Shereen Donede's Journal, 16 Sep 19

The hardest part for me about being on a "diet" was to be honest about what I was eating, so I can relate to the secrecy in eating and feeling horrible, Shereen. I look at the progress you have recorded on this app and how you figured out your own system, how positive you are and can only marvel at how well you have done!  

Thank you Ms Cornwall. When I started this journey, I had no idea that I had so many negative behaviours around my food habits. I just wanted to lose weight. I had no idea this journey would lead me to a healthier state of mind. From binging, starving, using pills, secret eating, diets, clubs etc.etc.etc.etc. the only thing I never did before which sets this time apart... Is I never focused on my mental health around my habits with food. It's something I overlooked for so many years. But changing years and years of poor habits take real work and I'm so glad I like myself enough to do this for myself. Also. I love this app. Literally the nicest people in the world of social media where most people are just energy vampires 👌 

You raise a very important point, Shereen: our relationship with food. For the most part it is not something most people are aware of. I too had a very bad relationship with food and I have no idea where it came from... It was sort of punishment and reward and a very unhealthy mindset. What I also learned in the last year, was I did not know how to eat, what food does, the metabolic differences of basic food stuff... You know the bio-chemistry side of it as no one tells or teaches you this. So basic, yet so unknown - to me at least. So I thought I was overweight and there was nothing that could be done about it.... Wrong - changed my attitude, changed what I knew, learned a few things and voila! if I was honest with myself and confronted my food issues I could make a difference. And I did. I also learned to love myself - not in a vain way, but in a way that that made me grateful for my body and what it allows me to do. I learned that taking care of things includes taking proper care of me and that included learning to eat properly and correctly from a nutrition perspective. Like you I am grateful to everyone here on this app. It is an amazing support system and people are nice. I am so grateful for that. :)