Podcast

How Telling Yourself “I Deserve…” is Causing You to Gain Weight

SHOW NOTES: Episode 39

“I deserve some ______________”

How do you feel in the blank?

Ice cream, donuts, chocolate cake, a bag of chips, a big bowl of pasta?

When do you tell yourself this?

After a long day at work?  After you put the kids to bed?  After dealing with “those people” at church, the grocery store, the ballpark, etc?

Well… this way of thinking is causing you to gain weight, my friend.

And it’s time to stop the excuses and start losing the weight you say you want to want to lose and finally feel good in your skin!

Instead, let’s talk about what you really DO deserve! (And it isn’t to continue feeling the way you do right now)

Check out today’s episode.

Thank you for tuning in! I’d love to chat more about this and any other nutrition questions you have over on Instagram (@rachelmeigsking)!

In this episode, we cover:

  • The “I Deserve This” mentality 
  • Emotional eating
  • How to give yourself what you truly deserve and lose weight once and for all

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

  • Interested in joining A Body of Grace 12 week program? Book a call here
  • Follow A Body of Grace on Instagram: @abodyofgrace
  • Connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking
  • Want your official Caffeine, Protein, & Jesus merchandise? Shop here and use the code “BODYOFGRACE” at checkout.
  • Subscribe to Amanda’s YouTube channel
  • Want healthy lifestyle tips and encouragement? Join me over in my free Facebook community: Encouraging Christian Weight Loss

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Podcast

The Stages of Weight Loss {What Diet Experts Don’t Tell You}

SHOW NOTES: Episode 38

It’s time to tackle the myth that weight loss is linear.  

When you start losing weight, it actually doesn’t go down at a nice steady pace. Weight loss is a rollercoaster. The better prepared you are for the ride, the more you will enjoy it and stick with it.

On today’s show, Amanda Kaldor and I break down the stages of weight loss, including the ones where most women quit and why those stages are actually the WORST times to do so.

Check out today’s episode.

Thank you for tuning in! I’d love to chat more about this and any other nutrition questions you have over on Instagram (@rachelmeigsking)!

In this episode, we cover:

  • The stages of weight loss
  • Weight loss is not linear
  • Why you shouldn’t give up during a weight loss “plateau”

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

  • Interested in joining A Body of Grace 12 week program? Book a call here
  • Follow A Body of Grace on Instagram: @abodyofgrace
  • Connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking
  • Want your official Caffeine, Protein, & Jesus merchandise? Shop here and use the code “BODYOFGRACE” at checkout.
  • Subscribe to Amanda’s YouTube channel
  • Want healthy lifestyle tips and encouragement? Join me over in my free Facebook community: Encouraging Christian Weight Loss

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Podcast

A Body of Grace

SHOW NOTES: Episode 37

On today’s episode, I am officially announcing something exciting that has been going on behind the scenes! 

My good friend and business partner, Amanda, and I have created a brand new program called A Body of Grace. It’s been a wild ride, but so fun, and we are truly more excited than ever to work with our clients and watch their transformations unfold. This program is a 12 week program, and it is designed for women over the age of 35 that want to lose weight and feel confident inside and out without extreme measures. 

In this 12 week transformative program, you get the tools you need to reset your body back to God’s design for your life and feel great once again.

So is this program right for you and how to join? 

Check out today’s episode.

Thank you for tuning in! I’d love to chat more about this and any other nutrition questions you have over on Instagram (@rachelmeigsking)!

In this episode, we cover:

  • Losing weight without extreme measures
  • Pushing through discomfort to find true transformation
  • A Body of Grace

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

  • Interested in joining A Body of Grace 12 week program? Book a call here
  • Follow A Body of Grace on Instagram: @abodyofgrace
  • Connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking
  • Want your official Caffeine, Protein, & Jesus merchandise? Shop here and use the code “BODYOFGRACE” at checkout.
  • Want healthy lifestyle tips and encouragement? Join me over in my free Facebook community: Encouraging Christian Weight Loss

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Podcast

How Do You Take Thoughts Captive?

SHOW NOTES: Episode 36

How do you take thoughts captive and what does this even mean? 

Taking your thoughts captive means you choose what you allow to take up residence in your mind. It means aligning the desires of your heart with what God desires for you and then believing what God desires for you. There’s a huge difference in having that head knowledge and truly believing what you know to be true. 

It is not God’s desire for you to condemn yourself, constantly criticize yourself, and speak negatively toward yourself. Our thoughts have such a massive impact on our lives that it’s important to be able to discern between what God says and what the enemy is trying to lead us to believe. 

