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!
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!
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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!
“I forgot to eat.” Something you will never hear this girl say now. Years ago, I wore my ability to restrict food like a badge. Result: constantly being cold, loss of appetite, & zero energy. There were days I had to pull over to catch a quick nap because I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Workouts I thought I was gonna pass out. Blood pressure super low, like 80/58 low. I remember the doctor saying do you feel lightheaded a lot? I had a DM from a woman this week & she made the statement she was never hungry & didn’t understand how eating more macros would help. So I put it this way…
Dying animals have no appetite & don’t eat. Thriving animals fight for their food. Which one do you wanna be?
Katie Kelly/ Coach K / @lil_bit_of_fit 🙂
A decrease in hunger after living in a calorie deficit for too long is our body shutting down to survive. This is why females eating below their BMR or at a low body fat don’t have a period. Your body is preserving energy to live. This is commonly why you’re constipated. Digestion slows. This is why you’re cold, no energy. Your hormones & systems down regulate to compensate.
Low quality food, deficiencies Should you eat if you’re not hungry? Or when you’re not feeling hungry but know your body needs food, what should you do? Always eat when there is physiological/internal cue – in other words, when you either feel that hunger pang or become aware that your body is in need of nourishment. 2 guiding factors of what to eat & how much: 1. Inner Wisdom — how the body lets us know that we need food, or have had enough to eat. Growling stomach. 2. Outer Wisdom — knowing what your body needs even if it’s not exactly asking for it. Knowing you haven’t eaten in hrs. I hope this helps! Swipe for things I had to do to get a healthier happier leaner physique that may also help you!!
I remember the day I looked in the mirror & realized I’d been living a lie.
I’d been living in a figurative house my lies built.
Btw, I hate sharing my food.
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😂 Yes, I also need to put that on a T-shirt🤔
My success, I understand now, I owe to cultivating a routine & environment that serves me positively body, mind, & spirit.
I’m still hungry but in a much different way…
I love my life & am extremely grateful. It has 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. I’d binge on massive portions of carbs, usually cookies, candy, brownies, donuts & ice cream.
Ice cream was easier to throw up. I could eat gallons & I’m embarrassed to even tell you how many gallons I’ve eaten at 1 sitting.
As I aged & became more self aware, a sense of amazement/awakening crept over me…
Was this bottomless hunger really all physical hunger? It couldn’t be.
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 purpose, 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 1st diet, I lost track of the idea that I was allowed to enjoy my body, my food, & just being me.
I had to learn the bigger lesson – that hunger isn’t simply about filling our bellies, but about something deeper: a hunger for purpose, connection, joy, & love.
From my own experience & awakening of learning to feel full, body & heart, I hope you find ways to satisfy your inner hunger.
Sharing my routine which has enabled me to have the body & life of my dreams.
Let this be a conversation starter with yourself. If you need help cultivating a routine, I’d be glad to listen! 🥰
I respect & love everyone regardless of their status & beliefs on relationships, food, fitness, parenthood — whatever you wanna fill in the blank here…
I started my social media over 10 yrs ago with the hopes of sharing my life, words, & emotions to become something greater than myself to help others out there just tryna to be a better human.
I refer to myself as “self partnered”. Ive openly been divorced twice.
No ragrets.
I’m grateful for every multi dimensional & faceted relationship in my life.
I’m surrounded by infinite love, abundance, wealth & riches. Prosperity that isn’t simply monetary in nature.
Forms of wealth: self mastery, self awareness, family, health, craft, personal development, money, time, freedom, charity, adventure, circle of genius & environment.
The contrast lies in people cultivating actions & beliefs out of obligation rather than authenticity.
Thru the years, having a specific status like being married or a parent became like a status symbol or achievement. Like somehow you’re better, more successful — more LOVED than your single or childless self.
I want to remind y’all today — your whole life is Love.
“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.” – Joseph Campbell
I’ll leave you with this… Don’t be afraid to love. Yourself, other people, experiences — fall in love with as many things as possible!
