Embracing a Healthier Relationship with Food and my Body

My relationship to food was a bit of a roller coaster through my teenage years and into my twenties.
Though I did lose weight through various diet programs like the Atkins Diet and low carb plans, after losing weight on a particular plan, I would swing back hard in the opposite direction and struggle with things like emotional eating or hoarding food. In college, I found Weight Watchers, marking a move in the direction of eating healthier as a lifestyle and not simply as a diet to change my body.
Even with moderate success following the principles of Weight Watchers, I still struggled with unhealthy attitudes toward food and my body from time to time. I still wrestled with the lie that some foods are bad, while others are good. If I just managed to avoid the bad foods for the rest of my life, I would be fine, I told myself, ignoring how unrealistic that was.

Fast forward to several months ago.
I was beginning to hit a brick wall with Weight Watchers. Some unhealthy food and mind patterns were coming up for me. I was not attending my weekly meetings and was beginning to use food as an emotional crutch from time to time.

Several people close to me had done Whole 30 before and raved about the health benefits; they also noticed the way Whole 30 changed their attitude toward food. A change in attitude sounded very appealing to me! Whole 30 is an elimination diet: for thirty days, you avoid sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy. You can meat, seafood, fruits and veggies, and most seasonings.
From May 1 - 30 of this year, I completed my first Whole 30. While I deeply missed my sweet treats and favorite coffee creamer, I have been amazed at how those weeks are beginning to change my relationship with food, for the better.

Read the rest over at Verily  . . .