So how do we do this?

It’s all in today’s episode. 

Thank you for tuning in! I’d love to chat more about this topic and other nutrition questions you have over on Instagram (@rachelmeigsking)!

In this episode, we cover:

  • What it means to take thoughts captive
  • How to take thoughts captive

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

  • Interested in hearing more speakers from the Questions Believers Ask Workshop? You can find the event replay here
  • Connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking
  • Are you looking to improve your relationship with food and end the yo-yo, constant dieting and make the changes you need while being able to fully live your life? Let’s talk more! Submit this form and let’s chat!
  • Want healthy lifestyle tips and encouragement? Join me over in my free Facebook community: Encouraging Christian Weight Loss

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Podcast

Carb Cycling: Is This Weight Loss Strategy for YOU?

SHOW NOTES: Episode 35

The term “carb cycling” has been trending for several years now, and yet there is still so much confusion surrounding what it actually is and how to do it correctly. Carb cycling may seem fancy, but it is a pretty simple concept: you eat more carbohydrates on some days and fewer carbohydrates on other days. 

As with any nutrition strategy, carb cycling is not “magic.” It’s a tool in the toolbox of techniques that can be used to achieve a desired result. 

The big questions everybody wants to know: will carb cycling work for me and how on earth do you implement carb cycling?

I answer all of these and more in today’s episode. 

Thank you for tuning in! I’d love to chat more about this topic and other nutrition questions you have over on Instagram (@rachelmeigsking)!

In this episode, we cover:

  • What carb cycling is and what it is not
  • How to implement carb cycling
  • How to know if carb cycling is right for you

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Podcast

How to Actually Keep your New Year’s Weight Loss Resolutions

SHOW NOTES: Episode 29

Since this is the first episode of a brand new year, I thought it would be fun to dive into something on the forefront of most people’s minds…new year’s resolutions. 

Did you know that almost 50% of people who make resolutions on New Years want to lose weight? Making resolutions is easy, but keeping them is much harder. Typically 80% of new years resolutions fail within the first year with 20% of those being broken in January alone. So if you’ve made resolutions in the past only to break them within a few weeks…you are not alone. 

This is such a vicious and tiring cycle though, isn’t it? There is nothing new about a new year if you continue to repeat the same methods over and over and over again. Nothing changes if nothing changes. And you HAVE to be committed to change to begin to see results. 

In order to actually keep your resolution this year and for years to come to achieve lasting weight loss, we have to discuss some of the reasons that weight loss resolutions typically fail: 

  1. You aren’t planning: The plan doesn’t have to be hard – in fact, it shouldn’t be. It should be something simple and sustainable that you can stick to daily!
  2. You aren’t committed: Motivation is fleeting. Clearly define your “why” for doing this and find something that truly makes you committed to do the work. 
  3. You don’t have support: Without support, it’s hard to gain momentum and keep the consistency going to follow through. 
  4. You set unrealistic goals: When you set unrealistic goals, you set yourself up for failure and disappointment.
  5. You forget about grace: Everyone messes up. Don’t beat yourself up – just acknowledge the situation, evaluate it, and get right back on track. 

Now that you understand why failure is so common, let’s discuss how to actually keep your weight loss resolutions this year!

  1. You have to track: If you don’t track, you don’t have the data you need to evaluate to make the necessary changes.
  2. Make sure you are eating enough protein! You are doing your body a disservice, both healthwise and in how you want your body to look, by not eating enough protein. 
  3. Eat more fiber. Fiber helps keep you full and it helps keep your blood sugar balanced. 
  4. Limit added sugars. 
  5. Don’t be afraid of carbs. I did an entire podcast on why you shouldn’t be afraid of carbs, so if you haven’t already, please go back and listen to Episode 12: Carbs are not evil!
  6. Keep a journal: 99% of the time, the problem isn’t actually the food, and until you find the real root of the problem, the behavior will continue. 
  7. Hire a coach. And not just any coach, but a good coach. There is no one size fits all approach for everyone, and a good coach knows this. If you would like to explore what it would look like to work with a coach, I encourage you to watch my program video and fill out the application.

