Dr. Kerri Fullerton ND

Intuitive Eating. Health At Every Size (HAES) Doctor

Blog Post

Give the Gift of Body Positivity

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I’m often asked about what books to read when starting to embrace body positivity, health at every size and the anti-dieting world.

This time of year many will take some time off (I hope that you are one of them). Many will exchange gifts with their family, friends, and co-workers.

Here’s a list of a few books that you could consider gifting for yourself or someone else. Maybe you can take advantage of some Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Enjoy!

Big Fit Girl by Louise Green Fitness is a really important piece to pursuing health. But it can be tricky if exercise has negative associations for you. Fellow Canadian Louise Green does an amazing job at inspiring plus size women to embrace their inner athlete. I had the pleasure of interviewing her not long ago. You can watch it here.

Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff  This is essential reading for anybody who’s ever struggled with the ‘inner critic’. Developing compassion for yourself is quite simply the best thing you could ever do. It will allow you to develop body positivity when it feels impossible to love the skin that you’re in.

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch As you may know, I am 90% done my certification in Intuitive Eating. This is the way to bridge the gap between the anti-dieting movement and the health movement. Keep an eye on your inbox – I’m going to be running a group program in the New Year!

Body Kindness by Rebecca Scrichfield This is a visually appealing book so it feels less like a text book than some others. Great practical tips on how you can learn to love your body and start taking good care of it.

Embrace by Taryn Brumfitt The Body Image Movement has been incredible to watch. Taryn trained for a body building competition in an attempt to achieve the ‘perfect body’. What came from that was a documentary (I cried watching it), this book and an international movement.

 

Did I miss a really good one? Please share your favourites in the comments below. I’m always looking for new books to read.

In this diet and appearance based world of ours, I find it imperative that fill my mind with different messaging.

 

Dedicated to helping you achieve peace and power with your body,

Dr. Kerri

P.S. Have you watched Your Diet Escape Plan yet?

Freedom to Feast

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Growing up, food was always an anchor to my memories – each holiday had its special treats; each vacation spot had its special food shop or special restaurant with that special dish.

Holiday parties and family gatherings were an education that I didn’t really need, but I took it in like it was gospel. I was always watching the women as they interacted with each other and the food. They would make comments like, “Oh I shouldn’t”, “I’ll have to walk this off”, “Have you lost weight?”, “Have you seen how much weight she’s put on?”, “Well I’d better enjoy it now cause starting Jan 1st…” All they talked about was self-control or the fact that they had no self-control at all.

The same type of messages were at home too. There were so many rules around the treats – what time of day I could have them, what I had to eat first before I could have them, if there was company over, what day of the week…rules, rules and more food rules.

I took the messages to heart and got nervous about how much I ate in front of others. The idea of savouring one piece became foreign to me. I was shoving them in when no one was looking, hoping no one saw me chewing. If I could, I would bring them into the bathroom or some other far away unpopulated area of the house or party.

I was left with the feeling that something had to be wrong with me. Why didn’t I only want one chocolate out of the box? Why did I want to try them all? Why couldn’t I be trusted with my food desires, likes and dislikes?

As I got older, the anxiety around Christmas time got worse. Heck, it had already started with the lead up to Halloween. Candy was everywhere in the grocery stores and offices. Every company had some special way to make an already delectable treat even more sensational; gingerbread, donuts, cookies…there was no escaping it!

Each year I would vow it would be different. I would scour the internet and find a new plan to follow that promised to crush my cravings. When it didn’t work, I figured it was more proof that I was flawed…it never occurred to me that maybe the restrictive process was flawed.

By the end of December my “will power” was shot and my binges were strong. Each trip to the grocery store or coffee shop led to food that was purchased and eaten alone and fast, desperately hoping no one would know. The fun of holiday feasts became a long forgotten memory. I was simply scared and wanted it all to be over. I wanted all the food to be gone. I wanted to start my New Year’s diet.

Until I just couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t face another diet. It got to the point that even thinking about another diet, another resolution, another Monday morning that I would begin to obsess about food; all the food that wouldn’t be allowed anymore. The mere thought of restriction led to another “last supper”. Nope, I couldn’t face that anymore. I couldn’t believe the underlying message that I couldn’t be trusted with food. I’m a smart, sassy, successful woman – no way did that make sense anymore. Surely there had to be another way.

