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helping you break free from diet culture

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a long overdue update

5 · Jan 31, 2022 · 5 Comments

cait's plate update

Hi Friends!

I have been trying to find a pocket of time to sit down and write this – turns out, I needed about a month + worth of pockets to finally make it happen! I wanted to give you an update on life, where I’m at with work and everything else. I’ll try to keep it somewhat concise, but that’s not exactly my strong suit 🤗

Life Lately…

Life has kind of kicked me in the butt since COVID hit (I know many of you can relate). The confluence of events (welcoming a second child, school closing for Owen, lockdowns, etc.) that occurred right around it meant that I lost the majority of time I had to dedicate to work. And try as I might, nearly two years later, I’m still finding it really hard to get back into a groove with balancing it all in a way that’s not been detrimental to my wellbeing and/or to how I’m able to show up as a mom. As a result, work life took a backseat.

I recognize how extremely fortunate I am that I even had the option to prioritize my wellbeing and being at home with my kids when so many did not. I would also be lying if I said I didn’t truly miss having the opportunity to mix that with work. I miss putting my degree to use every day, having the chance to connect with and help people who need it and continuing to spread the non-diet and HAES® word.

I’m hopeful that there will be a time in the future that I will be able to throw myself back into work more fully, but for now I’m just taking it day by day.

A Note On Instagram

You may also have noticed that I haven’t been on Instagram. I was sort of forced into a hiatus when Ellie was born because I just didn’t have the bandwidth. However, once I found myself having a few bits of time here and there, I noticed that I didn’t really feel a huge pull to be back in that space. I love it for the quick & easy, day-to-day connection with everyone, but with more information coming out about the real harms it knowingly causes, I struggle with creating content for it, thereby sort of encouraging people to spend more time on the app.

I wrestle a lot with what that. Part of me feels like it’s important to put out messaging counter to all the diet culture crap that gets posted every day, and part of me wonders if it’s better to just find another way to share my messaging with those who really want to, and are ready to, receive it (thus avoiding much of the false and negative messaging that often comes from diet culture proponents who feel it’s their responsibility to uphold diet culture in anti-diet spaces).

All of that said, I’ve personally noticed a positive change in my overall mental health and wellbeing since spending less time on the app. While I miss the day-to-day connection, I’ve really found myself wondering if there’s some other way to achieve that in a different space. Maybe through my newsletter or perhaps just this blog? A space that’s a little more sacred and protected from algorithms, paid ‘wellness’ ads from influencers, etc. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

I’m not ruling Instagram out all together, but for right now, unless I really feel a pull to be in that space, I haven’t been forcing it. My time is also still so limited that I don’t really feel like I can engage in the space in any sort of meaningful way.

Food & Recipe Content

To be totally honest with you, mealtime has really become just another task to complete each day. The kids are home with me all day which means I’m cooking/preparing/making food upwards of 6 times a day between meals and snacks for all of us, and I’ve really gotten burnt out in the kitchen. My creative juices feel tapped out and I find myself relying a lot on a rotation of the same meals for right now (many of which are favorites from the blog!).

I’m hoping this will change as time goes on and I have more space for things like inspiration and recipe testing again – but for right now, new recipes and creations are on hiatus.

Counseling

The pandemic caused me to take a step back from the virtual counseling aspect of my business.

For those of you that are not familiar with the counseling side of my business – I work with individuals looking to break free from dieting and move toward a more peaceful relationship with food. I do not focus on weight loss and I do not prescribe specific meal plans. My goal is to provide you with helpful tools and insights that will allow you to re-establish a connection and re-build trust with your body that years surrounded by diet culture messaging has broken. The goal is to help you come to a place of peace with both food and your body, freeing you up to live the life you have rather than feeling a constant pull to chase some other, ‘better’ one.

I’m still trying to figure out how and when I might be able to get this back off the ground, but I’ll be sure to make it known when/if I do.

Future

If this virus has taught us anything, it’s that there’s no way of knowing what the future will bring. Like I said, I’m hopeful I’ll be able to get back fully in the swing of things at some point – I have pages and pages of plans and ideas for things I’d like to create for you all. Now it’s just about finding the time to do it.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all of you who have shown me kindness, patience and understanding as I work to navigate all of this. I truly cannot wait to get back to creating for and connecting with all of you again more regularly!

5

Related posts:

the hidden harms of 'what i eat in a day' poststhe hidden harms of “what I eat in a day” posts

UPDATE / NEWS

please note: items in these posts may contain affiliate links which simply means I earn a small amount of money if you click on them (at no additional cost to you).  this money is always re-invested in cait’s plate so I can continue to create free content to you!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katie b says

    Jan. 31st, 2022 at 9:27 pm

    Glad I found this! Miss your smiling face, inspiration and delicious food! Glad you are doing what is right!

    Reply
    • Cait says

      Feb. 1st, 2022 at 5:28 am

      Aw, thank you! I miss connecting with you all so much! Hope I can do it more regularly soon <3

      Reply
  2. joelle says

    Feb. 5th, 2022 at 6:23 pm

    Stopped by for a recipe (you’re my go-to still!) and am glad I did because I saw this new post. I can relate to a lot of what you shared, and I feel the same way about Instagram; I have been trying to, at the very least, delete the app from my phone on the weekends because it feels like such a black hole, and I really do feel better on the days I don’t have access to it. Anyways, as always, so nice to read your updates and I hope one day soon we can all start to feel a little more normal (whatever that looks like anymore lol).

    Reply
    • Cait says

      Feb. 6th, 2022 at 5:05 am

      Aw, I’m so happy I’m still a go-to for recipes 🙂 And I love that you’ve found a way to take some time from Instagram – it’s such a double edged sword because it’s so great when used for connection but just comes with a lot that mentally is just too much for me in this moment. And haha, right? Who even knows anymore, but I definitely look forward to that too – miss you!!

