Self-Love is the Gift that Keeps on Giving – December 2022 Mantras

Self-Love is the Gift that Keeps on Giving – December 2022 Mantras

We made it! 

A year of self-love superpower mantras! 

I’m excited to share that I’ve put the whole year of self-love mantras into a 12 month journal! 

Available soon!  Just email me if you would like one to gift to someone you radically love!

Let’s wrap this year up with radical self-love superpower!

Here are your December mantras:

  • 12/1: Choosing food that serves my body is a gift I give to myself.
  • 12/2: I am blessed to have the friends I have.
  • 12/3: Picking out gifts isn’t about the gift.
  • 12/4: I love thinking about the person when I pick out a gift.
  • 12/5: Self-love is created over time.
  • 12/6: I commit to showing up with self-love even when I hear my inner critic.
  • 12/7: Self-love spills over to the people I care about.
  • 12/8: I finally learned that self-love is demonstrated by actions.
  • 12/9: A big part of self-love is creating boundaries.12/10: I listen to myself and it feels good to say no sometimes.
  • 12/11: Beautiful food is a part of our holiday traditions.
  • 12/12: Self-love is about connecting with myself and others.
  • 12/13: When I feel self-love I show up as my authentic self.
  • 12/14: A part of self-love is being okay with not being everyone’s cup of tea.
  • 12/15: I show myself self-love when I carve out some alone time during the holidays.
  • 12/16: Self-love is taking a break for myself during the holiday season.
  • 12/17: Self-love is not having a checklist of expectations for myself.
  • 12/18: Self-love is being in the present moment.
  • 12/19: When the holidays don’t go exactly as I planned, I have grace for myself.
  • 12/20: Self-love is staying out of perfectionism.
  • 12/21: Self-love is a gift I intentionally give myself every day.
  • 12/22: Self-love is knowing I am always enough.
  • 12/23: When I recognize I’m in overfunction mode, self-love tells me to take a pause.
  • 12/24: Being present despite the hustle and bustle of the holidays is self-love.
  • 12/25: Today I celebrate the gifts of my life.
  • 12/26: Self-love tells me to take a rest when I need to.
  • 12/27: Taking some time to get outside and enjoy nature is self-love.
  • 12/28: Today feels like a good day to catch up with myself.
  • 12/29: I’m reflecting on all the ways I’ve shown up with self-love this year.
  • 12/30: Self-love is my superpower!
  • 12/31: I am launching into the New Year with radical self-love!

Cheers,

Dr. Karla

Cultivating Daily Gratitude – November 2022 Mantras

Cultivating Daily Gratitude – November 2022 Mantras

November is for Cultivating Daily Gratitude

If someone asks you if you are a grateful person, you will likely say, “Of course.” 

But, do you have a daily gratitude practice? One where you show up with gratitude for even the smallest of things? 

Most of the time we don’t look up in life. We spend our days looking down, grinding out external achievements with the promise that at the finish line we will feel a certain way about ourselves or avoid feeling a certain way.  

We’re taught that what are perceived as negative emotions, just your everyday human brand of emotions need to be submerged like a beach ball underwater. It’s draining and keeps us depleted of the energy we need to show up as our true selves in life. 

Do you believe it’s possible to create a more joyous life on purpose? 

Dr. Brene’ Brown’s research on joy and gratitude is life-changing. She found that actively practicing gratitude creates a more joyous life. 

How do you cultivate gratitude in your life with daily intentional habit practice? 

As I’m writing this, I’m grateful to look out my dining room window onto a view of my glorious white pine tree. My dog, Violet, is quiet for now and is sitting right next to me on the rug as I type. She follows me everywhere I go.  Though her bark and separation anxiety is annoying a lot of the time, I’m grateful there is a being in this world who is still interested in hanging out with me during all the moments of my life, no matter how mundane. I’m grateful for the delicious food I just ate for lunch.

House surrounded by fall foliage - November 2022 mantras - IME Community

What are three things you are grateful for? Be specific and in the moment. Write them down. 

