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Connect with Lorna

📲 Instagram: @lorna_bingeeatingcoach

📲 Tiktok: @lorna_bingeeatingcoach

🎙Podast: Ditch Decade Diets Podcast

Episode Transcript

Ryann

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Food Freedom Lab. I am so excited. I have Lorna with

us today. And Lorna and I were chatting about getting her on my podcast a while ago, but it was right when I found out I was pregnant. And I was going through the depths of first trimester and I was in this place where I couldn’t really say anything. So I was like, the podcast is taking a little bit of a break. We’re gonna get back to it later. And now is later. So Lorna, thanks for a hanging in there with me and taking the time to be here today.

Lorna

Yeah, thank you so much. I am so excited to chat about all things binge eating and sharing my story and giving the other ladies hope as to what is truly possible for them as well. 

Ryann

Oh my gosh, 100%. When I was choosing who to have share their story, I mean, you immediately came up because not only are you an expert in this space, but you share a lot about your own personal experience and your story. So I’m excited to hear the full version because I’ve just gotten snippets here and there, but I don’t know everything. So why don’t you take us back to the beginning, starting with what food and body was like growing up in your home, and then when it started to be a focal point for you? 

Lorna

Yeah, absolutely. So I started dancing at a very young age. I think I was like seven or eight years old and I got into the competitive dancing world at a very young age and I never really thought about my body too much, thankfully. Like my parents never dieted, you know, I never saw my mom like tracking macros or weighing her food, but being in the dance space, there was definitely a lot of pressure of like, you have to look a certain way and anyone who is thin gets all of the lifts with the guys in front and center and you have to be thin if you wanna be, you know, the best ballet dancer. And, you know, I feel like that really put a lot of pressure on me in terms of the way that I needed to look. 

And one of the dancers that I personally looked up to, who of course was tall and thin and front and center, I found out that she had called me fat. And again, I never really thought too much about my body. And ever since this comment was said to me, that’s really when my dieting history began when I was 14 years old in grade eight. 

And ever since that day, I started being so cautious about everything that I was eating. I had the biggest sweet tooth. Like I still do have a sweet tooth, but like I used to have the biggest sweet tooth and people would know me as like the queen of snacks. So like if anyone was ever hungry, just go to Lorna. She’s going to have all the snacks. 

And I stopped bringing snacks to school. I barely was eating. I was so terrified to eat in front of other people. I had this weird fear that people were either going to make another comment that I was fat, because once you have a comment like that, it’s a nightmare and you feel like it’s going to happen again. 

And I also thought people would recognize that like, I was this binge eater. And although people had no idea like what I was doing behind the scenes, I just thought people would find out this like dirty little secret of what I was doing behind the scenes. So I was heavily restricting. Obviously that sent me into these spirals of feeling completely out of control with food, eating in secret, numbing out in the evening, and I felt broken. 

I literally thought that there was something wrong with me because I was a very motivated person. I was very disciplined. I was very, you know, into health and fitness. I actually became a personal trainer and a health coach thinking, I don’t know, maybe that would help me get my food stuff together. But that actually made me feel like an imposter because here I was doing health coaching and being a personal trainer and I couldn’t for the life of me get my food stuff together. 

So that was also a very big hurdle as well for me too, like trying to navigate healing my own relationship with food while helping people with their health and fitness goals. So, you know, I did the personal training, think that, you know, maybe if I learn more about nutrition, then, you know, I’m gonna be able to stay on track. I ended up doing bodybuilding competitions, thinking that maybe I’d like my body if I was in a smaller body. 

We all probably been down that road before where you’ve lost weight and it’s like, I still don’t like what I see in the mirror. I’m still out of control with food. I’m still thinking about food 24 seven. So I tried all these different diets. I did the personal training. I went into bodybuilding competitions and I realized that I had an unhealthy relationship with food.

