Tag Archives: self love

The New Path to Safety

Today’s post is something I’ve been meaning to write for awhile and I get more and more ideas for it the more I read awesome posts like this one, published this week by Alex. I’m at a point at which I’ve been able to do more than I have ever been able to do before in terms of food, and NOT do more than I have ever been able to do in terms of fitness. And as I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been happy about it, and that scares me. It’s almost like my eating disorder has gotten me used to unhappiness and hatred of myself as signs of safety. When I don’t wake up the morning after a restaurant event feeling the urge to skip breakfast, or when I don’t skip wine with dinner the night after an evening out enjoying several cocktails with friends, I get freaked out.

ALL the cheese.

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Being OK With Marvelous

My giveaway for a $25 credit to healthy-living discount shopping site HealthyChic ends tomorrow night at 11:59 PM EST. Make sure to enter and if you don’t win, you can still sign up and use a discount code on your first order!

This weekend was really out of my box – like last weekend in Boston. I pshawed sleep, homework, and my usual kill-me Sunday morning spin class in favor of all sorts of marvelous. And I enjoyed myself while doing so. And that SCARES me.

Let’s get the marvelous moving, thanks to Katie!

Some people who read this post may understand exactly where I’m coming from. On the other end of the spectrum, some may think I’m a spoiled brat who will always find something to complain about no matter how good my life gets. I can see both perspectives but what it all comes down to is what feels safe to me and realizing that the safe option is not always the option I WANT. And that does not make me an irresponsible, reckless person. It makes me a normal 24 year old!

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Belated Birthday and Vacation Reflections

I don’t have much time at all to expand beyond yesterday’s simple WIAW recap of my Florida vacation eats/drinks. Work’s so busy that I shouldn’t even be taking a lunch break to write this! But I am because I also finally managed to get more FL pics uploaded to share and use in this post about what you CAN’T tell from simply looking at my photos.

My co-workers know me well and got me a rhinestone birthday card and wine!

Right around my birthday (perhaps even on that day, 3/22) I felt much more pressure than usual from my ego. It’s almost like warning bells started going off in my head as soon as occasions – my birthday, a wedding, a vacation – came around that my mind saw as excuses I could use to “slack off” on eating healthily and exercising regularly.

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Thankful Thursday: NEDAwareness Week

It may seem odd to see the concepts of being thankful and eating disorders in the same post title, but let me explain.

Thanks Jessie for starting this movement!

February 24-March 2 is NEDAwareness Week, started by the National Eating Disorders Association. The goal of this week, and every week in NEDA’s world, is to raise awareness of the fact that in the US alone, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant ED at some point in their lives. I’ve touched on my own personal ED struggle on this blog, and wanted to address this important week because I am one of those 20 million women.

Source

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Top Nosh in West Hartford!

Thank you for your comments on yesterday’s story about my encounter with my new friend Ed! I saw him again this morning at Peaberry’s and we chatted for a bit. Funny enough, after I told him that I’d gone to UConn, am almost done with my MBA, and have a full-time job, he just looked at me and said, “You’re the oldest kid aren’t you?” Yes we oldest, always the overachievers. Crazy how it’s always so easy to tell. I also learned that Ed was an NBA referee for three years! I’m excited to keep learning more about him – he’s already taught me so much, just by buying my coffee yesterday!

I was still in a funk for a lot of yesterday but at the end of the day as I sat on the couch watching TV with my dad and brother, sipping a little Cameron Hughes Pinot Grigio, and eating a dinner pretty easy on my stomach (very light on veggies, more heavy on frozen Ore-Ida fries…man I love those things), I felt quite at peace and thankful to be feeling a lot better physically and mentally than I had at the beginning of the day. My time to wind down and relax with the DVR and my books is so key to keeping me centered and calming me after anxiety-filled days – or even after the most normal of days. I’m grateful that I am able to easily access the things that calm me.

Vera Bradley slippers FTW!

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Love From Ed

I woke up this morning in a stinker of a mood and had no idea what to blog about or if I’d blog. I was up in the middle of the night throwing up last night thanks to a stomach bug and did not sleep well at all. I still felt extremely nauseous and also very exhausted when my alarm went off for work but I felt a bit better once I got out of bed and moved around, so I sucked it up and made the drive.

Typically, most of my thoughts during the commute were not centered around hoping that I would feel better soon, but around worrying how feeling sick would affect my eats and exercise. Would I be able to go to the gym today? I attended a cocktail class with food pairings last night at Barcelona in West Hartford, and had NOT planned on not being able to get in some cardio after work. I was regretting doing Group Power yesterday instead of a cardio workout. I wondered if I’d be able to eat my fruits and veggies or if I’d “have” to eat carbs, which would make my stomach feel better. A lot of future tripping, putting high standards on myself, being unkind when I already was feeling crappy enough. Eating disorder thoughts abound. I was getting multiple visits from ED and future tripping like crazy.

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WIAW: A Super Super Bowl!

Never before have I watched so LITTLE of the Super Bowl. I usually pop into the TV room at our traditional gathering spot, the Gerber family’s house, to try and catch some ads. This year that didn’t even happen.

No Caitlin here!

No Caitlin here!

Aside from the halftime show (I think Beyone was hella fierce) I did not see a single second of the 2013 Super Bowl broadcast. I was too busy hanging out with family and friends, and tasting some fabulous food and drink. Seeing as it’s What I Ate Wednesday (thanks Jenn of Peas & Crayons for hosting!), today’s post is going to be heavy on both of those things!

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Fashion Friday and An Ego Check

Before I dive into Fashion Friday today, I want to give myself an ego check. For the last several days, my ego has been being downright rude to me. I’m having a LOT of ego-based fears and really need to keep attempting to silence my ego so that I can hear the quiet but true messages from my ~ing. I may have already lost some eye-rolling readers after those last few sentences, but I really need to vent! And the teachings of Gabby Bernstein really have been helping me.

Source

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My First Vlog: “Spirit Junkie” Reflections

Perfect timing, Universe! Gabby Bernstein’s latest vlog is on Body Image. I loved watching and wanted to point you all to her post so that you could watch too! Then watch my vlog, oh geez, I’ve set myself up for embarrassment 😉

I’ve been teasing you guys for awhile about a review and my reflections on Gabrielle Bernstein‘s “Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Self-Love and Miracles”. Concepts from the book that resonated with me have already been mentioned here and there, but I’ve never written a full-on post.

Kinda wanna find this dress and make this my adorable Halloween costume this year. (Source)

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Company, Not Cravings

I figured now that I have a grand total of six recipes (thanks Mom) that I’ve posted on this blog, it was better earlier than never to create a Recipage! I hope to continue to add to it (albeit slowly).

During a Gabby Bernstein Spirit Junkie meditation on Saturday night, the idea for this post (complete with title) came to me. I was reflecting on my evening out at Rooftop 120 with a new friend, old friends, my parents, and my favorite bartender. Memories of the evening associated with them came to mind first.

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Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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