Try my November Daily Gratitude Practice mantras to create a more joyful life: 

  • 11/1- My life is full of amazing moments.
  • 11/2- I love to pause during the day and just breathe in the goodness.
  • 11/3- I feel so blessed to get outside and enjoy the sun. 
  • 11/4- I can get out of a funk by saying three things I’m grateful for.
  • 11/5- I am amazed at how focusing on the goodness in others gives me peace.
  • 11/6- Sweating the small stuff makes life harder than it needs to be.
  • 11/7- I can’t control the weather, but I can control how I will show up during the storms.
  • 11/8- I am grateful I don’t depend on others to make me happy.
  • 11/9- I’m grateful for true friends.
  • 11/10- I am grateful for learning self-kindness is the key to my health goals. 
  • 11/11- I’m grateful for food that satisfies my hunger.
  • 11/12- I am grateful to let go of beliefs that don’t serve me.
  • 11/13- I’m grateful that I committed to show up for myself.
  • 11/14- I am blessed to have self-trust that I will have my own back. 
  • 11/15- I’m grateful to be done with listening to negative self-talk.
  • 11/16- I am grateful for the time I have with those I love.
  • 11/17- I am filled with gratitude when I think of my family and friends.
  • 11/18- All the little things in life I find meaningful.
  • 11/19- I am grateful for creating self-awareness.
  • 11/20- I am finally showing up with self-worth and gratitude. 
  • 11/21- I am grateful for my body.
  • 11/22- I feel gratitude for all my body does for me.
  • 11/23- I am grateful when I choose to move my body doing what I enjoy.
  • 11/24- I feel grateful for my family’s food traditions.
  • 11/25- I feel grateful for the variety of foods I eat.
  • 11/26- I wake up feeling grateful for a good night’s sleep.
  • 11/27- Taking time for myself to get centered always makes me feel grateful.
  • 11/28- When I feel stressed out I am grateful for mindfulness.
  • 11/29- When I say no to something I don’t want or have time to do, I am grateful. 
  • 11/30- I am most grateful for ____________. 

If you want to connect with me to cultivate healthy habits and self-confidence for your teen, then go to drkarlamd.com and join me for a 30 minute 1:1 coaching session! 

Stay tuned for December Self-Love is the Gift that Keeps on Giving! 

Gratefully,
Dr. Karla

Obesity Is Hormonal – October 2022 Mantras

Obesity Is Hormonal – October 2022 Mantras

Obesity is hormonal. Don’t be a Diet Culture Zombie!!!

TikTok testimonial from one of my followers (adult) who I coach on my TikTok lives:

“I have great news!! A1C was 6.1 in March.  Made changes to diet and did Intermittent fasting.  Lost 30 lbs and as of June A1C is 5.5. Smiley face emoji! Thank you!”

Her labs show a reversal of pre-diabetes.  She said I was the one who connected her to a new way of thinking by introducing her to “The Obesity Code” and coached her to make changes and show up as a curious compassionate scientist for her health.  Her doctor told her to diet and exercise and that’s it. So, the same old eat less and move more. She didn’t let that get in her way. She went to her doc, got her labs drawn, did some research on her own, and showed up for my TikTok coaching and videos. 

My Own Weight Loss Journey

My own weight loss journey started five years ago. It was very shocking for someone like me, who’s been a pediatrician working to address the childhood obesity epidemic for nearly two decades, to learn that the old calories in minus calories out is too simplistic and leaves out the role of hormones.  

It made total sense after I learned about it and because that’s what I was seeing in my pediatric weight management clinic. Insulin Resistance and what are called comorbidities, like type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The number of children and teens with NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), which I call the silent epidemic, was and is, worse after the pandemic, truly frightening! 

I love disrupting the status quo.  How about you? 

I also loved getting chocolate when I was a young one, trick or treating. Anything chocolate, except for Mars Bar or Almond Joy. Yuck! In my neighborhood growing up, we always knew which houses handed out full size Snickers and which ones gave out apples or dimes.  Steer clear of those buzzkills, for sure. That’s enough about candy, candy, candy. My mouth is watering. 

Stay Out of the Scarcity Mindset

By the way, stay out of restriction and scarcity when it comes to Halloween candy.  Don’t think, “This is the only time I get to eat candy.” 

Pace yourself, people! I know. I know. I get it. You’re going for all the m&m’s first. Which color is your favorite? Brown, for sure, for me. Those taste the most like chocolate.  Did you get that I love chocolate?