 And I think sometimes it’s like we don’t recognize what it is that we’re doing we just think I need more motivation I just got to try harder like next week I’m gonna just try harder and I realized that it’s not about motivation it’s not about just trying harder trying to like think your way out of a binge like I needed support so I reached out to a coach who struggled with binge eating herself and she really taught me how to rewire, reprogram my brain. 

And as a result of that, I started having, you know, less binge urges. I started thinking about food less often, finally started having these binge-free days, these binge-free months. And now it’s been almost three years, which is so crazy. Zero binge urges. And now this is what I’m doing for a living. So that’s kind of my journey.

Ryann

Oh my gosh. Okay, so let’s go back to the beginning because the first thing that I thought of when you said this girl called me fat, especially at the age that you were talking about, my first thought was, I can’t even imagine where this girl got the message about that, where I like think like, where did she hear that? 

Like, where did she learn it? Where did that come from in the fact that you came from a very normal food and body household and that’s still having an impact.

Lorna

Mm-hmm. I think being in the dance world, there’s just so much pressure. I think everyone feels, whether it’s cheerleading or whether it’s dance, like the way that you look plays such a huge role in status and ranking, you know? 

Like my instructors, my dance teachers were even very hard on us. So I think she probably just had a lot of pressure herself of, you know, the way that she needed to look potentially. And we all know that like these comments that people make, it’s 99.9% of the time because of their own insecurities, right? And it’s so hard at the time. It’s like, no, she just means and it’s directly about me, but I don’t know what she’s going through behind the scenes. She could be going through her own stuff as well too, right? 

And I think this is a really good important lesson for everyone listening where it’s like we can take things so personally, it can be so triggering, but it’s like it’s not about you. People who are insecure make these terrible comments about what other people are eating or what their body looks like just because they’re feeling insecure. 

Ryann

Totally. And I also think that even at the age that you were at and even growing up in a home where food and body was again neutral and normalized, you were getting messages about food and body from somewhere that when you heard that comment, that meant something. Because if you weren’t getting those messages, that wouldn’t have meant anything. But you subconsciously growing up, we’re getting these stories. And then it was like, bam, story clicks, attached, chaos. 

Lorna

Yeah, I think too, like social media played a huge role. And it’s like, we think it’s so motivating to look at these people who are thin or who have six pack abs. And I started following these like fitness influencers at a very young age. And I’m like, that’s what I wanna look like. You know, like look at what they’re eating. 

They’re so disciplined. This is what they’re eating. Well, that’s how I have to eat. Oh, they’re working out seven days a week and they’re doing the fasted cardio, that’s what I have to do. And you believe that that’s the only way that you could look that way. And when you can’t follow it, it’s like, well, what’s wrong with me? 

And there’s never any like, oh, I wonder if this is like just not sustainable or not realistic, it’s never like that. It’s like, there’s something wrong with me. 

Ryann

Right. So talk me through now the personal training era. Oh my God, I relate to that so much of just maybe if I fall into this fitness world or maybe if I disguise it as fitness and maybe that wasn’t what you were telling yourself, but the imposter syndrome, give me more details on that. 

Lorna

So the one thing that I actually loved at the time of doing these bodybuilding competitions, it felt like there was a way for me to explain to other people why I wasn’t going out for ice cream, why I couldn’t go out for dinner. And deep down, it was because I was scared shitless and I had so much anxiety about the calories, but I used my bodybuilding competition as a way to like cover up that anxiety and just tell people like, yeah, I’m super motivated and I’m super disciplined and I’m like five weeks out so I can’t eat that when really I was like so nervous. 

But I think too, it was like, I believed that if I had more knowledge, if I knew all the things about nutrition, then like maybe I could like fix this eating thing going on but it’s such a deeper rooted issue. It’s not about knowing what to do, like you can know all the things of what to do and so many people know how to eat, right? 

It’s like, but why am I not following through? Like, why do I binge after eating a piece of chocolate? I don’t understand. Why do I feel so guilty, right? So for me, it’s like I got into the personal training era thinking, you know, it was going to help my relationship with food and I didn’t know what else I would be doing. 

