Exciting Times!

I have said it before and still believe now, that my alcoholism has been my greatest teacher; recovery my greatest blessing. 

If you know me or have been following my work for a time, you will know I got sober from alcohol over 14 years ago.

I see all addiction as the same, no matter our drug of choice (alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex, tech, work)… It all fills a hole inside of us. It helps us to numb our feelings and push those things down that we would rather not deal with; it allows us to avoid all that we wish wasn’t real in our lives.

As I write about in my book, I was so ashamed of being an alcoholic when I got sober that I tried to hide it from everyone. I hid it by “pretending” to be a “healthy person”.

In the process, I actually did become healthier. I learned a lot about food and nutrition and fitness and exercise. I played with easy recipes that I could easily whip up and that fueled my body while also tasting good. I began sharing meal plans and recipes with friends and, well, you know the rest; I started my blog and wrote my book.

Getting Started

When I first got sober, it was extremely challenging. Every sober day I strung together felt so monumental. Every sober day felt victorous. And painful. And scary. And hard.

I felt untethered; like I could fall into a hole at any given moment and find myself in my old life…just like that.

I didn’t have confidence around alcohol in those early days. But as the days turned into months, and months into years, it got easier to be sober. To order a cup of tea. To be at a gathering and drink sparkling water while the rest of the group imbibed.

And while it can still sometimes be hard for me to watch people drinking and witnessing people’s behaviour change when they overindulge, what I know for sure is that all I have to do is avoid alcohol.

It’s not quite that simple when it comes to food.

The Whole Food Thing

For me, 14 years into sobriety, I can honestly say that figuring out the whole food thing felt a million times harder than figuring out the drinking thing.

Because HUNGER HAPPENS.

It is SUPPOSED to happen!

We are designed to be fueled!

Thing is, we are designed to be fueled with FOOD. We are biologically required to eat. It is how we survive as a species. But just as a car doesn’t run on tomato juice, we don’t run on junk food.

The trouble is, a car won’t even start if you fill it with tomato juice.

Our bodies, on the other hand, are so incredibly resilient; so amazingly intelligent, that they will do whatever they can to pull whatever nutrients they can find in the junk we feed them in order to stay alive.

But we are killing ourselves with the food we are eating.

We really are.

We don’t want to believe it, but it’s true.

We are getting diseases, suffering with pain, experiencing mental illness, and we are unable to live vibrantly. We can’t climb stairs without huffing. We can’t get down on the floor to play with our children the way we want to.

And I get it. I understand the pull that junk food has over us. Without my preferred vice of alcohol, I began reaching for junk food in those early days of sobriety.

It’s what no one talks about when someone quits drinking—that the food will become the thing we use to numb. We will crave sugar the way we craved booze. And we will have to figure out how we are going to manage this new reality in our lives.

Without booze, I needed to get my rush elsewhere.

I craved sugar and refined carbohydrates in sobriety the way I craved beer and wine when I was drinking.

And while I needed to get a handle on my eating to maintain my guise of being a “healthy person”, I also knew how much better I felt when I planned ahead, ate good food, nourished my body and fueled my mind.

So, I got to work on creating strategies and plans that would have me eating well and feeling good all of the time…strategies that would build my confidence around food.

Because having confidence around food helped me seek out more ways to feel good. Having confidence around food helped me create the lifestyle I wanted to live.

Let Me Help You

I want to help you develop confidence around food if that isn’t yet a reality for you. But here’s the thing: Everyone else just talks about the food. They tell us how much or how little we can eat, what we can eat, when we can eat…and you now what?

It isn’t working.

It isn’t working because we are focusing on the wrong thing!

If all we are focusing on is the food, and if we believe that what we focus on expands, then when we only focus on the food, we become obsessed with eating, restricting, dieting, food and weight.

The truth is, our bodies and our minds are ONE. They are not separate. They are so intimately connected that the mere thought of food will cause our tummies to rumble and our mouths to salivate.

We must harness the power of our minds AND our bodies, simultaneously, in order to create dramatic shifts in our health and well-being.

This is how we develop confidence around food. And if you are struggling, I believe I can help you.

• I believe I can help you develop a better understanding of what food is being used for in your life.
• I believe I can help you look at your body differently and help you learn to love and nurture it using daily strategies I use in my own life.
• I believe I can help you change your belief system around food.
• I believe I can help you build a positive mindset around food.
• I believe I can help you strengthen your self-image and your body-image.
• I believe I can help you get back to basics in the kitchen so that you can use food to fuel your life. 

While I have written the book The 28 Day Kick The Sugar Challenge, which I believe is an excellent place to start your journey, I am launching my course in the new year. It will be delivered via video and I have developed downloads and take-aways that will help you apply what you’ve learned. I will have Q&A sessions and a private Facebook community. I am even working on developing live retreats where we can meet in person and do the work as a group!

I am also going to be growing my coaching business. Many of you have sent me messages requesting private coaching sessions. While I am no longer offering one-on-one coaching, I will be offering group coaching and I would love to support you as you embark or continue on your health journey.

It is an exciting time and I am thrilled you are here to learn about it and perhaps join me. I would be honoured to support you as you navigate your way.

If any of this speaks to you, feel free to comment below to let me know you’re interested or you can email me at Sarah@SarahTalksFood.com. I would be happy to answer your questions.

Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.

P.S. I would love for you to join us for The 28 Day Kick Ass Challenge, which aims to support our military and first responders suffering with PTSD. To learn more, check out our Facebook Group. It’s where we support one another and hold each other accountable.

P.P.S. We can also connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  Plus, if you haven’t already subscribed to my blog, you should! That way, you won’t miss anything. For joining, you get my personal meal plan, shopping list, and a week’s worth of easy, tasty recipes. https://sarahtalksfood.com/

P.P.P.S. To learn more about my story and to order your very own copy of my book,The 28 Day Kick The Sugar Challenge, visit KTSC28.com.