Goodbye Joneses! Hello Freedom!

September 11, 2015September 11, 2015 | Lara

So here’s the truth: I have never considered myself to be a very good writer. When I first started blogging and writing 4+ years ago it was easy to give up because of the following thoughts: What if people think my posts are horrible? What if someone thinks I’m not very SmArT? What if someone doesn’t like my writing style?

Although writing is a bit out of my CoMFOrT zone, I know I’m never going to be a good writer unless I work at it and have someone critique me. Society influences make us think we need to be perfect, but look how many of these thoughts keep us from doing what we really want to do?

For example, let’s say you were feeling the need to be on a budget with your finances. For a moment you considered taking a deeper look at your current situation but then, after a few minutes, you talked yourself out of it. The thoughts in your head sounded something like this: “What if I traded in my new car for something older and used that money to pay off my credit cards? Forget it…I can’t bear looking silly driving a car that is more than 5 years old!” Sound familiar?

You’ve probably heard the quote ‘what would you do if you knew you could not fail?’ So many of the reasons why we never attempt to answer that question is because we are worried about what everyone else thinks. But what does it really matter what others think? Can you really call the people who don’t support you, “F R I E N D S“? Why surround yourself with people who aren’t going to encourage and support you in doing what is best for YOU? This is YOUR LIFE. You have the power to choose how you want to live it. Don’t give in to society. Follow what is in your heart.

So whatever life change you want to make (drastic or not), remind yourself of WHY you are doing it. Don’t live in misery because of what everyone else thinks. Don’t limit yourself on the things you want to accomplish because the Joneses are standing on your doorstep. I’ve been there too. It’s okay. It’s normal. Acknowledge this challenge and ChAnGe your way of thinking by taking control of your life. Get excited about feeling F R E E and the rest will come. Trust me. 🙂

*By the way, this is a picture of me and my daughter when she was a little girl . #myheartismelting

F R E E D O M is F U N!

Living the Dream

August 19, 2015 | Robynn

People talk about LiViNg tHe DrEaM. Of course, Living the Dream means different things for different people. What does it mean to you? What would your life look like if you were Living the Dream? What is standing in the way of that image becoming your reality?

Living the Dream for me is living a life of FrEeDoM aNd PeAcE. This is a BiG dEaL for me because these qualities were so elusive for much of my life. And now that I have them, my passion is to help others experience them as well.

For much of my adult life I struggled with overeating. I lived in the ReLeNtLeSs PuRsUiT of finding peace and freedom with eating, but my efforts always seemed in vain. Four or five years ago I was so frustrated that I determined I would find peace and freedom with food if it were the last thing I did.

Lara joined me in the PeAcE WiTh FoOd journey and we contracted with ourselves and each other that we would never diet again. I even wrote out a contract and signed it. My dieting days were over.

Our approach was simple. We would become scientists, determining what worked and what didn’t. Nothing was off limits. Our only criteria was that we would FoLLoW PeAcE.

In the course of what I call my SeVeN yEaR ExPeriMenT I lost probably close to 20 pounds seven different times. That’s a total of 140 pounds!! If I tabulated how much weight I have lost and then regained, in the course of my life, I think it is quite possible that number would be in the thousands. No joke.

I have always been able to lose the weight. That’s not the issue. Hey, you can loose weight a million-and-one ways (check out the Twinkie Diet!) if you limit your calories. But rather, my focus was on what would keep me in the game. What could I do for life? I was intrigued with experimenting with as many plans as possible. I wanted to know what worked and what didn’t. Any eating strategy that didn’t offer a LiFeTiMe SaTisFacTion guarantee was a deal-breaker for me.

Today, Lara and I are experiencing freedom and peace. We are Living the Dream. And we want to share with you how you too can have freedom and peace with food. (And with life for that matter!)

On August 22nd our book, Peace with Food: Eat What You Want. Never Diet Again. Live a Happy Life. – which has been over three years in the making – is being released!

To say we are excited is an understatement.

During the pre-launch stage we shared our book with dozens of people and our hypothesis was correct: Peace with Food was life-changing. Turns out it had the same impact on others that it had on us.

Peace with Food has changed our lives. It is changing others’ lives. And it CaN cHaNge YoUr Life too!

Do you have Peace with Food? Are you Living the Dream?

If not, won’t you come take the journey with us?

You can have P E A C E.

You can be F R E E.

And you can live your BeSt LiFe EvEr!

Independence Day

July 4, 2015July 4, 2015 | Robynn

Happy July 4th!!

Today I will be celebrating this favorite holiday with a parade, fireworks, and family & friends.

Of course, food will be a part of this celebration, as well. And although there will be time to enjoy the classic 4th of July foods, more importantly, I will also be celebrating my Independence Day from food’s tyranny. I know exactly that date because I actually signed a contract with myself.

It was April 24, 2012.

Although Lara and I had been talking Peace with Food for about a year on that date, April 24th is the date that we made it “official” by committing to ourselves and each other that we would never diet again.

