CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT EATING
My name is Grace Bell and I once suffered from an absolutely horrendous eating disorder: binge-eating, starving, weight up and down, unstable and incredibly anxious and angry when it came to eating, food and my body image (and really, many aspects of life). If my experience of eating has become entirely peaceful and "normal"....I feel it is possible for anyone.
To access powerful complimentary programs to help you change your eating permanently (yes, you can) please join me in a complimentary webinar, read the Eating Peace ebook (Seven Beliefs to Question) my free pdf Seven Beliefs to Question Day by Day to change your eating for good.
You can also enroll in the On Demand course Eating Peace Basics, Eating Peace Mind, a thorough program addressing 8 arenas foundational to question in order to free ourselves from our endless troubled eating stories.
Eating peace means we are calm, relaxed, happy and enjoying the pleasure of eating, stopping eating when full, eating when hungry, and feeling unafraid with food. It means we balance naturally to a stable weight. We end our crazy relationship with eating. We end the frantic flip-flop behaviors of dieting or falling off the wagon, binge-eating, hiding, feeling ashamed, getting back on the wagon again. We stop thinking about wagons entirely, we stop thinking about eating and fixing our eating. It stops. What a relief.
With looming thoughts in our minds and hearts about eating, foods, diets, weight management, food dangers, body shape and size, perfection vs mediocrity…..as we try to navigate our lives, and hold all these dangers at the same time, we become anxious, suspicious, defensive, fearful, angry, or lonely.
And then? We eat even more.
For me, my angst with eating began around age 14, although I felt stressed about weight and awareness of the fear of fatness at age 8.
My trouble with food….just happened to coincide with a driving passion….for thinness. And in direct opposition, a driving passion that seemed almost beyond my control….for eating!
Thus began a battle with food, eating and my body for many years. Never peaceful, never enough, often too much, never just right.
My stressful thinking went like this, and you might relate:
What I know now is that anyone can end the fight, struggle, argument or stress involved with eating, food, or body….It’s your birthright to live peacefully with the experience and joy of eating.
Eating was not created to hurt.
If you don’t feel peaceful with eating, then likely somewhere in your life, like me, you began to believe painful thoughts about thinness, fatness, feelings, rejection, weight, attractiveness, joy, love, foods, connection and eating.
There is a way to enter into the experience of peaceful eating, permanently.
How do I know?
Because it happened for me.
I was a binge-eater, bulimic for a decade (binge-eating and vomiting or over-exercising), borderline-anorexic for several years, and constantly tortured by violent thoughts about food, weight, and eating. I weighed too much, then too little, yo-yo’d up and down, and hated my body. I felt nervous around large quantities of food. I said things like “I can’t keep x in my house!!” because I’d think about it obsessively until I ate it.
But it’s over now.
Food can be wherever it is, including covering a huge buffet table in my presence, and it doesn’t scare me or create anger or make me say things like “careful! stay in control!” I find a lack of interest in what's right or wrong about eating or food.
That kind of unrest can be over for you, too.
I used to isolate, stay home, avoid gatherings with large amounts of food, go to gatherings with food just to eat it instead of pay any attention to people. I felt terrified and thought I was going crazy.
I spent hundreds of dollars on binge food. I drove into fast-food restaurants for meals one after the other trying to act “normal” to the employee working behind the counter instead of desperate and almost in tears.
I went to Overeaters Anonymous, weight watchers, therapy, in-patient treatment for eating disorders at Porter Memorial Hospital in Denver, completed Living Binge Free program, People House, more therapy, Beyond Dieting program, Course in Miracles, Alcoholics Anonymous, est, Context Trainings and group therapy.
All of these helped a little, my eating slowed in its excessiveness, but nothing cured my compulsive thinking.
And then, between a very powerful group therapy program and learning The Work of Byron Katie, I found a lightness and freedom from eating wars I always dreamed of but never thought possible.
This approach to Eating Peace gathers three vital and important principles together, and lives out of them:
You don’t have to figure out all your feelings, resolve dilemmas, or feel good all the time. (You won’t). But you can stop overeating or eating or starving obsessively or thinking about food or your weight….and bring your focus to where else you don’t feel free, and question your mind.