Thank you for tuning in! I’d love to hear how this episode resonated with you and what tips YOU are going to implement moving forward! I hope you enjoyed this episode. If so, please leave me a rating or review and connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

  • Reasons that weight loss resolutions typically fail
  • Tangible ways to actually keep your weight loss resolutions this year

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

  • Join us for the 5 day weight loss event, Feel Amazing In Your Skin, January 9th-13th: Register Here!
  • Check out last week’s episode here!
  • Connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking
  • Are you looking to improve your relationship with food and end the yo-yo, constant dieting, and make the changes you need while being able to fully live your life? Let’s talk more! Submit this form and let’s chat!
  • Want healthy lifestyle tips and encouragement? Join me over in my free Facebook community: Heart, Soul, Mind, & Body Wellness

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Clean Eating · Health · Healthy Desserts · Lifestyle · Nutrition · Plant Based · Weight Loss

Mini Pumpkin Pies

The holiday season is upon us! Halloween is over, and before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here and the Christmas season will begin. Holidays can be very “food focused,” but I want you to know you DO NOT have to feel left out when it comes to the more traditional desserts if you are focused on living a more healthy lifestyle or trying to achieve a certain goal. This mini pumpkin pie recipe is going to help you take back your love for pumpkin pie.

It’s is a crowd pleaser without any gluten or dairy, and it can be modified if you’re trying to avoid any refined sugars!

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients

2 GF pie crusts (store bought or homemade)
3 eggs
1, 15 oz. can pumpkin
1c brown sugar, or 1c coconut sugar
2 tsp pumpkin spice
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
1c full fat coconut milk
Whipped topping for garnishing
Cinnamon for garnishing

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350. Roll out the pie crusts on a floured surface, then use a 3.5-inch cookie cutter, or other similarly-sized lid or cup, to cut out circles in the pie dough. After you’ve cut out the circles, take the scraps of pie dough and form them into a ball, then roll out the dough again and cut out more circles until you have a total of 15. Place pie crusts in a muffin tin, and begin making the pumpkin filling. Crack and whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add pumpkin, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Stir until blended well. Stir the coconut milk into the pumpkin filling mixture. Fill pie crusts with ¼ c pumpkin pie filling. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the center of the pies are done. Let cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate. Serve chilled, garnish with the whipped topping and cinnamon. Enjoy!

*This recipe is courtesy of Fed and Fit

Podcast

Why Meal Plans Don’t Work

SHOW NOTES: Episode 19

I hear it all of the time, “Can you just write me a meal plan?”

It makes sense but I’m going to explain to you on this episode why meal plans actually don’t work and why I don’t write meal plans for you when we start working together. 

1. Changing your habits can take time. 

Remember your eating habits have been formed over several years so changing those habits will take some time. Meals don’t work because there are way too many habit changes happening all at once. As I tell my clients, baby step your way to greatness. Don’t set yourself up for failure by completely changing everything in one day. Make small changes as you go. 

2. Meal plans don’t allow for special circumstances or substitutions.

Meal plans teach you to eat one way and to follow that way perfectly. Imagine you had a vacation planned or a work trip planned…it would actually cause you stress to not be able to eat exactly as you had planned on that trip which could cause you to feeling like you failed. 

Meal plans also don’t teach you that there are hundreds of substitutions for certain foods. What if you get tired of eating the same thing every day? What if that food isn’t in season or isn’t available but it’s on your meal plan? You may feel like giving up. Working with a coach who teaches you nutrition will help you to actually enjoy eating and you won’t feel like you are held captive by a piece of paper that tells you exactly what to do. If you follow that piece of paper, you will never learn to make choices about the food you are eating and actually listen to what you body is telling you.

3. Meal plans are NOT budget friendly.

If your meal plan called for a salad one night but not the rest of the week, your produce will go bad before you can eat it again. That is money wasted. I teach my clients how to use the same ingredients in different ways so there is little to no waste.

Don’t fall into a vicious cycle of meal planning. You know what I’m talking about. You go off of your plan one night and then end up ordering pizza and say you’ll start again another day. You feel frustrated and want to give up.

So what can you do instead?

When you hire me as your coach, I work with you to create a plan that works best for you. It’s customizable and it can be changed as we go. You will have the knowledge you need to make food decisions on your own after working with me. You no longer have to have someone tell you what you can and can’t eat. You know what works for you and your body and how to feed yourself.

If this sounds like what you are looking for, go to www.rachelking.org/coaching and watch my program video and fill out the application to work with me. We’ll then have a conversation to see if we are a good fit and I’ll explain to you how I can help.

Remember above all else, reach out to God first and foremost and He will give you the tools and armor that you need to overcome anything and come out successful on the other side – even with food and weight loss!

Thank you for tuning in! I hope you enjoyed this episode. If so, please leave me a rating or review and connect with me on Instagram (@rachelmeigsking). Chat with you there!

