That long relationship has included eating disorders, crash diets, major weight gain and weight loss and a victim mentality that kept me trapped in a vicious cycle.
By the time I was in my early thirties, I weighed over 200 lbs. and my self-esteem was in ruins. But in the past year and a half I discovered something that has helped me turn my life around and heal my relationship with food and ultimately myself.
I am the last person anyone would have expected to try Internal Energy Plus™. It has helped me to empower myself in ways I never imagined and I am really glad to have this opportunity to share what I’ve learned in this system. Maybe it will spark your interest in it too. I will also be sharing with you some of my favorite recipes and ways of preparing and eating food that will give you support in gaining and maintaining your wellness.
As a child, I was a “good eater.” My dad was a great cook; we had Latino food, American food and everything in between. It wasn’t difficult for me to eat because I loved just about everything. Both my parents came from Latin America where there really are starving children; therefore no food should go to waste. Sometimes even though I wasn’t hungry, I obeyed my parents and ate everything on my plate. So I learned early on that being a member of the “clean plate club” meant being a good girl.
As I got older, the cycle of feeling unworthy and eating for comfort started to take form. As a teenager I had a lot of the same insecurities young women do: “Am I pretty enough? Am I thin enough? Do I look ok? Does he like me?” I just wanted to fit in like everyone else. It wasn’t until many years later in my early 30’s that I realized I spent most of my teenage years in a deep depression and was using food to mask the pain I felt at not being “good enough” or not earning my parents’ approval. Food became my comfort. It didn’t feel judged by it and it filled me up when I felt emotionally empty.
When I finally entered adulthood, the cycle that had started so innocently as a young girl had turned me into a fat and overly sensitive young woman. I was severely depressed and carried the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was stuck in a negative downward spiral that didn’t allow me to see all the good things in my life and all I had accomplished.
I hit bottom when my health started to deteriorate and realized I needed to do something to turn things around for myself. I slowly began the process of taking a good hard look at myself and choosing to work on personal challenges that had hindered my development into an emotionally and physically well-balanced person.
For the following two years, I worked on changing my lifestyle. I started to exercise daily and I made small daily changes to my food intake, which in time added up to an 85 lb. weight loss. I was attending a local culinary arts program but in the process also took a proactive approach at educating myself on what foods and exercise worked best for me. I scoured the Internet and the local library for recipes and cookbooks and then worked on adapting them to my nutritional needs. I taught myself about organic foods and how to cook a healthy meal.
Two years after I started the physical and emotional healing process, I discovered the Internal Energy Plus™ system. My husband had been working with the system for about six months and would come home to rave about how great it was and how much it was helping him. I had to admit; I had noticed recent changes in him that were hard to miss. He was more mentally focused and seemed happier, more content. He was more able to let things that previously had really bothered him just slide right off. Things like getting cut off in traffic or dealing with a difficult client no longer stressed him out. So I decided to see what this system could do for me.
I’ve found I can use the system to support my goals in diverse ways, depending on what my intention is and what I want to accomplish. If I need to calm down after a particularly stressful day at work, I use the Internal Energy Plus 12 Postures™ as a motion meditation. If what I need to is to feel energized and really work my body, I use them for body conditioning. The best part of this program is that it can be customized for whatever I choose to change.
Since January of 2006, this unique training has given me the tools I use to shape myself into a person I love and respect. It has taken hard work to do this, but it has been worth every step of the way. The Internal Energy Plus System has helped me to find a balance between eating food for nourishment and enjoyment. I can look in the mirror and smile at my reflection and truly appreciate what I see.
The biggest challenge of this process has been getting up every day and choosing to be who I am all over again, but with these tools I can do it! For the first time in my life I am acutely aware that how I see myself is how others will see me. I used to be the “fat girl” who was a victim of her life and circumstances. Through the work I’ve done using the Internal Energy Plus™ system, I know I am solely responsible for how I think, how I act and ultimately how I grow as a person. I now know that I have a choice in how I live my life.
I believe so fully in the power of the Internal Energy Plus™ system that I have become a Consultant so that I can help others on their path towards self-development and self-fulfillment. I am committed to helping women overcome their dependence on food and improve their self-esteem and body image. I have learned that one size does not fit all. Enjoy the articles and recipes on the forum and when you’re ready for more, call, email, or schedule a private session or group seminar.
Focus your mind, rebuild your wellness,
Lola Kern
Consultant for Internal Energy Plus
