Something really cool just happened.
It’s not something I could have seen coming, especially all those years that I lived in a self-imposed prison of food rules and restrictions, alternately bingeing and starving myself, feeling totally powerless to change.
All that time that I truly believed there was something wrong with me because I didn’t have enough willpower to fix my food problem…
When I tried diet after diet in an attempt to turn the tide…
When I longed for connection and belonging, but isolated myself to eat in
secret…
When shame and guilt were my constant companions…
When I wanted to crawl out of my own skin because I hated my body so
much…
When it seemed like having freedom with food was for others but not for me…
When I couldn’t acknowledge my real hungers, even to myself…
And at age 40, when I essentially gave up hope of ever being “normal” and resigned myself to a life of disordered eating… I had no idea this was possible.
And yet, the Universe is full of surprises.
So here’s the cool thing: Last week I celebrated my graduation from the Institute for the Psychology of Eating in Boulder, Colorado along with 200 of my peers and colleagues. I’m so excited to have the most leading edge training, knowledge and skills available to help people who struggle with food, so it’s a very cool professional victory.
<<< (Here I am receiving my Professional Eating Psychology Coach Certification from Founder and my personal guru Marc David – SO awesome to finally meet him!)
But it wasn’t just my graduation that I was celebrating. It’s the fact that I now enjoy the healthy relationship with food and my body that I had all but given up hope of ever having. It’s the fact that today I eat what I truly want, I trust myself, I am at peace with food, I eat more and exercise less than I ever did, and my body has never felt better. I have the principles of eating psychology to thank for that.
It’s a sweet personal victory to finally have the love affair with food and life that I once only dreamed of. I mean, look at how I eat, without fear, shame or guilt! (Yes, those are french fries, and did I mention I eat chocolate every day?)
And the only thing that would make this accomplishment sweeter is if I could show you the way to this place. I WANT THIS FOR YOU TOO.
To that end, I want to share with you my 3 biggest takeaways from my IPE training – the themes that were the most powerful and helpful for me in my own healing.
1. Permission. If you are hurting around food and body image, permission is your ticket out. Permission to eat, permission to feel your hungers and desires, permission to nourish yourself, permission to be the real you. In fact, I am so convinced that permission is one of the most powerful healing forces for our food challenges that I even did my final video project on this topic. You can check it out here if you like!
2. Pleasure. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – pleasure is your Divine birthright. Limiting pleasure does not get you where you want to go. Pleasure is a nutritional and a soul requirement, in fact it’s scientifically proven! If you are limiting pleasure it’s predictable that you will overcompensate with food. To reclaim your freedom you must reclaim your right to enjoy pleasure, and I don’t just mean with food. Here’s just a sampling of the foods I enjoy on a regular basis, without fear, shame or guilt.
3. There is NOTHING wrong with you. Period. No matter how long you’ve struggled or what your food or body image challenge may be, you are not broken.
(Soap Box Alert!) I spent half of my life believing I was defective because I couldn’t control my eating habits. I bought into the diet industry hype that would have you believe you are a failure because their fear and restriction based, cookie-cutter approaches don’t work for you. It was that very belief that kept me trapped. It’s a set-up.
The day I made a DECISION that there was nothing wrong with me, my desires, or my needs was the day that everything changed. In fact, I believe your food challenge is simply inviting you to look a little deeper to what you are truly hungry for. It’s a sign there’s something really freakin’ RIGHT with you!
No matter where you are now, the truth is you CAN have a healthy relationship with food that truly works for you. You CAN get to a place where you eat whatever you want. You can relax and enjoy food, you can trust yourself to make healthy choices, and you can be well nourished with food and in your life.
If only I had known about this body of work 20 years ago, I could have avoided a lot of struggle and suffering. But you don’t need to wait as long as I did.
If you relate to any of part of my story – if you are hurting around food and are hungry for a lasting change, I’d love to talk with you about what’s possible in a complimentary breakthrough session. Simply email me at michelle@unlockyourpossibility.com and let’s set up a time to talk.
I hope to hear from you. The world is waiting for well-nourished YOU to step forward!
Love & possibilities,
Michelle
