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Freed & Fierce: The 7 Untapped Essentials for Life-Long Eating Disorder Recovery

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Do you want to recover from your ED more than anything, but are afraid you’ll lose control and gain weight? Keep

Are you ready to begin recovery, but have no idea where to start?



Does fear of weight gain & all the options available overwhelm you, keeping you stuck where you’re at?



Wouldn’t it be great if you had access to a recovery resource that works and left you feeling confident with how to get there and stay well?



Sustainable recovery is the goal, but with the vast amount of medical-jargon information, expenses, and long wait times to get into programs, it gets confusing and frustrating if you’re new to recovery.



Truth be told, you’ve probably felt like you were drowning in overwhelm with all the options, bills, and ED thoughts that are present daily. And then, with no clear path forward, recovery falls on the back burner as you try to manage your everyday life.



But you haven’t forgotten about recovery, and you certainly haven’t given up! And now, your persistence has paid off.

Freed & Fierce has got you covered!



This comprehensive book is your solution to sustainable recovery, with a structured 7-Pillar System to help you through each phase of recovery, step-by-step.



Inside this book, you’ll

How to make your mindset in recovery strong, resilient, and relapse-proofHow to avoid 99% of the most common mistakes in ED recoveryThe secret key to nutrition that accelerates & sustains recoveryWhy knowing your values and desires helps you reach sustainable recoveryEasy & fun exercises to re-wire your thinking & improve body imageHow to drastically reduce fear of weight gain or losing control in ED recoveryHow to make recovery work for YOU, and create a sustainable, recovered future

That this book comes with a FREE workbook which includes each exercise and journal prompts + our 7-Day Recovery Kickstart Guide. We want you to have this at no extra cost, because now is your time.



Even if you’ve never tried to recover, or you’ve failed your past attempts, now you’ll move forward with a renewed mindset. You’ll feel and know what is truly important and move in the direction of healing.



Here’s the You don’t need to spend hours googling for answers. You don’t have to wonder if you’re capable of having recovery that feels good to you.



All you have to do is trust your gut that you’ve got a solution here that will open up the doors to your exciting & recovered future.



But the choice is yours.



You can continue to struggle and figure things out on your own, or you can take an action in your best interest and begin succeeding at recovery today.



Click the “Add to Cart” button now—you’ve waited for this moment long enough!

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 30, 2021

13 people are currently reading
13 people want to read

About the author

Kara Holmes

17 books3 followers

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Brittany Shields.
673 reviews120 followers
December 23, 2022
“The ultimate purpose of this book is to instill in you excitement, hope, and help you feel strong, fierce, and empowered to do the hard, yet rewarding, things. I want you to just ‘know’ with every fiber of your being that you can recover (even if you’ve already tried “everything”), and that you have a beautiful, vibrant life awaiting!”


Kara struggled with an eating disorder for 11 years. She felt like she had tried everything and nothing was working. Recovery seemed impossible.

Until she approached her eating disorder more holistically.

The heart of this book is Kara sharing with readers what worked for her and encouraging others that recovery is possible, especially if we treat more than just our behaviors.

Kara now works as a Holistic Eating Disorder Recovery Coach. She has a Facebook group that may be beneficial for you to join for support and further resources.

I, personally, have not struggled with an eating disorder. So I can’t speak on whether or not her methods and suggestions feel challenging or effective. It was informative for me to understand more of what struggles people with eating disorders face.

Her chapter on nutrition is applicable to all people, though I understand there are lots of theories on diet and nutrition. Her theory doesn’t involve restriction but thoughtful choices and moderation which I feel like is the most realistic path of change.

She does acknowledge that this book is not meant to replace any professional advice from therapists, specialists, or doctors so I think that’s important to remember.


My Takeways

Her first chapter talks about why eating disorders develop and some of the risk factors that interact when a triggering event occurs. She also talks about protective factors like a good support system.