I love health. I love fitness. I don’t want to give these things up. I never wanted to heal my relationship with food and feel like I have to give up my health goals or my body goals and now obviously I know you have to do things in the right order but I wanted to be that like person that could still lose weight or like be really confident in her own skin and still be able to heal her relationship with food. 

So it’s like I didn’t want to let the personal training, health coaching stuff go because I didn’t want to let myself go. I felt like if I fully healed my relationship with food then I would be leaving behind this part of me that loved health and fitness. Tell me about the I’m afraid of letting myself go. Again, there’s so much pressure around family and friends seeing you as this healthy person. 

Like, everybody knew me as the healthy one in the friend group. So you think I’m going to go to the restaurant and order the pizza? No, I’m going to order the salad that I’m gonna come home and binge in secret on what I really want. I was ready for a better relationship with food, but I was afraid that other people were gonna think if I stopped doing personal training or I stopped working out seven days a week, I didn’t want them to think like I was just lazy, you know, and it’s so silly to say, but it’s like I was ready to start taking better care of myself and I was ready to like cultivate more self-love, but because of the pressure from other people and again, not wanting to be called fat, it was like, I can’t let this go. 

Ryann

They became your identity. 

Lorna

100%, yeah. 

Ryann

Which I hear from so many people, the scariest thing is I am known as the fit girl, the healthy girl, the person who lost all this weight and what does that mean if now like you said I’m going to eat pizza at a restaurant and then comes in the double life living.

Lorna

Yeah what I always say is like it’s scary when you feel like this part of you is being lost right just like binge eating it’s like I hate it I don’t know if I want to give it up but instead of thinking that like a part of you is gonna be lost. The way that it really helped me was like seeing it is I’m just evolving this part of me. I’m not losing this part of me because it feels like a security blanket. Like I’ve known this for so many years. 

Like what am I gonna fill up my time up with? Like what am I gonna do? But instead I was like, no, I’m not losing a part of me. That’s gonna feel like mourning. I’m evolving this part of me and I get to craft this version of myself who takes good care of herself, who has so much self love for herself. And that really helped me be able to release and let go of this identity, even like I’m a binge eater. 

Ryann

I love that reframe. I think that’s really powerful. And I really appreciate you saying the fear of letting this go because it’s not like we binge because we love it, right? It’s not because we love the food or it’s this big enjoyable experience. I mean, you get a high from it, but there is the positive reinforcement from that high from the numbing and then the low low. So I’m really curious, what were your binges like?

Lorna

 It’s so interesting because I was so healthy. A lot of the times I’d be binging on healthy food. Like don’t get me wrong, I would have my moments of like, you know, chocolate ice cream and all the things. But because I was so terrified of like weight gain, I would be binging sometimes on like rice and broccoli and crackers. 

Oh, they’re processed. So if I’m gonna binge, I’m gonna pull out the processed crackers because I’m not gonna allow myself to have this tomorrow. So it’d be crackers, even like homemade treats, like I would make chocolate chip banana bread.

Ryann

Oh my God. Wait did you make… were you in the era of the baking of the Quest Bars into cookies and the protein mug cakes and the crazy concoctions where it’s like egg whites and protein powder?

Lorna

Yep, yep. Oh, I definitely did Quest Bars. Yep.  Protein bars, that was a huge, huge trigger food, like massively. Even like dark chocolate. You know what I mean? I’m like, well, this is healthier, so like I can have this and then I would binge on an entire box. For me, my binges were always done in secret and then in the evening. And because I was so anxious eating in front of other people, I would literally sometimes just not eat all day. Like I would be in high school, barely functioning in class, and I’d be like just so deprived. 

And then of course I would come home and eat my entire kitchen. So they were always done in secret and typically in the evening. But for me, I felt like it was an out of body experience. I know you’re like nodding your head because you get it too, right? And it’s like blackout, like the world just stopped for a moment. And I wanted to stop because I intellectually knew that I was full and my body was like, just keep going. 

