I don’t believe in diet failures.

The multibillion dollar diet industry has failed you. We know more now about nutrition than ever before and yet we are struggling more than ever. Obesity keeps rising, and new diets flood the bookshelves.

We’re disconnected from the experience of eating. Instead of sitting with a meal and enjoying it, we judge it. We either look at it as something bad, naughty, shameful, fattening; or healthy, good, skinny food. Never mind whether or not the food tastes good, is convenient, or brings us pleasure. Never mind if we feel satisfied, or are left with immediate hunger and cravings from the restriction.

I’m not anti-fat loss, or anti-discipline. I’m also not in the camp that thinks everyone should diet or strive for weight loss. I am anti-body hate. I am anti-body shame. I am pro tuning into your bodies natural hunger and fullness signals, having a peaceful relationship with food, and ditching the diet as a lifestyle mentality.

What you put in your body will absolutely change how you look and feel. That doesn’t mean that all the traditional dieting foods  (hello tilapia and broccoli) or franken-foods (looking at you cauliflower pizza crust, with Walden Farm’s ranch dressing) are necessary to reach your goals or make you feel good. More importantly it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your ride or die favorites (pizza crust with all the gluten, unless you have celiac of course) and still look and feel awesome.

Let’s face it, we’re busy. We listen to books and podcasts in double speed, speed in our cars, sleep poorly, create systems of efficiency, and always seek to do everything faster. Faster is fine, except that it is only to do more.

Rather than clearing your plate to experience life more deeply, you make space to add more busy. Our bodies and our health are paying the price for that.

We’re so overstimulated by life, that we’ve gravitated toward laziness. Blocking intuition when it comes to pleasure, health, and well-being. We seek down time only to drown ourselves out with television and social media. We’re depleting our energy and living in stress. That stress impacts our hormones in a big way. It drains our energy and creates a disconnect between our spiritual selves and our physical needs. It leaves us hungry for more than just food.

You deserve to love the way you feel most days, to take time for self-care, and nourish the most important relationship you have. The relationship you have with yourself.

My guiding principles 

Eat in a way that feels good to you. Not in a way the flavor of the week diet tells you to eat. Choose mostly nutrient dense, single ingredient foods to promote health and variety. Simply put, you generally feel better. How we feel is really what matters long term right?

Eat slowly and distraction free whenever possible.

Be present and in tune with how you feel at meal times and throughout the day.

Eat guilt free. Meaning eat what you LIKE guilt free. 

Please stop associating shame with cheeseburgers, they are delicious and your perception is ruining it.

Exercise with intention on most days for health, wellbeing, and enjoyment in addition to reaching fitness goals. Movement is natural to the body, and while your body may fight you on that at first, eventually you will find that you look forward to some dedicated time in an active state. There is more than one way to move your body.

Lift heavy things. Not everyone will enjoy lifting weights as much as I do. That is OK! Find a way to move that makes you feel joy. I will still encourage you to add some lifting into your weekly exercise schedule. It doesn’t have to be a ton, but the benefits are impossible to ignore.

Journal. This practice is valuable because it helps us to get past the surface thoughts and digs deep into our subconscious. Journaling is the real bullshit detector.

Meditate. I know, I used to think it was a bit “woo” too. It isn’t. This practice changed my life and I am confident it will change yours too. 

Meditation does not have to be long and drawn out. 5-10 minutes a day can work wonders, and actually make you MORE productive. The busier you are, the more valuable this practice becomes.

Question everything. The diet world is full of garbage. I don’t allow myself to blindly follow advice. I want to know if it really works, if it’s sustainable long term, and if it’s going to bring emotional, mental, or physical consequences along with it that are unhealthy for me. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I want you to feel your wellbeing on a soul level; and I am committed to walk with you as you dig deeper and free yourself from confusion, doubt, fear, guilt, and frustration. Get your sledgehammer ready. It is time to start knocking down some walls. We are declaring peace with food and your body. It’s time.