We are getting #realAF on The Food Freedom Lab today, chatting about all movements and toxic fitness culture. Today, guest Madeline Coats shares her story of kicking her toxic relationship with calorie counting to the curb and now lives a happy, balanced lifestyle. Madeline struggled with disordered eating from a young age, and after obsessively tracking everything she ate and burned for years, Mads knew something needed to change. As she learned more about nutrition and fitness in school, she changed her thoughts about movement and food. Madeline struggled with restriction, obsessive calorie counting, body negativity, comparison, and an unhealthy obsession with exercise… I mean all the things – which is what makes her so relatable!
Like many of us who have struggled with disordered eating, she thought that getting smaller was the answer to making her feel better, but the number was never enough. However, through food freedom and ditching the diet, she has discovered how to finally find happiness, EVEN WITH her body changes, which she is sharing with us today!
For Madeline, this meant:
- Deleting her calorie-counting app
- Taking a break from her apple watch
- Changing up her workouts
- Learning more about nutrition
- Challenging the mean girl voice in her head telling her – her worth was defined by how many calories she burned and ate
And above all, doing something DIFFERENT! Madeline is all about helping you find a movement routine that you love and also makes you feel your best – which is what we all need! Madeline is a ray of sunshine and emits positive, authentic energy that just makes you want to smile. If you are looking to relight that fire for movement or let go of your current toxic relationship with movement – this is your episode.
SO WHO IS MADELINE?
Madeline (known as @coachmadscoats) is a Personal Trainer, Pilates instructor, and Nutrition Coach. She graduated from Utah State in 2017 with a BS in Nutrition, Chemistry & Physical Education. Madeline lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Pete, and two dogs, Aldo and Bellion. She is grateful daily for using her passion for nutrition and exercise to help others find a balance that fits their busy lives.
THE MAIN POINTS WE ARE CHATTING ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:
- What are the benefits of movement that have nothing to do with weight loss?
- How do you detach workouts from the numbers? (ie working out only to burn calories)
- How do I know if I am eating enough to fuel my workouts?
- For anybody struggling with enjoying movement – what can they do to re-light that fire?
MORE FROM MADELINE'S EPISODE:
How do you stop calorie counting mentally? And after years of counting, is it possible to look at food and movement without thinking about numbers? This is an all-around diet culture-busting episode! Press play on the player above to listen now!
Connect with Madeline Coats at @coachmadscoats on Instagram to learn, be inspired, and chat with her more!