When I started my health journey, I hit a wall. I had the desire to make changes, but still wasn't making them. I didn't understand why. I suspected that it must have something to do with my brain. It did! I was hitting up against old programs in my brain and expecting different results, so I decided to start studying neuroscience. I wanted to learn how the brain works. I wanted to learn how to take control of my brain, and in essence myself. Interestingly, during this time, I started praying for God to help me "garnish my thoughts with virtue."
I came across an expert who was not only a neuroscientist, but also conducted research that proved that Quantum Physics and Neuroscience go hand-in-hand. I rediscovered meditation. I've been praying about meditation and experimenting with it. Then I came across a scripture that instantly came into my mind as a confirmation of the positive outcome I've experienced through meditation. I share the "positive fruits" with you in this episode. I also share about the things I've been learning during this season of my own personal "learning curve." Since I am still learning, it is important to listen with that in mind. I don't claim to have all the answers and I may only have one piece. Other pieces may be forthcoming and change my understanding and perspective entirely. It's happened before.
The goal for me is to share in hopes that I can give a voice to others who are experiencing similar things as me, to support others in their growth and in their own journeys, to inspire others to strengthen their relationships with God and include Him in the journey, and to share what I am learning.
Going through Food Addiction Recovery has required me to not only put my emotions and thoughts on trial and work through them, but it has exposed the underbelly of the essence of who I am and who I belong to. In other words, I suddenly feel open and vulnerable...something I'm not used to.
Coming through the doors of trauma and experiences that were harmful or painful, I got very good at masking, isolating, and oversharing. Now that I am on the other side of trauma and pain, I am learning how to be vulnerable and why it's good to learn how to be. While it may not effect my food choices, it does help me in terms of connecting with others in healthy ways, which is really the opposite of addiction. In some ways it feels like entering through a back door in regards to my health journey, and yet it simultaneously feels necessary, relevant, and important.
So how does one learn how to be vulnerable if they have experienced any type of trauma? Doesn't that leave us open to getting hurt? I answer these questions and more in this episode.
If you have questions or would like to discuss this topic or others from previous episodes, I invite you to connect with me in the Healthy & Bright community on Facebook. https//www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
Do you feel like you're just going through the motions, living out your life in a disingenuous way?
That's been me most of my life. When I started Bright Line Eating, doing a program that had rules, something wasn't clicking. I'd do it for awhile and than derail. I couldn't figure out what it was until this past week when I stumbled upon an interview and ordered a book I learned about through watching this interview on YouTube.
I share my takeaways, what I've learned so far, that is not only practical and applicable (my kinda style!), but it works! I'm only a few days in and have already noticed a difference in my attitude, my intentions, my ability to self-correct when I start reverting to my old ways, the mental chatter, and in my relationships. I feel like a sparkly, brand new version of myself...the "me" I've always wanted to be and knew I could be with God's help. I feel like God has been leading me through every step of my health journey and now, I'm on my way, living the life and becoming the person I know He intended all along. Because I know that my will is in alignment with His will for me, I have the confidence to move forward in my life and fulfill the measure of His creation that is "me."
There are many ways people can arrive to the same point I'm at, but what I share in this episode is what's working for me. I feel like I have a new lease on life and it feels amazing!
For more support in your health journey, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright .
Being the independent person I am, I went into food addiction recovery believing that I could avoid the monthly subscription to the official BLE community that supports the BLE (Bright Line Eating) plan. I figured that if I find and use my accountability partner and consistently show up in support groups on social media, that I would be fine. I'm not fine. I'm nearly a month off plan now. While I'm beginning to recognize old "scripts" I've been running off of - faulty, outdated beliefs I held about myself (i.e., lies), and how that's impacted me and my life in a negative way, I'm still hitting against the question of whether or not we can succeed without the support of the official BLE community.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
Sometimes it's hard to break old, bad habits and you may find that more often than not, you end up resorting to them. I realized this about myself and in that moment I understand that I needed more tools to support me in reaching my goals. What I was doing, clearly wasn't working. Can you relate?
This past week, I had some great take-aways and I share what those take-aways were and the tools that I'm discovering and collecting in order to support myself in my health journey.
For more support, I invite you to join us in our group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthyandbright
I wondered how it was possible for Passover and Easter to occur without celebrating it. Where did the time go? It wasn't until I put this episode together that I realized that an Easter miracle had transpired for me, during the time many were celebrating these two holidays.