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

  • 3 reasons meal plans don’t work
  • What works instead
  • How we can work together to help you feel confident in the food decisions you are making

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:

  • Check out last week’s episode here.
  • Connect with me on Instagram: @rachelmeigsking
  • Register for the “Feel Amazing Inside and Out” 5-day challenge HERE.
  • Are you looking to improve your relationship with food and end the yo-yo, constant dieting and make the changes you need while being able to fully live your life? Let’s talk more! Submit this form and let’s chat!
  • Want healthy lifestyle tips and encouragement? Join me over in my free Facebook community: Heart, Soul, Mind, & Body Wellness

MORE ABOUT FEED YOURSELF: HEALTHY HABITS FOR THE MIND, BODY, & SOUL PODCAST:

Feed Yourself: Healthy Habits for the Mind, Body, & Soul is all about learning the key components of overall health based on Biblical principles. When most people think about getting in shape and becoming “healthy”, they immediately think about their physical health: losing weight, making exercise a priority, possessing flexibility and endurance, and remaining disease free. But Scripture makes it clear that physical wellness is not the only area that impacts health. In order to be TRULY healthy, we have to focus on four areas: spiritual health, emotional health, mental health, and physical health. 

This podcast dives deep into the tools and head knowledge you will need in order to create lasting results, but it also looks at the element that truly ties it all together – the heart knowledge that incorporates faith in God in this area of our lives and how to apply it when things get tough (and they will!).

I wanted to create a space to let you know you are never alone on this journey. Through years of experience in doing everything the WRONG way, I am here to share my journey of getting healthy from the inside out – ditching the restriction and diet culture and truly learning to treat my body as the temple God intended it to be. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I discuss healthy habits to incorporate in your daily life to propel you forward and FEED YOURSELF on your journey to health in all areas: mind, body, and soul!

Before and After · Fat Loss · Health · Hormones · Lifestyle · Macronutrients · Metabolism · Muscle Gain · Nutrition · Results · Reverse Dieting · Transformation · Uncategorized · Weight Loss

Reverse Dieting

Reverse dieting may not be a phrase you’re super familiar with but this is how I help the majority of my clients when we begin working together. It requires a high level of trust because I usually have my clients start out eating more than they ever thought possible to lose weight – BUT that’s actually the reason they were having a hard time losing weight or they were stuck in a weight loss plateau in the first place. They simply weren’t eating enough! With that being said, let’s dive head first into reverse dieting. 

What is a reverse diet? 

This term is something that is really uncommon but it truly shouldn’t be. A lot of times reverse dieting is referred to as “the diet after the diet.” To make it simple, a reverse diet is a way to gradually increase calories over a few weeks or months to allow you to eat more food after you’ve been on a “diet,” or series of diets for that matter (where you are restricting calories or just not eating enough to fuel your body properly). This increase of calories also increases your metabolism and prevents fat gain or regain. 

I know what you’re thinking…”Rachel, that doesn’t make sense. You’re telling me to eat MORE and I’ll finally begin to lose weight.”

Yes. I am! Let me explain. 

When we go through restrictive periods (which most of us have in the past), and when we try these fad diets where we are eating 1,200 calories or less, our metabolism decreases. This is where we start to see weight loss plateaus. Think about it: you can only go so low with your caloric intake, right? Once you do, you can’t go any lower and your body stalls out in a lot of ways. There are also a lot of things going on behind the scenes in our bodies when we limit the amount of fuel we are taking in. We have been conditioned to believe that we are doing our bodies a service by restricting them, but here is actually what is going on: 

  1. We experience hormone changes, and this is where things can start to get out of whack pretty fast. Our bodies begin to either suppress or release various hormones to increase hunger and push us to eat more. Think about it: your body needs more fuel and you aren’t giving it the fuel it needs. So it starts using these hormones to send you signals that it needs fuel. Your body is literally saying “feed me!”
  1. Our digestion slows down because it’s trying to absorb as many nutrients and calories as possible because it isn’t sure when you are going to give it adequate fuel again.
  1. Our resting metabolic rate decreases, which causes our bodies to redirect all focused energy on vital organs to keep us alive. When you are eating a minimum amount of calories, your body has to focus on the essentials because you don’t have any extra fuel in the tank to dedicate to anything else – your body is almost in survival mode. You don’t have adequate energy to dedicate to “non-essential” functions, like hair and nail growth. If you’ve been restricting calories for a long time, you may notice that your hair is thinning or your nails are brittle. This is why. When I was in my 20s and was eating less than 1,000 calories a day, I saw a noticeable difference in my hair. I have always had super thick hair, but I noticed that it was becoming extremely thin. I didn’t know why back then, but looking back I had physical evidence of the damage I was doing to my body by not feeding it what it needed.
  1. You may also feel like you have less energy to exercise or you see a noticeable difference in stamina and endurance, even in day to day activities (cleaning, washing dishes, playing with your kids). This also means you burn less calories through the activities that you do. The good news is though that this metabolic adaptation likely isn’t permanent! Your metabolism can gradually increase as you begin to increase your calorie consumption. And this is where reverse dieting comes into play.