Let’s switch gears, like completely. 

October is all about metabolic health! I’m launching IME Health and disrupting the status quo that is not working, is unhelpful and seriously unfun. My only point with my Obesity is hormonal mantras is to get you thinking in a different way about unfun and unfunny zombie diet culture. 

Sure, I get my share of TikTok trolls, but I also get my share of metabolic health coaching wins. 

Let’s start getting you some results too.

October 2022 Mantras: Obesity Is Hormonal

So, let’s dress up as nerdy scientists this Halloween and dive right into my October mantras: 

Obesity is hormonal and not simply caloric.  What does that even mean? 

You’re probably thinking, “It’s the month of candy, candy, candy, so give me a break!” 

What does it mean when I say that obesity is hormonal?

The 4 Major Hormones Associated with Weight Gain or Loss

I’m talking four major hormones: Insulin, Cortisol, Leptin and Ghrelin

The way our society is so stuck in the Energy Imbalance Model of Obesity, or weight is only a result of overeating and lack of physical activity and both of those are blamed on lack of willpower.  Makes me almost puke like I did after eating too much Halloween candy one year.  JK. 

It’s just not scientifically true that weight gain is simply due to total calories eaten minus calories burned with exercise! I’m not saying what we eat and how much we move aren’t important, it’s just that this model doesn’t include the most important part of a human that controls our hunger, appetite, and energy expenditure- the BRAIN! Think about it! 

Our ultra-processed food system (yes, that includes Halloween candy but don’t get your undies in a double bubble wad) along with a bag full of bad diet culture advice has created an epidemic of Insulin Resistance and diseases like pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, PCOS, and fatty liver disease. 

I know it’s not as fun as eating loads of candy, but let’s try my October ghostly mantras out: 

  • 10/1 Insulin is a hormone that keeps my blood sugar stable. 
  • 10/2 Cortisol is a stress hormone that helps me focus, stay awake and helps me when I’m stressed. 
  • 10/3  Leptin is a hormone that lets me know when I feel full and satisfied.
  • 10/4 Ghrelin is a powerful hunger hormone that lets me know when I need to eat. 
  • 10/5 Obesity is hormonal. It’s not just simple calories in minus calories out. 
  • 10/6  It’s okay to challenge societal beliefs that are clearly not helpful.
  • 10/7  Diet thinking restricts me and my health goals.
  • 10/8  My body is always working. 
  • 10/9  My body is not a machine.
  • 10/10 Not all calories are created equal or are used the same in my body.
  • 10/11 A balance of real food is good for my health.
  • 10/12 I don’t control my body with willpower.
  • 10/13 I don’t cause weight gain or health issues. 
  • 10/14 There are many causes for weight gain.
  • 10/15 I’m kind to myself and stay out of self-judgment.
  • 10/16 Insulin Resistance is a way the body adapts to sugar intake.
  • 10/17 My body is able to adapt and change.
  • 10/18 My body and brain work together. 
  • 10/19 I understand when I don’t sleep well, I go to food for energy the next day. 
  • 10/20 Sugary foods create dopamine zings in my brain. 
  • 10/21 Stress creates cortisol release and cortisol raises my blood sugar.
  • 10/22  My body wasn’t meant to be stressed all the time. 
  • 10/23 Better sleep is one of the most important ways I can improve my health. 
  • 10/24  Circadian rhythm is my body and brain’s natural sleep and wake cycle. 
  • 10/25 All health behaviors are equally important. 
  • 10/26 Sometimes I have a hard time knowing when I feel full and that’s okay.
  • 10/27 I’m a curious and compassionate scientist for my health.
  • 10/28 Every body is totally different.
  • 10/29 I focus on all of my health, not my body size.
  • 10/30 I don’t have scarcity thinking when it comes to sugary treats. 
  • 10/31 Boo! It’s okay to eat candy. Just choose my favorite and make it a true treat. 

Have a fun Halloween however you do or don’t celebrate!

Self-love superpower,
Dr. Karla

Cultivating Daily Gratitude – November 2022 Mantras

Debunking Diet Culture – Story vs. Facts – September 2022 Mantras

Ready to challenge beliefs? Like, really challenge beliefs? Let’s do some necessary self-care by debunking diet culture beliefs that many people have accepted and internalized.