At one point the lyrics to Chaka Kahn's "Through the Fire" came to mind but I heard them differently this time. When it gets to the chorus, I thought about how the lyrics described how I was feeling towards my Savior coming through my own "fire." I found it ironic how this fire felt like the "Refiner's fire." Nevertheless, these lyrics seemed to perfectly express how I felt about it...
"Through the fire,
To the limit, to the wall
For a chance to be with you I'd gladly risk it all
Through the fire
Through whatever come what may
For a chance at loving you
I'd take it all the way
Right down to the wire
Even through the fire"
This episode is probably the most raw, personal episode I've recorded and shared. It certainly is a record of the most profound healing I've ever experienced to date and the experience I share is nothing short of life-altering - a true benchmark - and an experience I will never forget! I'm not sure why Easter is a time I seem to experience incredible miracles, but it doesn't seem coincidental. Each miracle in my life that has happened around Easter time reminds me that our Savior lives on, that He loves us and is in the details of our lives, and that He is the reason we celebrate Easter and/or Passover.
Imagine what your spirit is like outside of your body? Then imagine going back into your body. How do you see yourself inside of your body? Did your mission on earth suddenly change? Do you identify yourself as your body?
This episode asks important questions that may help you see yourself differently, especially if you are a person who has identified yourself as your body (i.e., fat, ugly, etc.) It can help you with putting food addiction recovery into a healthy, proper perspective of something that is actually achievable. At the very least, you may grow a greater appreciation for the purposes that our bodies and spirits provide us.
To learn more about food addiction recovery visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthandbright
Binge-Eating Disorder - This week, I realized that I am not only dealing with a food addiction, but also a disorder. I discovered this the hard way.
Through the changes I've implemented in my life and in myself, my relationships are also changing. Those who cannot support me are falling away. Those who can, are emerging. Such is life and sometimes it's painful. I have been grieving over friendships that have shifted and fallen away. There is still and will always be love there; I've just learned to surrender to the natural ebb and flow of my relationships. We all are at different points of learning and sometimes we outgrow our relationships...sometimes permanently and sometimes not.
As a result, I resorted to old coping mechanisms and habits - very bad habits! Not only did I spiral through a dismal, hard, and painful week, I was so desperate to pull myself out of it that I did two things:
1) I learned everything I could about Binge-Eating Disorder and what I could do about it
2) I prayed. I told God how I was feeling and asked for what I needed
I share all about how I was able to transition from feeling utterly alone and unloved (loneliness), to peaceful, supported, and loved (solitude).
For more about Food Addiction Recovery, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
The journey through food addiction recovery has taken me through a series of steps, as if I'm walking through different corridors that lead to different "spaces" in life. I describe what this journey is like and the "spaces" I currently find myself in - from addressing the part that agency plays, the undoing-ness of an old lifestyle and implementation of a new lifestyle, the "alone-ness" that has sometimes accompanied me on this journey, as well as the profound peace and love that I'm discovering.
We each have our life journeys and no two are the same. There are similarities and there are differences. Each trial we endure gives us an opportunity to increase empathy and compassion... to learn new and deeper ways to love.
No matter what it is that you are working on improving, there is one thing I can guarantee... you WILL encounter naysayers... sometimes in mass quantities! It will stink! You will feel unsupported. You will feel dismissed. You will feel disrespected. You may even feel hurt and discouraged, but I argue that we need them. If you are not in a strong enough space to deal with the naysayers, you may feel the need to put in some boundaries with them; however, what I've noticed about food addiction recovery, is that I've encountered so many naysayers and most of them were dear friends or family members. They weren't acquaintances, which meant that if I continue to put in boundaries with all of these people I love, I will find myself alone. No one is perfect.
Not only did this experience put an exclamation point on the importance and value of addiction support groups, but I also realized that I needed to learn how to accept and handle differing opinions, thoughts, and feelings. I couldn't learn that piece if the naysayers didn't have the courage to be vulnerable in expressing theirselves, or if I kept putting in boundaries. In the beginning, I needed those boundaries, but as I've been learning and growing, I'm becoming stronger and more confident in the process of recovery. I have finally reached a point, where I can open myself up periodically and consider what they're saying, and still be okay. I am learning how to disagree without becoming disagreeable. Through this process, I am learning how to weather the storms of my food addiction recovery and so can you.
