Disordered Eating – Page 5

April 16, 2021

Fitness truths I’ve learned and why you may be gaining weight

Fax Friday. I am really glad I keep LEGACY photos now of my fitness journey. For decades I would’ve cringed at the thought of taking a picture of myself.

Now I use them as a tool to adjust my nutrition protocols for my health & fitness goals. It all comes down with your relationship with things, fam. Change your perspectives!

I want to make the most evidence based progress related changes possible. Because my health fxcking deserves it.

I will continue to harp at all of you to educate yourselves, find mentors, find coaches, people to help you along your health & fitness journey.

None of us know everything but there are plenty of free resources & awesome people out there to help you make the right decisions when it comes to your goals.

These cookie cutter programs & templates don’t give you the tools to help you make informed choices when you’re finished.

That’s the point of trying new things & hiring people to help you. We don’t want you to need us forever. If you need us forever we’re not doing our jobs.

I don’t believe in any perfect way of eating — only the perfect way of eating for YOU.

You’ve asked about things I’ve learned through my fitness journey & why you may be gaining weight on low carb.

THINGS IVE LEARNED ALONG MY FITNESS JOURNEY:

💓 Carbs are not the enemy, your relationship & application of them is what determines their meaning. Higher carbs will give you more energy, help you recover from higher intensity activity, they make your muscles fuller, sometimes an insulin reset is needed for specific symptoms, dis-ease, & seasons.

Consult with a coach or practitioner beforehand if you don’t know what you’re doing.

💓Higher fat & protein diets keep you more satiated, they keep your energy levels & blood sugar more stable, they will help with insulin resistance, they are not necessary to follow forever. For some, like myself, they help with digestive symptoms & help you lean out around your stomach as long as your calories match your needs & energy balance.

💓 For me, gluten free, dairy free, low fodmap, low lectin, low oxalate, animal based, low fiber work best to control digestive symptoms & my Crohn’s. I have worked with a functional medicine doctor to rid myself of SIBO & CANDIDA years ago. Symptoms were much better after undergoing a 12 week protocol. GET TESTED, QUIT GUESSING. Through trial & error & decades of experience I figured out what works best for my body. Which will be different from your body.

💓Educate yourselves. I’ve had to adjust my nutrition & training numerous times with specific food choices & workout modalities — it’s OK to experiment. That’s the only way you’re going to learn what truly works for YOU. There are no magic sets of macros or diet camps or fasting protocols, etc — they’re all simply tools for your toolbelt & puzzle pieces that will either fit or they don’t. Go your own way. 5 things that ALWAYS MATTER no matter what diet you’re doing: Your mindset, sleep, simple movement, & the quality & quantity of food you consume.

REASONS YOU MAY BE GAINING WEIGHT ON CARNIVORE OR 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 can’t have the athletic body without building the muscle underneath FIRST. This weight gain is actually weight restoration.

🥩You’re snacking too much on things like pork rinds, fat bombs, or fake keto junk like Atkins bars. They’re easy to overeat & nutrient deficient. Even no cal artificial sweeteners can trigger hunger, water retention, & over eating. Go back to the basics for a while & experiment. Simplify. Meat, water, coffee, no sweeteners.

🥩You’re choosing highly palatable meats & foods like ribeyes, bacon, cheese, butter, processed meats, etc. they are delicious, YES, but can trigger over 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. My choice (FOR ME) is ground beef & ground chicken cooked in the air fryer. Fuggin delicious & satiating, but not so much I’m triggered to eat more for pleasure & not true hunger.

🥩You’re overly fasting, overly training, not sleeping, still eating foods you don’t digest well, &/or over caffeinating or consuming excess alcohol. All these things are stressors which increases our blood glucose & cortisol level. Chronically high cortisol & hormone imbalances affect your weight, recovery, energy, & fat loss. Reduce your workout intensity & volume, SLEEP, reduce caffeine/alcohol, cut out foods & habits that hinder your digestion, shorten your fasting window or STOP fasting. Get a @nutrisenseio continuous glucose monitor to track blood sugar levels. It’s a wealth of information & will help you more accurately make adjustments!

🥩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 or 20-30% of your daily calories. Our energy sources come from fats & carbs. Play around with it, you’ll find your thresholds. Play around with different kinds of meats & macros ratios. There’s no one-size-fits-all. If in doubt, invest in a coach or practitioner to help!

xoxoxo’s y’all, happy Friday!

