Break the diet cycle: Hotelier - USA

By Andrea / Client Stories

It was impossible to break the diet cycle because I kept everything a secret
I broke the diet cycle as soon as I started working with Kelly
The biggest change is that I’m incredibly productive now

Break the diet cycle – by Andrea

For 21 years dieting stopped me from living.

I felt so lonely in this diet hell. I was just screaming inside: “How do I break this diet cycle?”

Asking for help changed my life.

I feel really empowered that I was able to tell Kelly all about what I used to see as my shameful disordered eating. No one had ever asked me, despite the fact I had all the tell-tale signs. And I never ever felt safe with anyone to speak about it. (It’s not the done thing to do in my family).

The biggest change is that I’m so incredibly productive now. And pursuing creative work I’ve always wanted to do, like upholstering furniture and collecting fabrics online. I’ve started making headboards for friends out of old curtains.

Kelly has given me a toolbox that I can keep going back to and that’s priceless.

Country: USA

Hotel Owner

Age: 35

Why I needed to break the diet cycle

My daily struggle was with food and fad diets.

I was always asking myself: “What diet am I going to start this week?”

Even my husband would tease me about it, not realizing the depth of how dieting was destroying my life. And I worried my daughters would pick up on my disordered eating.

Then I’d break the diet and do 10 mile runs to make up for the food I ate.

I started dieting around 14 years old and now I’m 35. That’s 21 years of just feeling lonely and trapped in this negative diet cycle, weighed down with all the diet messages being thrown at me.

Also I was scarred from years of thinking people didn’t want to be my friend because I was fat. And the worst thing is I was basing my whole life’s happiness on the idea that: “things will get better when I’m thin.”
For 21 years I felt lonely and trapped in this negative cycle of dieting— Andrea, USA
When I read an article by Kelly about losing friends because of your eating disorder, it got me thinking: “Why don’t I keep in touch with friends from school?”

I realized the answer is that I was so unhappy with my appearance, that it stopped me from living. I was constantly on a diet and anytime people asked me to their birthday party or wedding or even just for coffee, I said: “No.”

Break the diet cycle and save 1000’s of dollars

Over the years I’ve tried everything and spent 1000’s of dollars on diets and also buying food to binge.

You name the diet, I’ve been on it.

A few that come to mind:

Atkins
High protein
5:2 Diet

And of course, years of over-exercising and under-eating.

Breaking the diet cycle was possible when I was completely broken

HUGE BREAKTHROUGH.

I feel I was only able to have a breakthrough because I basically broke down.

I felt so lonely in this diet hell— Andrea, USAI was feeling so run down emotionally and physically and had made myself ill with constant ear aches, colds and the flu.

And I felt so lonely in this diet hell I was just screaming inside “how do I break this diet cycle?”

For as long as I can remember I’ve been:

counting every calorie
watching every single mouthful going in my mouth
doing loads of extra exercise if I thought I ate too much… etc.

And it was just making me miserable.

So miserable I was able to decide to stop dieting and try something new.

My life changed as soon as I started working with Kelly

Kelly’s simple method of eating made everything click.

And it makes so much sense!

Kelly helped me debunk all those myths about:

calories
obsessive workouts
restricting what you eat

(TRUTH: you don’t have to restrict!!!)

She even helped me get rid of my fear of bananas!

Most importantly feeling full from healthy food is a completely different feeling than feeling full from unhealthy food.

My husband’s so happy I could break the diet cycle

In no time I’ve become so much lighter emotionally.

I finally feel normal— Andrea, USAI have not gained any weight by eating more and much better food (this has been an amazing breakthrough).

Now I eat till I am full and leave each meal feeling satiated. Rather than before where I would be drinking diet drinks and synthetic hot chocolate to ‘fill me up’.

And the best part is that when I finish a meal I concentrate on what I need to get done OR what adventure I’m going to do as I have eaten, feel great and do not need to think about food until my next meal or snack.

And the shame around food has gone.

My husband is just so positive to see me eating proper meals. And he has been really encouraging.

I finally feel normal.

Breaking the diet cycle began when I asked for help

I feel really empowered that I went to get help.

I have not been brought up in a society where you get help because it’s frowned upon.

And I literally feel like “I have been saved muthf*kers!”
Now I feel free that I unpacked this huge cloud which was about to ruin another 20 years of my life— Andrea, USA
Why would you not want to help yourself?

I feel really empowered that I was able to tell Kelly all about what I used to see as my shameful disordered eating. No one had ever asked me, despite the fact I had all the tell-tale signs and I never ever felt safe with anyone to speak about it. (Its not the done thing to do in my family).

Also, I feel so guilty that I have been so hard on myself for too long.

My eating disorder was not a product of being weak or lacking willpower, like I thought.

I just had bad information and got stuck because I kept everything a secret.

Now I feel free because I unpacked this huge cloud which was about to ruin another 20 years of my life.

And it was all done with Kelly’s simple strategy.

It’s amazing how much I get done since I was able to break the diet cycle

What has changed the most in the last 4 weeks is how productive I’ve been with my time.

Before I’d be thinking about and planning my diet.
Cross with myself for eating a banana.
Then bingeing because I thought I ruined my diet.
After I’d make myself sick.
Then I’d get up at 6am to do a vicious HIIT workout, which would just make me so hungry…

It was just the most vicious diet cycle and it was taking over my life

I’ve now started upholstering furniture and collecting fabrics online because I’ve been making headboards for friends out of old curtains.

And I’ve stopped and talked to people I wouldn’t have usually spoken to.

I say “good morning” with lungs full of happiness and I don’t feel like I have this dark cloud of secrets – my disordered eating.
Since I stopped dieting I don't crave all that sugary stuff— Andrea, USA
Instead I feel like I have reordered my eating. Like when I am out and have a choice I actually always want the healthy choice instead of something naughty (which then makes me purge). Since I stopped dieting I don’t crave all that sugary stuff.

And no one told me that one slice of cake on your birthday is ok!

Life after breaking the diet cycle

With my new found energy and time I don’t want to waste a second of it.

I’m throwing myself into my passion which is interior design. And sourcing wonderful antique pieces to make cushions. Then I’m turning our decking area into the most wonderful outdoor space where I can reconnect with friends, or build new friendships with new people I have met down here. I’m making roots.

I want to really make the most of my life now.

I feel like turning 35 has been a huge wake up call.

This pandemic has pushed me to my limit and has made me confront issues in my life that I never would have brought up before and it has been such a blessing for me as I have realized with help I can deal with them.
Kelly has given me a toolbox that I can keep going back to and that's priceless— Andrea, USA
Kelly has given me a toolbox that I can keep going back to and that’s priceless.

My dream is to be less hard on myself.

I want to make the world a better place by becoming a better person in it, more tolerant and understanding. In due course I would like to offer rooms in my guesthouse to people who have lost loved ones to cancer.