So, how do you know you need to do a reverse diet? 

There can be many reasons to try reverse dieting. For example, if you want to eat more without gaining weight or if you are someone who has  been dieting for a long time and you are ready to maintain your current level of body fat, then the reverse dieting method is right for you. This method is really great for the transition period from dieting to maintenance because it teaches you how to increase calories without going crazy in the process and regaining all the weight you worked so hard to lose. 

If you have been eating 1,200 calories (or less) a day and not losing weight, reverse dieting may be something you can try. Low calorie diets may result in weight loss for some, but it’s usually temporary – it isn’t sustainable. They can also trigger physical and emotional side effects, such as nutrient deficiencies, fatigue,  irritability, anxiety or depression, and obsessive thoughts about food and weight. Studies have also shown that following a 1,200 calorie diet or living a restrictive lifestyle actually boosted levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone known to increase belly fat.

Reverse dieting can also help improve body composition. In other words, you want to lose fat, gain muscle, and maintain your current weight. Increasing calories while keeping activity high is a really effective strategy for muscle growth.

Reverse dieting can be pretty great, right?! So why doesn’t everybody try it?

The mindset! 

Eat more food without gaining weight. That sounds too good to be true, right? And since we live in the glorious era of social media, it can be hard to know who and what to trust. But more importantly, what MOST of us are thinking is that we don’t fully trust our bodies. We have been conditioned to believe that we should punish ourselves for reaching this point (with starvation diets and overexercise), and we’ve tried ALL the things out there to lose the weight and none of it has worked – so something must be wrong with us. And that simply isn’t true. God created your body to work FOR you – not against you. Give it a chance – and GOD a chance – to take care of you. Work with your body – fuel it properly – take care of it – give it what it needs…and I promise you – it WILL respond. 

If this concept resonated with you and you’d like to learn more, I invite you to schedule a discovery call and see if it’s a good fit for us to work together. Click the link below to find a time that works for you. More importantly, I’d love to help you get clarity on what’s holding you back from trusting your body to work for you and not against you. Remember, you have to do the work – there is no quick fix, no magic pill, or end all diet…but when you do it God’s way, lasting change begins to come. 

Fat Loss · Health · Macronutrients · Metabolism · Nutrition · Uncategorized · Weight Loss

Why Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat

“Eating fat makes you fat.” That has been the school of thinking for most Americans for nearly two decades. 

This is a theory and a myth that is making our nation very sick and overweight.

As a kid growing up in the ‘90’s, I remember my parents buying “low fat” products. This craze took off like a rocket. Even though this myth has been dispelled now, so many of us are still fearful of eating fat.

This mindset, however, will get you nowhere with your weight loss goals. 

Incorporating the right kinds of fat into your diet will ACTUALLY help you lose weight and hit your goals. The body requires fat to function properly. Healthy fats provide anti-inflammatory benefits and improve insulin sensitivity. They help our bodies in a multitude of ways including optimal brain function and heart health. 

Our food choices affect everything. They control everything. Hormones, gut health, metabolism, heart health, brain health. All of these are affected by our food choices. 

Take sugar, for example. When you eat sugar, your brain gets a surge of dopamine, the feel good chemical. So when you eat sugar, your brain likes it! Then, when that sugar wears off, your brain is looking for the next hit. You continue to go through this sugar craving cycle. Your brain wants your body to feel good and safe and sugar will make that happen, even though it’s temporary. 

You can see how our addiction to sugar has contributed to our overweight and “low fat” addicted society. “Low fat” does not mean low sugar and oftentimes, if the fat is taken out of something, it’s replaced with sugar. 

Not all fats are created equal, however. I always advise my nutrition clients to avoid trans fat and saturated fats when possible. Keep it simple by prioritizing God-given foods and avoid man-made foods. 

The one thing I want to leave you with is this – You are in control of the weight you gain or lose by the quality and type of food you eat. Focus on healthy foods and the rest will fall into place. 

If you know your mindset around “low fat” foods is keeping you stuck, I’d love to invite you to apply for a laser-coaching call with me to help! We will dig deep on a one-time, 90 minute call to get you those mental breakthroughs so you can hit those weight loss goals you have. 

APPLY HERE