As you probably already know, in my private practice as a dietitian, I work with clients who’ve successfully lost fast and achieved their “dream body”…   …but it’s come at the expense of their mental and physical health.   They’ve dieted their way to constant food thoughts, missing periods, digestive issues and urges to binge eat.   They get to a point where they desire food freedom - to feel at peace and free around food.   When they find my content telling them that in order to get there they have to let go of control over their weight and give themselves full permission to eat…they think differently.   Won’t this mean I’m just going to gain a bunch of weight and hate my body again?   They’re afraid they’ll have to trade body confidence for food freedom.   In this episode I tell you the cold hard truth about this topic.   The highlights: The answer is yes - you will trade these things, at least at first. But if you feel bad about your body when you’ve gotten objectively healthier (stopped binge eating, got your period, feel free around food) - it’s a problem with your mind, not your body. This “mind virus” comes from a society that treats thinner women better. AND, your healthiest body might not be the body that you or others deem the most attractive. You get to decide which is more of a priority for you (health or appearance) - and then do the mental healing necessary to find peace and confidence at that place How you look is part of confidence - and it is 100% possible to change your appearance in a way that makes you feel more confident WITHOUT sacrificing your health But if you’re going about this from a place of low self worth - it’s not possible. You will always compare yourself to everyone, feel anxious and obsessed with your physique or never feel like you’re good enough. Confidence is a multi-faceted feeling - you will never feel confident if you are only satisfied with perfection and “being the best”. Derive confidence from other areas, not just how your body looks What your body can do The type of person you are Your intellect and knowledge Learning a new skill Becoming a master or really good at something When your confidence is lacking in one area, you can rest your sense of self on the other things you spend your time and energy on. The issue with disordered eating is we start to only spend our time on food, fitness and physique Confidence comes from self-acceptance - accepting and owning your “flaws”, your shortcomings, as well as your strengths…NOT running from/obsessively fixing your “flaws”, balancing on this thin tightrope of confidence that you can get flicked off of at any moment if you see a girl who looks better than you or you gain 5 lbs.   Enjoy and as always - I’d love to hear your comments/questions/feedback!   Contact me: DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird      Email me at [email protected]   ✨ Learn more about my group program + fill out an application: bit.ly/normaleater ✨ Watch my free class - How I Stopped Binge Eating: bit.ly/howIstoppedbingeeating ✨ Free meal guide: bit.ly/bprmealplan ✨ Free workbook: bit.ly/ekfreeguide