After several months on a GLP-1—and working on changing my habit of turning to food for…well, EVERYTHING—I had a super not-so-good eating day. 🤪 A friend brought over a warm loaf of homemade bread. And it was GONE within an hour. 😂 I messaged her to tell her how amazing it was and how quickly we had eaten it. So what did she do? She brought over another loaf! And…THAT loaf is now gone too. And I ate most of it. Ha! My stomach was bloated, hurting, and very, very unhappy. So what do you do when this happens? First, I went and laid down. My stomach had officially had enough. Second, I didn’t beat myself up. Here’s what I know: Bread isn’t bad. But my goal is to learn how to eat like a normal human—and eating almost an entire loaf of bread in 24 hours isn’t a healthy way to eat bread. A slice with dinner? Doable. So instead of shaming myself, I got curious: Why did I feel like I needed the whole loaf? What was really going on? The truth? I’ve been overwhelmed lately. And for years, food was my go-to whenever I felt overwhelmed. My brain was simply returning to what it has always done to help me feel safe. It wasn’t trying to sabotage me. It was trying to protect me. That realization helped me feel compassion for myself instead of shame. Then I asked: “What did you need more than a loaf of bread, Diane?” The answer? A walk. So I got up, put on my shoes, and went outside. I noticed the fresh air, the wind, the kids playing, the cars driving by, and the change of scenery. Just 10 minutes—and I felt better. My stomach felt better. My overwhelmed feelings felt better. And that heavy feeling of “I messed up” felt better. Then I decided to start fresh with my very next meal. And I did. That’s how this works. You don’t punish yourself. You don’t starve yourself the next day. You don’t promise to start over on Monday. You notice. You get curious. You give yourself compassion. You figure out what you actually need. And you begin again with the next choice. Perfectly imperfect. That’s Food Freedom. 💛