I carry a piece of every relationship in my heart. I carry them because they made me a better woman — the confident, compassionate, hopeful, self-partnered human that is ready to openly welcome her next one
It all starts with learning to love yourself & disassociating your worth with what you look like. I still have stretch marks, rolls, loose skin, & wrinkles.
My body has been all shapes and sizes! Transformation takes time!
I gained 10lbs when I started CrossFit at 31. I gained 15 when I started carnivore almost 3 yrs ago. Your body is meant to transform
For me, my body acceptance/neutrality started with mourning my own thinner self & my more “athletic” physique when I was training harder. You have to acknowledge & sit with these feelings 1st. Rest is absolutely necessary especially when it comes to healing. This was the toughest part of finally reaching my own body acceptance & realizing I was now in a different season of life.
I understand. It’s easy to find yourself romanticizing the times you’re physically at your lowest. Realize that physical low may also mean you’re at a mental low as well. My disordered body image, eating, & relationship with self exacerbated with the glorification of my weight loss. It fueled the fire to more disordered behaviors because you crave that validation.
It’s ok to feel all the feels & go thru the wheel of disgust. You have to get to sweet spot of self love regardless of your weight.
Some things I want you remember:
1.) It’s OK to have body goals & want to see what your body can do as long as it comes from a place of self love, not loathing. Make sure you’ve healed any imbalances, done your due diligence to eat enough food to function like a rock star & set yourself up for a successful body goal.
2.) Body positivity & acceptance doesn’t mean you use them as an excuse to eat & treat your body like a trash can. You are what you eat & we were meant to move. You are your habits.
3.) Abs don’t mean you’re healthy & having a few extra rolls don’t mean your unhealthy. We all look different. Chase health first. Choose the diet that works for you. Choose the workouts you love.
“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.”
**Warning** This may be sensitive, triggering information for some.**
It’s officia! This is the beginning of my journey as an author. You guys have been telling me for years to write a book about my life…so I’m keeping my promise. Manifesting this sh*t.
I decided to just. start. writing. Here are some bits & pieces from, Confessions of a Sick, Overweight, Broke B*tch.
Enjoy, I hope these nuggets can resonate in a way you need.
How bout that cat shirt tho? 🙂
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 sh*t.
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.
Current me 🙂
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.
Huge transformations mentally & physically thru my 40 years!
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.
F*cked up, right?!
The thing is the “monster” inside of you doesn’t see it that way.
It’s like you have two personalities like an angel and devil on your shoulders fighting for your attention.
Things I used to tell myself, “This must be what all the skinny & popular girls do at school, right?! Because I have to look like them to be loved by all the boys & be successful. I’m just not trying hard enough. Push harder. Oh, you gained 2lbs, great job, Katie, no food for you for 2 days.”
Sound familiar?
As painful as it is reliving these nightmares, I’m writing this for YOU.
I know I’m not alone and I want you to know that someone else gets it.
I know what it feels like to be so full you’re sick, but you can’t stop eating.
I know what it feels like to be lying on the floor with a sore throat, reflux, & puffy eyes telling yourself, “This is the last time” & also knowing you’re full of bullsh*t.
I know what it feels like to feel like you’re not even in your body when a binge is happening. The sugary taste of all the foods you’ve denied yourself & deemed “bad” are orgasmic, the high of knowing what you’re about to do is exhilarating & shameful at the same time. The feeling of letting food control you & sabotage every relationship & facet of your life.
I know what it feels like to feel hopeless. Suffering with gut issues and not knowing what to eat because everything makes you bloated, constipated, & miserable to the point you’re a shell of yourself.
I know what it feels like to live in an abusive relationship with yourself and others, seeking validation through outside sources like relationships, controlling your body, excessive drinking, and overspending to the point you’re over $40,000 in debt. You feel like you’re drowning in a cesspool of your own creation.