Do you know your thoughts have power? 

Your current thinking creates your current reality.

Your Now thinking creates your Now result.

The IME Community Think/Feel/Do Circuit

Check out the IME Community Think/Feel/Do Circuit below. 

Your brain is a story making machine.  

Most of what goes on in your brain, the thousands of unconscious thoughts coming up on the daily are just stories.  Thoughts are a rainbow that comes and goes; a sentence in your mind; a cloud going by while the real you is the quiet confidence of the blue sky.

You see other people and all of your life through a lens of your thoughts and most of the time you believe your thoughts to be true without challenging or questioning.  

Maybe you spend time protecting your ego and take action to protect your brain’s story and prove you are right?  I personally don’t know anything about this ego thing!

It’s not a problem for you, unless you get stuck in life, or blame other people for how you feel and for your actions. That’s called emotional childhood.  I’ll coach more on that later. 

Thoughts: The Power of Your Mind

Don’t believe me?

Check out my podcast or YouTube interview with my friend and colleague, Pete Allman where we talk about his book, “Thoughts: The Power of Your Mind”.  

It’s epic. 

Epically helpful, that is.

What Is a Belief? (Especially As It Relates to Diet Culture)

So, what’s a belief? 

It’s a powerful thought on a loop in your brain, mostly left unchallenged.

Did you know you can drop beliefs that don’t serve you like a book? 

Thought awareness is powerful.  

Most of the time, thoughts come up as a feeling, a vibration in your body. When it comes to diet thinking and beliefs and also with parenting, most of the time it’s disappointment, shame or fear that comes up as a vibration in your body.  

Here’s how it works. 

The more attachment to your thoughts or beliefs, the more powerful that think/feel/do circuit becomes in your brain. In my book I’m writing to help GenX parents deconstruct 80’s harmful and unfun diet culture so you can help your teen create healthy habit sticks for life. I’ll share more about how important “the work” is to do for yourself and in your home in my book, so get ready. 

The reality is if you don’t do “the work”, your teen will adopt diet beliefs and perpetuate the diet thinking cycle. 

When you are aware that you are not your thoughts, your thoughts are optional, same with beliefs, you can start to let go of what doesn’t serve you and create beliefs on purpose that do serve you.  It’s called a belief upgrade and it’s an epically powerful life coaching tool. 

In the book, “Helping People Change (Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth)”, coaching science shows humans are motivated to take action from a place of PEA or Positive Emotion Activation.  

Telling people (teens) what to do is authoritative compliance and evokes NEA, negative emotion activation and amotivation. For teens, for anyone to transform their health, they need PEA. 

Let’s start with some of the common diet thinking beliefs I’ve heard and thought about myself.  You may be following along with my Self-love superpower monthly mantras.  September is a month to challenge beliefs and create belief upgrades. 

Once you become aware of the beliefs or thoughts creating your feelings, you’re there.  Just pause.  You can then shift to create a belief upgrade or thoughts to think list.

30 Current Diet Thinking Beliefs

  • The only way to lose weight is to go on a diet.
  • The only way to lose weight is to deprive myself and watch what I eat all the time.
  • I have to count calories and be strict.
  • If I gain weight I will feel like a failure.
  • If I binge all of my work is gone.
  • I’m out of control when it comes to sugar.
  • I have to work out every day to lose weight.
  • A calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. 
  • Weighing myself is the only way to see if I’m successful or a failure.
  • I have to set a weight loss goal.
  • I can’t eat what I want and lose weight.
  • Everyone else gets to eat what they want.
  • I should be able to stick to eating less sugar, but I can’t.
  • I don’t believe it’s possible for me to eat sugar in moderation.
  • Every time I have something I need to do, I just grab my phone and put it off.
  • I’m such a procrastinator.
  • I hate exercising.
  • I’m not an athlete.
  • I’ll get bullied if I try out for a sport.
  • I love sports, but I’m not good enough to make the team.
  • Every time I exercise I get so out of breath.
  • Exercising just isn’t for me.
  • There must be something wrong with my body.
  • I would have less worries in life if my body was smaller.
  • I’ll feel good about myself when I reach my goal weight.
  • I know I need to love myself, but how is the question.
  • I wish I could just live my life but everyone is so obsessed with my weight.
  • Truth is I don’t really care about my health.
  • I wish I wasn’t judged by my body size.
  • I wish people didn’t feel so entitled to make comments about my body.