      Reply
  3. Pam says

    Mar. 14th, 2022 at 6:18 pm

    Hi,
    I too just happened to stumble on this post. So glad to know all is well and totally understand having to step back with all that is going on in your life. I do miss your posts with new recipes as they inspired me to try something different using ingredients that I already have. Also, miss seeing the pictures of your family so happy to see the picture with this post. The kids are getting so big! 🙂

    Reply

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it took a while for me to get to a point where I r it took a while for me to get to a point where I realized I was chasing something that wasn't working for me.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we're constantly told that thinner is better, that being healthy takes willpower and discipline.  that ‘pain is weakness leaving the body.’⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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it took me years of being miserable as I tried to adhere to all of diet culture's rules before I got to my 'ah-ha' moment.  what I was doing was not only making me unhappy, but it was harming not only my physical health, but my mental health too.  and wasn't I supposed to be doing all of this in the NAME of health?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I wish I could go back to my younger self and tell her it wasn't worth it.  all the rigidity, missing out and being so unhappy - all in the name of doing what I thought would lead to my happiest, healthiest life.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we’re taught we can’t trust ourselves to know what’s best.  that we need to follow someone else’s plan for us in order to live a happy, healthy life.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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but for whatever it’s worth to anyone out there that might need to hear this: I’m always my happiest, healthiest self when I lean into my own body and my own experiences - not someone else’s idea of what it should be.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #antidietculture #nondietdietitian #bodyrespect #breakthedietcycle #dietsdontwork #antidietculture #foodfreedom #intuitiveeatingjourney #intuititveeating #disorderedeatingrecovery
it's not officially fall for me until I've had thi it's not officially fall for me until I've had this harvest wrap.  it's quick, easy and the perfect melt of my favorite fall flavors.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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here's what I put in it:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* mixed greens⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* roasted sweet potatoes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* diced apple⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* diced pear⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* chickpeas (could also use chicken!)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* red onion⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* dried cranberries⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* walnuts (can also use pecans)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
* goat cheese (feta would also be great)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and balsamic glaze.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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printable recipe on @caitsplate: https://caitsplate.com/vegetarian-harvest-wrap/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #vegetarianlunch #easymeal #fallfood #f52community #thefeedfeed #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarianmeals #vegetarianfoodshare
walk through the grocery store and you’re bound walk through the grocery store and you’re bound to find “natural” prominently featured on any number of products.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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the idea of something being “natural” has infiltrated marketing messages in everything from our toiletries & cleaning products to food & beauty items.  that companies have found this term so useful for sales is no wonder - it’s heavily promoted in our society as being “better” for us.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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yet, we’re often told by this same health and wellness culture not to trust our natural, internal signs and signals.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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we’re told to push through exhaustion even if what our bodies really need is rest, we’re told to ignore our signals of hunger and fullness in deference to a pre-set plan, we’re constantly told to fix, resize and reshape our bodies from their natural states.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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it’s worth noting that there’s little profit to be made off us trusting and honoring our body’s innate signals and states.  if we could simply trust our own bodies, we would have no need to buy solutions to “fix” our wellness “problems.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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it then begs the question, is it truly our health and wellness, or simply the chance to profit, that motivates so much of the messaging in our health and wellness culture?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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part of freeing yourself from diet culture is unraveling the pervasive messaging we often take as hard truth and picking it apart based on our lived experience and knowledge.  this can help us determine what truly serves our overall wellbeing versus what is simply padding the pockets of the industry.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #dietsdontwork #intuitiveeatingjourney #ditchthediet #bodyrespect #foodfreedom #nondietapproach #bodyacceptance #nondietdietitian #nofoodrules #antidiet #antidietculture #breakfreefromdieting
white bean & veggie farro soup! a latest spin on white bean & veggie farro soup!  a latest spin on one of my favorite soup recipes.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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super simple to pull together, perfectly comforting and great to make ahead and reheat for easy meals (my favorite kind 🙌)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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recipe is linked in my profile (@caitsplate)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
https://caitsplate.com/white-bean-veggie-farro-soup/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #f52community #soupseason #vegetarianrecipeshare #meatless #souprecipe #easymeal #easycooking #recipeshare
one of the things I hear most often from individua one of the things I hear most often from individuals looking to break free form diet culture and embrace intuitive eating is “I feel like all I’m doing is thinking and analyzing my food behaviors and all I want to do is stop thinking so much about food.”

this is completely understandable.  when food and food rules have owned your life for so long, and you finally embrace the thing that’s supposed to help you break that cycle, it can feel like a lot.

the difference is, while intuitive eating may require a deeper dive at the outset, it ultimately sets you *free* from all the over-thinking and analyzing of food & food choices, setting you up for a peaceful relationship with food that can last a lifetime.

dieting and food rules feel simple at the outset, but keep us in a never-ending cycle of distress around food.

#caitsplatenutrition #caitsplate #intuitiveeating #disorderedeating #disorderedeatingrecovery #bodydysmorphia #redefiningbeauty #i_weigh #antidietculture #nondietdietitian #intuitiveeatingjourney #antidiet #nondietdietitian
pumpkin turkey meatballs! done in less than 30 mi pumpkin turkey meatballs!  done in less than 30 minutes with less than 10 ingredients.  a perfect easy fall meal!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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grab the recipe details on @caitsplate (link in profile): https://caitsplate.com/pumpkin-turkey-meatballs/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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#caitsplatefood #caitsplate #pumpkinseason #pumpkinrecipes #easymeal #easydinner #dinnerrecipes #dinnertonight #f52community #thefeedfeed

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