The scary thing was I thought I was fit & healthy in the left photo, but I remember what hell I was putting my body thru trying to chase a constant smaller version of myself. I still thought I was fat. Thank God for CrossFit, it made me realize what I was doing was wrong & I needed to eat MORE! Strong not Skinny 🙂
Binging became something I did regularly, pushing the boundaries of “full” further & further.
My memories of elementary & middle school are saturated with the fact that I was fatter than all of my friends.
I had a friend jokingly poke my waist & make a joke about “pinching an inch.” My classmates ridiculed me & called me heifer & lamb chop because I had frizzy curly hair, full cheeks, was a farm kid, & bigger than everyone else.
It became a recurring nightmare until my first bad break up in high school.
I was so emotionally distraught I just quit eating. I lost 15lbs in a matter of 3 weeks before school started.
I didn’t even have the energy to show my calves at the Indiana State Fair. I did, but I thought I was gonna pass out.
Rub some dirt in it right?! Suck it up. Farm kids were raised to be tough. We weren’t allowed to give excuses.
I remember my mom telling me she was gonna put me in the hospital if I didn’t eat.
Guess what happened when I went back to school 15lbs lighter?
All the kids magically loved me.
I was thinner, I was praised for my weight loss & finally got attention!
BOOM!
That moment right there was the pivotal moment I believed in order to be loved, successful, & worthy, I needed to be as thin as possible.
“Bare bones, b*tch, that’s our goal. Don’t f*ck this up.” That’s what I told myself.
At 40 I finally feel whole, happy, & peaceful with my being.
I’m grateful for a meat-based & “carnivore” way of eating. It broke my addiction & healed me in ways physically & mentally I never thought could be mended.
I’m not writing this for pity or attention, I’m writing this for YOU. The ones still stuck in this cycle looking for magic & quick fixes.
Fall in love with your journey & slow down, it’s a long one but well worth the work & effort & patience. YOU ARE WORTH IT! You are worthy just because you exist. And you are fabulous at whatever weight & size you are your healthiest.
Love the skin you’re in, it’s the only home you have forever!
Book to be continued 😉
Things that helped me break my binge eating
They may seem small, but these lil tips make a huge impact on your healing. No need for perfection here, but it does take making & KEEPING commitments to yourself.
I think I can speak for all of us who struggled or are currently struggling with 50 shades of a fuxked up relationship with food & exercise.
Like I spoke about earlier, I chased bare bones, wore restriction like a badge, & was abusing carbs like a drug (let alone with my Crohn’s, my body couldn’t digest & utilize carbs & fiber like a normal human being. I was in agony).
The disordered eating & carbs, they’re like a high for us, like a drink to an alcoholic, or a high like that first kiss from that boy you’ve loved for so long.
Some signs of a disordered relationship w/food & exercise:
Refusing to eat foods you love due to fear of weight gain.
Avoiding social situations, anxiety.
Compensating by “working food off,” “earning”, or using food as a “treat/reward.”
Obsessing about food, tracking, exercise.
Addiction to specific foods.
Not being able to moderate specific foods like carbs, sugar, hyperpalatable & caloric foods like bacon, cheese, high fat meats, etc.
Letting the weight on your scale or missing a work out ruin your day.
Obsessive body checking in the mirror.
Constantly seeking validation from things &/or others.
Falling into the restrict, binge, self hate cycle. Yo-yo dieting.
There’s so many more but the above were biggies for me.
Tips that helped me:
Find your triggers (food, stress, emotional situations, comparing, etc) write them down & journal or talk to yourself about why you react to them the way you do. You have to gain self-awareness.
Eat regularly & eat enough for your goals & activity. Binging comes from overly restricting. It’s your body’s survival mechanism. It affects you physiologically & psychologically.
Eat larger meals with plenty of protein & healthy fats. Carbs & highly palatable, calorically dense foods seem to be a big trigger for most people.
Determine if you are an abstainer or a moderator. Abstainer’s typically do better with food rules, also get the trigger foods out of your house.
Eat with friends & family. STAY BUSY to avoid emotional eating or boredom eating. Get out of the house, WALK, clean, call someone, read, watch a movie, color.