April 15, 2021

Why you can’t live a BIG life always playing it small

I used to want to be the smallest girl in the room. Because thin meant she was the prettiest & worth being loved & admired.

Then I wanted to be BIG & small at the same time. I wanted to be BIG & STRONG & live a BIG life but I still wanted a small body.

Taking up less space may get you complements, it may change the way people see you, but it won’t change your worth or the relationship you have with yourself.

How you see yourself at your core will not change simply because of your weight. That’s part of the work you have to put in.

Your worth is also not based upon you accomplishing everything on your to do list, or over eating, or looking good in an outfit, or having too many cocktails or none at all, or plain just not knowing where you are in life or where you’re going.⁣⁣

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The only way to throw those weights in the trash & rid yourself of feelings of being viewed as “less” is to cloak yourself with new, real truths & an entirely new narrative. ⁣

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I’ll leave you with words from @annelamott 👇🏻⁣

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“What if you wake up some day, & you’re 65, or 75, & you never got your memoir or novel written, or you didn’t go swimming in those warm pools & oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly & you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism & people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination & radical silliness & staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart. Don’t let this happen.” — Anne Lamott⁣

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Go live that big juicy creative life, of imagination & radical silliness. ⁣

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Stay thirsty

xoxo ⁣

April 9, 2021

There’s more behind a picture than a wall

What I do & look like now really doesn’t mean jack or offer you as much value than the story that got me here today.

I can give you all the advice on what I practice & preach daily, but you can’t replace life experience, feeling emotions, & putting in the work.

I don’t know everything & I’m not an expert. But I have lived similar struggles just like all of you & I know what it feels like to sit in a shxt pool of self loathing.

🖤I was the fat girl. Kids were mean.

🖤In the 6th grade I was told I was too big to be a cheerleader.

🖤This one’s for the 14 yr old me that thought rice cakes & sugar free jello were meals & restriction was the only way to be thin & thus loved.

🖤This one’s for the 16 yr old me that thought skinny & having a boyfriend was all she needed for happiness & worth.

🖤This one’s for the 18 yr old me that beat herself up for gaining 20lbs in college bc she made memories w/friends.

🖤This one’s for the 20 yr old me that binged & purged & let food consume her every thought because she wasn’t as pretty or skinny as other sorority girls.

🖤This one’s for the 22 yr old me that got married too young, was a people pleaser, & turned to drinking to numb the feelings.

🖤This one’s for the 28yr old me, divorced, lost, partying, gut issues, & starving bc her body was the only thing she thought she could control.

🖤This one’s for the 32 yr old me that discovered Crossfit & fell in love with being strong, but let PR’s & comparison lead her to overtraining & completely fxckin up her hormones & gut for yrs.

🖤This one’s for the 36 yr old me struggling to figure out how to date & live in a world as an athlete with Crohn’s & special needs.

🖤This one’s for the 38 yr old me that continues to grow & evolve in a life that constantly changes.

For all the humans who scroll, comparing when they see a beautiful photo, know there’s a story & a lifetime of struggle there too.

What we do now is not a reflection of livin a perfect picture life, it’s a reflection of a lifetime of scars which are far from picture perfect —we should wear them proudly.

There is HOPE💓

Link HERE if you need a consultation & pep talk to get back on the right health journey for you🙏

March 3, 2021

6 Fat Loss Hacks That Helped Me Lose 50lbs and Maintain Health

I could talk all day about the mistakes I’ve made throughout my fitness journey.

To name a few:

Feeling I had to earn food or use it as a reward
Yo-yo dieting & falling for fads, pills, & what Karen down the road was doing
Wearing restriction as a badge of honor then falling victim to self-loathing, disordered eating & exercise habits
Eating all the wrong foods for me physically and mentally causing paralyzing G.I. distress
Equating my worth with abs & a number displayed on a dirty box which sits on my bathroom floor

Losing weight doesn’t have to feel like a punishment, in fact that’s the one thing you must avoid.

Think about it, if you hate what you’re eating and how you’re training, do you think you’re going to stick to it?

— Heck no.

