Me from 2013 vs. 2021

 2013 vs 2021

The picture on the left is a pic of me from 2013 three days before I went on my first date with my husband.

The picture on the right is a pic of me from a few days ago.

Obviously, there’s a difference between how I look in the two pictures.

First, there’s the obvious difference, and the one that we focus on first. The weight.

How many times do we see someone we know who has gained weight and think, “They’ve really let themselves go”.

You may even be thinking that about me now.

And the truth is, I have let myself go.

In 2013…

I’d barely eaten fruit in 3 years because I was worried about how many grams of sugar it contained.

I weighed myself every morning, and decided if I was successful or not based on what the scale said.

I was hungry all the time, because I barely ate more than 1000 calories a day.

I obsessed about food constantly, because when you place almost every food on the forbidden list, food becomes all you can think about.

I exercised a lot, even when I didn’t want to.

And I truly believed my ability to find and be loved by a man was based on my dress size.

So yes, if you think I’ve let myself go, you’re absolutely right.

In 2021…

I eat fruit almost every day, because I LOVE FRUIT!

I rarely weigh myself anymore, because I don’t need the stress.

I eat when I’m hungry (and stop when I’m full).

I no longer use control (or lack thereof) over food as my main way of dealing with life and my emotions.

I no longer think about food all day, and my brain is free to think about things I really love.

I eat out with my family, AND I eat the same food they eat…not just salads with no dressing.

I only exercise when I want to, and I don’t think of it as a way to burn off the calories from what I ate.

I know I’m worthy of being loved and accepted, just because I exist.

I’ve had to let go of a lot of things. And in the process, I’ve gained so much more.

If this post resonates with you, I want you to know that this is possible for you, too.

I can help you.

P.S. - If you're a woman who wants to learn more about self-love and body acceptance, sign up for my newsletter. It's filled with so much good info. I can't wait to share it with you! Sign up here

Why Do We Keep Clothes That Don't Fit Anymore?

 WHY DO WE HANG ON TO CLOTHES THAT ARE TOO SMALL FOR US?

I have a pair of Christian Louboutin heels.

I bought them years ago as one of my first purchases after getting a real job.

So as you can imagine, I have a lot of sentimentality attached to them.

But here’s the thing, they’ve always hurt my feet.

In fact, when I told the salesperson that they hurt my feet, he informed me that “Christian Louboutin shoes are not supposed to be comfortable…they’re supposed to be fabulous”.

So there I was unsuccessfully attempting to wear heels that hurt.

Well, after having kids my feet grew and they don’t fit anymore at all.

They’ve been sitting in a box in the back of my closet for years.

CLOTHES THAT NO LONGER FIT SERVE NO PURPOSE.

In reality, they bring no joy. Yes, they used to bring me joy, but they don’t anymore.

What am I truly getting out of a pair of shoes that is sitting in a box in a closet?

But the crazy thing is it has been so hard for me to sell them or give them away because there’s so much meaning that I’ve attached to them.

I bought them during a time in my life when I was in a smaller body, so when I think about those shoes, I can’t help but think about my old body.

I have pictures of myself in my old body wearing those shoes, and they are not memories that are easy to let go of.

However, no matter how much I fight it, the reality is…those shoes are never going to fit my feet again.

I’ve been holding onto them for years thinking if I could just find the perfect magical diet, I’d lose a ton of weight and be able to wear my Louboutin’s again.

I’m sure you can imagine how that has gone.

The truth is, I don’t need to lose weight to be able to wear Christian Louboutin shoes if I want. I could just go buy bigger shoes…right now.

But I’m not going to because they hurt my feet and I’m too old to wear shoes that hurt.

I also no longer want to keep clothes in my closet that don’t fit.

I no longer want to keep sacrificing my soul and happiness for diets and diet culture.

So I’ve given the shoes to my sister.

I hope she loves them. They have a special place in my heart, and I know they will serve her so much more than they have been serving me sitting in a dust bag in my closet.

