Personal note: Two weeks ago I shared one of my private VIP emails on the blog about how I knew when I was at my natural weight, and it got a TON of love. You girls loved the authenticity of it, and I loved sharing it with you. 

So, this week, I decided to share another VIP email with you that I sent out a couple of weeks ago, to give you the opportunity to enroll in my free VIP emails if you resonate with them.

I’m sending another one out tomorrow (these only go to my VIP email list, sign-up here if you’re not on it) where I answer: “How do you stop obsessing over food in between meals?”

So, in it’s natural form, here is the VIP email I sent to share how I stopped counting calories, totally raw, real, and unedited.

This weeks VIP Q+A reader question was: “How did you stop counting calories? For close to five years now, I’ve been completely obsessed with calories and counting numbers — calories in the food I eat, calories in the food I will eat later, what foods will save me calories so that the end number is lower, etc. It’s consuming all my mental energy, and I’ve noticed a self-absorption in my attitude that keeps me from engaging with the people around me. The problem is, calorie counting is such an automated response that I do it subconsciously. I literally have not had ONE DAY in the past 5 years where I didn’t count calories. I feel trapped! How did you break out of the calories prison?”

This question hits so close to home for me.

If you’ve read my story before, you know that I was trapped in calorie counting hell for 6 years of my life before I finally gave up dieting for good.

It really does feel like prison.

Like you’re locked up, and there is no way out.

So, how did I do it? How did I stop counting calories?

First, I want to be super transparent and tell you that I deleted my calorie counting app. from my phone SO MANY TIMES before I finally deleted it for good.

So, if you’ve deleted it and uploaded a calorie counting app. from your phone COUNTLESS times, just know you’re not alone. I know how hard it feels to really give it up.

To start, I deleted the app. And then I re-uploaded it, and deleted again.

I honestly believe that this is just part of the process, and if you’ve been counting for long enough that you feel tied to it, just like I did, you have to leave room for this.

I’d love to say just delete the app. for good, but chances are, it’ll take a few times to really solidify the belief that counting calories does NOT make you happy and is NOT in line with what you want for your life.

The second thing, FIND A HIGHER PURPOSE & MORE JOY.

Find more meaning in your life outside of controlling your body. Find more joy in your life to help you see that controlling your weight really doesn’t bring you joy.

Third, change your surroundings. PLEASE, unfollow those people who, when every time you look at their Instagram, you feel triggered. It’s just not worth it.

Fourth, change the way you’re speaking OUT LOUD. If we want to be more free from criticism, we need to stop criticizing.

As Marianne Williamson said… “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

Start to BE the example. Find JOY in being an example to other people, and in turn, giving them permission to let go of the weight/calorie obsession as well.

BE the change that you want to see.

Stand up for your friends when they put themselves down. Stand up for people who are trying to honor their bodies. Do not stand up for dieting and calorie counting.

Get curious about the amount of joy you can have free of dieting. There is so much joy to be found!

Start to have more FUN with food. Start to rebuild your relationship to it.

Begin to appreciate food and its unique nature. Think about how sweet and wonderful an organic strawberry tastes. Or how wonderful apples taste when you cook them in olive oil and their skin caramelizes making them sweet as candy.

Buy the best cheese in the store, and make yourself the best panini you’ve ever had your hands on. ENJOY your food. Sit down with it. Give it your attention. Be excited about it. Have a relationship with it.

And most of all, as you’re doing this (having more fun with food), notice how when you have more satisfying experiences with food, you’re more able to MOVE ON after you eat and focus on OTHER important things in life.

Really get IN your life. Feel the good and the tough. One thing you’ll have to face when you stop counting are all of those things that counting distracted you from.

But don’t worry, this is WORTH it. It’s apart of life. We ALL have to deal with the tough stuff. Get support! (If you’re curious to know if I would be the right support for you, please fill out a Health Coaching application and I’ll let you know)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to sign-up for my VIP Q+A emails, and send a question in to be answered!