Eat mindfully, chew your food, slow down, portion food on a plate, avoid tracking & weighing yourself if those are triggers.
On the other hand, tracking & weighing can also help some of us that have lost our true hunger & satiety cues. Often we can’t physically tell when we’re full, so tracking will give us the data for us to make decisions about proper portion sizing.
Wear comfortable clothes & stop body checking in the mirror. Get new clothes that fit & are flattering. You wear your clothes, they don’t wear you! Stop keeping smaller items in hopes you’ll fit into them again. I find it just causes more disordered behavior & thinking.
Strive to be self aware rather than judgmental. You are simply on a fact-finding mission to uncover patterns of feelings & behavior so you can work to change them.
Journal! I cannot tell you how many epiphanies I have had while journaling about food. You don’t have to sit and write out a lengthy entry, brain dump. I’ll just make a list of what I’m feeling & thinking, not worrying about how it sounds or if I use proper sentences or grammar. It releases emotional weight. Use the prompt, “What is the feeling I am trying not to feel?”
Remove your food triggers & get on a meal plan that works for you. For me, this was the carnivore diet. I have an addiction to carbs. I also do not digest them well, causing physical harm. I cannot stress enough how important it is to eat enough food for proper body function & activity. You should be eating at your maintenance caloric levels the majority of the time. We shouldn’t be chronically dieting. It will really help cut down on overeating & binging & help you relearn portioning & true hunger/fullness cues.
Opt out of others’ ideas of health, beauty, & diet culture. Cut the toxicity out of your life & monitor what you consume. This means relationships, social media, your environment, what you read & watch – it’s not simply just food. I remind myself:
One, there are things that are easy for me that are difficult for other people.
Two, people generally share successes & highlights, but not the effort or failed attempts that lead up to them.
Three, I am making progress doing what works for me.
Start prioritizing sleep! We NEED sleep, 7-9 hrs/night. It not only affects you cognitively, but physically. When we don’t get enough sleep, it throws off our hunger & satiety hormones, leptin & ghrelin, making us hungrier & typically crave carbs, sugar, & high fat foods. Getting enough sleep is as important as diet & exercise in fat loss. People who get enough sleep not only physically are healthier but also cognitively make better choices.
If you do binge or overeat, focus on moving forward. One of the single biggest things (other than the carnivore diet) that helped me was not responding to a binge by restricting the next day. Go back to your normal meal schedule, otherwise, you’re stuck in the restrict & binge cycle AGAIN.
My Crispy Airfryer Meat Bars are LIFE! I have an Instant Vortex 6qt airfryer from Target, also on Amazon- Link in IG Bio under Amazon Favorites. I cook about 1-2 lbs of meat at a time, usually 85-90% ground beef & Perdue Ground Chicken, Airfry, 380, 12 minutes!
Seek therapy &/or help from a coach or practitioner. I have a lot of difficult conversations with my therapist. When it comes to conflict & relationships, I’m an avoider. I hate talking about difficult topics, I hate conflict, I feel angry & anxious when I do. But the way to get rid of a monster’s power is to shine the flashlight in the closet and see it for what it is. Talking about a negative thing gets rid of any power it has over you. A surprising thing about therapy is that every time I tell my therapist something I’ve been too embarrassed to tell anyone before, she tells me how normal it is & how it’s in a cause & effect relationship with other things in my life & absolutely can choose again. Amen, right?!
Keep a compliment journal, write affirmations on post-its & put them on your bathroom mirror, write out positive intentions in your scheduler everyday, list things you’re grateful for every morning. I even save a board of inspiration on Pinterest when I’m feeling low vibe. I always feel better after reading through!
Be compassionate with yourself when you’re not perfect. Recovery is not linear. Think about how you’re feeling & how to redirect instead of punishing yourself for feeling & thinking certain things. Its like punishing & rewarding yourself with food & exercise. Food is fuel, not a reward. Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do, not punishment. Another reason I loather the word & use of “cheat day.” You’re only cheating yourself.
