Note: Doors are closing soon on my Holiday Essentials class! You can still get in until Wed, Oct 28 at midnight or when the class fills up, whichever is first!
Losing weight is more than just appearance. Once you decide to improve your eating habits, you also become more mindful of your other actions and more present to the people around you. It’s not just about the numbers on the scale. It’s about breaking free from the struggles you have with food and insecurities. Ultimately, transforming relationship with food helps you live a happy life with yourself and the people around you.
In today’s episode, my former client Michelle joins us to discuss how losing weight made her a much better woman, wife, and friend. She also talks about how she became more self-compassionate and gives advice for those who struggle with their eating habits. Michelle is living proof that the benefits of mindful eating go beyond losing weight.
If you want to stop the destructive cycle of overeating and losing weight, this episode is for you.
Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
- Discover why binging food is not a reward but a punishment.
- Learn how transforming relationship with food and losing weight changes your life for the better.
- Michelle will share advice for women struggling with urges and weight.
Mentioned in the Episode
- If you want to stay connected and compassionate with yourself during the holidays and learn how to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full (holidays or not!), join my class, Thinner Peace Holiday Essentials.
Episode Highlights
Why Michelle Decided to Work with Me
- Michelle listened to my podcast and realized she needed help to stop her struggles around food and self-confidence.
- She was aware that the way she talked to herself was damaging. She also admitted to needing guidance and accountability for her actions.
- Through the weekly group meetings, Michelle learned the tools and ideas in transforming relationship with food, helping her take back her control over food.
- Sharing the same struggles with other women in the group was a game-changer for Michelle.
How Michelle Used Food as a Reward
- Listen to the full episode to discover what made Michelle realize that she was using food as a reward.
- Michelle used to think she deserves to eat a lot as a reward for the days she lives healthily.
- If something is not making you feel good, empowered, strong, and confident, then that isn’t a reward. It’s a punishment.
- Michelle had to understand the power of her decisions and how to make smart choices for herself.
- She also learned how to develop self-compassion and be kinder to herself.
Learning Self-Compassion
- Being in my class made Michelle uncomfortable because she recognized her problems by relating to the group’s experiences. For her, change occurs through the discomfort.
- In the class, she learned how to become an observer instead of being a critic of herself. Becoming an observer changes the whole dynamic of her relationship with herself.
How Transforming Relationship with Food and Losing Weight Improved Michelle’s Life
- Not only does losing weight make Michelle confident and nicer to herself, but the relationship she has with other people also drastically improved.
- When your life is not ruled by food, you become more focused on essential things.
- Not thinking about food all the time frees Michelle’s mind space, allowing her to enjoy her life more.
The Best Things That Happened to Michelle After Joining My Class
- The class taught Michelle the importance of putting herself first.
- Learning how to love herself allowed Michelle to be more present and help others.
- Michelle used to think she’s not good enough. Now she looks for areas in her life that need improvement without insecurities.
- She now observes her actions with more kindness.
- Sometimes good enough is good enough because you don’t set high expectations on yourself.
Michelle’s Relationship with Chocolate
- Michelle used to crave chocolates after dinner. She used it to push down her emotions.
- Now that she’s practicing the mind–body connection, she learned to open up her emotions.
- Michelle now doesn’t feel the urge to eat chocolate to stuff her emotions; she now eats it only when she wants to.
- She feels like a different person now.
Michelle’s Advice for Women Struggling with Their Weight
- Michelle encourages everyone to join my class and “jump over the fence.”
- She now feels free around food.
- Losing weight improved the other areas in Michelle’s life.
5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
“The power of that negative two, plus two, and the emotions tied to that is really powerful because it gives you that mind–body connection that I just had been missing for the last ten years. And once I realized and opened up the emotions about that and the whole, you know, ‘not good enough’ thing, it all really just came into place.”
“A reward shouldn’t make you feel bad. It should make you feel empowered; it should make you feel powerful, and strong, and confident.”
“When you’re not sitting there struggling with food or when food isn’t on the top of your mind, you’re focused on what’s at hand and what’s important in life. It frees that mind space.”
“Putting myself first is like the oxygen mask in the plane. You have to help yourself first before you can help others. And I have been more present and more able to help others now that I love myself.”
“If you love yourself, so much else falls into place.”
About Michelle
Michelle is a former client of mine. Before joining my class, she used to eat to stuff down her emotions and talk negatively about herself. Michelle is now a perfect example of why the mind–body connection is so much bigger than just losing weight. She is more confident and in love with herself, and the relationships she has with other people have drastically improved.
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Are you now excited to start your journey to thinner peace in menopause? If you are, we’d love it if you give us five stars and write a review! You can also provide suggestions on future topics you would like us to talk about on the podcast.
Do you want to learn how transforming relationship with food and the mind-body connection improve your life? Tune in for more episodes at The Thinner Peace in Menopause. You can also help others by sharing what you’ve learned from this episode on social media.
Mini-sessions for you! If you want to find out if you’d be a good fit for my weight loss program, apply for a mini-session here.
You can contact me through my email at drdeb@drdebbutler.com.
Thanks for listening!
To transforming your life for good,
Dr. Deb