Losing weight is simple, but it’s not EASY. Ultimately it comes down to being in an energy deficit. (Taking in less energy than you are expending)

We over complicate the process. We set ourselves up for failure by chronically dieting, picking the wrong kinds of workouts, picking the wrong kinds of foods we cannot digest & absorb properly, we over stress, under eat, under educate ourselves, under execute, & over train.

Don’t even get me started on the negative self talk & shxtty mindset syndrome.

30 years ago (I’m almost 39 now😬) my fitness journey began. I was 8 years old. My heaviest weight was 160 lbs on a 5’1 frame.

Right now is actually the lowest weight (avg 107-110lbs) & best health I’ve ever been. And I’m eating at my true maintenance (calories around 2000-2200 daily). Maintenance is we all should be hanging out the majority of our lives.

I’ve made the same mistake as you have. We are all different as far as what foods & training work best for you.

Here are some examples of hacks that have helped me keep the weight off and I hope it helps you find the right tools for your toolbelt too!

1.) DETERMINE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

Are you an abstainer or a moderator?

Abstainer: cannot have just 1 cookie without then eating or wanting to eat the whole pan. Does better with food rules and a more “all or none approach.” More prone to binge eating.

Moderator: can have 1 cookie and be satisfied. Needs more flexibility.

Are you a food addict? Get real with yourself. I understand this stuff isn’t pretty.

What is your relationship with carbohydrates? Are they like drugs which trigger self sabotaging habits? How do they make you feel? Do you need them for your health & fitness goals for optimal health, performance, & recovery? What is your daily threshold that makes you feel your best?

2.) CHOOSE THE FOODS & TRAINING YOU LOVE AND HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH

For me, it’s animal based nutrition. Protein & healthy fats are the center of my meals. I do not have a good relationship with carbohydrates and have many emotional and physical trigger foods. I only consume carbohydrates when I need them for optimal health, performance, and recovery. I find eating carbohydrates makes me crave more carbohydrates & I’m not satiated as sticking with meat only.

I prefer CrossFit like training. I love the community, I love the variety, I love it combines strength and aerobic conditioning. It’s effective af & keeps me happy. Therefore it’s easy for me to stick to my routine.

3.) EAT & TRAIN INTENTIONALLY & MINDFULLY

The food you eat literally makes you. Choose accordingly. Slow down when you eat, enjoy every bite, chew thoroughly, eat till you’re 80% full. Same with your training. Pick a goal and stick with it. Keep your commitments to yourself. Work hard & rest when you need to and be intentional about both! Motivation is fleeting, your integrity & character are forever.

4.) SET YOUR NONNEGOTIABLES & FLEXIBILITY

Especially important when it comes to social functions & family. Set step goals. Mine are between 13-15k on average. Maybe you allow yourself 2 cocktails on the weekends, maybe it’s one untracked meal with family, maybe it’s 2 refeed days on the weekends, maybe it’s more carbohydrates one day a week, maybe it’s dessert a couple times a week, maybe you do better being strict for a couple weeks & taking a week off, maybe you prefer to take your own food when you go out. Anything goes, you are your own boss, but OWN IT.

5.) GRATITUDE AND CELEBRATE EVERY WIN

Y’all gratitude is everything. You can’t hate yourself healthy and love yourself healthy at the same time. Which one would you rather choose? Take progress pictures, the scale isn’t the only indicator of success. Maybe you’re eating for better energy and better biofeedback. Maybe you’re trying to get stronger. The number on the scale does not dictate your worth or achievement.

6.) MANAGE YOUR MINDSET & OWN YOUR DAY

You should have a success routine nailed down. I talked about 8 things you should do every day that will change your life, yesterday. Check out that post and blog. If you continuously tell yourself you are a failure & always fxck up, guess what? That’s what you’ll attract & become. Talk to yourself like your best friend. What would you say, what advice would you give her or him? Be the person you want to embody.

You can make moves or excuses. You either DO or your DON’T.

— It’s your choice.

My door is always open, feel free to comment and message! I look forward to chatting with all of you!

Oxox Coach K

February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

The 1 Thing You Must Do To Lose Weight, Love Yourself, And Be Successful In Life

Had a message recently from a woman who asked me to list the one thing she needed to do to lose weight & be successful in life.

I thought, “Dayum, that’s a deep one.” I don’t have enough space on Instagram to answer this one!

So I brainstormed. Came up with one thing I felt could help you achieve & overcome anything in life. It’s dirty. It hurts. It makes your eyes well up. And it’s absolutely necessary — mental toughness.

