Several years ago, I went on the one and only diet I’ve ever done in my life, to lose 10 lbs. It was a project of sort - I didn’t even think of it as a diet!
I lost the 10lbs following a strict protocol and quickly gained all the weight back, plus a few more pounds.
Has this happened to you: lose weight, gain it back, and more?
Did you know that this happens to up to 95% of all people who go on diets to lose weight?
Imagine if diets were medications, they'd fail 95% of the time! If a pill didn't work for 95 out of 100 people it wouldn't be prescribed by doctors or stocked in pharmacies. Yet, many of us still embrace weight loss diets that often cause more harm than good.
It turns out that diets often fall short in delivering lasting positive results, and restrictive eating can sometimes backfire, leading to negative outcomes instead.
I did not know any of this until I became frustrated with the weight regain and lots of internal chatter I was experiencing.
My frustration led me to seek out a coach to help me unpack it all. That’s when I connected with Xen who taught me about mindful eating and introduced me to the Intuitive Eating framework. Coaching with Xen was so transformative that I became an Intuitive Eating counselor myself. I will forever and always recommend people to focus on wellness instead of weight loss, trust their own intuition instead of someone else’s information.
There are some exceptions, of course. But for the most part, I am eternally grateful to have had the “accidental diet” guide me back to self-trust and true freedom!
In the latest podcast episode, Xen and I delved into the undue pressure women often place on themselves concerning food, eating habits, body image, and weight.
We covered some simple tools to practice mindful and intuitive eating that will help you make decisions from your innate cues and wisdom. We talked about creating freedom instead of restrictions, especially in our middle years.
We also talked about Xen's personal journey during her Second Spring chapter, exploring her experience of downsizing her possessions, relocating to a new country with her spouse, and adjusting to life as empty nesters.
Please enjoy this fun and informative episode, especially if you have had challenges around food, eating, body image.
I hope you get to see that it’s not your fault - diet culture is unrelenting!
I hope you get to hear that we can overcome society pressure and our inner critic, release the burden and create freedom for ourselves.
Tune into the episode to find out how!
As always, I appreciate you sharing with anyone who can also benefit from this topic.
Thank you!
Xen Ayiotis is a mindful and intuitive eating coach who helps women get to the root of their food issues by changing their mindset to find freedom with food and peace with their bodies.
Xen is a mother, a wife, a lover of food, and adventures.
She is in transition and on the move, currently relocating from South Africa to the Netherlands with her husband. After getting rid of 90% of all their possessions, the empty nesters look forward to finding and creating a new place to call home.
Xen was actually a guest in my previous podcast. You can listen to us here talking about mindful eating around the holidays.
I also interviewed the co-author of the book Intuitive Eating, Evelyn Tribole. She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve talked to and you will see why in this episode.
Resources:
Second Spring Session with Kit
Intuitive Eating Coaching with Kit
Kit’s Upcoming Intuitive Eating Workshop
Second Spring Podcast: Xenia Ayiotis