Chelsea Hester - Intuitive Eating Counselor

15/02/2021

🎉🎉ANNOUNCING MY NEW GROUP COACHING PROGRAM!!!!!🎉🎉

Today I am VERY excited to share some big news with you. Ahhhh woohoooo!

Many of you know that I have/had a signature 3-month coaching program - The Soulful Food and Body Experience. Up until now, this was a 1:1 program.

But this year I'm shaking things up and trying something new!

👉I still see 1:1 clients - just in a less structured capacity - and 👉I'm turning The Soulful Food and Body Experience into a GROUP PROGRAM!!!!

This is the perrrrrfect opportunity for you if you know you're ready to dive into a structured healing environment.

During our 3 months together you'll get to meet with other amazing humans who are on this healing journey with you. We'll gather for weekly coaching calls where you can share your takeaways, challenges, and wins with each other.

♥The power of feeling seen and heard by a group of people who GET IT is priceless.

This program is perfect for you if:
✨You're ready to open your eyes to diet-culture at play around you
✨You want to rebuild trust with your body
✨You're ready to feel at peace around food and stop obsessively thinking about your next meal or what you 'should' and 'shouldn't' eat
✨You're curious to learn more about Intuitive Eating
✨You believe you have a higher purpose in this lifetime and you're ready to access THAT. You have values and passions and joys and a heart that's ready to give and serve and live and you're tired of food and negative body image standing in your way.

📅ENROLLMENT OPENS MARCH 1ST!!!
Program start date is March 15th and runs through the first week of June.

I'll be sharing more details in the coming weeks!

Give me a 🙋‍♀️ if you're interested so I can be sure to answer any questions you have!!! I'M SO EXCITED.🎉🎉

12/02/2021

Most everyone I know agrees that eating disorders are scary and awful mental health disorders.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I think there's a general consensus that we need to do whatever we can to prevent EDs and to support those who are battling these extremely life threatening illnesses.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But sometimes I think people don't connect all the dots.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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FATPHOBIA - fearing weight gain - holding the belief that thin is better - recommending that people pursue a smaller body in the name of health... these are all huge contributing factors to the development of an eating disorder.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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So if you're someone who feels passionately about decreasing the prevalence of eating disorders in our society, 👉I need for you to start within.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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👉I need for you to honestly address your own internalized fatphobia.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And then begin to notice how your desire to be smaller or fixate on your body size shows up in your interpersonal relationships.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And then, don't stop, I want you to look at the world around you and start noticing how all the airplane and bus seats are designed for smaller bodies and how you can or can't find clothes your size in the mall.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And if you see or hear anything that sends the message that "small is ideal" take note. Because these are the messages playing through the mind of someone with an eating disorder.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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These are the messages that make people so scared to live in a fat body that they'll go to great lengths - and sacrifice their HEALTH - to try to get down to a safer more "acceptable" size.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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We have a real problem on our hands. And I appreciate all the warriors out there who want to decrease the prevalence of eating disorders. AND I hope you know that it starts with you. Stop talking about your diet. Stop idolizing thinness. Stop perpetuating the shame of living in a bigger body.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Said with love,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Chelsea

08/02/2021

One year ago today. ❤️ 👰
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These pictures by are stunning. Perfect. Priceless.
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AND there's no way they can fully capture the joy, gratitude, and sheer bliss I felt on this very special day.
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Chris and I had no idea that a few weeks after our wedding the US would go into quarantine.
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We had no way of knowing that we'd spend the entirety of our first year of marriage in a global pandemic.
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We had no way of knowing that we would have to cancel our 3 month backpacking trip in Europe we had planned as our honeymoon/adventure.
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We had no way of knowing that we would end up pushing our move to NYC back by 6 months due to COVID.
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There's so much we could have never seen coming. This past year has been challenging - to say the least - but we did it as a married couple who knows that forever and ever and ever we have each others backs. And we don't have to do this life thing alone. And that we won't leave the other when depression strikes or incomes get small.
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I feel surprisingly emotional today.
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Not only does today remind me of the JOY that was our wedding day, but it also reminds me that it's been a year since I saw my best friends and hugged my family.
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To anyone who attended our wedding and is reading this, thanks for making our day the best day in the history of the universe. Thank you for supporting Chris and I. We love you we love you we love you.
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And I can't NOT say this: DO YOUR INNER WORK MY FRIENDS. Heal your relationships with food and your body so that on your wedding day you can be PRESENT. So you can laugh and dance and not worry about calories or your size. I promise it's the best gift you can give yourself and your partner. ♥

02/02/2021

🎉🎉NEW PRODUCT ALERT!🎉🎉
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One of theeeee biggest struggles my clients face is the overwhelm and stress that comes from meal planning and grocery shopping.
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I GET IT 🙋‍♀️
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Seriously. That was/is me.
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👉Soooo I created systems. And got organized. And found my flow.
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And I want to share them with you.
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That's why I created this handy dandy kit.
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Inside you'll find:
✨A video explaining how meal planning and Intuitive Eating work together
✨A Google Sheets spreadsheet & video tutorial for making meal planning a breeze
✨A Trello board & video tutorial designed to keep your recipes organized and simplify grocery shopping!
✨PLUS fun bonuses like a list of pantry staples and my favorite online grocery stores!
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👉If you like systems and organization, this is for you.
👉If you've wondered how you're supposed to find recipes and keep them organized, this is for you.
👉If you feel like you're always forgetting things at the grocery store or running around from one end to the other, this is for you.
👉If you have no idea what to eat and when, this is for you.
👉If you want to have some structure in your life but don't want it to feel rigid and controlling like diet-culture meal plans did, this is for you.
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Ask me any and all questions here or in the DMs!
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👉The link to buy is in my bio! This little gem is only $10.
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⏰ Spend an hour watching all the videos and then set aside another hour to play around with all the fun hacks and ideas I share with you!
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May all your future cooking and grocery shopping endeavors be filled with joy! 💗

27/10/2020

Woohoo! Celebrating my 50th blog post and 1 year of full-time entrepreneurship!