I started to reach out and find new resources. What I learned is that the answers were here all along. I was so stuck in my head that I disconnected with my heart and my intuition. I learned that I needed to slow my mind down. Its noise was blocking out my own voice and my own body’s messages.

I learned that my body is just as smart as my head. It knows and I know when I’m hungry and when I’m full; what I like and what I don’t. When I eat, it’s because nothing else can meet my needs at that moment. That it’s ok to enjoy food simply because it tastes good; simply because it smells good, simply just because.

I look back at all the meals that I missed; it was not because I didn’t eat, but because of the chatter in my head about the food or what my friends and family thought about what I was eating. All that noise had me miss out on the experience of the meal.

Humans are social creatures. We meet around food and drink so we can share love, share tears, share stories. Traditions are built in the kitchen and spill out into the dining room. I missed it for so long. I missed the fun, the laughter and the love.

My freedom to feast was always with me. It was right here. And it’s in you. All you have to do is trust your magical self.

Until next time,

dr kerri

Live Life. Love Food. Be Free.

Buffet Bliss

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Do you get stressed out and overwhelmed eating at a buffet? With holiday and travel season approaching, many of us end up eating at buffet style restaurants and pot-luck dinners this time of year. Instead of feeling that buffet burden, I want to share my strategy for buffet bliss!

I’ve been eating at buffets twice a day here in Hawaii. Today, while standing in line I started asking the other women how they felt at buffet meals.

Overwhelmingly they said that buffets were HARD. Top reason?

Everyone is watching!

They can’t be the first one up cause that’s no good; but fear of missing out won’t let them go last either – what if nothing’s left? They have to pick the ‘right’ balance of foods (what is that anyway.) They have to choose what they ‘should’ be eating – not too many carbs, sweets, meats…whatever their food rules dictate. Can’t pile the food too high…but what about seconds, is that okay?

So, I figured that I could share my buffet strategy with you today. Instead of the buffet burden, let’s go for buffet bliss!

  1. Take a look at everything on the buffet first. Do a walk through. See what interests you.
  2. Buffets are a great way to try things that you otherwise wouldn’t order. Get a selection of everything that looks appealing.
  3. Taste, I mean really taste, everything on your plate. Not awesome? No worries. Move on to your next selection. Delicious? Wonderful. If you’re still hungry after this plate, go grab more of what you loved or at least add it to your “I like that” food list.

Buffets don’t have to be anxiety riddled experiences. Instead it can be a wonderful food experiment to try out new flavours.

Survey. Sample. And Savour.

Until next time,

dr kerri

Live Life. Love Food. Be Free.

 

Why I DON’T Do Affirmations

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Based on of the idea that you can ‘fake it till you make it’, affirmations are supposed to be powerful and life changing. But is it really all that simple? Celebrity Psychologist Sherry Gaba preaches, “As you repeat your positive affirmations, you will begin to believe the words. You will face outside stress with newfound confidence”[i]. Yes, I agree that we need to get rid of the negative mental chatter. But I cannot agree that by looking in the mirror each day and saying, “I am beautiful” that we will magically believe it. No matter how often we tell ourselves something, we cannot will it to be true without a basic belief in our own self-worth.

Back when I loathed what I saw in the mirror, I would try anything I could to make myself feel better. For months, I started my day off with a set of affirmations that was suggested to me by the experts of the online self-help world. If it worked for them, then of course it would work for me, right? Every day I would look in the mirror and tell myself that I was beautiful, that happiness is a choice and that my confidence is soaring; but every day I felt like a fraud. I couldn’t see my beauty and I couldn’t see my worth. The problem wasn’t in the affirmations themselves, it was in my mental state. For years I’d been trained by the beauty and diet industry to see where I wasn’t enough, and there weren’t enough words in the world to change that.

You see, if you believe that you are ugly and worthless while continually telling yourself that you are beautiful and loved, you’re starting an inner war[ii]. The conflict between the positive affirmations and low self-esteem creates tension within the body. Every positive statement you make is met with the voice of your inner self telling you ‘it’s a lie!’ Research suggests that the end result of this internal conflict is the increased intensity of those negative thoughts[iii]. Ultimately, the more you try and trick your mind into believing something is true, the more your mind believes it’s not.

