Healing My Body, Finding Food Freedom: My Journey from Weight Struggle to Control and Health

This is a very vulnerable post, but I feel it’s important to share my story.

I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life. I went on my first diet at the age of ten, and honestly, I don’t remember a time — as a child or adult — when I wasn’t overweight. The only exception was a brief period when my autoimmune symptoms were at their worst. Then COVID and menopause hit at the same time — a combination that caused me to gain even more weight. For a long time, I accepted it as “normal.” I thought, “Everyone gains weight in menopause, and I just have to live with it.”

As a nutritional therapist, coaching people to live their healthiest lives, I felt like a fraud. How could I tell people to eat well, focus on whole foods, and honor their bodies when I couldn’t control my own weight? That inner conflict was painful and isolating.

On top of that, I’ve always struggled with food addiction. I’m not the type of person who can eat one cookie and stop — I eat the dozen. I can’t have a handful of crackers — I eat the whole box. It’s very much like alcoholism… except you can’t quit food.

But here’s the truth I discovered: while you can’t give up food entirely, you can give up the addictive foods — sugar, flour, and processed foods — and live a full, satisfying life on real, whole foods. Foods that don’t have ingredients because they are the ingredient.

How I Turned It Around

I committed to focusing on nourishing my body with whole, real foods. Here’s what helped me the most:

1. Eliminate addictive foods first – sugar, flour, processed snacks. These are the foods that trigger over-eating and cravings.

2. Focus on foods that heal – vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, pastured proteins, and nutrient-dense whole foods.

3. Listen to your body – I learned to recognize true hunger versus emotional eating.

4. Celebrate non-scale victories – reduced pain, less inflammation, better energy, improved blood labs.

The results have been life-changing. I’ve now lost nearly 50 pounds, my pain and inflammation have dropped dramatically, and my blood labs are in an optimal range. Most importantly, I feel in control of my food choices for the first time ever.

The Biggest Lesson

This journey has taught me that health isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress, nourishment, and choosing healing over habits that harm you. Food is either medicine or poison, and we get to decide which it is for ourselves.

I share this story because I know I’m not alone. Many people, even those who teach health professionally, struggle with cravings, weight, and food addiction. But sustainable change is possible. It doesn’t require deprivation or punishment — it requires knowledge, self-compassion, and the right strategies.

If you’re struggling too, there is hope. You can reclaim control of your health, reduce inflammation, feel lighter and more energized, and enjoy a life free from food guilt. Healing is possible, and it starts one real, nourishing meal at a time.