The Eating Peace approach dives into changing at a profoundly deep level, so you actually become free and find a balanced weight without any restrictive effort-filled dieting. We work in the realm of mindfulness, feelings, questioning our old beliefs, and living in freedom–we address our eating obsessions at the root level.
You do not have to be controlled, or to follow, the directives of your unquestioned thoughts. You can end the cycle of insanity. Your life includes the possibility of joyful, balanced eating.
It is possible to end your obsession and concern with food, forever.
I’m living proof. So are other people who have done this work.
No control or rigid plans are necessary. (Although you will learn how to review, refine and clarify your own eating and continue to stick with peace).
There's a smorgasbord of ways to get into this Eating Peace work and be connected to your heart's desire to live in peace with food. Your inquiry leads to peace. Eating Peace.
Gather in a group online to completely shift your thinking about food, eating, body image, dependency and cravings. EPP is a very high-touch program. you'll have pre-recorded video lessons you follow on your own time, connected contact with the group, live lessons, live weekly Q&A calls, and active participation in a private forum. The intention is to get the job done: question your beliefs, change your eating.
Retreat offered in Seattle and other places in the world where we sit together, eat together, and investigate our ancient thoughts about food, eating, weight, body shape, fear and unhappiness....and experience the eating peace that is our birthright.
Individualized sessions just for you and your eating peace journey. Write to Grace if what appears on the calendar for scheduling does not work for you and we'll find the perfect time; grace@workwithgrace.com
"I’m only 8 minutes into the last video for EPE and I’m bawling my eyes out in gratitude. I can’t even begin to describe how healing this program has been for me. Thank you so much for providing this experience, your wisdom, your ongoing support, and unconditional love every week, in every meeting. Just being able to show up in the moment however I am has been incredibly, incredibly healing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." ~ EPE 2022
“Grace is a yummy gumdrop. On this retreat, I think I’ve trusted food for the first time.” ~ Choi
“I honestly can’t think of anything that wasn’t helpful in this experience. I love that we dove right in the first night going deep vs letting it build. Every exercise, question, writing, sharing, small journals for eating were perfectly timed. Grace simply is a master of modeling respect and love for others. I am a fan for life.” ~ Tracy
“I never thought of myself as restricting food since I’ve never been anorexic, but now I see some food being “bad” is restricting. Now I can see food as fuel for my body and not good or bad. This was a perfect blend of The Work of Byron Katie and new exercises. Grace was present, compassionate, and kept us focused. I loved how she demonstrated The Work and was willing to answer any questions.” ~ Wendy
“I know that speaking shame is the way to help it have less power, but to experience this around food and body was profound. It all worked for me, the content was just what I needed. Grace is amazing, She was able to meet each person just as they are.” ~ Emily
“I can feel a deep, beautiful connection to people/women who I barely know. Life is truly beautiful without my story. I love Grace. Her bubbly personality, and giggle is warm and infectious. I cannot wait for Breitenbush (I already signed up).” ~ Kim
“The underlying current of negative thoughts about myself surrounding food, weight and diet became clearer to me–particularly through the writing and meal exercises. Grace is phenomenal. She makes the retreat a 10/10; no matter what made me uncomfortable her energy and presence made it a safe environment. Her guidance and sharing of her experience were invaluable.” ~ Participant January 2020 Retreat
“I learned that I don’t need to eat the amount I am eating, and I can slow down. Grace was excellent. She knows how to manage and use opportunities for learning. It was wonderful.” Participant January 2020 Retreat
“Grace was awesome. Wise, insightful and available. I was very comfortable with the setting, the people, and how Grace handled everybody’s anxiety, questions and emotions.” ~ Participant
“I can eat mindfully. The meditation meals were very helpful. Grace was wonderful. She really knows the Work of Byron Katie and how to apply it to disordered eating. It was wonderful to meet such a wonderful group and hear their stories.” ~ Katie
“Grace is lovely. Willing, receptive, welcoming to it all. She lives The Work. The eating process, as difficult as it was, was immensely helpful. I loved eating together and seeing how others related to food and to life.” ~ Laurie
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