My Health & Wellness Journey/Breaking Free From Diet Culture

🚨As we start the new I have exciting news!🚨 I FINALLY finished my Health and Wellness Certification in December. God has done some amazing things on this journey of mine. I have always been interested in health and wellness and helping others. I taught Health and Wellness for a while as well but wow does it look different today. My niche is completely different than other Health and Wellness Coaches it’s one of food freedom and peace with your body. How does that sound?😍🙌

I’m so thankful I didn’t finish in 2020. Back then I had so many food rules, restricting, over exercising, under exercising, abusing laxatives and diuretics (stopped that 5-6 years ago) and trying to fit into the mold the world has set.

Thin is best!

You will be accepted if you take up less space.

The message we hear; If you look a certain way they will love you; If your jeans are a single digit you are golden! If you’re a certain skin color or have certain hair, eyes, etc. THIS is called toxic beauty standards set by the world.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Diet culture!

“The diet industry is worth billions (64.7 Billion to be exact) –– and it profits directly off our insecurity around our bodies and our health. This pervasive industry takes over our culture, minds, and wallets and preys even more specifically on women from young ages.”

What’s is the cost of toxic beauty you might be asking? Well, it affects young kids and women…men as well but more so women and girls.

What does it look like? Anxiety, eating disorders, disordered eating, self esteem issues, depression, self harm, PTSD, suicide, fat phobia, orthorexia, diabetes, metabolic disorders, drug abuse, I could go on and on. The list is endless.

THIS!! Breaks my heart!

Most of my life I’ve bought into this.

I wanted to be free!

Free to eat and not feel guilt and shame.

Free to actually enjoy eating and feel satisfied.

To move and exercise with joy, and not move to compete or focus on losing weight to fit in a certain body.

I hope something I say resonates with you.

I can get on a rant because I’m so passionate about it. I started back to school last year, despite hearing the voices of ‘your not good enough’ and “You have nothing to offer’ or God can’t use you, you’re too broken.

Do you ever hear these voices?

My biggest takeaway from 2020 till now is God has a plan whether we see it or not. He created YOU for great things. His plans for you are to prosper and not harm you. It may be a fight but sweet friend it’s worth it. Despite how I felt about giving up school in 2020 God knew what I didn’t know. He had more to teach me and more freedom to be had.

Let me just say here….HOW HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL YOU ARE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SIZE OF YOUR BODY. Big or small, white, black, or brown God wants to use you just the way you are. However, how you feel about your body will impact your relationship with God, your relationship with others, your identity, and your calling.

I’ve learned there are no good or bad foods, and my body isn’t a project to improve and constantly be rejecting and trying to make it fit into what the world deems good! My body IS GOOD regardless of what the world says.

YOUR BODY IS GOOD. YOUR BODY IS GOOD TODAY! JUST AS YOU ARE SWEET FRIEND!!

Food freedom and peace with your body IS possible and I’d love to help you on your journey. As the new year starts you will be bombarded by diet culture and ideas of starting another new diet. More exercise, detoxing, clean eating and the worlds view of how you should look to be accepted. You are loved and accepted just as you are!

I use a biblical approach to food freedom and body image issues. Learning to eat intuitively and trust your body once again. To eat and feel satisfied and not deprived and become comfortable with your body. Is it easy, no! But soooo worth it!

We want to walk in freedom in so many areas including food and body but yet as a society we’ve created so many rules and restrictions in food, exercise, and body. We become convinced that smaller is better but God created us all and, guess what? We are all different….different colors, sizes and shapes. We keep striving to look a certain way, weigh a certain number but having to restrict food or complete food groups, to exercise to extreme in order to stay or obtain a certain size. Does that sound like freedom when we become obsessed with food, weight, and body? I use to think so but after several years of really hard work I think differently now.

We say we want to be led by Holy Spirit but we’ve completely lost all since of our hunger cues or body cues. We’re taught DON’T LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, your body doesn’t know what you need. But God created your body whatever size it is to be incredibly remarkable! If we truly listen to our body, the cues it gives instead of ignoring them and allow God to work in you, you can learn a different way. You’ll soon see how amazing your body truly is. God is so good and amazing and so is your body!

I would be honored to help you on this journey to find food freedom and heal body image issues. Let’s make 2023 your best year yet!

Be on the lookout 👀 things are changing! 🤗

Big hugs, Nicole