No Tricks. Just Treats.

Halloween this year found my husband and I flying to Chicago to help take our little granddaughter trick-or-treating. We had a great weekend at a church party, visited the children’s museum, did some shopping, and enjoyed some of our favorite Chicago pizza. As usual, it was a wonderful weekend. As we returned home a few days later, a thought popped into my mind that not only put a big smile on my face, but also surprised me. Except for a handful of candy corn the week before, I had not eaten a single piece of Halloween candy throughout the Halloween season…not because I was “being good” but because it had never even crossed my mind.
 
As a chronic binger and dieter, Halloween has always been one of those events that brought great anxiety. Either I used it as an excuse to eat with abandon, vowing to start over again on November 1st”, or I carefully planned exactly what I was “allowed” to eat, calculating calories, fat grams, or Points weeks in advance. What is supposed to be a fun holiday of costumes and children, felt more to me like a scary test which I would either “pass” or “fail” with my self-worth hanging in the balance. Some years I “failed”. Some year I “passed”. But every year I found myself obsessed with food, which caused tremendous anxiety, no matter what the outcome.
 
In the process of becoming an Intuitive Eater I have found peace with food. It is no longer a “sin” to eat some Halloween candy, nor do I have to lose weight that week to be a “saint”. Gone are the days of looking to outside sources, such as a diet, to tell me what I should or should not eat. I now trust my body to tell me that, and I’ve learned it does an amazing job.
 
I eat when I’m hungry. I choose what will truly satisfy me. I recognize when eating any more would ruin the experience by making me physically uncomfortable. I deal with my emotions rather than numbing them. I trust God more than I trust food. And all of that has restored a sense of peace with food that I never thought would happen.
 
There are many benefits to finding peace with food. The scale is working it’s way down, and that is a great blessing. But by far, the greatest blessing is the mental and spiritual peace I feel as food has taken its proper role in my life. Gone are the days of having to rebuy Halloween candy because I ate it all before the 31st. Gone are the days of obsessing over what I am allowed to eat, how I will plan my whole week around that moment, and how I’ll handle the tremendous feelings of deprivation at every party. Gone are the Russian-Roulette moments of stepping on the scale to see if I am worthy of love or respect each day.
 
I’m so grateful for the miracle in my life of being able to turn From Food to Faith, and I love my work in helping others find the same peace with food. In the beginning, it is almost impossible for my clients to believe that finding peace with food is truly possible for them. Perhaps you have come to feel the same way. But I can assure you, once you commit to the process, you will begin to see that you are not doomed to a life of being obsessed with food. Just like me, you can find peace. And that’s no trick…just a most delicious treat!

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