Somewhere as a kid, between farm chores, playing with My Little Ponies & going on my first diet, I lost track of the idea that I was allowed to enjoy my body, my food, & just being alive. I decided that always feeling hungry & vaguely dissatisfied was part of growing up.
I had to learn the bigger lesson – that hunger isn’t simply about filling our bellies, but about something deeper: a hunger for connection, enjoyment, & love.
From my own experience & awakening of learning to feel full, body & heart, I hope you find ways to satisfy your inner hunger. To be continued in another post at some time, let this be a conversation starter with yourself.
