Food Freedom Blog

This could be a despairing thought - or it could be encouraging. Think of one habit now that you know would make your life better. You may feel like a failure if you struggle to implement habits that you know would be good for you. Working with habits can give you courage because they can help you change in ways that you never thought possible. You don’t even need high levels of motivation and willpower. “You are the sum of your daily habits.” - James Clear Think of one first

I have days when my mind gives way to anxiety and possible scenarios of distress dominate my imagination. I really can’t afford to stop my morning practice of reading the Psalms and setting my mind on who I belong to. From there, I take my anxious and roaming thoughts and push them down a path of what is good, lovely, and praiseworthy in my current situation. Sometimes I need to focus on what I have done that is good and worthy of praise – that is when my thoughts are consume

It’s no fun being critical or controlling. It makes you feel miserable; it ruins the atmosphere, and you don’t usually get what you want anyway. Maybe if your voice is low and calm, then you can express what you want clearly, and it will get done. The problem may be that you are struggling to express what you want without being critical and controlling. I know the people in my family don’t respond well to being micromanaged, and I didn’t even realise I was doing that. It real

I have got better at swinging my mood. When my thoughts are sliding into a whirlpool, I have a few tricks and thoughts I turn to. Sometimes I wait too long and find myself in a spin of gloom, but it doesn’t last as long as it used to. Practising the skill of making myself happy has definitely improved the lives of those I live with. If you ignore yourself and what you enjoy, it often leads to depletion, resentment and grouchiness. If you feel guilty for resting, pursuing your

I felt hemmed in today by everyone’s emotions. I couldn’t see what the next good thing was for me to do. I’d had my coffee, but I still couldn’t think clearly - so I changed my shoes, grabbed my phone, and told my family I was going for a walk. Walking helps me clarify my thoughts and figure out my feelings. When you are walking, you can sift through the things you need to do and what you can let slide because it’s not yours to carry. When I feel hemmed in by emotions

The first step is to recognise the discouraging tone of this question, and all the feelings that come with it. Then find a more gracious question—one that is curious about what you may need, one that brings rest.

The first step is to recognise the discouraging tone of this question, and all the feelings that come with it. Then find a more gracious question—one that is curious about what you may need, one that brings rest.

The word “stick” gives us a clue about how we often approach our plans. It suggests we need to be glued to them - following every detail without deviation. We convince ourselves that the only way to get results is to dig deep, push through no matter how we feel, and never change course. When we question this rigid thinking, we see that it is not helpful or logical – it also discourages progress because it is a trap. A more helpful thought is: Keep the plan, but make it flexib

I love discipline, order, and the ideals of strong character that can endure hardship without complaining. I believe that a growing sense of self-control brings a feeling of freedom. However, I also believe that you can cultivate the discipline you long for without guilt, shame, or sporadic attempts at living a Spartan life. This longing for more self-control shows up frequently in the realm of food and exercise. In my coaching practice, I am always talking about a different

The women I work with are thoughtful, capable, and caring. This means they are prone to neglecting their own health. But that doesn't make sense. In my coaching practice, I have noticed that women are tempted to think it is self-indulgent to consider what they need to thrive. This misconception often presents itself in their food habits. They forget that food was intended to be a comfort - a nourishing pleasure. It has either become another area where they have to exerci

This week I had to practice thinking myself out of “overwhelm”. Overwhelm is defined as “a perceived inability to cope with the demands you are facing.” I love the word “perceived” because it offers the hope that if I think differently about my situation and my abilities, then the feeling of overwhelm could be replaced with courage and a small step of progress. The feeling of overwhelm occurs when your brain is facing too many decisions, demands, and competing prioritie

As we were wrapping up our session, Sarah shared that she felt a bit panicked about the coming week. Her gym was undergoing renovations, which meant she would miss her early-morning workout class — something that had become a lifeline for her. In the final five minutes of our call, we scrambled to come up with some helpful thoughts and habits she could hold on to to protect herself from anxious spirals. That’s when the phrase “Procrastinate Your Panic” was born. We both

The first step towards emotional resilience is to have a realistic but hopeful view of the situation. This means thinking accurately about what you are facing instead of allowing yourself to become overwhelmed.

When I asked my Food Freedom group what their biggest weekend challenge was, Rachel replied: “I enjoy having no routine on the weekends, but I don’t like how all over the place I feel with food when I don’t have structure.” So many women swing between two extremes on weekends: Being “good” and sticking rigidly to a food plan, or feeling completely out of control with food choices, overeating, and guilt. But, there is a middle ground. You can have both flexibility and stabilit

Yes! But not in the way diet culture teaches us. Many women believe they have to choose between enjoying food or losing weight. They fear that if they stop dieting, they will lose control completely. In my work with women, I often see the opposite happen. Cathy’s journey is a good example of this. Cathy had spent years focusing on strict rules and fast results. After attending my Food Freedom Workshop, she caught the vision of creating simple, sustainable habits that worked w