One of my clients made a statement in her last session, “I blew it this week.  I had chips, salsa, taquitos and a margarita.”  My response was, “Did you have fun?” And of course, her resounding answer was “YES”.  Why do we have so much guilt and shame surrounding food?  Isn’t it amazing that we can rob ourselves of joy because we are afraid of gaining a pound or two?

Disordered eating comes in all shapes and sizes but it is real for so many.  We have chosen to believe the lie that there is only one body type and being stick thin is the only way to happiness.  I have struggled with disordered eating for most of my life until that I woke up one morning and realized that I have been robbed of all joy for so long due to my disbelief that I am valuable just as I am!  I was not created to look like anyone else but ME!!!  I sure wish that I could have begun this journey of healing and breaking all the negative patterns that I had established to control every pound much earlier in my life.  I have to remind myself every day that I am so privileged to have a body that has the ability to move the way that it does.

There have been a few thought patterns that I have had to shift and while I may not be perfectly implementing them every day, when I find my self struggling I know that I can go back and rearrange my thinking with these few reminders:

1.  First of all, focus on health not weight.  I find that when the number on the scale is the controlling factor I tend to make unhealthy choices in my eating, (like food withdrawal).  When health is my main focus, I am excited about the choices that I am making and my weight finds its natural shift.

2.  Food is fuel.  It is designed to give my body energy so that is my gauge for how I eat.

3.  Exercise is supposed to support and nourish my body not break it down so I have found activities that I love to do.

4.  I have found books like Body Kindness or The Gifts of Imperfection that are a constant reminder to be grateful for the body that I have been given.

 5. Life is too short to give over my power to this diet culture that can be so shallow and damaging.

Every day is a new day.  Make it your mantra if need be.  If you are struggling please don’t think that you are alone.  A perspective change can be so freeing.  If you need some help navigating this transition PLEASE don’t hesitate to reach out.  Getting help does not mean that you are weak…it means that you are BRAVE and STRONG