A lil bit about my story…

This child was called fat. This child was called ugly. This child felt she would never be the girl that sparkles when she enters a room. This child is me.

Making cookies for 4-H. My first year of 10 years of 4-H.

I was told to lose weight & I tried to diet before I was 10 years old. My self-esteem & body issues started at 8 years old.

I hated my body.

I was told on numerous accounts, “If you just lost weight, you would be as pretty as all the other girls in school.”
Hurt like a bxtch every time.
Translated into: you won’t be successful &/or loved unless you’re thin & look the part.

I thought something was truly wrong with me & wanted so badly to be as thin as the women in my Seventeen magazine, the stars I idolized, & my thin, popular classmates.

This turned into decades of disordered eating — anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, orthorexia, you name it. My body has been all shapes and sizes and everything in between. Not to mention struggling with Crohns, chronic bloating, gut issues, gi bleeding, constipation, inflammation, allergies, infertility, cervical cancer, renal stones, GERD, & a cholecystectomy.

After suffering from poor body image basically the majority of my 38 years on this earth, now, I stand as a woman who loves herself more than anyone else in the world.

I learned to finally love my body for the first time in my life. It felt like a breath of fresh air which also ushered in emotional & mental transformations. These in turn brought more abundance into my life.

I truly accepted my unique self, my mess of a message & didn’t feel the need to change it because of someone else’s opinion.

I changed my inner voice to self love & never looked back. I’ve lost 50lbs from my heaviest weight, the biggest weight lost being self loathing & doubt.

The one thing I needed to develop was the product of my struggles — mental toughness.

The one thing you have to have to be successful.

How did I do this?

It’s easy. No, really, it is. It takes some time, but if you commit to yourself every single day, you’ll get there.

When you see yourself in the mirror, what do you say?

Do you make negative comments on your appearance?

Maybe you see your stretch marks that you wish you could erase. I have’em. Call’em my tiger stripes.

Society makes us think that any “imperfection” we may have is something we need to fix.

Your “imperfections” are NOT something to be ashamed of or fixed. They make you — YOU.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, give yourself a compliment. Every time you feel a negative thought creep in, shut it down & replace it with a positive.

If you hate your stretch marks, instead of thinking negatively about them, turn it into a positive & think about how it was an honor to stretch & grow your children or allow you to share your unique story to help another women hating hers. Some women can’t have children. Some women don’t know what it feels like to be overweight & hating themselves.

Or if you’ve struggled with gut issues & Crohns like me or any autoimmune or dis-ease, use your unique experiences to give others hope.

Fuel your fire y’all!
Use that passion to help someone else.
If someone asks you why you live & eat the way that you do, use that as an opportunity to educate them.

There was a time I was so afraid to gain a pound that I was eating about 800 calories a day.

Then I found CrossFit at 31, new obsessions appeared. I chased PR‘s & dug a hole so deep full of metabolic adaptation, gut & hormonal issues, working out for hours each day.

Although from the outside I looked “thin and healthy,” I was an absolute train wreck.

Still didn’t think I was successful at life, my relationships were less than optimal, I was in debt, my health was not good.

I basically put myself on the clearance rack.

You have to heal from the inside first. No matter what you look like on the outside or what the number says on the scale if you do not get to the root cause of any issue that brings negativity into your life, things will never change.

I started doing the inner work with a group called To Be Magnetic. I highly recommend checking them out, they changed my life.

They help me rewire my brain to one of lack to one of abundance & possibility. They helped me heal my trauma to step into the woman I am today. I’m confident and proud of my body!

— I payed off over $43,000 in debt during a pandemic
— I work three fulfilling jobs in radiology for 3 of the biggest healthcare networks in Indianapolis.

— I’m also a private health coach & able to make my own schedule in tandem with my love of healthcare.

Click image for coaching inquiry. Excited to hear your story!

— I love where I live, never thought I’d be able to afford a “bougie” apartment.

— My health & relationship with my body is better than it’s ever been.
— I’m surrounded by uplifting, successful, positive people. Cut out the toxicity.

— I unapologetically love myself more than anything in this world & I’m ok being alone. Learn to be your own best friend.

Realize life is an ongoing journey, there is no finish line, there are only experiences. And we are here to live in Joy.

