I was so desperate and defeated that I was googling destructive diets that I’ve done in the past. I was also searching for food counselors because I felt so messed up that I thought I might need some counseling (don’t we all). I then stumbled upon Lindsay with Keep Your Plants On. I instantly private messaged her on Instagram asking her about her program. She responded with the most beautiful voice message to me that went something like this:
When it comes to self-sabotage, it’s something we do when we try to do someone else’s diet or fit into someone else’s plan. When we do something that doesn’t align with our core values that matter to us, we tend to contort back into our old habits. This makes us think that our body is the enemy. Self-sabotage usually is a response to restriction. When we are restricting things that don’t matter to us there is going to be backlash.
Cue instant tears! Her message spoke directly to my heart. She encouraged me and reminded me that my body wasn’t the enemy. She gave me hope and made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this struggle of body image and destructive thinking.
I walked out the three-month program with Lindsay that she provides to clients and I can’t speak highly enough about it! She took me through some deep inner work by simply listening and asking the right questions. She has a SPECIAL GIFT! It felt good to show up for myself daily and stop the “I’ll start over tomorrow” mindset. I chose to do the group coaching and getting to know a few other women along this journey was very vulnerable and uplifting!
Some things I learned
- I developed a Why that was short and strong enough to stop me in my tracks when I was headed towards destructive thinking and actions that would sabotage my health.
- I showed up for an hour long zoom meeting with Lindsay and my group every other week for three months. These meetings fired me up and challenged me in ways I have never been before.
- I determined that I wanted to be someone, not just do another diet.
- I paid attention to what I said about myself daily. What was my internal dialogue really reaffirming?
- I realized that I am what I repeatedly do. True, meaningful habits aren’t quick fixes.
- I worked on my daily habits and built on them when I was successful. My health is a mirror of my daily habits!
- I determined to make my health non-negotiable.
- I learned to be reliable to myself and show up daily! I learned how to create a trustworthy foundation for myself.
- I was reminded weekly that a healthy, high functioning body will serve me for the rest of my life.
- I worked on creating an environment that was the least tempting. The most disciplined people live in the least tempting environments.
- I worked to discover the foods that triggered inflammation within my own body!
- I learned that energy and motivation fatigues and to not exhaust myself trying to use willpower.
- I changed my mindset and my environment to maximize my health.
- I had a mindset switch about diets and how we tend to constantly start and stop them. Instead, I realized that if something isn’t sustainable and if it doesn’t mean something to me, I will just go back to another diet after this one and keep the cycle going.
- Lindsay’s program didn’t give me another diet. It gave me the tools that will set me up for success because I’ve done the inner work!
- Instead of spending most of my mental capacity with destructive thinking about my body and food I learned how to free up so much mental space thinking about things that actually matter to me!
- Having a healthy mindset with tools/systems in place allows me to reach my goals and keep them!
- Food is beautiful! It is NOT the enemy! I will enjoy the food I put in my mouth and let it nourish me. I will no longer feel guilty about eating “that” food or not following “that” diet rule. I now see the big picture.
- I am less likely to self-sabotage to because I care about the person I’m building! When shame isn’t present, I will no longer look away.
- I’m learning to be patient and enjoy my health journey. It is no one else’s journey but mine. Weight loss will be a by product of following the healthy habits and tools I have learned along this journey.
- Food will never satisfy emotional hunger. I’m learning to build, not tear down.
- I learned what a properly aligned life looks like. Just like tires need alignment to function properly for the long haul, so must my body and mind!
- Diet culture is real. It is benefiting off our failures.
- Progress gets me further than perfection ever will.
- I’ve learned to trust myself and the food I put in my mouth instead of being scared of it.
- I deserve to live at a weight that I don’t have to manipulate in order to maintain.
- Although I love the outward results of success, I’m learning to appreciate the daily unseen work under my skin!
- I learned about the gut-brain connection, hormone health, and how certain foods affect me for the good or bad.
Are you ready to stop dieting too?
If you are an all or nothing person, with a destructive food/body image mindset, I want to encourage you to invest in 3 months with Lindsay. She is the most kind-hearted, encouraging soul and she will take you along a journey that will help you heal and rebuild the person God intends you to be! Please reach out to her today for more information. In the words of my friend Lindsay, Stop dieting and start nourishing your body sustainably!
You can find Lindsay here:
Lindsay Tobias is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, foodie, public speaker, and follower of Jesus Christ. She graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where she learned innovative coaching methods, practical lifestyle management techniques, and over 100 dietary theories from some of the world’s top experts.