The tough reality that few women talk about

Today, I want to introduce you to Meredith. 

She's a high-achieving professional with a big title. She's great at what she does, her days are busy. And she's also a mom to a 10-year-old daughter. When she came to me in May she really wanted to: 

• feel better overall 
• have more energy  
• lose weight in a sustainable manner  
• feel in control when it comes to food 
• be healthy, well and alive for her children  
• feel good/confident in her body and clothes  
• reduce/eliminate symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux/heartburn 
• and be a better role model for her kids, especially for her daughter so that she does not feel her weight determines her self-worth  

But she was struggling with cravings and emotional eating.   

It was particularly tough when she was stressed out with work or upset; bouts of extreme hunger when coming home led to her to snack heavily. She had tried many programs in the past – weight watchers, noom and several Beachbody diets. They worked to get the weight off initially, but she could not maintain the results.   

She noted that the older she has gotten, the less they seem to work.   

She was overwhelmed with the levels of planning and thinking involved. “Figuring out points for WW or measuring all of my food into containers based on the type of food for Beachbody” was a lot. She found these programs to be “insanely complicated” and not “compatible with her life”.   

She also tried Mounjaro and lost much weight quickly. 

But it came back and then some when she came off of the medication. She also noted that the side effects were intolerable and that she was uncomfortable with the idea of staying on the medication indefinitely.

Her results, in just over a month of working together, are inspiring:  

• She has lost 5 lbs and 5 inches off of her waist circumference  
• Her mindset has shifted away from focusing/obsessing over weight loss and towards overall self-love and self-respect when it comes to food. She is viewing eating as an opportunity to take care of herself and nourish herself with foods that will keep her healthy and make her feel good.   
• She has become much more in touch with her body’s cues and signals, understanding when she is hungry and differentiating this from other emotions like stress, allowing her to be in better control of her eating patterns   
• The way she *feels* has become her guide. She now wants to eat the foods that are good for her not just because they taste great but because of how they make her feel- energized, well and calm.  
• She has been giving herself grace and speaking to herself with kindness when she digresses instead of with harsh words and punishment.  
• She has noted that she has forgotten to take her Pepcid for weeks because she has not been experiencing reflux symptoms (which never would have happened in the past)  
• Her relationship with her daughter surrounding food has changed significantly. She is excited and proud to be modeling a healthy attitude for her daughter around eating and witnessing this mindset manifest in her daughter.  
• “Not only am I enjoying this opportunity to bond with my daughter and reinforce healthy attitudes about food, I am enjoying my changing mindset.”  
• “I’ve also really started thinking about how food will make me feel rather than just how it will taste.”  
• She asked me, “is this a diet?” I was almost surprised to hear myself say, “no, a diet means you are not giving your body the nourishment it needs to be healthy and strong. This is a plan to help me give my body lots of healthy foods so I have more energy and feel better.” 

Her outcomes are inspiring. 

She is enjoying healthy and nourishing foods that align with her purpose of returning to whole health, body and mind. And as a busy mom of two young girls who has also struggled with my own weight and wellness, reading her words really moved me. I want my girls to have a healthy relationship with food and a positive body image, always.   

This is constantly in the back of my mind whenever I cook, talk about food or bring up health and wellness with them. As a mother, my mindset and actions can set the stage for a lifetime of happiness or struggle for my girls. I recognize the importance and power of this, but her words reinforced the value of this truth that I hold in my heart.   

If you're a parent, your relationship with food, dieting, and healthy eating isn't just about you.  

"One of the most positive changes I’ve seen since starting this journey in June is the way I can interact with my 10-year-old daughter about health and wellness. I have always worried that my body-image issues will impact her self image – I can vividly remember my (very thin) mother looking in department store mirrors and sighing about how “fat” she was. As a teacher who works with teenagers, I am acutely aware of how damaging the messaging around weight can be. I also know my own decades-long history of dieting and demeaning myself with negativity. Last week, my daughter found my binder with my plan and recipes. She asked me, “is this a diet?” I was almost surprised to hear myself say, “no, a diet means you are not giving your body the nourishment it needs to be healthy and strong. This is a plan to help me give my body lots of healthy foods so I have more energy and feel better.” The surprise was not so much that I said it, but that I actually believed it. I’ve said similar things about diets where I was starving myself or driving myself insane shoving tiny amounts of food into color-coded containers or obsessively counting calories, but I didn’t mean it. This time, it felt true, and I think my daughter picked up on that authenticity. She immediately asked if she could eat some of the super healthy foods, too. She is a good eater, but she’s also a kid, so I said ok but assumed she would reject many of the options. She loved all of it! She devoured the Mediterranean meatballs, the tofu broccoli stir fry, and several other recipes. She tried and loved kimchi. The only thing she declared “meh” was the peanut butter and chocolate smoothie, which I thought was the most kid-friendly recipe of the bunch! My favorite moment was at dinner (it was the broccoli and tofu stir fry), when she declared “All of my life I’ve had favorite foods, but now I think I need to change my favorite foods because this is so good!” This week, she has participated more than usual in making dinner and has really enjoyed learning more cooking skills.   

Not only am I enjoying this opportunity to bond with my daughter and reinforce healthy attitudes about food, I am enjoying my changing mindset. I had a friend over and I saw her drinking an Ensure (she is not an elderly person in need of nutritional supplementation, mind you). She told me she is on a liquid diet consisting of protein shakes, coffee, and broth. Honestly, the old me would have been jealous of her “self control.” Instead, I was concerned. I asked her if she really thought that was good for her body, and where she was getting any fiber or other nutrients. I’ve also really started thinking about how food will make me feel rather than just how it will taste. I was having a craving for ice cream the other day, and I was driving on the road near the ice cream store, which until very recently (including my first month or so on this program), I would have said I could not “control” my urge and needed to just have the treat. I would eat the treat, all while berating my lack of control, and then feel both guilty and not great gut-wise after. I surprised myself again by thinking, “I actually don’t need that, and it won’t make me feel good.” I didn’t stop at the ice cream store. I am still struggling with lots of mindset issues, and I know it will take time to change a lifetime of unhealthy thoughts, but I honestly wasn’t sure I could change any of them, as they seemed so engrained. These small moments are monumental for me because they prove that change is possible. Thank you!"