Ditch Your Magic Number
Learning to love your body without using a scale
We all have a number, even if you’ve given up on it, you know what it is. I feel like every woman I’ve ever talked to has had a magic number that they’d love to see pop up on the scale… many may have never seen it, and others are close, but stuck with that pesky last 10 pounds. Others have reached it, again and again as they yo-yo between diet plans. All the while, those that find the magic number often don’t feel well or happy, and question if they need to lose another ten pounds… and then another.
I’ve been there. Over and over. I’ve wasted many years convinced that if I reached my number then I’d feel good… not only feel good about myself, but physically feel WELL! Maybe if I get to this magic number I’ll have energy like everyone else. Maybe if I fit into that swim suit it’ll mean I’m healthy and won’t wake up with brain fog, or joint pain, or depression.
One of the problems with this mindset is the method for getting there. We live in a strong diet culture that focuses on calorie intake. Never in my years of trying to find the perfect body for myself did I ever consider the quality of food that my body needs to actually function, and do it’s job. I spent years depriving my body of nourishment that would give me the energy I needed. The energy I needed to be a present wife and mother. I deprived my body of nourishment that would balance my hormones, take care of my thyroid, and support mental health.
But something magical happens when we stop searching for that number. When you strip away all your thoughts about diet, and the scale, and just start to focus on how you build your plate for each meal, there is a sense of freedom.
Ditch all the numbers. Don’t count calories. Just eat real food.
Overwhelmed by all the do’s and don’ts out there? Keep it simple. Pick a protein, cook it in a healthy fat, and pick 1-3 vegetables to fill your plate. That’s it. Put that on repeat every day all day and your body will thank you.
I am actually thankful for my disease because I was able to find the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), and learned this exact same approach. I never found true health, or nourishment, until I was at my weakest and sickest point in my life. Eliminating all this other junk (processed foods, refined carbs and sugars, gluten and refined grains) from my plate helped me find true health and healing. And you know what?! I lost the pounds too!
I never saw my magic number on the scale, but my body found it’s perfect number.
Now I finally feel happy in my own skin, and I didn’t need that number to find that happiness.
Since losing the initial weight and inflammation while on the elimination phase of AIP (for my Hashimotos Thyroiditis), my body weight has not budged… and it’s been almost 4 years! But the most amazing discovery has been how much I love my body!
Despite my disease, and despite the fact the scale never went low enough, I love my body because I finally FEEL amazing! I don’t have joint pain, or brain fog, or debilitating fatigue. My symptoms have improved so much that I’m off all my thyroid medications. I’m able to keep up with my kids, and be active with my family, and help take care of them, rather than the other way around. My body is finally functioning, and thriving, and I love it for that! It took many years to figure this out, but I’m thankful that it finally sunk in.
“Body image and self love comes when you physically feel good, with a nourished body, not when you hit the magic number on the scale.”
Carly Michelson, NTP
Through my path to becoming a nutritional therapy practitioner, I’ve been able to share just how you can do all this, too. Life is too short not to feel well enough to enjoy it with loved ones around you.
If you’re ready to make a change, and want to get your life back, schedule a free consultation, ask me about my RESTART Courses, or sign up for my AIP Coaching services.
I’m passionate about helping you find the root cause of your symptoms so that you, too, can find love for your body.