Changing Diet Thinking Beliefs

Now, check out my 30 belief upgrades for each day of September:

  • I’m curious to discover a non-diet approach to reach my health goals.
  • Deprivation never works long-term, is harmful and leads to binging.
  • I always get to choose how to measure my success.
  • I never make gaining weight mean anything is going wrong.
  • When I binge eat, I use my self-compassion mantras to disrupt the binge-restriction cycle.
  • My over-desire for sugary foods is a habit pathway in my brain. 
  • My body was created to move.
  • Creating healthy habit sticks is the way to help my body reach a healthy weight set point range.
  • I never have to weigh myself if I don’t want to, especially if it’s triggering for me.
  • Setting a weight loss goal dehumanizes my body and puts all my success at the finish line. 
  • I choose to eat delicious food that serves me and my health goals.
  • I stay out of self-judging by not judging body sizes and what others eat or don’t eat.
  • I’m curious to learn more brain science about sugar craving pathways.
  • I am not powerless over sugar. 
  • Going on my phone is a habit and I can easily get unstuck.
  • I can take one action step and that’s enough.
  • I get to try new ways to be active and move my body. 
  • I am an active person.
  • My past experience trying out for new things doesn’t have to be in the way of my future self.
  • I try out for the team with every intention of making it. 
  • When I’m out of breath exercising, I can take a break.
  • I trust I will discover fun ways to be active.
  • My body is working.  Shaming my body never works.
  • Wishing my body was smaller creates unnecessary drama in my brain.
  • I fully love and accept myself now. 
  • Self-love is my daily intentional habit practice. 
  • I’m choosing to live my magical life.
  • I get to create my own definition of health that works for me.
  • I connect with people who value body diversity.
  • I let people know my body is my business.

Check off the mantras that resonate with you and write one of your own.  Let’s go:

Current belief:_________________________________________________

Belief upgrade:_______________________________________________

When you sign up for my Cut the Cringe parent coaching workshop, you’ll get entered into a drawing for a signed copy of Pete’s book, “Thoughts: The Power of Your Mind”. 

Thoughts, anyone?

Self-love superpower,

Dr. Karla

Abundant Self Love – August 2022 Mantras

Abundant Self Love – August 2022 Mantras

What does abundance mean to you? 

The opposite of abundance is scarcity. 

Fixed, rigid, all or nothing, living small, negative self-talk, inner critic, fear of missing out, scarcity mindset, like you’ve got this one chance and you better not blow it?

I bring you a mind-blowing, or in coaching talk, belief-blowing discovery.

Did you see the Webb telescope’s image back from 13 billion light years ago?  Within a snippet the size of a grain of sand of the universe, the first image closest to when time began is full of galaxies, solar systems, nebulas of dying and birthing stars.  You can feel small or you can feel, like I do, a part of the incredible expanding abundant universe.  

When you think of your unlimited potential for self-love, you can use the tools of life coaching to snap images of your self-love universe. 

For August, there’s a lot of transitions, like summer wrapping up, school starting, activities getting going.  It can be really tough to avoid feeling dread and also like you have to get all this fun stuff in before summer ends. 

Abundant Self Love Mantras

Try my IME Community Abundant Self-Love Mantras for August:

