Why can I help you? Because I am you. I have been where you are.
My story
I was 15 years old when I started my first diet. I had gained some weight over the summer (so I was told) – and I came across a diet that would allow me to lose 3 kg in one week (hello the quick-fix we all want). It was actually a diet meant for people that needed to lose weight quick before going into surgery. I am getting the chills just thinking about it and while writing this.
I did lose 3kg in that week. And I didn’t stop there. “Just one more week”, I thought. But it was never “just one more week”.
Before I knew it, I was lying to my parents and friends about when, where and what I ate, so that no-one would realize I in fact didn’t eat at all. I developed a fear of food and a bunch of food rules – and later on binge eating and bulimia. Of course I also tried to compensate for eating with excessive exercise and even more food restriction, something that back fired every single time.
For years I was a yoyo-dieter, stuck in the diet cycle and trapped in diet culture – with a very unhealthy relationship to both food, exercise and my body.
Ironically, I was always very interested in everything food, health and exercise. But just like so many, I was lost in the jungle of (mis)information and google searches promising quick fixes, promoting fat burning food/exersice regimes and rules about this, that and the other thing.
The turning point came for me when I started learning and educating myself around nutrition, exercise, the body and the mind.
My Bikini Fitness Journey
I started to really understand how it its all connected. Mind, body, spirit, life, food, movement. How the body works, how the mind works and how our body’s need and use the food that we are eating. Fast forward a couple of years and my relationship to food and myself is pretty solid. I am enjoying working out (first it was CrossFit for 3 years and then bodybuilding). I ate to fuel my body and my workouts with no restrictions or rules.
I decided to take part in a bikini fitness competition. I knew that came with risks, but I figured that I was in such a great place with food and myself, that if there was any time I could pull a process like this off, it was now. And it was the best decision of my life. When I started bodybuilding and competing is when I truly healed my relationship to food and myself and everything REALLY fell into place. This is not the usual story when it comes to fitness competitions.
But first it would get worse before it got better…
After my first competiton I struggled with body image like never before. It was the first time I had ever gotten to such low bofyfat % and it was extremely hard for me to let go of my stage shape. But I was forced to gain weight, and see my body change. I had to learn to accept myself and my body all over again. I had to learn to appreciate it and respect it at any size: competition lean or not, and that has been one of my most valuable lessons (that and realizing that being lean really isnt that cool nor that much fun, NOR healthy).
I also experienced a few binge eating episodes post show. Luckily, I quickly understood that the binge eating came about because my body was in need of energy after such long period of strict dieting. I stopped restricting food and counting calories (which I did during prep) – and my interest for Intuitive Eating was born. I immersed myself in the principles of Intuitive Eating and really started to honor my body and its needs.
If you arent familiar with Intuitive Eating, its a self care eating framework which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought. The principles aim to help you move away from fad diets and diet culture, and get in tune with your bodys needs and signals. Intuitive Eating is not for everyone, but there are absolutely principles that are extremely valuable for everyone. That is why I love using it as a foundation for my coaching, and incorporating aspects of IE that everyone can benefit from (think of getting rid of food rules, self love and self care, eating mindfully and so on).
I’ve got a free E-Book about the 10 principles of IE – I would highly reccommend downloading it and giving it a read 🙂 You find it under the “Free Resources” tab!
No top sporter or team made it to the top on their own – we all need a little help sometimes
We all need a little help on our journeys. Apart from taking a lot of responsibility myself for my journey and education, a huge support for me has been my own coach (and partner). He has had a tremendous impact on me and my relationship to food. Not only has he made me the athlete that I am today, and brought me from a total beginner at my first bikini fitness competition, to the international stage at the European Championships in Spain within a few years – he has also reminded me of the fact food is so much more than fuel. So much more than calories, macros and micros. It’s making memories. Its culture. It’s trying new things. Experiences. It’s connecting with others. It’s creativity. It’s celebration. It’s love. It’s holidays. It’s tradition. It’s events. It’s emotions.
He has shown me that it is possible to combine and achieve very ambitious goals, with a good mindset and balance. He has helped me move away from a fear of food to an incredible love for food. From restriction to nourishment and complete food freedom. Food no longer control me. I am able to trust my body & my abilities to enjoy food mindfully and eat intuitively according to my own hunger and fullness cues + enjoy all food with no guilt or shame. At the same time, I can dial in and go 200% for my goals when I decide to. I have found my perfect balance!
If I can get to this point than so can you. There are so many benefits that come with healing your relationship to food, to exercise, and to yourself and I want to show you and teach you this part and this way of health and goal achievement!
My purpose in life is to help as many people as possible by sharing some of the techniques that have served me throughout my life. YOU deserve to achieve true food freedom and make peace with food and your body once and for all while ALSO reaching for any goal you may have. It is possible! I know, because I have walked in your shoes. I have been where you are. I can relate to your struggles. I had to re-write my story and my view on health. But I came out stronger on the other side – and I want you with me. Right here by side. The side with ultimate freedom. Freedom to choose what health means to you. Freedom to create your life – on your terms. Remember that YOU, you are limitless – and there is nothing you cannot achieve when you set the right goals for YOU, get your mind right and decide to go for it!
Lots of love x Johanna
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If you feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing works, you are exactly who I want to help. If you want different results, you got to try something new. Let me show you how to get results while living your best life.