The things that inspired you to begin on your health journey weren't just a coincidence. There is a reason behind it. There is inspiration behind it. When you don't get the results you want right away, in the way that you want them, it's easy to lose your focus and veer into another lane. Stay in your lane! What works for others may not work for you and that's okay. Before you doubt your plan of action, be willing to investigate the reasons why you're not working that plan or why you don't want to? Chances are that if you switch lanes BEFORE you figure that piece out, you will carry those same issues with you, into a new plan (or "lane").
I have tried over 20 diets/health plans. I actually wrote them all down and figured out why I stopped working those diets and plans. What I learned is that I experienced the most success whenever I stuck to my original plan. I was able to focus and stuck to the plan exactly as it was intended to be followed. I also discovered what pieces I was seeking and why I was seeking them, before I ultimately landed with Bright Line Eating. It is one of many reasons why I know that finding Bright Line Eating was inspired. It answered every single issue I had with previous diets and plans that I've tried. It FELT right even though it is "the harder way." The good news is that it's gotten increasingly easier over time, but that doesn't mean there aren't times when I see others experiencing results I want through a different method or way. You know what they say... comparison is the thief of joy.
If it's working, even if it's slowly or in ways you didn't expect, appreciate your growth and any small or large successes and by all means... STAY IN YOUR LANE!
I've always admired disciplined people and simultaneously, discipline felt elusive to me. I would wonder how these disciplined people became disciplined. Is it really just a matter of changing your mindset - your beliefs, your attitudes, your thoughts? If I just change my thoughts, will I suddenly become disciplined? I've learned that it's that and more!
In this episode I share about the catalyst that has been teaching me about how to discipline myself in hopes that it can help you. I share why I wanted to become disciplined and the benefits of working on this principle. I share what kept me from becoming disciplined so that you don't make the same mistakes I did. It's interesting to me that I could only learn discipline on the heals of learning to surrender. Discipline indeed, enters through the doors of surrender.
Share your thoughts here -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
Last December (2022), I noticed a shift in my heart. I no longer felt a desire to strive for food addiction recovery. I no longer wanted to put forth the work and effort it required. Not only have I been struggling with a lack of commitment to my food addiction recovery plan, I was simultaneously struggling with my lack of commitment in regards to my relationship with Jesus Christ. I couldn't figure out why the sudden change of heart. Feeling the pain from making poor decisions, in desperation I plead for Jesus to give me a new heart; one that would be loyal to Him, love Him more than myself, and one that would be completely committed and devoted to Him. I plead for this not even knowing what I would need to surrender. I begged Him for this not understanding the part repentance would play. In truth, although I had heard the word "surrender" in conjunction with "food addiction recovery" many times, it hadn't become real or personal to me yet, not until now.
This episode is different than the others I've done on here. It is unplanned, unscripted, unedited, unfiltered, and 100% raw. This is the current lesson I am learning and I share all about it in this episode.
I invite you to discuss this topic in our online support group on Facebook called "Healthy and Bright." https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
.This episode is probably one of my favorites! I won't lie. I've been in a slump over this past 2 weeks and eating off plan. I have probably gained 10 pounds in the last 2 weeks. (I'll find out today when I get weighed at the doctor's office). I felt completely uninspired this morning. It is always the hardest to record an episode when I'm in a slump, so I prayed. I asked for inspiration, strength and power to overcome temptation, and help. I got it and right away! I immediately opened a book that was gifted to me. It is a book of devotions for the recovering food addict. It was manna to my soul and it is precisely the message I knew I needed to share today.
How do you generate hope, excitement, enthusiasm, motivation, and joy when you feel the exact opposite? The short answer is to pray. In this episode, I share the long answer... all the yummy details... that will leave you feeling better than you did before you listened to this episode. I can say that because even as I was listening to myself share the message, I stopped (you'll hear it in the episode) and realized that I was excited to not only "start again," but to carry on with my day and all of the things I had scheduled in it.
There is a shame cycle that parallels (food) addiction. Staying on this cycle prevents us from moving forward and progressing. It breeds pride and tells us that we must hide or escape the inevitable, unbearable failure, so that no one can see it. It lends itself to perfectionism (i.e., impossible standards). Shame destroys. It tears down. It keeps us small and hidden away. It keeps us lost and without solutions. In this episode, I share how you can break that cycle and free yourself from shame, why we need God, and how extending compassion to ourselves as we strive to progress and can help you move forward.
