As you'll see in this video from my recent visit to Rawvolutions in Santa Monica, CA, I love food. Good food. Raw food. Food that energizes me. Yet I was saddened the other day when a woman shared with me that she went through the whole process of having gastric bypass surgery only to gain all the weight she lost back and more and blamed it on solely on food.
All too often I hear this happening, and it really bothers me! Why didn't anyone work with her to avoid why she overeats in the first place?
I'm a firm believer that weight loss has very little to do with food and instead demands an honest examination of the exact cause of why you're overweight, not just what you eat. It's how it happened for me, and how it happens for my clients, and to be honest just makes sense.
Because weight's not the enemy! It IS a big fat sign though that something else in your life is out of whack.
I.e., perhaps you were abused as a kid so you learned to abuse yourself, or you're still protecting yourself from unwanted attention (a habit you picked up in childhood), or you're just dealing with way too much stress!
I talk to women all the time who are doing the work of two, who want to lose weight but can't find time for themselves and lack the emotional self-management they need so that the weight takes care of itself on its own.
So instead, they find a quick fix to fix it for them and wind up worse off in the end.
I get it, because I used to do the same thing, especially when I was in corporate. My schedule was completely dependent on how busy I got, which dictated the degree to which I made time to work out or even "eat right."
I'd go months on end barely working, and then other times not even having time to phone home! It was insane and so out of sync that it made me feel the same way inside.
It showed in my weight too. When I was slower, I was in shape. When I was busy, I wasn't. It was all or nothing. I remember too when I'd get that sinking feeling over the fact that it had been a while since I worked out and couldn't recall the last time I ate anything even remotely green, then panicking over the fact that my pants were suddenly too tight.
I'd check the mirror, do a double take, and to my horror realize all my hard work from working out a few months ago had been shot to hell. I felt so ashamed.
My primitive belief about weight loss prevailed then though as I had no understanding of the fact that it wasn't so much due to my eating as it was why I ate.
I would instantly turn on myself, proclaiming myself a failure, and relive what I had been taught all along that I was really just a loser.
Now, I'm happy to report I'm no longer like that. I don't torture myself by binging on food in an attempt to mask my pain, I refuse to criticize my body when I walk past a mirror or see myself naked in one, and when the flab on my belly jiggles, I giggle!
My body's not perfect. No one's is. I've gained weight and I've lost weight hundreds of times and one thing I've learned through it all is it's a process, not a race.
Besides, there's way more metabolic power in love than hate, so why not give it a try? Here's to loving your food – all of it, no matter what it is!
~ Angela
Angela Minelli is an author, speaker and founder of Angela Minelli International, a heart-based global business serving purpose-driven everyday women and entrepreneurs whose self-image and weight issues are inhibiting their confidence and blocking them from pursuing their life’s passion.
Angela's joy is in taking a stand for women who are living less than ideal lives, stopped by fear and doubt, which prevents them from stepping into their innate power and delivering their God-given genius to the world. Her coaching programs and products are designed for women with busy lifestyles yet allow for powerful transformation to take place within a small segment of time.
As a natural health practitioner and digestive health specialist, Angela specializes in helping people overcome weight and energy issues through holistic, non-invasive protocols that address the root cause of their conditions, including adrenal fatigue, candida, thyroid disorders, and more.
Explore the ideals that are the cornerstone of her work at angelaminelli.com.