Jacqueline Golden

I was recently interviewed on the 'Off The Label' podcast hosted by my friend Jessie. We talked about some of the biggest problems in diet culture, the pressures put on women's bodies around events like weddings, criticism of Intuitive Eating, even some from Jessie, and Lizzo's new line of shapewear. I had so much fun sharing my story and talking through some things that have been on my mind in the world of diet culture.

You can listen on Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/intuitive-no-diet-diet-with-jacqueline-golden/id1600717328?i=1000558254342
or the Off The Label Blog: https://www.mygoodfarma.com/podcast/nourishment-or-a-cult-gb94t

Intuitive No-Diet Diet? with Jacqueline Golden — Good Farma How intuitive are Spanx? Season 1 | Episode 5

Thanksgiving can be a really stressful time for those navigating their relationship with food and their body. Email going out next week with 3 tips on how to navigate Thanksgiving while you are trying to make peace with food. Sign up for my newsletter on my website!

Value judgments around food are (unfortunately) common this time of year. Alyse Ruriani Design shares some great tips on how to redirect potentially triggering conversations this Thanksgiving.

Thanks, 303 Magazine for the feature in the local self-care business roundup! Fall is the perfect time to start a self-care routine as we head into winter and holiday season. Curious about how health coaching can jumpstart your self-care routine? Send me a message!

Take Care of Yourself This Fall With the Help of These 9 Local Self-Care Businesses - 303 Magazine Self-care is now more important than ever. Check out this wide range of Denver businesses to make sure you're cared for all season long.

this past weekend with some of my favorite people was something I didn’t realize how bad I needed until it happened.

The last 1.5 years have been hard for everyone, but personally, the past 3 months have been the hardest for me and my mental health. I feel like I’ve reached the lowest of my lows on a handful of ocassions

I used to practice mindfulness a LOT, I used to be so present, I used to be extremely confident in who I was and where I was headed and it almost felt like overnight I woke up lost, and all I could think about was just how heavy the world is, and it doesn’t feel like it’s getting any lighter.

I have all these incredible things happening, shouldn’t I be the happiest I’ve ever been?

Well, to be honest, starting a business has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The last few months have tested me as I took it more full time.

I’m planning an intimate wedding, but no one wants to plan something like this when the world is uncertain, no matter how much they love their partner and want to be married.

The world is cruel right now, social media seems like a really cruel, hateful, spiteful, divisive place that I don’t want to participate in, but how I run a business without it?

Those are just a few of the many things going through my head at all times that have taken me out of my presence.

This past weekend showed me a glimpse of who I used to be and how I can get back there. I didn’t think about a damn thing for 3 days, except sunscreen.

So I’m here to tell you and myself, it’s going to be okay. It won’t always be this hard. There’s more to come, but we will make it through.

Ways I’m taking care of my mental health lately:
- more walks outside
- more hot yoga, I like to sweat
- less news, less phone, less social
- more journaling, daily affirmations even if I don’t believe them yet

How are you taking care of yourself right now?

I’ve been thinking about this lately and it’s such a good practice to have. Then I started thinking about my dearest friends. Again, the list of reasons include ‘great listener’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘is very present with me’. their bodies just never came up. ⁣
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I don’t think we should ignore our bodies, they are so beautiful and strong, but we love each other despite our different bodies.⁣
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Our bodies are not the most interesting, sweet, or important parts about us. In fact, they don’t often make the list.
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let this be a reminder for you - you are more than your body, so much more. Be reminded of this any moment you feel in comparison or self conscious around those you love. They love you in every shape and form. ⁣
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who do you want to tell you love today? And what are the top reasons you love them for?

How many times a day do you check your body? Anytime you walk past the mirror or window? When you get dressed, making sure your clothes still fit the same way? After a big meal, checking if your stomach has grown?
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How often do you wish you could just stop obsessing over your body and just be happy with it?
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It starts with Body Respect > Body Trust > Body Acceptance >
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Like any relationship we have with others, in order to cultivate love and acceptance, you have to stay with respect and trust.
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Build body respect by listening to and honoring your bodies wants and needs. Hunger, thirst, rest, movement, warmth, etc.
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Build body trust by consistently honoring it, showing up, and asking yourself how you build trust with others. It doesn’t require perfection, just patience. Trust your body to tell you what it wants and needs, and then show up for that.
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Build body acceptance by accepting it for exactly what it is today, without the pressure to have positive feelings about it.
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Want to find body acceptance once and for all?
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In Diet Culture Dropout Academy, we dedicate an entire module to body acceptance. You will get tools + exercises to build more respect and trust with your body so you can feel confidence in your own skin.
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DM me ‘dropout’ to join Diet Culture Dropout Academy and finally find body peace!

