Why it's important to heal your relationship with food and your body
As a coach who helps women create a peaceful relationship with food and their bodies, I’m so glad I invested in becoming that woman myself. With some recent health issues, I sought the help of a nutritionist who created a plan for me to increase energy and sleep and help me settle acid reflux and digestion.
I’m so grateful that dieting, emotional eating, bingeing and body dissatisfaction are a thing of the past, replaced with a peaceful relationship with food and my body! The past month would have been a challenge had I not been able to walk my talk!
Let me explain
A biofeedback session with the nutritionist revealed that my body struggles to process and digest wheat, dairy, and sugar. The report I received was comprehensive and included not only foods my body reacts negatively to, but a whole host of allergens, irritants from the atmosphere and earth, cleaning products, make-up, stress levels within my body, and more.
I initially didn’t want to believe my body reacted to wheat! After all, I worked so hard to make peace with bread so I could include it in my daily food choices without it triggering a binge or overeating it. I chose a delicious rye bread as my favorite to have with eggs or almond butter in the morning. To be told – by my own body! – that my go-to bread was not a healthy choice was not what I wanted to hear.
Now, in all fairness to this amazing body of mine, there is celiac disease in my family (our son has it), and a couple of my cousins on my Mom’s side of the family struggle with gluten intolerance. My grandfather likely had celiac disease as well but, in those days, it wasn’t recognized. The poor man died of stomach cancer which is one of the end-results of celiac disease not looked after.
To make matters worse, sugar was an issue as well. Again, my journey to find freedom with food included coming to terms with sugar and all the delicious foods we find sugar in.
I was finally able to eat a square of dark chocolate without eating the whole bar and anything sweet I used to binge on became manageable. I no longer craved cake or ice cream, or anything sweet, and could have a bite or piece and move on.
And then there was dairy. Half & half cream for my coffee, the odd slice of aged cheddar cheese, soft ice cream cones, pumpkin cheesecake at Xmas – all things I really enjoy and finally had a decent relationship with were suddenly to be off my food list!
Like the issue with wheat, I could see that dairy might not be great for my body since I was allergic to milk as a baby. I’ve never liked milk and many dairy products irritate my throat – except for cheese and ice cream! Go figure!
The Plan
When the nutritionist gave me a 4-week food and supplement plan to help my body heal from acid reflux and poor digestion (among other things), I felt a moment of excitement and panic rising within my belly. I recognized these feelings from days gone by when I’d start a diet – even though this plan wasn’t about weight loss, it felt all too familiar. Could I stick to it this time? Would I fail and find myself bruised and defeated again?
This time was different. I’d done the work I needed to do to address the underlying issues around food so this tiny wobble I experienced at the start of 4 weeks, quickly disappeared. I recognized it for what it was – a wobble, and a reaction that came from years of failed dieting, bingeing, restriction, & emotional eating.
As with any program that requires a change in thinking and behaviour, I worked hard in weeks 1 & 2 to stick to the plan. I admit that cutting out wheat, dairy, and sugar, felt a bit daunting at first, but I was up for the challenge if it meant feeling well again.
Who wouldn’t want to have a healthy gut and digest foods properly? Why wouldn’t I want to sleep better and have more energy during the day?
At the end of week 2, I wondered if it was all worth it. My body adjusted to the new plan but instead of feeling energized, I felt fatigued and hot, as if menopause was with me all over again! It was either a sign that the supplements and potions were clearing my system out or I’d made a mistake and embarked on the wrong path!
By week 3 my energy started to return, and my digestion and acid reflux were improving! Sleep was starting to get better as I slept longer hours each night. The challenge as I navigated week 3, was to stave off boredom and the strong desire to get back to “normal”, which begged the question going forward “what would normal look like”?
I needed to wrap my head around what it meant long term. Week 4 was a week to wrestle with my new “normal”.
My new “diet” was not like the old ones I used to go on. Not eating wheat or dairy hasn’t been triggering or made me want to sell my soul for a slice of rye bread. I haven’t felt deprived as I used to when I was in the throes of dieting. Sugar hasn’t been an issue for me for so long, so I anticipate it’ll be like a distant cousin I don’t see very often but really enjoy a visit with once and awhile.
What I learned from this experience
My biggest takeaway from these 4 weeks has been that my body is clearly in charge of my health and how I feel. I recognize now more than ever that the foods I eat make a difference to so many parts of my life. No matter how much my brain overrides her signals, this body has incredible power and works hard to accommodate me, even when my choices haven’t been supportive of her or my wellbeing.
Let me ask you:
How often have you argued with yourself about food – what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat?
How many times have you ignored the signals your body sends you letting you know what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat?
How long have you struggled to recognize the signals she sends you?
How many years have your emotions dictated your life and your relationship with food and your body?
The coaching I offer gets at the root of why you ignore your body’s signals. I help you learn to create a relationship with food so you can choose what, when, and how much to eat, based upon the needs of your body and not an external diet plan that has no relationship with you or your body.
Trust me lovely Soul when I tell you that I could not have explored my health in this way had I not healed my relationship with food and my body first. It's been a game changer for me physically, mentally, emotionally, and soulfully!
The journey to food freedom and body confidence is so much better when you have support. If you’re ready to stop dieting and want to wake up in the morning feeling 100% in control of food instead of food controlling your day, I'd love to hear from you. Let’s chat and get you started on a journey you won’t regret!
Book your FREE Discovery call with me. Connect with me here!
With gratitude,
Joan