And then obviously, you know, you feel so bad afterwards. I used to promise myself, like, I’m never gonna do that again. Like, obviously when you’re bloated, and I remember like sitting on the toilet, being in so much pain, I’m like, that’s it. I am never gonna do this to myself ever again. And then that itchy mosquito bite urge would pop up again, and I felt like I didn’t have a choice but to give in. 

Ryann

Oh my gosh, I remember just like opening up a new journal and being like, I’m never gonna eat this again, I’m never gonna buy that again, I’m never gonna go to that grocery store again, I’m never going to. And then three days later it was like, I’m right back here.

Lorna

Yeah.

Ryann

I think the hardest part about a lot of this is feeling like, I don’t understand what is going on with me, so like how could anybody else understand but also the word binge that’s thrown around so carelessly where I remember I don’t even know that binge was like entirely used when I was going through this but just a lot of like overeating habits and just like people talking about like oh this is a habit this is a habit and I’m like no but you don’t understand like it doesn’t feel like that like it’s very different like it feels like I’m addicted to food, like that itchy, scratchy, I’m coming out of my skin feeling.

Lorna

That is the most frustrating thing because it’s like, I know I shouldn’t be giving in, but how? I know that I shouldn’t restrict the day after a binge, but how? Because I have to compensate for the binge. You know what I mean? So it’s like, intellectually, we know all the things of what to do, but it’s like how? 

And I learned that like, the more times that you feel that urge to binge and the more times that you give in like the stronger the neural pathways are gonna be in your brain makes total sense okay but I still want to do it it’s so darn frustrating it’s so darn frustrating

Ryann

So did you end up actually making it all the way to competing in a bodybuilding show

Lorna

Oh yeah I did three shows

Ryann

Wow okay so tell me a little bit more about that because I too, I feel like you and I have very similar like bingey stories where I definitely was like very into fitness and then totally took the route of signing up for a bodybuilding show and being like, this is the discipline that I need, but I was never able to pull it off because my binges got so bad. But I know that there are people that come to me that say, no, I was able to somehow pull it together for the show, but it was after the show that things just went haywire. So what was it like for you?

Lorna

During the process, I mean, I did have like a weekly cheat meal, right? And obviously we know now it’s like basically just a planned binge. And again, I didn’t really like think much of it. I’m just like, oh, it’s a cheat meal. Like, obviously I’m gonna go balls to the wall. Like, obviously I’m gonna eat everything until I’m super sick, like I’m on this strict meal plan, I’m not gonna be able to eat these foods for another week, like I have to eat my whole kitchen. 

So for me it was like I managed my way through because I had basically a binge every single week, but I’ve always had a really strong mindset where like if I tell myself I’m gonna do something, I’m gonna do it. Obviously, I don’t mean in terms of like, oh, I’m gonna motivate myself, you know, through this, but I set a date and like I knew I was gonna compete. I think the reason I was able to get to actually doing the show was because I had those weekly cheat meal things and I was like, well, I’m the motivated one, like I’m the disciplined one. Obviously, I’m gonna do this and there was like a lot of again pressure of like I was the personal trainer, so like, I’m not going to tell people that I’m just not doing a show. 

Ryann

Right. What about when you actually got on stage and your body was judged? Like after all of the mental turmoil of getting that comment, getting other comments, fearing fat, and now you’re in a position where you’re literally exposing your body to be judged and critiqued. 

Lorna

It was so funny, because leading up to the show, I was like, damn, like, I look so good. And then as soon as you see all these other competitors, comparison, you’re not good enough. Your body’s not perfect enough. I have this realization that I am never going to be happy with my body unless I actually fix the insecurities and what’s going on because from one moment to the next you can be loving your body like look how amazing I look and to the next day feeling like you’re not good enough and to me I’m like there’s something here there’s something I got a look at.

 I think it was almost the exposure that I needed in order for me to kind of turn inwards and be like wait a minute like we have to dig deeper like you can’t just keep trying to diet your way to loving yourself or you can’t just try to make your body smaller and hope that that’s going to allow you to feel worthy and full. It’s like we have to go deeper. 