This chapter was particularly helpful to me to think through as a parent of two daughters. What messages may I be sending them that influence how they think about themselves or about what a woman’s body “should” look like? Am I constantly looking in the mirror in disappointment? Do I make a lot of comments about others’ bodies? Do I often vocalize things I wish I could change about my body?

I think it was a great reminder to show body confidence, not body preoccupation and to make sure my daughters know that their emotional needs are important to me. Kids pick up on and tend to emulate the behaviors and beliefs of their parents and I have a responsibility to create a safe environment for them to grow in confidence.

I also liked how she talked about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I was first introduced to this through the book The Coddling of the American Mind. They say:

“The evidence that CBT works is overwhelming. A common finding is that CBT works about as well as Prozac and similar drugs for relieving the symptoms of anxiety disorders and mild to moderate depression, and it does so with longer-lasting benefits and without any negative side effects… CBT...is the best-studied form of psychotherapy… it is both safe and effective.”

CBT is relevant to their research on college campuses because they are looking at how people think (or don’t think) and how this affects relationships with others and people’s ability to find truth. They explore more about what ‘safe spaces’ means for college campuses when words mean violence and people use emotional reasoning.

Either way, CBT is an important and effective way for all people to understand because it causes us to think through our ways of thinking. This may seem confusing, but I was surprised how often my thinking is distorted and situations misinterpreted. Here is a helpful quick link guide to CBT that I think you’ll find helpful! (Some examples Kara mentions are ‘All or Nothing Thinking,’ ‘Jumping to Conclusions,’ ‘Overgeneralization,’ and ‘Catastrophizing.’)


Kara’s 7 Pillar System

She has presented her holistic approach to eating disorder recovery as a 7 Pillar System:

1. Mindset
2. Your Life’s Vision
3. Building Habits for the Life of Your Dreams
4. Engaging your Support System
5. Spirituality and Forging Your Identity
6. Nurturing the Physical Body for Recovery.
7. Mental Toughness & Resilience

Kara claims “You won't find the content inside this book anywhere else because it comes from my own lived experience of my eating disorder and recovery process.”

I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Maybe all in one place, I haven’t done enough research to know. But I wouldn’t say they are groundbreaking and completely original ideas.

However, that doesn’t mean they’re worthless. I think it makes sense that to experience a life-long life change of any kind would require aligning your mindset with your habits, identity, and behavior. That you would envision what your life should look based on your core beliefs. And that you would need support from others and resilience to the difficulties life brings.

With each pillar, Kara gives examples of how to do it and even some exercises for the reader to stop and complete before continuing. In this regard, you’ll only get out of this book what you put in. Just reading it is not going to transform your life, but if you’re willing to do the work and spend time reflecting on yourself and your beliefs, I think her book can guide you to transformation.


Caveats

As I said, I can’t tell you whether or not this pillared system will ‘work’ for you. My caveats are not with her holistic approach.

These are just a couple thoughts I had while reading.

When she talks about the nutrition and eating side of things, I felt like it didn’t seem realistic for someone in the circumstances I’m in— a stay-at-home mom of four littles.

Meal times for me are the worst. They are hectic and messy with lots of whining and crying and time crunches. She suggests savoring each bite and really enjoying your food. That it helps you eat less and enjoy the act more. Well, eating my food is one of the least enjoying parts of my day. I don’t think ‘savoring’ my food is an option or taking more than ten minutes to eat it.

Plus making meals that my kids would eat and that are good for me would require a lot of extra work.

I’m assuming there are women out there struggling with eating disorders that are busy moms of little kids and I wish she would have included some adaptations or suggestions for women who can’t do the ‘ideal’ actions.


The other thing that bothered me was her chapter on Spirituality and Forging an Identity. She shares that her own spirituality is in God and that her relationship with God is where she finds her identity and where she found strength and help for her recovery.

But she promotes a very general spirituality.