Read about some of the biggest lessons and takeaways I have right here 👇👇:

Celebrating my 50th blog post, I'm sharing 9 lessons I've learned as a business owner and entrepreneur in the wellness and mental health industry! Get a behind-the-scenes look at my journey as an intuitive eating counselor and anti-diet coach!

21/10/2020

>>SWIPE>> for all the thoughts
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The BMI is not an indicator of health my friends. It's just not.
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I'd be THRILLED to share some articles with you about this if you want more scientific and historical reasons explaining why. Just DM me!
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But some quick facts in case you're like... "what the heck is the BMI?"
-The BMI is used as a health measurement tool even though it WASN'T CREATED BY A PHYSICIAN.
-It was created by a Belgian astronomer and sociologist in the 1830s (outdated much?!)
-It was developed based on results from a sample WHITE MEN. The standards and numbers used today are based off of WHITE MEN. WHITE MEN. WHITE MEN.
-Your BMI is a number assigned to you based on your height to weight ratio. It's as simple (and unhelpful) as that.
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I'm 5'3". Do you know how many different body variations a 5'3" person can have? Those different body variations are going to weigh different amounts. And those body variations do not tell me anything about that person's health without further testing.
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So the next time a doctor tells you to "lose weight because your BMI is too high," you can say:
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"My blood tests and x-rays came back fine. Please do not insinuate that I'm not healthy due to my weight."
"Weight stigma causes more harm than the weight itself. I'm worried your judgments about my weight and your own fatphobia are preventing me from getting the care I need. I'm going to request a second opinion."
"Dieting has a 95% fail rate and isn't sustainable for more than 2 years. Can you prescribe another way to work on my health besides weight loss that has a higher success rate?"
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I know saying these things isn't easy. If you want more support around how to handle weight stigma at the doctor's or want to better understand the many factors affecting health, I'm here for you!

13/10/2020

👉SAVE THIS POST
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IG is an incredible platform in which you can get insider access to so many different people's personal thoughts and ideas that you wouldn't have access to prior to the days of social media.
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DIVERSIFY YOUR IG FEED. Follow people with ideas who are different than yours. Follow people who look differently than you. Follow people who challenge the status quo and are bravely showing up as their authentic selves.
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This list is by no means all inclusive. Pleaseeee send me any further recommendations in the comments below. 👇
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P.S. If you like this kind of thing, you can sign up for a list of 50+ weight neutral, IE, and HAES IG accounts via the link in my bio.

05/10/2020

SWIPE >> for an image that's left a big imprint on me
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I saw this image for the first time a few months ago and have been thinking about these concepts A LOT.
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👉Equality: Making opportunities equal and treating people the same.
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👉Equity: Making things FAIR. Giving MORE to people to need it.
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Equity accounts for the systems of oppression that exist that prevent "equality" from actually being equal.
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It gives people a boost who legitimately need a boost in order to stand a chance in white supremist America.
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I don't have a ton to say on these concepts. I'm no expert in them. I'm still trying to learn as much as I can about how to fight for EQUITY, instead of equality.
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But I found this concept to be one of the biggest "ahas" I've experienced this year and want to make sure you know the difference too.
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Equity is what's going to change the world. Equity is the only way for things to be "equal."
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If you know some good reads on this or some good resources that explain what this looks like in action, send them my way please!
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How have you seen your workplace, school, church, family, or business strive to make things more equitable? Let me know! 👇
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Image attribution: “Interaction Institute for Social Change Artist: Angus Maguire.”

22/09/2020

👇First, let's define what NON-disordered eating is.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨Eating when you're hungry.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Stopping when you're full.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Unconditional permission to eat all foods.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Being aware and mindful of your food as you eat.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Allowing/experiencing pleasure while eating.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Eating without rules or restrictions.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The truth is - not many people live like this. ☝⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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👉The majority of the population engages in some version of "disordered eating."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Yupp. You read that correctly.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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👉Disordered eating has become so normalized, that you might not even recognize it as such.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Here are some behaviors that exist when there is fear around food:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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😢Counting calories⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
😢Cutting out food groups⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
😢Obsessing about what to eat⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
😢Compulsively eating⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
😢Feeling a loss of control while eating⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
😢Feeling anxiety around food⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
😢Feeling shame or guilt after eating⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
😢Feeling rigid around how much or when you eat.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This is not an inclusive list. But it's a start.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Many people live their whole lives feeling trapped by and powerless around food.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Please know that although diet-culture convinces you this is normal and that food is something meant to be controlled and calculated... IT'S NOT.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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These behaviors will never bring you the freedom and peace you're seeking.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I promise.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Been there. Done that. Tried so many things. And am on the other side PROMISING YOU that facing your disordered eating behaviors head on and challenging diet-culture norms is THE WAY to health - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, all the healths.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Want some support on your journey?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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👀 Keep an eye out tomorrow when I announce a new 1:1 coaching opportunity!