Ryann

100% and I want to dive into that transition. But before we go there, I have to know because I know that I relate to this and I know so many of my clients relate to this as I’m sure you do too. Being so disciplined, so type A, feeling like I can do everything right except for food and even that comment of when I put my mind to something, I do it. Like I do it. But this being the one thing that it’s like, even if I tell myself I’m never going to binge again and even if I have this show, like they keep coming back. Mentally, what was that like for you? 

Lorna

It was honestly so tough because again, it’s a part of who you are. Like this is just who I am, right? But I think something that really helped me was I can choose to keep having this phrase at the back of my mind of like, this is who I am, or I can choose to embody a different feeling, a different thought. And that takes work, like that takes awareness, that takes a whole level of like emotional responsibility. 

But I think I got to a point where I was like, I don’t wanna be this person actually. Like I thought I wanted to be the perfect type A, like everything needs to be perfect. But I realized that trying to be perfect is the thing that was actually causing me to expire a lot of control. Again, it’s like this introspection. I’m like, I don’t wanna be this person. I wanna be able to go with the flow. I wanna be able to be more spontaneous. Like even going out for dinner dates with my husband, I don’t wanna have to ask my husband a month in advance where I’m going out for dinner because I got to look at the menu and see if it fits my macros. 

I wanna be that person that says yes to life. And that’s just so spontaneous and goes with the flow and can go on vacation and not stress out. I wanted to be that person and I realized if that is what I wanted I needed to stop telling myself that this was who I was. 

Ryann

Oh my gosh that’s so powerful. So you talk a lot about getting to this place of I realized I had an unhealthy relationship with food, I realized this is not how I wanted to treat my body. How was this moment different than all the moments before when you told yourself, I’m never gonna do this again, I’m never gonna binge again. What was different about this period?

Lorna

There’s this one time I was sitting in a coffee shop with my boyfriend at the time and his mom. And I just binged before we were gonna go out to this little social gathering. And I was sitting there feeling so disgusting in my own skin, so bloated, and yes that happened all the time, but this time I looked around me and I saw all of these smiling faces, all of these people laughing with their family and having such a good time enjoying whatever food and drink that they were eating, and I said to myself, I deserve a better life for myself. 

Yes, relationship was good. Yes, career was good, but things gotta be even better. Thinking about one day bringing potentially a child into this world killed me. Like I saw these parents with their kids laughing and having so much fun. And I was like, I cannot even think about bringing a child into this world when I am not well myself, like counting every ounce of spinach and doing these things with food, like that was the breaking point for me. That was it. And then also my relationship with my husband now, boyfriend at the time, I never wanted to be intimate. I never wanted to be looked at. I never wanted to be touched. And it was so hard for him to understand what I was going through. 

So when I would tell him, like, I don’t want to be intimate. You can imagine what a guy’s thinking, like, am I not attractive or whatever they’re thinking. And it was so hard for me to share that because I loved him. And yes, I wanted to, but I’m also like discussing in my body right now. And I never wanted to like lose my husband. I never wanted to make him feel that way. And it was just not fair of how I was even treating people that I loved the most. 

Ryann

Did he know about any of this or when did you let him in? 

Lorna

It was like three years into our relationship but a lot of people don’t get it right. They’re like oh you’re just like overeating like it’s fine like everyone does that. And then it reinforces the belief like there really must be something wrong with me because this is definitely not just overeating. Yeah and I’m like well shit like how do I tell him cuz it’s not that like I don’t want you to think I’m crazy but like there’s something going on here. 

Ryann

Yeah so you’re at this brunch or this family thing and you’re having this total moment of reframe then what did you do because it’s one thing to have this epiphany and then it’s another thing to be like, okay, now I got to do the work. So what was that work like for you? 

Lorna

I actually did reach out to a coach online and it was so funny. I like sent this like paragraph essay. I’m like, I know you get this all the time, but like, I’m a health person. I’m a fitness person. I know all the things of what to do. I just can’t control my binge eating. And I remember her messaging me back and then I shit my pants and I’m like oh shit I’m gonna actually have to like I mean maybe I don’t need help no no no I can do this myself. 