  • 8/1 When I get stuck in fear of missing out then I miss out on my fun life.
  • 8/2 Scarcity is fear in disguise.
  • 8/3 The world is full of amazing humans I get to connect with.
  • 8/4 I’m not worried about trying new things.
  • 8/5 There’s never just one chance to try something
  • 8/6 I stay away from food rules because they’re too limiting.
  • 8/7 Restricting food creates an over desire for what I’m restricting.
  • 8/8 I can create an abundance of believable self-love thoughts.
  • 8/9 I know there are endless ways I can show self-worth.
  • 8/10 The more self-awareness, the more self-love.
  • 8/11 I haven’t even started to discover all the ways I can be kind to myself.
  • 8/12 When I feel fear of new beginnings, I always have my back.
  • 8/13 I never limit my dreams.
  • 8/14 People change and grow.  Maybe this year will be a new start.
  • 8/15 I am full of abundant self-love and compassion.
  • 8/16 When I feel anxiety, I know there’s nothing going wrong.
  • 8/17 FOMO with food is a waste of my time.
  • 8/18 Sometimes, YOLO thinking helps me when I’m stuck.
  • 8/19 When I overeat past being comfortable, I know it’s because I’m having scarcity thoughts.
  • 8/20 I love to eat an abundant variety of food.
  • 8/21 There’s never just one chance to get it right.
  • 8/22 I’ve got tons of great ideas and things I’d like to try.
  • 8/23 There’s a whole universe of health opportunities out there.
  • 8/24 If I feel stuck, I create awareness of my stuck thinking.
  • 8/25 I measure my success in endless ways.
  • 8/26 I never let anyone else create my narrative.
  • 8/27 My story is mine. I own it.
  • 8/28 My success in life is because of me.  It’s never because of or in spite of my weight.
  • 8/29 A number on a scale does not determine my actions.
  • 8/30 Every change I choose is from a place of infinite self-love.
  • 8/31 Just chilling out and resting when I feel like it, is intentional self-love.

Self-love superpower,

Dr. Karla

Self-Love is the Gift that Keeps on Giving – December 2022 Mantras

Finding Food Freedom – July 2022 Mantras

Welcome to Finding Food Freedom, the IME July Self-love mantras!  I felt really free writing these mantras and hope you will feel free as you read them.  

In September, 2017, I started my weight loss and life coaching journey with Dr. Katrina Ubell, who coaches busy women physicians.  Nearly five years later, I can say it was one of the best investments of my life.  To say learning the tools of life coaching was life changing is a massive understatement.  To be successful with any change in your life, you have to start with your pain point.  Though I was clinically obese at the time, my weight was not a pain point for me.  My pain point was feeling stuck, feeling like I was living a smaller life ruminating about food, diet coke, seeking false pleasures and not showing up for my human life.  I was living an external life seeking achievements without any regard for what I really want.  Now, I have freedom WITH food and fully trust myself to not restrict or punish or use food to cope with my human emotions.  

Food Freedom Mantras

Let me know which Freedom with food mantras ring true for you and send me your own.  There’s so much power in writing your own self-love mantras! 

  • 7/1 My relationship with food is my relationship with myself.
  • 7/2 I fuel my body with quality delicious food.
  • 7/3 I commit to never restricting or depriving my body of food.
  • 7/4 I love my family’s holiday food traditions. 
  • 7/5 Food is a fun part of life.
  • 7/6 I feel adventurous when I try new foods.
  • 7/7 When I sit down to eat I intend to nourish my body and enjoy my food.
  • 7/8 I have the power to choose food that serves my body and my health goals.
  • 7/9 When I overeat, I don’t shame or restrict myself. 
  • 7/10 I am not stuck in eating patterns that don’t serve me.
  • 7/11 I am free to eat what I want.
  • 7/12 I am free to allow my human emotions. 
  • 7/13 My life is more than the food I eat. 
  • 7/14 It feels good to be free with food. 
  • 7/15 I have as much willpower as anyone else.
  • 7/16 Restricting food is the opposite of freedom with food.
  • 7/17 I am free from diet culture’s restriction of calories.  
  • 7/18 Committing to not judging my body is so freeing.
  • 7/19 When I have an urge or craving, I don’t make it mean anything.
  • 7/20 I overdesire sugary foods sometimes and that’s okay. 
  • 7/21 I trust myself to create freedom with food.
  • 7/22 My pain point is feeling stuck ruminating about food all day.
  • 7/23 I get true pleasure and reward from self-worth. 
  • 7/24 Freedom with food starts with self-love superpower.
  • 7/25 Freedom with food has little to do with food.
  • 7/26 Staying out of good or bad food thinking helps me find freedom with food.
  • 7/27 I am free to discover my body’s healthy weight range. 
  • 7/28 There is no food police judging my food or judging me.
  • 7/29 I am working with the intention to notice my attachment to my inner critic voice. 
  • 7/30 I am free to be in the moment with food. 
  • 7/31 I am free to fully love and accept myself. 

Self-love superpower,

Dr. Karla