She says this:

“There is more to spirituality than belief in God, a Higher Power, or religion. If you don’t believe in God, you can still embrace your spiritual side…

The key takeaway when it comes to spirituality versus religion, is that you can be spiritual without having to commit to a specific religion. Spirituality and religion are not one in the same: spirituality often holds unique meaning to different people,

While religion is based on fixed beliefs and practices that are shared by all who follow that religion, spirituality is much more all-encompassing and individual… Spirituality is more about making your own meaning and developing your own beliefs that guide you in life and that bring you a sense of inner fulfillment.”


I get that her intent in this book is not to convert people to Christianity. The core of the book is about the 7 pillars, not just the ‘spirituality’ pillar. So can I fault her for wanting to be inclusive?

I don’t know.

I think I would have rather she just approached that chapter sharing her relationship with God and how she found her identity in the power of Christ and how He gives her strength to fight the thoughts and the desires of the flesh that harm her mindset, her perception of herself, and her body. And then just leave it at that.

I don’t expect her to try to convince people to become Christians, but just share what helped her.

But she goes a step farther and says, ‘Here’s what helped me, but if you don’t believe in God, then just “develop your own beliefs” and define your own standard for “inner fulfillment.”

But if they’re not seeking God, I’m not sure what power they’re really tapping into.

And I might argue that people are already developing their own beliefs and striving for self-fulfillment and is it possible this is what contributed to where they are now anyway?

I would argue, the problems we have as humans are within. We can’t look inside ourselves for life-changing power.

It seems harmful to encourage people to seek spirituality of their own making and to look inward for fulfillment.

I also don’t like the phrase “having to commit to a specific religion” as if it’s a potentially risky decision to join a club or sign a contract.

Trusting in God isn’t a transaction, it’s a life-changing relationship. It’s not ‘deciding to commit’ and hoping for the best. It’s understanding the immense love our Creator has for us demonstrated by his sacrifice for us on the cross. It’s faith and obedience in a sovereign God who is trustworthy and empowers us to pursue goodness and life-change.

If you truly encounter Jesus, there isn’t a pro/con decision-making session, we are confronted with our NEED for a Savior and we joyfully enter into God’s family, his love, his protection, and his hope, thankful he has saved us, and finding our identity in him.

Anyway, I know many won’t agree with me on that, but that’s my thoughts on that chapter and how I wish it were approached a bit different.


Conclusion

Overall, this seems like it would be a helpful book for people who are seeking recovery from an eating disorder. It would also be beneficial for people who want to address harmful thought patterns they have about any habit they struggle with, or people seeking to reflect on their life holistically.

She mentions opportunities for 1:1 coaching so if this book isn’t enough for you, it would be good to not only seek professional help, but a relationship with a coach like Kara who can offer more personalized help and accountability. More info on that can be found on her Facebook link I listed above.

I’ll end with this good reminder she has for us:

“We are aiming for a slow, steady, lifelong recovery and not a 'quick-fix solution”

Real transformation takes time.

I like that two of her mantras she would tell herself every day were:

“The small steps I take each day make my recovery possible” and “I choose to get better every day.”

It’s easy to get ahead of ourselves and when we can’t see major change to give up and feel overwhelmed. But just think about What About Bob’s method- Baby Steps! right?

The little things we do every day matter. Our mindset each day matters. Change is possible!

**Received a copy in exchange for an honest review**

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Profile Image for Brittany.
172 reviews16 followers
March 26, 2022
I was hesitant to give this book a rating, simply because self help books are subjective, however, I was asked to read this book in exchange for an honest review and a rating is part of that. I'm giving this book a 4 for the following reasons:

The casual style this was written in makes the book feel more approachable, it was not clinical or sterile and felt similar to a very knowledgeable friend dropping by to give you some helpful tips. While the book claims these are 'Un-tapped' tools, these are all concepts and tools many of us are already familiar with - so it's not overwhelming or scary. 

Do not be intimidated by the Spiritual element of this approach, as the author goes out of her way to ensure this pillar is as inclusive as possible. She's extremely enthusiastic about helping, you can tell by the great care she's put into her book (and the amount of exclamation points)! 