Ryann

When was this? 

Lorna

This was January 2019.

Ryann

 Okay. 

Lorna

Yeah so I remember like you know sending her this message or whatever and then I was like second-guessing myself I’m like I’m like I just haven’t been so bad this week like I think I’m fine. Like, I think I just have like such a bad spell. Like I’m going to be okay. And then, you know, a week or two passes. 

And I again, have this like mindset. I don’t want to be okay. Even if it’s like less binges or okay, I’m feeling a little better in my own skin. I want these urges gone. I want to love myself. I want to feel free with food. I want to eat normally again. I don’t want to white knuckle it. Yep, and that’s what I was doing. Distraction, drinking water and tea, staying busy, and you know, it’s like none of those things get rid of the urge. So I’m like, I want to do things sustainably. I want to get rid of this urge so that I can just enjoy my life. And I mean, obviously getting support changed my life.

Ryann

 And when she started doing a lot of the mindset stuff, which obviously needs to happen, did you ever have this, but wait a minute, my problem’s the food?

Lorna

 So interesting, because we actually dove into identity work and I’m like, this is bullshit. What is this? I’m like, just tell me how to eat. Like, just tell me what to do, right? At the time, it’s like, are you sure you know what you’re talking about? Because like, I have issues with food. I don’t need to do this identity work. 

You know, it’s like at the time, it’s so frustrating to have to do like the inner work. But now it’s like, I’m so glad that I did that because even with, you know, my clients, and I’m sure you experienced this as well. Now I understand the profound transformation that comes through the deep healing work, the deep mindset work that now anytime my clients is like, oh, but like, just tell me what to eat. I know what it’s like and I can really help them work through it and like help them to trust the process. So yeah, I absolutely have those thoughts of like, I don’t need to like do this identity work or like body image, like whatever. Like I just need to have more control. Like just how do I stop binge eating? As if there’s like one magical thing that’s gonna like stop everything, you know? 

Ryann

Totally, and I think that that’s so important to hear because I too came in like firing with that and be like, no, no, no, no, you don’t understand. Like, we’re not having this conversation. Like I’m not paying you to talk about my family. Like what? But I mean, that’s what we need to do. 

With that being said, I have to know because I know this comes up a lot for some of my clients that have also been involved in bodybuilding. How did you either manage thoughts or emotions around looking at old photos of your quote-unquote skinny body and not looking like them anymore? 

Lorna

Honestly, it was really hard because you know how to get there. It’s the easiest thing, right? Do the same thing. All right, let’s go. Drop the calories, increase the exercise. Like, we know how to get there and it’s like I could literally get there in a few weeks. But I looked back at number one, how I felt when I was in a smaller body and what I was not able to do. I lost my period. I started having adrenal fatigue issues, gut issues, which I think a lot of people experience, food intolerances. 

Like I started feeling so unwell. And when I thought about being in a smaller body, I’m like, what do I actually want? I want energy, I want health, I want to be able to crush my workouts, I want to be able to have so much energy so I could be able to get in a good workout so that means I got a few in my body. That means that I’m not gonna restrict. 

Number one like just not looking at the photos is honestly like the best solution. I just reminded myself of how shitty I felt and how irritable I was with my family and how disgusting fricking egg whites and protein powder is. I’m like, I don’t want to live that life anymore. Like the cost of that was way too high. I was not willing to do that again. And I never thought I would be saying that. I thought I was going to be that 80 year old tracking my food, you know, doing all the things, the macro tracking, but you get to a point where you’re like, no, I actually wanna take care of myself.

Ryann

 Yeah, and that’s so important because it’s like, you said, I know what to do. Like, I know how to get there. Is that enough for me? Like, is that the life that I really wanna live? And that’s when we get back to that mindset work of the deeper questions of, this is so much more than food. This is so much more than body. This is getting to a place where it is, what do I really want? What really matters to me? How do I want to show up in my day?