Back to that mental toughness thing…

Qualities you need to develop mental toughness:

1.) Emotional Intelligence. It’s really the cornerstone of mental toughness. You cannot be mentally tough without the ability to fully understand and tolerate strong negative emotions and do something productive with them.

2.) Confidence.

“Whether you think you can, or think you can’t — you’re right.” Henry Ford

Mentally tough people know that your mentality has a powerful effect on your ability to succeed. Your confidence inspires others and helps them to make things happen.

3.) Ability to Remove Toxicity. Dealing with difficult people, self sabotaging habits, toxic environments are frustrating and exhausting. Be able to remove these from your life. You can’t grow in constant darkness, you also need the light.

4.) Saying No. Mentally tough people know that saying NO is healthy and absolutely necessary. Trust your gut. You don’t always owe people apologies either.

5.) Fear is the Source of Regret. When its all said and done, mentally tough people know the chances they didn’t take will haunt them far more than the risks. The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while you’re still alive.

6.) Embrace Failure. Failure is the road success is paved on. It’s how you grow. Live and learn. Don’t dwell on mistakes.

7.) Choose Your Joy. When your life and satisfaction is derived from comparing yourself with others, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. You do you, boo.

8.) Movement & Health. People who place priority on health and exercise feel more socially, intellectually, emotionally, and physically competent. Discipline also fuels mental toughness. The majority of the most successful people in the world have an exercise regimen. That means SLEEP too.

9.) Relentlessly Positive. Control what you can control, let go of the rest. 92% of your worry is wasted worry.

I keep a copy of this sheet in my daily scheduler as a reminder when I feel the weight of stress

I hope this fueled the fxck out of your Sunday. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this for you and I can’t wait to chat with y’all via text, email, or social media!

My door is always open

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February 6, 2021

More is not always better, sometimes it’s just More.

I’ve talked about this before…I am the first to admit I prefer extremes & love the high of a red line heart rate.

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Thought this was appropriate to talk about with CrossFit open right around the corner.

These particular videos — this workout was basically like 15 minutes in the pain cave🤢

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I prefer to overtrain & over work. I prefer that ‘sittin in the dirt’ feel of a fat loss cut over a surplus. ⁣

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I’m also one to admit I’ve learned a lot through these chapters of extremes & they’re not ones you want to chronically stay in. ⁣

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Most of you I talk to & SEE in the gyms…you’re doing enough. Maybe we should try to do less 🤷🏼‍♀️ We have seasons for a reason. Mother Nature doesn’t hustle & grind all year.⁣

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If a little is good then MORE is better right?⁣⁣ That’s the mentality we adopt.

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Some examples:

Drinking a couple socially vs gettin black out drunk & wakin up in a bush.

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Being content with what you have vs always wanting the next best thing to keep up with neighbors.

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Losing 10lbs vs starving yourself & beating the shxt out of your body 7 days a week.⁣⁣

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Sometimes you may need to push yourself more, but let’s be realistic. If you have a good routine down, you work out 3 days a week, you eat well 90% of the time — you don’t need to work out 7 days to be worthy.

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Ask yourself:

— Are you working out efficiently & putting in the work when you actually train?

⁣⁣— Are you using positive self talk & affirmations?

— Are you eating appropriately for your goals?⁣⁣

⁣⁣— Are you eating low carb because instafamous Karen does? Are you trying to be a vegan because Yoga Bob down the road does yet you don’t feel well eating vegetables?

— Are you doing stupid workouts with inappropriate weights just because Crossfit beast Sarah lifts 300lbs & you think you should do?

Be real. Be you. Do you. Be Well. ⁣⁣

More is not always better. ⁣⁣

Better is BETTER. ⁣⁣

January 26, 2021

The truth about your body changing

8 years ago I had never touched a barbell or back squatted in my life.

At 8 yrs old, my food & body issues began.

It’s been 7 years since my first CrossFit competition which I entered only 3 months after my 1st foundations class.

I was scared & intimidated af at each stage.

Even as a CrossFit coach, I was still struggling with body image, digestive issues & had no idea how to properly nourish myself. Mentally, emotionally, and physically I may add.

Hot. Mess. Express.

I finally reached a point years later & knew it was time to quit trying to compete & eat a certain way & be something I simply was not.

No one equips you for the flood of emotions that come with changing the way you’ve lived for years & the body changes that come with it.

