I get asked these questions all the time:
Hey, MK, have you always been healthy? No, I haven't.
I bet you’ve never struggled with your weight, have you? Oh, yes, I have.
You’re in shape because you have good genes, right? Lol. I wish it was that easy.
I haven’t always been a health and wellness warrior woman.
In fact, I’ve crashed and burned more times than I can count. Can you relate?
Have you ever had a moment where your world turned upside down and inside out? I have, more than once, but there was one significant moment that marked the start of my struggle with food. It's still crystal clear in my mind. It happened when I was a college sophomore enrolled in a computer science stats course. While sitting in class one day, I was blindsided by this thought, “I don’t comprehend this class at all. I’m going to fail!" My chosen major evaporated before my eyes! A sinking feeling come over me, and I felt a strange pull toward my small bag of peanut M&M’s. The soothing flavor had a powerful void-filling effect on me. It was as if all was fine if I could just keep that feeling. So, I hit the vending machine and bought another….and another. Just to keep that feeling. And so I entered the world of stress eating. Emotional eating. Out. Of. Control. Eating. Looking back, I came to realize that this went much deeper than a college class (that I did fail). It touched a sad, deeply painful part of me that had been hiding in my heart. I soon developed unhealthy overwhelming food cravings, which made the battle more difficult. I'll always remember that small bag of M&M’s as when it all came crashing down.
The weight gain -ugh- was only a part of it. I quickly put on thirty-eight pounds! There is an art to dressing to hide weight, and I mastered it. So, the battle began. I started running, running, and running—daily, early, and for miles, hoping to counter the calories. I would start each day with the resolve that today would be the day of will power, health, and weight loss. By evening, my plan unraveled. I could consume a whole pizza and an assortment of vending machine goodies. I would sometimes eat a dozen donuts. Yikes. I remember regularly bursting into tears as I spiraled downwards.
I tried to get help in the middle of all this by sharing my struggle with a college friend from church, who then shared about her own eating struggles. So, we teamed up, and with the blind leading the blind, we began our one-year journey into the diet-trap world. We tried ridiculous diet after hyped-up diet, even creating a few ourselves. Most memorable was our week-long pineapple diet which we ended on a double date to dinner. Just imagine! Though there is some humor in this memory, I also sit here and just shake my head. Of course, nothing changed.
The effects on my body and life brought me distress. I felt yucky. I lost my ability to feel full. Scary. And I felt lonely. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience? Believe me, when I say I understand, I understand.
Going through all this solidified in me a conviction I've kept to this day: Restrictive diets don’t work! I stand in awe of how God uses our lowest points to lead us to learn and grow. There is a reason that I, we, eat outside of the way and purpose food was created. Sure, food is fuel. And yes, it’s delicious and enjoyable. But there are driving forces that cause it to be a fix: excess stress, unhealthy relationships, career struggles, depression, failures, past hurts, spiritual voids, unresolved issues, and the list goes on. The results manifest physically in digestive distress and inflammation, joint pain, lethargy, sleeplessness, skin issues and countless other difficulties. Accelerated aging is a result. Cravings increase. Of course, unhealthy weight gain is an obvious side effect. Don’t be fooled; no one is immune from one or more of these driving forces. But we can learn and grow from them. Step-by-step. Making progress. That’s what healthy is.
I have a passion for helping women in many areas of their lives, and I have been doing so for more than 30 years. I lead small groups as well as one-on-one sessions with women. I am thrilled to add health and nutrition as a focus! I can say in both humility and strength that I am no longer a captive to my eating issues. With both support and a doable plan, I was able to break through. Me, perfect? Ha! Not at all. But I am no longer controlled by my unhealthy way of eating. To this day, I firmly believe that exceptional support in any area of life lights the path to victory!
I recently graduated from the Institute of Integrated Nutrition as a Holistic Health and Nutrition Coach. What is my focus? Simply put: I help busy women heal from unhealthy weight, calm stress and inflammation, eat ‘nutriliciously’, make healthy lifestyle changes, age fabulously, and therefore, Shine!
My philosophy? Food is meant for nutrition and enjoyment. It is not to be demonized.
My motto? Small steps lead to lasting transformation.
The results? Empowerment. Confidence. Victory. If you desire your own healthy transformation, then it IS possible! You can live a brilliant healthy life now. It's your time to Shine.
XO, MK