If you’re hungry, eat, if you’re not, don’t. We do not need to over complicate things. There is also no one-size-fits-all to anything in life, especially food & fitness. You don’t have to choose a specific diet camp, fitness modality, fasting regimen, etc. Do what feels good & authentic to YOU!
I cringed. Conversation starter…saw a T-shirt this mornin that said, “The best man for the job is a woman.”🫣
Why do we feel the need to have to hate on the opposite sex? I’m so grateful my parents taught me it’s OK to be a “girl” & it’s OK to be strong like a “man” too. They just wanted my brothers & I to be ourselves.
Listen Linda, I’ve been divorced twice, but I still LOVE & appreciate men. I’m grateful for y’all. I acknowledge there are some things you men do way better than me, & I’m totally OK letting you do it.
I love everything about women, too, we’re both simply unique. (get yer minds out of the gutter, because I know they went there😂)
My mom taught me I can do anything a man can do, & if I can’t, I can hire it done.
💁🏼♀️Girl boss shi*t level 100
— THIS is more about being a self-sufficient human, not hating on the other sex.
It’s like when I get questions when you could’ve simply Googled & YouTubed that shiz
Ima straight shooter, we real talk on this channel. Y’all can do your own life admin.
I know I don’t need someone to take care of me nor do I feel like I have to have a man to be happy, but I do love the feeling of having someone to protect & take care of me because they want to.
Successful relationships thrive because you see each other as equals & want the best for one another. Your happiness is my happiness.
Not because either one feels they can’t take care of themselves or are incomplete without the other.
A negative pattern I used to fall into, I would attract partners where I quickly fell into the role of mom, teacher, &/or enabler.
Karen, we ain’t got time for that.
And neither do you guys. Choose a woman that makes you want to be a better man, that lets you be yourself, lets you be the provider, lets you be the more masculine, enjoys taking care of you & most importantly, is your best friend.
Ladies, vice versa.
A healed, confident person is honest, blunt af, & tells you exactly who they are & what they want. If you’re confused, there’s your answer.
How bout we all simply love people for the humans we are & what we bring to the table?!
Dieting from the inside out & “How long will it take me to lose the weight”…
It’s so much about your mental state and internal work when it comes to finding a diet/workout/lifestyle that works for you.
I really don’t think you can have one without the other. The mental health world and the fitness world should be mutually inclusive.
The problem is too often people are not willing to address their emotional, headspace, inner narrative problems — they just want someone to give them the diet or the workouts or the solution they think is going to solve all their problems when they are the ones that really have to solve the problems. No one can tell you what is going to work for you.
We can tell you as coaches & practitioners what to do but unless you see what the root cause of your issues are & take action to execute the plan, you’re never truly going to make a life change. You’re basically going to yo-yo diet through life
tough love.
When you just simply lose the weight but stay the same you mentally, most often you’re going to find the weight you lost again eventually. — Because you didn’t up level to who you truly want to be.
It’s like building a house with no foundation.
Swipe for all the deets & a reality check on how long it REALISTICALLY will take you to lose 30lbs.
Here’s your Sunday reminder you don’t have to set yourself on fire to keep others warm. Don’t build your house to sit back & watch it burn. A phrase reminding you how important boundaries & self-care are. Can you believe it’s mid May already???!!!! Listen, you don’t have to wait for the new year to start building again or start over. “There is an Indian proverb that says everyone is a house with 4 rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, & a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in 1 room most of the time but unless we go into every room everyday, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person. “ — Rumor Godden Don’t ignore your souls urge for solitude & adventure. Listen to who & where it’s drawn to. Don’t question it. We tend to over complicate sht, stop doing that😆 Sometimes you just have to have a good laugh & fall on your face to start over again. Sometimes it means spending time by yourself or saying fck it & going on that adventure. Don’t build your house in other people & don’t hand them the matches. Build your own & tend to your rooms. I get life. Rooms get messy. There’s beauty in the mess. The mess is your message only you can write. What are you doing for yourself today⬇️? Love y’all!