Lorna

Yeah, absolutely. And again, going back to like the whole identity thing, it’s like if you don’t do the identity work, then it’s like who you are is the way that you look, right? So that’s why it is very important to do that work. 

Ryann

So after working with this coach, then what made you want to get into this space?

Lorna

 Working with clients who had weight loss goals and health goals, like that was all great. But physically, mentally, emotionally, having my life completely do a 180 and feeling so free with food, I’m like, this is what people are actually wanting, but they don’t know that this is what they need. They think that they want the weight loss and they think that they need a better workout plan, but what they actually need is a better relationship with food. And when you learn something that changes your life, it’s literally impossible to not share.

 I felt like going on the top of my roof and like sharing this information that changed my life because I was one of those people that were very skeptical and I’m like, no, it can work for everyone else. But like, I’m broken. Like, I don’t think you understand, like I’m gonna struggle with this for the rest of my life. Because I’m so healthy and I’m not gonna give up my body goals and all these different things. And because I made it happen, I was like, I know that there are other people who are also having, you know, health and fitness goals that don’t wanna give them up and still wanna be able to heal their relationship with food. This is what people need to focus on. 

Whether they think they need to, this is what they have to do. Right, it’s like your coach who was in my therapist at this too, it was like I’m just gonna tell you what you need to hear and then I’ll give you what what you need and what we’re really gonna work on. 

Ryann

Yeah. So Lorna, for anybody who is listening that is the version of you, that is I am a health and fitness guru or this is my identity or this is something that actually really does light me up, yet I’m really struggling with binge eating and I’m afraid of A, what you said, letting myself go, or B, losing this identity piece. What words would you have for them?

Lorna

The words that I needed to hear that I think is gonna really be helpful, and I know I said it, but I’m gonna say it again, you’re not broken. I think people hear that and they just let it slip by. But I really want you to feel this. Why not you? Literally, why not you? I am not a special unicorn. All of our clients are incredible, but they’re also not special unicorns. 

If you have an unhealthy relationship with food right now, there is a way out. Simply deciding that you are worth it, simply deciding to go all in on yourself and committing to healing your relationship with food is literally the thing that’s going to help you get onto the other side. We can, you know, continue to stay in this mode of like, it’s not going to work for me, or you can take that leap of faith, you can take that chance on yourself and recognize that you are just as worthy as this next person who can heal their relationship with food and have zero urges to binge. 

Ryann

Love that. And what about for the person who has been in that bodybuilding space or that health and fitness space and now they’re getting to a place where it’s like this body isn’t sustainable and it’s not healthy for me and at the same time I have a really hard time letting go of that body and accepting this weight gain. 

Lorna

Because I think also sometimes people have this idea of like food freedom equals weight gain, automatic weight gain. And some people lose, some people gain, some people stay the same. But it’s the fear of the weight gain that’s going to keep you trapped in these cycles. And I always recommend like give yourself four months or three months or whatever it is to just try Just go all in on yourself. 

Like what’s the worst thing that can happen? You don’t have to think about oh my gosh I have to give this up for the rest of my life And the reality is you don’t have to give up your health and fitness goals It’s the way that you go about those goals that really make the biggest difference So you don’t have to give it up. It’s just doing things in the right order. And yeah, that’s what I would say

Ryann

 Going back to that mindset work because at the end of the day That’s what it keeps coming back to. 

Lorna

Yeah, 100% 

Ryann

Lorna in honor of the food freedom lab. What does food freedom mean to you?

Lorna

 Peace joy and getting my life back.

Ryann

I Love it. Thank you so much for sharing all of that for being so vulnerable. If listeners want to connect with you, find you, learn from you, where can they get all of your spaces? 

Lorna

Yeah, absolutely. So my Instagram is @lorna_bingeeatingcoach and you can listen to my podcast, Ditch Decade Diets Podcast.

Ryann

I love it. Yay, I’ll have all of those linked below. Thank you so much again. I really appreciate you. 

Lorna

Yeah, thanks for having me. This was so much fun.