I would even go as far to say that this book could be helpful to anyone struggling with a wide variety of situations, the idea here can be translated to apply to more than eating disorders. I do not personally have experience with eating disorders but can see myself benefitting from many of the ideas in the book in general (mental health and mindfulness, self esteem and confidence, nutrition,  etc). 

I would recommend this book to anyone who has been struggling and is ready for change. I suggest picking up a companion journal to complete the various exercises this book has you complete (and maybe treating yourself to some fun pens). It's very accessible to Kindle/KU users and has paperback and audio book options. You'll even find additional resources and support on her website, including private coaching sessions
Profile Image for Kristy  Hurst.
521 reviews8 followers
March 30, 2022
Kara provides an excellent guide for overcoming eating disorders. While she directly addresses more of the restrictive, binging and purging disorders, everything she says can be utilized by those who are on the other end of the eating spectrum. I'm talking about emotional eaters, overeaters, and even those who struggle with general body image. She does a fantastic job of gently walking you through change.
Profile Image for Heather.
161 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2022
Finally a book that puts to words the holistic approach I have been utilizing with my ED clients for years! Appreciated Kara's honest and direct approach throughout this book and think that the pillars for healing will be incredibly helpful for so many people. I loved the integration of exercises throughout the book, allowing it to feel balanced- not too much like an information book and not too much like a workbook. The approach was simple and easy to follow and designed with clients in mind. I do think that the prose was a little too simple at times when not talking about information. I also thought the repetitive mentions of the author's coaching site started to make it feel a little gimmicky. Even with those things, I still think the book has a strong backing and am looking forward to having my clients read it and benefit from Kara's personal experience and knowledge!
Profile Image for Emily Starr.
47 reviews
April 1, 2022
I was hesitant to read and review this book because I am not a fan of self-help books. Self-help books are typically difficult to rate anyway because they are for niche groups. However, Kara Holmes provided great information about eating disorders and the steps an afflicted individual can use for recovery. I appreciate that she included activities for the reader to get some practice with her methods. The only reason I did not give it five stars is that I felt it could have been wrapped up a bit smoother. I would have liked to see a chart visual of her 7 Pillars for Recovery. It was overall well-written, and I believe it could truly help someone overcome their eating disorder.
Profile Image for Ashley Kaye.
26 reviews
April 3, 2022
I have struggled with body image for most of my life. For me, I would like to work on a healing/healthy lifestyle and this book is a great starting point. I find the simple overview and inclusive way this book was laid out easy to follow. Holmes leads through many activities to reframe a person's mind for the greatest success. The research Holmes put into this book really lends to her credibility as both a nurse and eating disorder survivor.

I was offered this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Iza Marielle.
3 reviews5 followers
May 8, 2022
This book was honestly just such a great help for someone like me who's also struggling with an eating disorder. In this book, Kara not only tells us the physical essentials needed to be on the road to recovery but also the mental essentials like having a good mindset going into recovery. I would definitely recommend this book to those who were and are struggling with any type of eating disorder because it's not everyday where we find a book that cares for both the physical and mental state of oneself when trying to recover or recovering from an eating disorder.
353 reviews
January 20, 2022
Excellent book for those that have eating disorders and are ready to heal themselves or use it as a tool with therapy. Easy to read and understand why we eat the way we do. (I was asked by the author to read and review this book. This is my honest opinion.)
Profile Image for Krystal gaston.
959 reviews8 followers
April 28, 2022
this book was not my normal style and i honestly had no idea what it was about. i personally can not relate to having an eating disorder however i can see how the information inside this book can be helpful and encouraging to those who can relate.
Profile Image for Jamie Park.
Author 9 books33 followers
March 7, 2022
I don't have an eating disorder but I still found a lot of useful information in this wonderful book.
It is well written and well organized and I think people could benefit from reading it.
Profile Image for Allison.
268 reviews2 followers
April 1, 2023
Two thumbs down for this book. I felt like I was being talked down to while I was reading it. This may be best for people newly suffering with an ED or a younger age bracket.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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