Interview 16: “Silencing the little bad voice in our head!”

It’s funny, sometimes I reach out to people on Instagram and I think to myself “Her account is so big there is NO WAY she’ll say yes to my interview!”  I let that little voice in my head make me second guess what I’m doing.  It makes me second guess my value, what I bring to the table and why I’m even reaching out.  I was nervous to reach out to Sophie because she has a massive following and I figured she’d have no time for me.  I shook my head and hit send anyway.

Sophie replied “yes!”  And I am so grateful she did because it gave me the chance to meet an incredible person who I am dying to introduce you to!  I truly wanted to sit there for hours and listen to her story and advice.  I’m excited to share with you how Sophie has quieted HER little voice in her head and how she has found the beauty in her new healthy lifestyle.

Sophie is flat out awesome!  She is a wife, mom of two boys, fluent in French, British American and dances in her kitchen as she creates gorgeous food! She’s truly passionate about many things.  Travel, photography, music and family to name a few.  In my head I imagined Sophie to be that friend who throws not only the most delicious dinner party but the table scape is straight out of a magazine and there’s a signature cocktail that she just “whipped up!” You wonder how she does it and then you’re like “Oh that’s just Sophie!”  [I realize I’ve just created an entire friendship in my head but I think that’s a compliment ;)]

Sophie’s journey started in May of 2015.  She had done every fad diet available over the course of a decade and each time she found herself heavier.  She blamed it on the diet or would think “well this just isn’t working” and go back to her old habits.  “Every winter I couldn’t make it through without gaining 5 pounds” said Sophie.  She remembers looking down and saying “really…there is a 2 on the scale?!”  It was the ah-ha moment that shocked her into finally committing to the lifestyle not just another fad diet.  “It’s not like I woke up one day and I was overweight…it was a progression” Sophie shares.  As she gained weight she just “made it work.”  Add a layer here or a bigger dress there and no one can really tell, right?  How many of us can relate to that?  I know I can! When I look back at pictures after my recovery from Anorexia I’m always covering my belly or trying to angle my body so I don’t look as big. Remembering those feelings brought up a lot.  It’s not easy and there are a lot of inner thoughts we have to overcome before moving forward. 

Weight gain and loss is a complicated and emotional thing.  We have every intention getting healthy but life gets busy, there’s another party, or vacation, or deadline….these become our priority and before we know it we wake up and we don’t recognize who we are anymore.  We find scarves to layer or belts to cinch to make it “work” in the moment.  Sophie realized that what she had been doing wasn’t working.  It was time to get serious and really change. Sophie realized it was time to adjust her priorities and make health her number one.

“When I started the Instagram account I started it a couple months into my journey.  I’m a very visual person so something clicked with me. The photos held me accountable” said Sophie talking about her account TrackingIsTheNewBlack.  The accountability of having to show what she was eating and doing has quieted the little bad habit voice in her head to a faint whisper.  “Some days I could totally eat brownies and lasagna for breakfast. It’s a conscious effort every single day.  But I remind myself how far I’ve come and I love this healthier version of myself” she says.  

Sophie shared a lot about the little bad habit voice that creeps in every now and then.  “Oh it’s just one day.” “It’s only an extra slice of pizza.” “It’s snowing outside!” “That person is already fit so it’s easier for them.”   This little voice had a lot of power at one point.  She knew she was deflecting the responsibility so she could listen to the little bad habit voice.  “So many times in the past I’ve given up.  But I didn’t come this far to just get this far.  I’ve got places to go and goals I have to reach!” says Sophie.  And she has kept going!  Sophie is down a total of 46 pounds since last May!  What an incredible accomplishment.  She has made healthy choices an every day conscious habit.  Now she has a little GOOD habit voice in her head reminding her that she’s not the type of person to throw in the towel anymore.  Reminding her that every time she makes a healthy choice, she’s one step closer!

“My mindset is different now.  I’m really proud that my outlook is different. Now it’s how do I actually get there?” as opposed to deflecting and giving her power away.  Sophie looked at holes in her routine and patched them up.  Two of the biggest were portion control and exercise.  “Portion control is something I learned from scratch” which is why she’s fallen in love with the Weight Watchers plan.  It provides the structure she needs to play around with and enjoy what she eating.  Exercise was a different beast entirely!  Sophie had an image of what working out had to look like - which always meant the gym.  She tried to fit into that mold and experienced a lot of “gym-timidation.”  It didn’t feel good and it wasn’t working.  She had to figure out her own unique rhythm.  Now she has a well rounded routine.  She’s either exploring the outdoors as she run/walks with her dog or is on the spin bike.  For strength training she rocks kettle bells and resistance bands!

Over the last 11 months Sophie has done a complete180 and set the foundation for a truly vibrant life.  I asked Sophie to share some tips with you. Things that really made an impact on her journey and that might help you on yours.  Here is what she shared:

1. Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s.  Appreciate where you are and where you want to be. Appreciate how hard we’re working to get there. We need to be kind to ourselves.  There is no point of comparison because you’re working your own journey.  Be proud of that!
2. Get creative with activity and healthy foods. You have to find something you love and you can stick with. Forever. Get creative!
3. Deprivation is never the answer. For me I’ve really taken pride to allow things in moderation. You have to enjoy life.  
4. Forget everything you think you already know about diets. Forget what healthy SHOULD look like based off magazines.  And step outside of the box when it comes to fitness.
5. Take the time to educate yourself about nutrition, food and ingredient lists.  
6. Choose to make healthy your new lifestyle. Treat every day like a chance to get closer to your goal.
7. Choose happy every day!

Over the last 11 months Sophie has found a passion for making her food beautiful and finding the joy in movement.  She has silenced the little bad voice in her mind and empowered the good voice to speak loudly!  The visual diary she’s created has not only made this entire journey fun and mouth watering but it has inspired nearly 25,000 people!  I know without a doubt that the message of empowerment Sophie is spreading is silencing the little bad voices within all of us!  

Thank you Sophie for being such an example of kindness and grace.  Every day through your photos you show us what is possible.  Thank you for inviting us to join you on your journey and I can’t wait to see all the incredible things you do!

xo

Becky

Thank you for taking the time to engage in my 16th interview of 52 inspiring women!  Please feel free to share your comments, feelings and send this to a friend you think would benefit from reading this!  If you want me to interview someone you find incredibly inspiring, I would be truly honored to meet them! This is a journey that has no parameters or rules!  Let’s have fun with it and continue to spread the message of empowerment, love and kindness - to ourselves and others!

You can follow Sophie on Instagram at @TrackingIsTheNewBlack