And here we are, over three years later. Living in greater levels of freedom and peace than we ever dreamed possible. I say degrees, because that is what the Peace with Food journey is all about, taking little steps, growing in peace and freedom, one step, one degree at a time.

Slow? At times, yes.

Worth it? We wouldn’t go back for anything.

And the feedback we are getting from folks taking the Peace with Food journey is incredible. Not only are people losing weight they never thought possible, peace is filtering into other areas of their life, because, as one of our friends taking this journey with us has stated, “It really is that powerful.”

So this 4th of July, if you’re tired of food being a dictator in your life, and desperately want to make Peace with Food won’t you join us?

Why not make it “official”? Let today be your Peace with Food Independence Day!

Take-Home Message: Make it “official”. Today can be your Independence Day living a life of Peace with Food!

DAY 1- Rate Your Peace

January 1, 2015January 11, 2015 | Robynn Coates

Hey everyone–Happy 2015! Today begins our 30-day PWF challenge, so let’s get started!

If we were to sum up Peace with Food in a word or phrase it would be this:

But if you’re new to pursuing peace that may be too abstract. You may be wondering, “What exactly does Follow Peace mean? What does peace look like? What does it feel like?”

We’ve come up with a tool, a “peace gauge” if you will, to help you rate your level of peace. Our inspiration came from Lara taking her daughter to the ER where she was shown a chart consisting of different facial expressions, ranging from happy to sad, and numbers to rate her pain.

Below is a similar assessment to help identify your level of peace. Throughout the 30-Day PWF Challenge we will be asking you to rate your peace in different areas: food, exercise, your body, the scale, etc. At first it may be challenging to pin point where you fall on the chart, however, you will find that as you continue to practice, you will eventually master this skill.

We were thrilled to find the peace chart doesn’t just work in the area of food, exercise, and your body, but in other areas of life as well. For example, when Lara becomes overwhelmed with her schedule she stops and asks herself to rate her peace on each of her committments. By identifying what activities are lacking peace she may decide to decline them in the future, or make changes so her peace level goes up.

Believe it or not, learning to follow peace in the area of food will actually help you follow peace in other areas of your life too. That’s right, Peace with Food is transferable, which is why we continue to say that it has literally changed our lives in SO MANY ways!

So let’s begin by rating our peace today…

Posse Discussion: Using the chart above, what #peace would you rate your current relationship with food? (Write the date and your answer in a notebook b/c we will be referring back to this number later)

*If you haven’t started a posse group yet, we encourage you to use the “Posse Discussion” green questions/topics at the bottom of our posts to help facilitate your group discussions. If you don’t have a posse group, please join our group! All you have to do is share your answer by commenting at the bottom of this post or join our facebook page!

Click here for Day 2!

Carrie Underwood Thighs

December 9, 2014January 10, 2015 | Robynn Coates

One of the things Lara and I have learned in this process of Peace with Food is that if you want to walk in peace and freedom you have to get real.

Real with yourself. Real with others.

And we also realized that if we wanted to help others experience the peace we now have we would have to be transparent.

So, hopefully that is what you’ll find here.

The truth.

Not doctored up.

Not watered down.

But real, raw, and brutally honest.

And speaking of brutally honest, have you ever noticed that diets and weight loss programs rarely talk about some of the more . . . what shall I call it . . personal stuff? Sure, they will talk about what to eat and how to exercise, but when it comes to self image and the way you perceive your body, it is . . .

Cricket.

But not here. So let me share with you a snapshot of my self-image and my body.

Most of my life I was not happy with my body. My biggest area of contention?

My thighs.

I had always wanted pencil-shaped thighs, the ones like Carrie Underwood and many of the models you see in magazines, not the drumstick shaped ones I was blessed with (yes, I now actually see them as a blessing!).

So, off I went – pursuing my mission of pencil-shaped thighs! I went on many strict diets (obviously before PWF) and finally lost a significant amount of weight getting me down to an all-time low. And here is the crazy thing. I actually loved the way I looked, the way I fit in my clothes, and the way I felt. But because I was so obsessed with getting those pencil-shaped thighs I couldn’t even enjoy the body I had. Talk about missing the forest for the trees!

My all-or-nothing mindset (which by the way I overcame via Peace with Food – yet another perk of PWF!) would not allow me to enjoy my life and my body. It saddens me to think of the parts of my life I wasted because I couldn’t enjoy my life unless I was “perfect”. And it makes me all that more determined to help others break free from this insane cycle.

It took me getting down to the bottom of my BMI to realize that I would never have Carrie’s pencil-shaped thighs, but it was Peace with Food that got me to the point where I don’t care about those thighs anymore. I have learned to accept me “as is”. Sure, I’ll strive to change those parts of me (both inside and out) that are within my control, but I’m not going to extremes and I’ll only do what gives me peace.

What is your version of Carrie Underwood thighs? If you were given one wish and could change any part of you, what would it be?

Own up to it. Admit. And be honest.

Is it within your power to change? If so, will the requirements to do so bring peace?

If not, I hope you’ll let it go and learn from my lesson:

Life’s too short not to embrace your imperfect self and get back to the most important things in life.