Doesn’t matter if you’re an athlete, a mom, have chronic illness, or disordered eating — we never look at food, exercise or our bodies the same ever again.

No one equips you with the knowledge that before, during that season, your body’s purpose was to be an athlete, or a dancer, or a mom & wife, or a nurse, or a fur mom & single girl just doin the best she can.

No one reassures you your body is supposed to change & your life & relationships & seasons are all going to change — & all those changes are totally OK.

We’re taught young that our worth & purpose are attached to live up to societies beauty standards.

I’ve gained weight, lost weight, gained muscle, lost muscle, been every shape & size & tried every diet always coveting the smaller, leaner version of myself.

Always jealous of the girls that could eat anything they wanted & live like a ‘normal person’ and not have to worry about bloating or constipation or diarrhea or nausea & vomiting just because she ate a salad or had pizza with friends or ate food too late.

With frustration, I started to hate what I saw in the mirror getting in the shower. I didn’t even want to take my clothes off half of the time. Seriously affected my sex life & honestly any kind of abundance I wanted to bring into my life.

Its taken took 30 years of struggling with IBS, Crohns, disordered eating & just being freakin human to realize that I don’t need to be a double 0, an athlete, an ‘Influencer,’ or whatever label you choose to have purpose & worth.

I found love in relationships, & food, & entrepreneurship, & exercise, & LIFE again.

That 8 year old little girl you see on the left didn’t know it then, but she is a mf Queen, an authority, & was meant to help others thru her challenges.

She was meant for greatness.

So are you.

I’m here to help you.
Link here if you’re struggling like I did too.

Message me anytime on IG or Facebook. I know most of you follow me on the gram and I’m grateful to have such a wonderful fam like yall!

IG:

http://www.instagram.com/lil_bit_of_fit

And a reminder that greatness has nothing to do with what you look like or what diet or exercise you choose.

oxox Coach K

December 6, 2020

10 ways to improve body image

If there’s one thing I want you guys to focus on before starting this new week it’s cultivating a better relationship with yourself.⁣
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Body image issues can stunt & affect any kind of progress or growth in every facet of your life.⁣
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I can tell you after losing almost 50lbs over my 38 yrs on this earth, the weight loss doesn’t magically make you love yourself more or fix any problems.⁣
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10 Ways To Improve Body Image Issues⁣
Source: Myself & The National Eating Disorder Awareness⁣
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1️⃣ Stop comparing yourself to others. Love & appreciate your body for what it is & what it is becoming as you live a healthier life.⁣
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2️⃣ Remember that beauty is not just about appearance.⁣
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3️⃣ Question the media & things you consume. Especially social media. Most of what you see is photo shopped & the highlight reels.⁣
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4️⃣ Dress in clothes that make you feel your best! Wear literally whatever the hell you want. You wear your clothes they don’t wear you.⁣
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5️⃣ When you see yourself in a mirror or in your mind, choose not to focus on specific body parts. You are a beautiful sum of all your imperfections.⁣
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6️⃣ LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. What do you NEED? A walk? Yoga? A bath?! Listening help so much!⁣
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7️⃣ Use the time and energy you might have spent worrying about food, calories, and your weight to do something to help others. Sometimes helping out other people can help you feel better about yourself and can make a positive change in our world.⁣
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8️⃣ Shut down those voices in your head that tell you your body is not “right” or that you are a “bad” person.⁣
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9️⃣ “I am” affirmations! Say them, write them, believe them! ⁣
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🔟 Don’t rely on others for confidence boosts! Your worth comes from within.⁣
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Also, seek help. Therapy does wonders❤️⁣
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September 20, 2020

Self love is the best love

A while back, someone slid into my DM‘s & commented I had no boobs, no butt, & my eyebrows were too thick… ⁣

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💁🏼‍♀️Apparently they drank the Hater-aid.