So, what do I recommend? What did I do? I started with appreciation. Instead of telling myself that I was beautiful, I asked myself ‘what can I appreciate about my body today?’ Developing gratitude is a great first step towards building a healthy body image[iv]. Some days all that I could think to say was “thank you for not dying while I slept” or “I appreciate that my lungs kept breathing and my heart kept pumping”. It was a start. From there, I slowly started to appreciate other things about my body. My mindset didn’t change overnight, but slowly I began to realize the strength and power within myself.

Now I can look in the mirror and at least feel body neutral instead of body negative (and sometimes that’s enough for me). Mostly, I’m free from my obsessive body thoughts. I’ve realized that my life has a greater purpose than to worry about my bikini body. More often than not, I even feel body positive. I encourage all my Rebels to work on their self-appreciation and personal gratitude. Our bodies do so much for us, and a simple ‘thank you’ can make a world of a difference on both our mental and physical well-being.

Until next time,

dr kerri

Live Life. Love Food. Be Free.

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[i] http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/thecelebritytherapist/2011/08/the-power-of-positive-affirmations.html

[ii] https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/03/20/why-positive-affirmations-dont-work/

[iii] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carmen-isais/why-positive-affirmations-dont-work_b_8808976.html

[iv] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/gratitude-effect-body_n_6510352.html

An Open Letter to All Health Professionals

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We all have our biases. That’s part of being human. But as a health care professional, we need to be held to a higher standard and we need to check our personal biases at the door. Far too many doctors, both in the traditional medical system and the integrative system, treat patients with obesity with distain[i]. They hold the belief that these patients are lazy[ii], undisciplined, and uninterested in their health. Regardless of a patient’s complaint, they are dismissed and told that they need to lose weight. Then, when these patients come back, at the same weight or heavier, they are tagged as ‘non-compliant’, “Clearly they don’t care enough about their health to make the necessary changes, so if they won’t take their health seriously, then why should I?” This way of thinking is leaving too many patients misdiagnosed[iii] and unheard; all the doctors see is the number on the scale. This has to change.
 

When I was in naturopathic medical school, the late Dr. Timothy said to me, “there is no such thing as a non-compliant patient, just poor treatment plans.” It stuck with me, and molded how I treat each person that comes into my office. As a doctor, it’s my responsibility to ensure my patient’s success. If I create a treatment plan that they can’t follow, it means that I didn’t listen to them well enough. If I didn’t account for something in their life, in their preference or in their budget then I didn’t meet them where they were. As their doctor, that’s my fault and not theirs. You see, not everybody is at the same place in this life. Not everybody has the same access as everybody else. Everybody has their own preferences on what they like to eat and how they like to move.
 

So how can your patients succeed when you’re only measuring the scale? When they come into your office and tell you that they are eating more vegetables, that they’ve cut back on the ‘junk’ food, and that they’re moving more than ever, but you weigh them and sigh, then they know they’ve lost. Again. And people will only rally so many times before they give up. And you know what they lose? Those healthy habits that they started to develop. They start to associate nutritious food and movement with failure. And that means that they lose out on the possibility of implementing these lifestyle changes with any long-term success. Because we are wired to avoid pain, they will begin to avoid exercise, they will avoid vegetables and they will eventually avoid YOU.
 

People with obesity, or even those who fall into the ‘overweight’ category, have been failing for a long time. And failing sucks. Just look at a team who can’t get ahead. Without amazing coaching, these teams stay down; the players don’t invest as much of themselves into the sport, blaming starts and their sense of worth drops. Ultimately, pride and respect slips away and the fun is gone. As humans, we like to play to win, so help your patients do just that. Give them real goals for where THEY are right NOW; in this body, in this life, and at this time.
 

If they show up to your office, congratulate them for making time for this appointment and making their health a priority[iv]. Ask them what you can do for them and find out what they need right now. Use the opportunity to create a safe environment where they don’t feel judged and looked down upon. Create treatment plans that allow them to win. Be kind to them, they face enough shame every time they look in the mirror. They need you to take a stand for them. Teach them how to accept and appreciate this body. That will allow their self-respect to emerge, and when you respect something, you’re far more likely to take care of it.
 

Until next time,

dr kerri

Live Life. Love Food. Be Free.

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[i] http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/826246

[ii] http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030926/even-doctors-have-obesity-prejudice#1

[iii] http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/weight-and-obesity-discrimination-doctors

[iv] https://www.fastcompany.com/3025080/why-positive-encouragement-works-better-than-criticism