I get lots of questions emailed to me about my food: what do I eat, how much, what do I suggest, etc. Talking about food is almost as uncomfortable for me as talking about religion or politics. It's a massive part of my problem with my weight as well as the thing that I've put the most energy into trying to correct. I'll show my workout videos to the world all day long, but if you ask me to talk about my relationship with food, it's like you're asking me the most intimate details of the most sordid relationship of my life.
For me, food has been, or currently is:
- Nourishment
- My nemesis
- My best friend
- My security blanket
- My novacaine
- Fuel
- My boredom buster
- The source of deep shame
- My addiction
To criticize my food choices is like calling my kid (if I had one) ugly. I am a recovering binge eater, and the shame in that is immense. Throughout my life, I've seen multiple nutritionists and therapists to help me craft a better, loving, mutually beneficial relationship with food. It's something I imagine struggling with forever.
I've been making big strides in the way I live my life so I can find the level of health I desire. Coming back post-injury, I've found my love of workouts again, have changed my work situation to greatly reduce my stress, and have continued therapy to break down the numeous mental barriers I have. Food, the four letter word (in a dirty way, not a literal way – even though I know it technically is 4 letters!) is something that I have to address to be successful.
My action steps with food:
- Meal plan
- Track everything – not for nutrition, but for awareness of what my habits are
- Be honest with myself
I don't plan on sharing what exactly I'm eating or what my exact meals are because I don't feel like I'm the best source for nutritional advice. Not that it's anything extreme. For me, I'm going back to what has worked for me in the past where I feel the best. This means eliminating wheat, sugar, alcohol, and artificial sugars.
To help, I've made a meal planner that you're free to download if you'd like. I ended up removing “grains” and “bread/bakery” from my grocery list columns though since I don't eat those.
Download Full Planner // Download edited version without bread/bakery and grains categories