Take-Home Message:

Get real about your self-image. Change what you can change and let go of the rest. It is time to embrace life!

Why Diets Don’t Work: Reason #9

December 6, 2014December 6, 2014 | Robynn Coates

Reason #9: Diets Leave you Deeper in the Hole (but Peace with Food Brings You Freedom)

(Stay with us…Sunday is our last day of discussing “Why Diets Don’t Work”! We’ll be diving in to Peace with Food (PWF) on Monday!)

Last weekend, Lara’s daughter learned to ride her bike. Do you remember that feeling? Taking off those training wheels for the last time was liberating, wasn’t it?! That moment—when a loved one let go of your seat and you realized YOU. WERE. DOING. IT. –what a huge stepping stone in life that was. With every push of the pedal you felt the freeing sensation take over your mind and body. Your confidence began to soar and your heart experienced a new sense of happiness. The wind cooled your face as you accelerated with every push…the fresh air as you breathed in through your nose…and the smile on your face as you rode off into the sunset…Ah… sweet freedom…

This is Peace with Food, our dear friends. We know you may question if this type of life is truly attainable, but you have to trust us. It is. Like riding a bike, it will take time. You will fall down and have to dust yourself off a time or two. But like you know, you don’t have to do it alone. When you learned to ride your bike, you were guided by an experienced biker. They held the seat to keep your balance until you were ready to have them let go. Well we are here to do that for you too. We are going to give you the tools and support to have this peace and freedom we keep talking about. We will share with you the ways we’ve been able to stay the course, and before you know it, you too will be ready to ride into the wind…solo.

We know you are ready. We’ve really been hammering out why diets don’t work, and we are excited that you are so anxious to start applying Peace with Food. We’ll be doing that very, very soon. But as you know, diets are a quick fix because they can list a few rules that you can dreadfully follow for a few days. But if you want prolonged happiness it will require more time and participating in the entire process. There is a method to our madness, so stay with us. There is much more to come…

Take-Home Message:

Peace with Food gives an amazing sense of freedom.

Why Diets Don’t Work: Reason #3

December 1, 2014January 10, 2015 | Robynn Coates

Reason #3: Diets don’t last.

Let’s admit it. Diets are horrible at giving us a plan that will keep us in the game for life. Sure, we may be able to stick to a diet for a few months, but even if we do, it never sticks because we get tired of the control it has over our lives. Remember the popcorn and water diet that Lara went on in college to lose a few pounds? A week later she threw her hands up in defeat because the diet actually caused her to GAIN weight! That’s right, gain! And when this happens don’t you want to scream, “So forget it!” and turn to food out of frustration? There it is, another diet that didn’t last…

Or how about those times you were 100% committed–you were diligent with your workouts, healthy eating, and calorie tracking, and you were able to shed a significant amount of weight. Life was good in regards to dropping pounds, but then what happened? If you are anything like us, you were ready to start having a “normal” life once you lost the weight, but once you got there, you had no idea how to do it. It left you at at a dead-end. Diet Maze

Diets don’t give you the tools to succeed, they just give you the quick fix to lose the weight, leaving you empty-handed, LOST, on how to maintain the weight for life.

So, if diets have no staying power, no ability to keep us in the game, how can we win at a game we are not playing?

We can’t.

Time for a new game plan.

Something we can do for life. And something that we can be happy about doing. That’s Peace with Food.

Are you ready to let go of dieting and try something you can do for life? Reclaim your life and get back in the game!

Take-Home Message:

Peace with Food is something you can do for life and it is also something that will give you peace and happiness.

Why Diets Don’t Work: Reason #1

November 25, 2014January 10, 2015 | Robynn Coates

Reason #1: Diets use a cookie-cutter approach.

At Christmas season one of our favorite activities is making sugar cookies with our kids – the kind you make with cookie cutters. We just love it!

And although this approach works wonderfully when you’re whipping out dozens of cookies, when talking about a diet, the cookie-cutter approach only proves to be a flop.

That is one thing we absolutely love about Peace with Food. It discards this cookie-cutter formula and instead encourages a custom-fit plan for each individual. Imagine that, a tailored plan, customized specifically for you! (Which, by the way, takes into account your preferences and helps you work with them leaving you feeling satisfied and at peace rather than deprive you of them.)

It is really similar to everything else in life. Think about it. How do you raise your kids? How do you spend your money? How do you handle your relationships? Is there any aspect of your life in which you do every thing exactly like anyone else, even your closest friends and confidants?

Similar? Maybe. Exactly alike? Impossible. That’s because you are the only one living with your life, circumstances, preferences, and propensities. You are unique. Embrace it!!

What might work marvelously for one may be a totally dud for another. That’s okay. That just gives us the freedom to be our selves.

So, if you are tired of trying to fit into someone else’s mold, let it go. Find what works for you and then go with it. Life is too short to live by someone else’s formula.

Take-Home Message:

You are a one-of-a-kind masterpiece! Living at Peace with Food will help you find your custom-fit plan, tailored specifically for you!