McKel Hill Kooienga, MS, RDN, LDN
Founder of Nutrition Stripped and the Mindful Nutrition Method™
Kristin, one of our Mindful Nutrition Method™ members, shared with us that she always worried about her weight and what she looked like.
Because of this, she was constantly going back and forth between restricting and binging.
She even shared that she’s really good at losing weight, but she wasn’t able to maintain it for the long-term and she was “miserable” in the process.
She began using the practices and tools we teach inside of The Mindful Nutrition Method™, and this is what she shared just a couple of months later she has been able to let go of the diets and finally find balance, peace, ease, and consistency that she was looking for so long.
“I really truly believe that this has helped transform my life. I have gone from feeling miserable and honestly depressed and very stressed around food to now feeling excited to cook and to eat, and yeah, there’s not so much worry, I feel more alive. I feel happier and healthier, which is my goal.”
Watch this video to hear her full journey.
The Challenge: Cycling Between Restriction and Bingeing
Kristin was really focused on her weight and appearance, and when it came to her food choices, that was usually what was guiding what she ate.
“I’ve struggled with food for most of my life, most of my adult life,” she said. “I think, like most people, I worried about my weight, and what I look like, and what I eat.”
Feeling like she was constantly trying to lose or manage her weight, lead Kristin to find herself in a cycle where she would go all-in and restrict and monitor what she ate to then not being able to maintain that way of eating and feeling off-track.
“I was constantly going back and forth from restricting, to then completely the opposite end of that spectrum, I was binging a lot,” she shared. “I’m really good at losing weight — I know how to lose weight, it’s maintaining it and feeling good in that process because the way that I know how to lose weight is not fun, I don’t think it’s healthy, and honestly, I’m pretty miserable most of the time.”
What Didn’t Support Her Goals or Long-term Wellbeing
Kristin came to us after trying so many diets and plans, trying to find something that would finally stick.
“I can’t say every diet under the sun, but certainly many of them, most of them obviously restricting, focusing on the restriction of certain foods, and whether that be foods or calories or groupings of food, fat, carbohydrates, cycling.”
We’ve shared what happens when you try to avoid “bad” foods or count calories or restrict yourself in other ways.
These behaviors create a lack-mentality and cause you to become hyper-aware of what you “can’t” have, making you want them even more and creating that feeling that you’re “out of control” when around certain foods.
Additionally, these types of food rules aren’t practical for daily life, they ignore the many roles food plays in our lives including pleasure, and they cause you to ignore your own body’s needs to follow a specific rule.
Kristin shared that she eventually realized that any way of eating that is restrictive or regulated wasn’t going to be sustainable for the long-term.
“It just doesn’t work long-term for me, and I can’t imagine that many people can sustain that for very long. But even if they can, it’s not pleasant, it’s not a fun way to live.”
What Supported Kristin in Finding Peace and Balance With Food
1. A Positive and Practical Way to Nourish Herself
One of the elements that has supported Kristin in letting go of diets and food rules has been replacing those old habits with a new, more supportive way of nourishing herself.
Inside the program, she learned the Foundational Five, which is our system for making a well-balanced meal, without needing to count or track anything or eliminate any of your favorite foods from your diet. We cover more about this system and why it’s so effective inside of our free workshop.
“Using the Foundational Five meals really helps me focus on adding foods in rather than restricting foods, and I feel like when I focus on adding certain foods in, it does leave less room for the other foods that don’t make me feel so good,” she said.
This system is designed to be easy, practical, nutritious and delicious, shifting nutrition from something that feels very rigid and restrictive to something that’s enjoyable and abundant.
2. Reframing Her Thoughts With Food
The second element Kristin has been working on is reframing her thoughts with food. One of the pillars of our Mindful Nutrition Method™ is Mindful Mindset, and that’s all about cultivating a positive relationship with food.
Our members are brought through exercises and given tools to help them reframe all of the negative and unsupportive thoughts, beliefs, and habits they have with food and shift towards more positive thinking.
Here’s what Kristin said after using these tools:
“I had really been mostly focusing on my weight, my appearance, and everything sort of physical and outward, and working through the Method, I really feel like it’s helping me see that it’s not just about that, or not even mostly about that, it’s how I feel, how I’m living my life every day….”
She shared how learning to look beyond her appearance and learn how food is such a major part of her life really shifted the way she approached food and nourishing herself.
“Changing my focus from losing weight and my appearance to how I’m feeling and how I’m showing up for my days. Has really been a huge difference. It’s really taken the stress off of food for me.”
3. Guidance and Support from a Registered Dietitian and Coach
Kristin knew that if she wanted to end this cycle for good, she needed that guiding hand that could support her, hold her accountable, and guide her to not get pulled back into those old behaviors.
She said, “I’ve been working with Erica (NS Coach). I meet with her for 20 minutes once a month, and that accountability has been really, really helpful for me. And then any issue that comes up for me, she’s very good at addressing it and giving me several different options to choose from that work best for me.”
Learn The Practices Kristin Used to Transform Her Eating Habits
This is such a beautiful transformation Kristin had and we’re so grateful to have been part of her journey in making that possible for her.
You can learn exactly how Kristin, along with so many other members, experienced that transformation with their eating habits using The Mindful Nutrition Method™. Sign up to watch my free masterclass today, where you’ll learn about the #1 Habit That Keeps You Struggling With Your Weight and Relationship With Food — And How To Break Free From The Diet And Food Obsession Starting Now.
You don’t need to stress and obsess about food. There is a better way and yes it’s possible to cultivate a positive relationship with food! Join this free balanced eating masterclass to learn how.