5 things holding you back from making peace with food and your body:
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You haven’t set weight loss on the back burner yet
I know weight loss has promised you so much but you can’t end the war with food and your body while still pursuing weight loss. Be ready to pursue everything you want in life in the body you have now.
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2. You are still living in a restriction mentality
Clients don’t have problems actually eating what they want, it’s just how they feel about it. You can actively be eating but mentally still have rules you “should'' be following. Behavior change is only half of the work, we have to work on the mentality which includes being honest with ourselves.
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3. You are still searching for your worth externally, versus internally
When you still believe that your worth and happiness is derived from external factors like weight loss, the job promotion, fitting into a certain size or going a whole day without carbs, you will still find yourself unfulfilled and satisfied, even when you accomplish those things.
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4. Your behavior is normalized by others
It’s easy to avoid getting help when your behavior is reinforced by the people, language, and attitudes around you. Food restriction, calorie reduction, and talking about our food habits and body woes are so normalized that we often can't see the damage it's doing.
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5. Your good days detract from the bad
You don’t have to struggle every single day in order to be deserving of healing.
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Ready to remove all the barriers and find lasting peace more than just once a week?
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Diet Culture Dropout Academy is designed to help you overcome all the barriers mentally along with habit change.
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DM "Dropout" To secure your spot in Diet culture dropout academy. This is for you to finally end your war with food and live free from guilt.

Imagine this:
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Your friend calls you up and invites you to dinner. You had originally planned on cooking at home, but you’d love to see your friend, so you say yes.
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You are going out to eat for dinner in a few hours, but this time it’s different.
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Instead of feeling nervous about the food options available you feel excited and looking forward to being satisfied.
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You don’t have to look up the menu ahead of time to prepare and pick out the healthiest option.
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You don’t feel the need to get in a good workout before eating out, you no longer feel that you have to earn your food.
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You are no longer thinking about the calorie count as you browse the menu.
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You find a dish that sounds good, so you order that with no guilt, regret, or fear.
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You enjoy the night with your friend, feel present in the moment, and finish your meal when you are comfortably full. Maybe there’s some food still left on the plate, maybe you ate it all. You know you can do both.
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When I was struggling with food, the one thing I wanted more than anything was to learn how to leave food on my plate -- be free from the need to eat it all, no matter how full I was.
Sound like what you are looking for?
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DM me ‘Dropout’ to join Diet Culture Dropout Academy, my 6-week intuitive eating program that takes your food life from stressful to satisfied.

apparently it’s national ice cream day, tbh I never know about these national holidays, I can’t keep up.

However, I will use it as an excuse to:
1. Post photos of myself looking cute enjoying ice cream
2. look back at my relationship with ice cream and how far I’ve come.

I clearly remember a conversation with my therapist where we analyzed an experience I had going for ice cream. I was still challenging my disordered thoughts around food and i was going for ice cream but couldn’t tell if I wanted the ice cream or not, did I want it just because I was thinking about it? Or did it actually sound good? How much should I have?

Food wasn’t easy for me.

Going for ice cream became an internal battle..
- should I get it?
- do they have dairy free/vegan options?
- do they have a small enough size so I don’t eat too much?
- I didn’t workout today so I shouldn’t have dessert
- I already had dessert this week, this is too many times
- guilt afterwards for not sticking to “clean eating” (that was my MO for a while)

Now:
- going for ice cream is fun, but I can also say no if I’m not in the mood. No feelings of missing out
- I pick flavors I enjoy without thinking about the ingredients or calories
- I eat until I’m content, sometimes that’s the whole ice cream, other days I leave some and am done
- I know I don’t have to exercise to eat dessert, nor do I have to burn off the ice cream later
- I don’t feel guilt or compare ice cream to any other food choices

Food is easy now. And it can be for you too!

Want to eat ice cream guilt free? Join my 6 week group coaching program to finally heal your relationship with food.
*ice cream not included, unless you ask nicely*

Okay what’s your fav ice cream flavor?! Mine is rocky road

Your body is not the problem. yeah, read it again.⁣
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I recognize I’m speaking from thin privilege but it took me a long time to come to terms with this. I’ll be super honest, it took me a while to even understand what health at every size (HAES) means, once I understood, it took me even longer to believe. Once I saw the research, I couldn't turn my back on it.

My mind had been so wrapped up in diet culture for too long that I too had a hard time understanding how fatness wasn’t the problem. ⁣My fear of weight gain wasn't really the problem, it was what society taught it that meant.
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you know what the real problem is, diet-culture, which has led you to believe that your worth is dependent on your size. That being fat was solely your own fault, neglecting to remind you that so much goes into weight, not just what we eat. ⁣
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I’ll say it again, your body is not the problem. systemic oppression, weight stigma, the stress of trying to change your already beautiful body, and the belief that your worth is tied to your weight, are the problems. ⁣
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does this resonate with you? Be kind to yourself, it matters.

What is the kindest thing you could say to your body right now?

Eating the food you crave does not mean you are weak or have no self-control.
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That's it. That's the tea.

Have you ever eliminated gluten from your diet for the sake of health?
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Maybe you heard from your friend that they lost a little weight when they cut out gluten.
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When you see foods labeled as gluten free, grain free, dairy free, do you automatically think these foods are healthier?
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For a long time, I thought I needed to remove gluten, grains, dairy, refined sugars from my diet in order to be healthy.
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I thought my energy levels might increase and my belly bloat would subside.
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When I thought I was putting 'healthier' foods in my body, I was actually stressing my body out by laying down such strict rules to follow.
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Stress was compounded when I was always trying to navigate what I could and couldn’t eat, what ingredients were included and then the added stress of expensive grocery products..
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Gluten free options are amazing for people with celiac disease, wheat allergy or even other disease or illness where symptoms are managed by diet.
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But, for the average person, there’s no research based evidence that proves we are healthier by eliminating gluten.
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This is a lie that diet culture has fed us, keeping us coming back for more.
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So eat the damn bread girl and enjoy it.
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