Ah a new year!  Fresh possibilities!  A clean slate if you will…

Buckle in gang ‘cause I have a heartfelt one for you this year 💗

With the start of each year I always spend time doing some inner reflection.  I don’t think of it as a ‘new year’s resolution’… more like questions I ask myself such as:

🔷 What upset me or made me sad/angry this year?

🔷 How did I handle these feelings?

🔷  What am I proud of?

🔷  What worked for me?

🔷  What didn’t work for me?

🔷  What things would I like to change in order to support my goals?

🔷  What am I disappointed about?

🔷  What do I need to do (or not do) in order to make my soul happy?

I love doing this every year because it’s just for me… I don’t judge myself and I am not hard on myself.  It’s just spending time trying to understand myself and think about how the year went so I can decide what I want to do for the new year in order to be happy and make the gains I truly want.

These questions are definitely not just related to weight loss, but that’s what I’ll discuss here.

Before covid came along, every year I felt like I was really moving forward with my health goals.  Each year got better and better starting after my 50^th birthday.  So from 50 – 53 it was forward, forward, forward.  We took a family vacay to Mexico in January 2020 and that was the smallest I had been since I was in my 20’s.  I felt amazing!

Then I caught covid in March 2020, right after my 53^rd birthday and since then I feel like I’ve been going around and around in a hamster wheel.  I have gained a decent amount of weight back… which sucks, but the really disappointing part is that my energy and zest for all things health was diminished.  For those of  you who know what real ketosis feels like, you know what I mean when I talk about energy.  It was an inner energy that is hard to describe, it can only be felt.  My passion for natural health was my beacon.

So for the last 2ish years I went in and out of keto but I sprinkled in WAY more ‘one and dones’ and was not doing much of any type of tracking.  Which is not necessary a bad thing (tracking can sometimes stress me out) but it doesn’t work if I’m eating in more of a free for all way.  When I was ‘team keto’ I could pretty much eat as much as I wanted, not track and I still lose weight.

I ate way more carbs, and if I’m being totally honest… way too much junk food.  I have been a binge eater since a very young age, and two things trigger this for me:  emotions and high carbs (junk food is the worst kind of carb for me).  Meaning, a potato doesn’t trigger me to binge eat but potato chips do. 

I was in a vicious circle.

I am admitting all of this to you guys as I know I am not the only one in this position.  Something happened inside me and I am not sure if it was because I actually caught covid (I’ve had it twice now) or it was because the world changing so dramatically had such a deep effect on me… I only know that it really changed something in me.  I felt sad and I covered up that sadness, anxiety and lack of control with food. 

I finally feel like I am ready to work on the ‘me project’ again.  It was like I was in a deep funk and it’s taken me this long to get out of it.

Can you identify with how I felt?  You may have had something traumatic happen in your life that could cause these feelings too.

I’m not going to do the ‘January 1 I am going to be 100%’ thing because life is not 100% anything.  The problem with saying we’re going to do something 100% is that if you only do 95%, then you’re failing. 

If there’s anything I have learned from a lifetime of dieting, it’s this:  no one can do anything 100% forever. 

My goal has always been to live a healthy lifestyle most of the time, add in a few well deserved guilt-free splurges, while still working toward my goal body size.  I want to build muscle mass and endurance for better health.  I want to eat nutrient dense foods because it helps my body thrive.  I also want a happy heart and a balanced life… I deserve all of these things, and I am the one who can give myself these things. 

The key to getting these things is a mindshift change.  By working on my inner self, it’s really helped me to realize where I was and where I want to be.

I am not blaming myself and I am not hard on myself.  I understand myself 💞

If you can identify with what I’m saying, take heart.  You are not alone and you will never be alone in this group.  There is always someone who understands just how you feel.  Taking the time to really think about how you got here is a game changer.  You can have the best diet plan around but nothing will work if your mindset isn’t where it needs to be.  Be your own best friend and take the time to talk to yourself.

❓ Have you been off your game for awhile?  Have you pinpointed what caused the detour?  Have you made the mindshift change yet or are you working on it?  Sharing is caring 👇

Wishing you the happiest and healthiest 2023!

Leta 💗

~ Intentionally Bare