At least they will finally be getting some use.

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My Lifetime of Dieting Exposed

HERE’S A LIST OF ALL THE DIETS I’VE BEEN ON IN MY LIFE:

DASH diet

Cabbage Soup Diet

Slim Fast

South Beach Diet

Atkins Diet

My Fit Foods jump start plan

Snap Kitchen jump start plan

Lean Cuisine

Healthy Choice

Weight Watchers

Keto

Whole 30 (I know, they say it’s not supposed to be used as a diet)

21 Day Fix

Personal Trainer Food

Bright Line Eating

Carb Cycling

And probably some others that I’ve forgotten about.

I’ve tried losing weight on my own. I’ve joined online weight loss communities. I’ve joined in-person groups. I’ve joined virtual groups. I’ve downloaded weight loss apps. I’ve bought a lot of weight loss books. I hired a dietician. I’ve hired personal trainers. I’ve hired accountability coaches. I’ve hired weight loss coaches.

NONE OF IT WORKED.

You may be thinking, “What’s wrong with Trina?” or “If she failed at that many diets, obviously the problem is with her.”

Here’s the truth…the diet industry is the only industry that sells us products that don’t work long-term, yet when they fail, we blame ourselves instead of the diet.

That would be like me as a doctor telling a patient if they take the blood pressure medicine I’m recommending, it will lower their blood pressure for a few months. But after those few months pass, the medication will stop working, and their blood pressure will rebound and shoot up and possibly cause them to have a stroke.

How many of you want to take that medicine?

Yet, that’s exactly what we do to ourselves over and over again when we keep going on diets.

TRADITIONAL DIETS DO NOT WORK! Trust me, I’ve tried enough to know.

So what’s the answer then?

After a lifetime of dieting I have finally found the thing that works…Intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating is not a diet. There are no strict rules about what you can and cannot eat.

Intuitive eating is about following your intuition and listening to your body and following your natural hunger and fullness cues.

Intuitive eating encourages you to reject the diet mentality, because diets don’t work…at least not in the long run.

Of course they all work initially, because you’re limiting what you’re eating. But think about it…how long did your weight loss success actually last? How long before you gained the weight back and were searching for your next diet?

When you think about it, diets do work at one thing, which is making us feel like failure.

And diets work really well for those companies selling the diets, as they get richer while you continue the endless cycle of yo-yo dieting.

I am on a mission to help as many women as I can learn what I have learned. I have never felt as much freedom or happiness as I have felt this year since rejecting traditional diet culture, diet rules, and learning how to eat intuitively.

If this is something you want to learn, too, I can help you.

Don’t spend another day feeling guilty about the food you’re eating, feeling like you can’t eat what you want to eat, criticizing your body, and feeling bad about your weight.

Let me help you learn a different way.

I’m a physician and I’m also a self-love and body acceptance coach, which is an incredibly powerful combination.

P.S. - If you're a woman who wants to learn more about self-love and body acceptance, sign up for my newsletter. It's filled with so much good info. I can't wait to share it with you! Sign up here

I Wore the Dress!!!

I WORE THE DRESS!!!

A few weeks ago I went shopping. While at the store, I wanted to buy a certain dress, but it was sleeveless and I was feeling self-conscious about my arms.

In the end I bought the dress, I brought it home, and I wore the dress anyway.

Even though I still had some hesitation about wearing it in public, I decided to let my healthy voice win.

You see, we all have an “unhealthy voice” in our heads and a “healthy voice”.

Our unhealthy voice is the voice that tells us “you look fat in that outfit” or “you need to lose weight” or “are you sure you want to eat that? Look at the calorie count”.

Our healthy voice says “these are my arms and there’s nothing wrong with them” or “this dress is beautiful and I’m going to wear it anyway”.

This time, I chose to listen to my healthy voice, and I’m so glad I did.

The process of learning to accept your body isn’t always easy, but it is possible.

