Body image is in your MIND; not your waistline. 

In the 10th episode of Diet-Free Living, I'm sharing the real reason behind feeling fat during a recent shopping trip and how I was able to overcome self-critical thoughts. 

Listen in to learn how you can cope when you feel uncomfortable in your body. Learn how to separate fact from emotions. And then what to do with those emotions. 

Would you mind taking 1 minute to leave a star rating and review? It would mean so much to me! 

Today's episode will blow your mind! This simple mindset shift will completely change your perspective. How you speak to yourself and the questions you ask yourself, makes a HUGE difference in how you feel.

Learn how your mind is a giant search engine and how your "search terms" make an incredible difference. Whichever questions you ask, your mind will deliver an answer. Whether it's valid or not. Are you putting in negative search terms? Or positive ones?

Negative questions are so common when you have the diet mentality ("why did I eat that?!" "Why can't I lose weight?!" "Why am I the worst?!") And it can leak out to other aspects of your life too.

Follow this 3 step method to start asking better questions and shift your mindset beginning TODAY.

As mentioned in this episode, I learned this concept from motivational speaker and High Performance Coach, Brad Bizjack. Learn more about Appreciation Academy at bradbizjack.com 

Did you try shifting your mindset with this method?! Let me know how it's going by sending me a DM on Instagram @loveyourself2healthy 

Is intuitive eating not working for you? Or you think intuitive eating doesn’t work in general? In today's episode, I explain the 3 most common reasons why intuitive eating isn’t working for you…yet!

There are some important nuances that often go missed when people try to eat intuitively on their own. So they give up and go back to dieting. Citing that intuitive eating doesn’t work. But it does! Tune in to learn what changes you can make today to get intuitive eating to work for you.

For more information, go to:

http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com

I used to think dieting was something I did for myself. But once I got married and had kids, I learned the hard way that dieting negatively impacts the whole family.

In this episode I share how my dieting hurt my family. And how 2 heartbreaking events in particular caused me to become an intuitive eater who prioritizes my mental health. 

For more information about Diet-Free Academy go to: loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy

Prioritizing your mental health is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Yes, I start this episode off with that bold of a sentence!

Your mental health is everything. It’s your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Which, if you really think about it, is essentially YOU. 

And less than a minute later, I drop yet another bold truth. No diet or lifestyle program on the market supports your mental health. In fact, anytime you are following food rules, restricting calories and/or food types, you are worsening your mental health. Which then causes you to question your judgement, highly criticize yourself, increase your anxiety around food, and have lower self-esteem.

Tune in to hear my 4 best tips to start prioritizing your mental health. Tips you can implement TODAY.

At the end, I invite you to join my next 12-week group coaching program, Diet-Free Academy. Join today and receive immediate access to the entire curriculum. With our weekly coaching calls and community beginning on June 28, 2021. Click here to learn more: https://loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy/

In the past 24 hours, two clients and one friend have asked me how to deal with weight loss-obsessed friends. Two of them were anxiously anticipating conversations about dieting and weight loss to come up prior to an event. And one was less than thrilled with her say-nothing responses to a friend who constantly shares extreme diets and self-criticisms. 

I know firsthand how difficult it can be to find yourself trapped in an exchange that’s dripping in diet culture. Especially, if like me, you’re previously known to have been the “good, healthy” friend who willingly engaged in this type of conversation! It is intimidating and uncomfortable to do a complete 180 and now shun diet culture when you used to champion it. But there are ways you can prepare and protect yourself from the non-stop “I need to lose weight” chatter.

In today's episode I share what to do in these situations, including:

I appreciate you for leaving a review! For more information go to http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com

Keep loving yourself towards healthy, friend! Meridith

Bathing suit shopping can be a dreaded experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Today I’m dropping 3 of my best tips for how to shop for your next bikini, tankini or one-piece without spiraling into self-hate or triggering a crash diet. You're going to want to listen through to the end, because my third tip is the method I personally used to completely transform my inner dialogue and heal my body image issues. 

I'm applying these 3 powerful tips specifically to bathing suit shopping, but putting these into consistent practice will make a significant impact in all other areas of your life!

Here are the links I reference in today's episode:

Ziva Meditation with Emily Fletcher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynzHRz2hciQ

http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com

I appreciate you for tuning in! If you could leave a rating and review, it would mean so much to me!

BIGGEST TAKEAWAY:

Wanting to lose weight is a response to something else going on in your life.

The desire behind wanting to lose weight is triggered by something else going on in your life. Often feelings of discontent, shame, sadness, anger, unworthiness, and anxiety. Or feeling out of control in our lives or circumstances.

The rules and black-and-white thinking behind dieting gives us the perception that we’re in control. Counting calories, balancing macros and restricting food feels empowering for a moment. But it backfires.

We are actually in less control when we diet.

In these moments of wanting to lose weight, we should instead be focusing on our mental, emotional and environmental health. Not trying to lose weight.

4 Ways to Cope When You Want to Lose Weight

1. Ask yourself: What else in my life is affecting me? What’s making me feel out of control?

2. Identify triggers that are in your control and then get rid of them.

3. Identify triggers that are not in your control or are difficult to change. Develop coping tools to deal with them in a healthy way (e.g. setting boundaries.) Have the difficult conversation with yourself on what big life changes you may need to make in order to protect your mental health.

4. Prioritize your wellness by establishing healthy behaviors that make you and your body feel its best.

For more information go to loveyourselftowardshealthy.com