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Years ago I would’ve been crushed. Most likely starved myself for weeks later because it was something I could control. Or tried to find the next work out that would change my body. Maybe different hair color. A bandaid. A drug. A high. ⁣

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It happens to us all the time. What you have to realize is when people lash out at you like this, that is a reflection of how they view themselves. It really has nothing to do with you. ⁣

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Love them anyways. Wish them healing. ⁣

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I posted these beautiful words on my Instagram stories almost a year ago:

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“Every day, she falls in love -⁣

She falls in love just a little bit more.⁣

She falls in love just a little bit more, with who she is, and with who she isn’t.⁣

She falls in love just a little bit more, with her flaws, her fears, and her insecurities.⁣

With her smile, her her laugh, her voice, and her body.⁣

With her passions, her goals, her dreams and her future.⁣

Every day, she falls in love -⁣

She falls in love just a little bit more, with exactly who God created her to be -⁣

This unique, intelligent, independent, kind, caring, funny, creative, talented woman with a beautiful mind, a loving heart, and an incredibly deep soul.” @allthings_possible ⁣

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What we really have is a happiness & lack of self-awareness problem.

It’s not just because you’re overweight or underweight or struggling financially, relationally, or however this relates in your life.

=> you dig. Go deep. ⁣

=> you spend time alone. You ache from lonely⁣.

=> you acknowledge. You heal. ⁣

=> you empower. Yourself & others. ⁣

=> you look in the mirror & see God. ⁣

⁣

I am grateful for this little body & life of mine. It is strong, resilient, & every wrinkle, scar, cellulite, stretch mark — is the mark of life I lived.

That’s real Queen shit.

⁣Don’t drink the Hater-aid.

Xoxo

⁣

May 11, 2020

5 Year Plans, Emotional Eating, & the Buzz of Busy

“What’s your 5 year plan?” She asked.

I laughed.

Sister, 2 months ago I wouldn’t have thought one of the most important decisions of my week would be what sweatpants I’m wearing to the living room today?

I stumbled across a to do list as I flipped back through my daily planner…

…I welled with emotion.

It was so BUSY.

Busy with apts, shopping lists, workouts, work schedules, errands to run, consults, projects ideas, meetings, down to what color scrubs I needed to wear to make sure I went to the right hospitals.

Stress — on my body, mind, & spirit.

I felt ashamed to discover it. Time & life have changed so much. Forced to slow down. To long for that old life, the “normalcy.”

It was also a great reminder.

A reminder of how we’ve transformed busyness into beingness.

I’m different now. I long for pieces of that old “normalcy” but not the busy.

I loathe the word busy. I used it as a bullshit excuse & conversation filler for years. I catch myself doing it now.

I used it for not doing things I wanted to.

Travel. Vacation.

Spend time with friends & loved ones.

Invest in a new project, job, or venture.

Move.

Just fucking BE & do what I want to in a day.

Mostly out of fear of not having enough money or being seen as lazy. BUSY made me feel safe & worthy.

Same with control. If I control my body, my food, my workouts, my schedule — everything will be ok. Which in the past I’ve realized leads to disordered eating & body image & a poor relationship with food, myself, & exercise.

You place your worth on what you look like & how much you’re achieving.

So when you’re not “busy” what initially happens?

You emotionally eat.

You doubt yourself.

You compare.

You get anxiety.

You lose your labels & sense of self.

Your relationships suffer.

Basically you step on the hot mess express full speed ahead.

Emotional eating is a biggie.

So here are some things to help you:

🌞 Stay occupied, halfway organize your day and do a brain dump the night before. That way you kind of know what to expect & can set a semischedule.

🌞 Jot down tentative eating times so you have something to stick to — expectations & commitments to yourself. And this way you can plan around your activities for the day.

🌞 Good activities that help pass the time positively:

-Cleaning house

-Purging old things from closets and spaces it makes way for new positive energy

-Take a nap, most of us don’t get enough sleep anyways

-Read — Knowledge + action is power

-Invest in a new learning course or workshop — be a forever student

-Color or pick up a creative hobby that keeps your mind and hands busy

-Go for a walk or do a mini workout for 20 minutes

-Call a friend

-Brain dump and schedule your week

-Listen to a podcast or write in your journal

-Go shopping, run errands, get out of the house

-Keep trigger foods out of the house if you know you can’t control yourself well around certain foods

– Eat a big breakfast with plenty of proteins and fats they will keep you fuller the majority of the day: things like eggs and sausage, eggs and bacon, burgers, roasts, it doesn’t have to be breakfast food

It’s ok to plan, but leave room for grace, flexibility & adventure.

Next time when I’m sitting in traffic, running late, I’ll reflect on the time of not having anywhere to run to. I’ll remember in the midst of confusion & suffocating stillness I grew strong, calm, & found a new appreciation of life & control.

Xoxo Coach K