Just like me, I’m sure you have a dress or outfit sitting in your closet that you haven’t worn because you don’t feel attractive enough in it.

I just want to encourage you to reject your unhealthy voice and wear it anyway.

When I wore my dress, I felt beautiful. I’m so happy I decided to accept myself for how I look and put on the dress.

P.S. - If you're a woman who wants to learn more about self-love and body acceptance, sign up for my newsletter. It's filled with so much good info. I can't wait to share it with you! Sign up here

You Don't Have to Eat the Entire Bag of Candy

JUST BECAUSE THE BAG OF CANDY IS SITTING THERE DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO EAT THE WHOLE THING.

I had an awesome experience today. I wanted some candy. If you've been following my posts, you know that I no longer follow diet culture rules, and instead follow the principles of intuitive eating.

In other words, IF I WANT SOME CANDY, I ALLOW MYSELF TO HAVE SOME CANDY!

Let me tell you how amazing it feels to give myself permission to eat candy whenever I want it.

The reason I'm able to do this is because I'm no longer eating candy to dull my emotions. Instead, I only eat candy now if I truly want it.

LET ME EXPLAIN MORE...

How many times have you eaten sweets, but when you really stop to think about it, you were only eating it to make you feel better about something else going on in your life?

It's not your fault. That's how our culture teaches us to respond.

You have a bad day at work? Eat some M&M's.

Get in a fight with your spouse? Eat a Snickers bar.

Your kids stressing you out? Eat some skittles...then eat some ice cream too while we're at it.

That's how so many of us react to stress, and it's how I used to react to stress too.

I used to eat to make the pain go away. Anyone identify with this?

But I don't do that anymore because I've learned a better way (and I can teach you a better way too).

Now if I'm stressed or upset, I deal with it through ways that don't involve eating.

That means I only eat candy when I actually want candy...not because I'm trying to run away from something else in my life.

Learning how to do this has been so transformative.

Today, when I bought myself candy, I really thought about it after every bite. I checked in with myself. I asked myself if I felt satisfied or if I wanted more.

Once I'd had enough, I stopped. Well, to be completely honest, I probably ate one more handful past feeling satisfied, but the point is, THERE WAS STILL CANDY LEFT IN THE BAG WHEN I GOT DONE!

I did not feel like I had to eat it all just because it was there!

How many times have you bought a bag of candy, or cookies, or chips, and before you know it, you've eaten it all?

And not just that, but you can't even really remember what it tasted like.

You were distracted while you ate it. And since you were eating it in reaction to something (anxiety, pain, fear, stress), your only thought was to eat it as fast as possible so you could feel better.

How many times have you wished you knew another way to cope?

The good news is, I've learned another way to deal with life without eating to avoid feeling my feelings.

So now, when I do choose to eat sweets, I can stop when I've had enough because I'm eating strictly for the enjoyment of the food...and nothing more.

Do you want this for your life too?

If so, I can help you.

MY COACHING PROGRAMS ARE FOR:

Women who identify as emotional eaters.

Women who are tired of dieting all the time.

Women who are tired of hating themselves and their bodies.

Women who want to learn how to love ALL of themselves.

Women who no longer want to use food to escape from the stress of life.

Women who want to learn how to listen to their body by eating when they're hungry and stopping when they're full.

WITH MY UNIQUE METHOD, YOU WILL LEARN:

How to ditch the diet mentality

How to overcome emotional eating

How to love yourself now

How to stop worrying all the time about calories, points, and macros

How to eat according to your body's natural hunger and fullness cues.

I can't change the fact that negative emotions will come. What I can teach you to change is your response to those negative emotions.

You do not have to use food to cope with the stress of your life anymore.

You can learn how to eat the candy just because you want some, then leave the rest of it in the bag when you've had enough.

P.S. - If you're a woman who wants to learn more about self-love and body acceptance, sign up for my newsletter. It's filled with so much good info. I can't wait to share it with you! Sign up here