This was my story and I’ve heard it HUNDREDS of times from women I’ve worked with over the years:
You grow up feeling obsessed or insecure about your body.
You lose weight (usually through an intentional fitness/weight loss journey but sometimes due to illness, grief or a traumatic event).
You experience an INFLUX of compliments and you LOVE what you see in the mirror.
You become *anxiously attached* to this result…your subconscious mind says: “I MUST KEEP MY BODY LOOKING THIS WAY. AT. ALL. COSTS.”
❗This is the moment❗
You start restricting food to the point of ignoring your human needs.
➡️ Physical needs - hunger cues/cravings
➡️ Emotional needs - connecting with others over food
➡️ Mental needs - enjoying food for pleasure, honoring cravings, feeling flexibility and freedom in what you can eat
Symptoms start developing as the body’s (smart) way of trying to get its needs met:
Constant food thoughts
Extreme hunger/cravings
Binge urges
Missing periods
Slowed digestion (constipation, bloat)
If you can relate to this story and are experiencing these symptoms now…play with me for a sec.
🪄 Let’s turn back time and consider an alternate reality with the same original circumstances:
You learn healthy coping skills to deal with your body image issues.
You get into fitness and make some conscious changes to your diet *without* restricting in an unhealthy way.
You lose fat and build muscle.
You experience the flood of compliments and the pride in how your body looks.
The voice comes in: “WE MUST KEEP THIS BODY AT ALL COSTS”, but this time…
…it’s no longer so intense.
And you’re AWARE of it.
Your CONSCIOUS (smart, higher brain) comes in and says:
“We hear you - AND we need to still meet our needs.”
“Our bodies will be exactly what they’re supposed to be when we are taking care of our needs.”
“Anything that would require us to sacrifice mental or physical health is not truly going to bring us health/happiness and is not sustainable.”
“I will accept wherever my body ends up when I’m meeting my needs and I understand these things will change with time.”
You may practice *restraint* around food to try to maintain your physique…but it does not lead to restriction.
You:
Continue to honor hunger cues
Continue to honor strong desires for food, and pull back when cravings are not as strong
Don’t obsess or stress over eating socially or spontaneous eating experiences because you know these are non negotiables for your life
Negative symptoms DON’T develop because your body and mind feel safe.
You don’t think about food between meals.
Your hunger and cravings ebb and flow but don’t feel intense most of the time.
Urges to binge do not develop.
Periods remain normal.
Digestion remains healthy.
And you proceed on your merry way to enjoying a full life feeling confident in your skin and at peace around food 💃🏼.
✨ YOU CAN STILL GET TO THIS PLACE NOW ✨
You can effectively turn back time by letting go of restriction and healing your relationship with food and body image.
It’s been an honor to help hundreds of women get here over the last 5 years, and I’ve done it myself.
To learn more about all of this, listen to this episode!
Contact me:
DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird
Email me at elena@elenakunicki.com
✨ Learn more about my group program + apply: bit.ly/normaleater
✨ Watch my free class - How I Stopped Binge Eating: bit.ly/howIstoppedbingeeating