Join our group, "Healthy and Bright" for discussions or to reach out to me, Julie ( a.k.a. Julia). https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
The last four days, I had experienced a variety of uncomfortable and somewhat painful symptoms flare up rather suddenly. It wiped me out and I was pretty much confined to either my couch or bed. I got behind in a lot of my household chores. To top it off, it snowed most of those four days. The only exception was a little sunshine (which I was immensely grateful for) on Saturday. Between the symptoms and gloomy, cold weather that dominated over those four days, I hit a wall and fell into a pit of depression and anxiety. By the fourth day, I was so worn out and fatigued that I was desperate for anything to lift me out of the pit of depression and anxiety. I made a pour choice and once again the truth was staring me in the face, "The answer to our problems will never be through (processed) food." There it was. I saw it and I knew it. Usually, when I encounter a truth bomb that goes off in my face, the only way to survive the impact is to make a choice about what I will do differently.
It's stupid really...I knew better than to keep the remains of the backfired "bake an take" sugary, unopened ingredients in my pantry, BUT, I apparently believed that if I didn't feel tempted one day by them, that I would never feel tempted by them. I didn't even store them at eye-level. It only took one intense bout of depression and anxiety to feel desperate enough to allow the temptation to partake of them, to seep through the cracks of my own pride...the pride that told me that I was about the temptation. I felt worse afterwards. My problem had only compounded. As I sat there on the couch that night with my daughter, and removed the food from out of sight, we had a discussion about how we were feeling emotionally and that's when inspiration came knocking at my door in the form of an "unexpected remedy." I share in this episode what my daughter and I decided to differently moving forward (so grateful that she is so supportive of me through my recovery). I share the inspiration in hopes that it may help you too.
For continued support through your health and/or addiction recovery, I invite you to visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
It has been said that the 12-Step Addiction Recovery Program was inspired by the Beatitudes found in the book of Matthew, chapter 5, verses 3-12. I don't know if that is true, but upon further study, I have discovered correlations between the two. In this episode, we delve into the Beatitudes and extract principles that support the 12-Step Addiction Recovery Program. Discovering these connections has strengthened me in my resolve to "stay the course" in food addiction recovery. It has brought peace to my mind and heart. My hope and prayer is that it will offer the same peace and enlightenment for you.
All episodes of the "Foodiciton" podcast are open for discussion here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
When I was feeling sick, I went in to see my doctor and he prescribed me Amoxicillin for a sinus-infection. I had stayed on my Bright Line Eating plan throughout the ten days I was on my prescription and noticed that I had gain two pounds. By the last day, I was back to the same weight I was when I started. Overall, while I didn't gain, I didn't release weight either. I was a little puzzled by this and decided to look into medications that cause weight-gain. In this episode I share some common, specific medications that have the side effect of weight gain, what types of medications typically do cause weight gain, why they cause it, and what you can do about it.
If you would like to see the list for yourself, feel free to hop into the support group on Facebook called, "Healthy and Bright:" https://www.facebook.com/healthyandbright .
In there you will also find a post with an image that shows you which type of prescription depletes your body of certain vitamins and minerals.
There is a lot of talk about goals this time of year, but today I want to talk about habits... all of those habits that help us reach our goals, or in other words, become the person we wish to become. These three tips are not about rigidity or rules. In fact, quite the opposite! You mean there's an easier way? Yes! There is! Not only is it easier, but more effective too. There is hope! Anyone can do these three simple things to create new habits and that's what I love about them the most.
If you would like to discuss this topic or others from previous episodes, or if you would like additional support in your health goals, hop into the "Healthy AND BRIGHT!" group on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright You'll find recipes, monthly meal menus and meal ideas, resources, humor, new friends, confidentiality, accountability through our group chat, support, announcements and event information, new podcast episodes, and spiritual inspiration.
What is "Post-Event Collapse Syndrome" and what can I do about it?
This episode sheds light on a term that Dr. Susan Pierce Thompson coined as "Post-Event Collapse Syndrome." I didn't even know it was a thing until a friend mentioned it on social media and I came across a V-log that Dr. Susan Pierce Thompson did. The timing of this was right smack dab in the middle of my own post-event collapse and helped me get through it.
Check back Mondays for new episodes! Join our online discussions in our "Healthy and Bright" group on Facebook -> facebook.com/groups/healthyandbright
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