FOOD TO FREEDOM

Hibernation - Part I

I admit not showing up very regularly these days. It's true I had said I would not but the truth is, I miss blogging here. But there are moments necessary for retrospection and reviewing some lifestyle habits. It will take several postings to tell you all the details.

So I hibernate (it is winter time on this side of the planet!) And the first thing I would like to share with you is a quite interesting discovery and related to health concerns. Read on. It's interesting and maybe will help you or others around you.

I blogged several months ago about this problem I am having for three years now, a "Tinea Versicolor" which is a fungus on the surface of the skin. The result is whitish discolorations and lots (LOTS!) of itching. In three years, I have tried everything.  Conventional medicine (three small white tablets to take three days in a row leading to a depressive state after only one day... great!) did nothing for me except eliminate the symptoms to see them coming back full strength three months later. I have found no cure in alternative medecine neither: essential oils, ointments and so on. Nothing did it for me.

At the same time, I discovered when having colonics that I had candida. Horror and damnation.

When times get tough

I miss blogging in English. I love writing in English. So here I am. And I miss you.

It's been hard lately and I, too, need support. It is hard to do it alone. I can't do it alone. And even though I have been out of bingeing and the compulsion for quite a long time, there are times when it is hard, when I have food thoughts going through my mind. Images of chocolate ice cream appear, or chocolate bars, or chocolate cookies (anything chococate goes...). And then, immediately and I should say: automatically, I remember how I felt when I used to binge on this kind of foods. I felt like shit.

Now, when times are hard and I NEED to eat something even if I am not hungry, I go for a healthy raw food, fruits or smoothie or raw cacao nibs and goji berries or raw sorbet. It satisfies me and I am not hurting my body. And I let the storm pass. I feel down for a few hours and try to see what's going on.

When it is time to make the right decision

My dear readers,
This is one blog post hard to write for me.
As I have told you before, I have worked a lot these past few months to set up my website and maintain both the English and the French sides as well as starting to develop my coaching business while working full time "outside" in an administrative work. And I have worked too much. The result is that I feel exhausted physically and emotionally. It is imperative now for me to take care of myself, my wellbeing, my health, so I can continue to deliver the level of service I want to deliver.

This was not an easy decision to make as my nature would be to try to help everybody everywhere as much as I can but I came to realize this is simply impossible without compromising my health and the quality of my services. And there are times in life when the right decision for oneself is inevitable and has to be made.   

So I have decided to first concentrate all my efforts on the French part of my business first. Meaning I will only be blogging to a minimum in English as of now. I will preferably coach French speaking people as well. Why is that, may you ask yourself... Well, needless to say that French is easier for me but I also have discovered that my services in French are much needed as the French requests I have received are very high.

I am still available to you if you are in need of help and feel lost and desperate. I have been where you are and I know how you feel. Do not hesitate to send me an e-mail to anne@compulsiveeatingsuccesscoach.com and I will answer you. I will still be here!

With all my love and support, Anne

Back from trainings

I'm back after almost two weeks of absence during which I trained in the UK with Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach. I also trained with Jeanine Aussavy in Nevers, France, to add an 'image counseling' (makeover) to my services.

Unfortunately, I had no Internet connection during my stay in England near Littleport, approximately fifteen miles from Ely, in a beautiful and relaxing countryside where only the cell phone worked! I am still currently In France where I use Orange mobile internet which is a real technological catastrophy! If I manage to post this blog, it will be a miracle!

You might ask what on earth 'makeover' has to do with raw food! Let me explain.

Savoury dish

Easy!

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis finely sliced with a large carrot grater or a mandoline
Put the slices in a bowl for 45 minutes with a pinch of celtic salt and 1/2 a lemon juiced. The zucchinis will soften and take on a "cooked" aspect). Once ready, drain well.
3 beautiful ripe tomatoes
1 avocado
Sprouted grains

Why do I eat raw and living foods?

Because when I eat raw and living food, I feel alive.

In fact my blog today could very well be summed up with this single sentence.

To go raw freed me from being a slave, a slave to refined foods. The more I ate anything sweetened with refined white sugar, the more I wanted of it. There was no way for me to stop. It was never enough. The more I ate white bread ... ahhhh, the baguette so dear to my French heart... and the more I wanted of it. Etc. The vicious circle. I was a living dead who lived to eat.

Not only raw food freed me but it gave me so much more than that!

Let's move your body!

Since January, I work and work and... work. Sounds familiar? I have a crazy schedule. I work full time and after my regular office hours, I also work hard to launch my business on line, work on my site and my different projects. I spend my time sitting in front of a computer.

Result: my metabolism slowed down, muscle pain of various kinds emerged, fatigue, sluggishness... in my body AND (horror!) in my mind!

Help is on the way: a gift for you!

I told you a few days ago that to get out of compulsive overeating, the first condition is to stop dieting. But I know what you’re thinking now. "If I don’t diet, what do I eat?" You feel panicked. Benchmarks disappear. No more guardrails. "I cannot, if I don’t diet, I’ll eat everything in sight”.

You won’t eat everything in sight if you have good support. To be and feel encouraged at all times is essential.

Dieting and bingeing hold hands... for ever and ever

I recently blogged it is crucial to stop dieting to get out of compulsive overeating. I know how sensitive this issue is for many of you; therefore I will regularly come back to it. When I look at magazines, the number of diets that promise success in controlling weight appalls me. As a compulsive overeater, you can find yourself trying anything out of despair because you don’t know where to turn to, because dieting gives you a feeling of "control", because you absolutely MUST do something to lose weight.

Dieting and bingeing are one. They go hand in hand along the path of madness. It is a love and hate relationship that cannot stop unless dieting is abandoned forever.

The Green Smoothie Challenge and Rawcovery projects

Put into place by Anand and Runi, raw food teachers, educators and speakers in Australia, the green smoothie challenge invites you to add green smoothies into your diet. The Rawcovery project hopes to gather over 1,000 recovery stories from people who recovered from illnesses or addictions through a raw food diet. Please click on the links below to visit their websites. It's great!

"The Green Smoothie Challenge and Rawcovery community projects websites are now live! In case you haven't already heard these 2 projects are free not-for-profit, community projects run entirely by volunteers. While each project is unique they both have the same goal. To touch, inspire and educate individuals, communities and nations about the power of living foods (and the dangers of processed foods) in a big way! We will send you a separate email to share with you  some exciting opportunities being offered through both these programs".