A Fit Body Begins In The Brain

My human story, like many people’s stories, involves biology and peanut butter.

It includes a physical system gone rogue and the steadfast belief that I could find a way back to real health.

It required self-coaching - a lot of it! - that was necessary every step of the way to follow my own path steadfastly even when the chorus of voices all around me was LOUD and STRONG telling me that what I was trying to do could not be done and that I was crazy to try.

This story also involves love. Love for self, love for family, love for life… and love for food.

I love food. These days it’s a healthy love, not a furtive one. I love to cook. I am a foodie with an open mind when it comes to trying new things. I eat and enjoy food at least three times a day, and I feel so much gratitude when I do.

Food has not always been a genuine friend to me though; or rather I wasn’t a friend to myself. There were a lot of years when I ate for comfort and as a reward for getting through stress and sorrow. I didn’t know the words ‘emotional eating’ in my 20s or ‘buffering’ but I definitely could have explained to you that part of my strategy for dealing with a long, frustrating day at work or going on a less-than-stellar date included ending the night with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and a family size bag of Kettle Chips.

For a long time, my metabolism served me just fine… and I didn’t think twice about what I put into my body. I stayed skinny and fit. Until suddenly, I didn’t! For three years my weight became almost all I thought about. You see, I’d gained 60 lbs!