139:14 Wellness

Ashley Lieske

Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Non-Diet Christian Advocate

My mission is to help God’s children recognize diet culture within secular society and the church, improve their relationship with food and body image, promote awareness and advocacy for eating disorders, and guide clients to fully recognize that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by our Lord.

139.14wellness@gmail.com

612.405.4344

139.14wellness

139.14wellness

Ongoing Opportunities

• Speaking Opportunities
  
• Topics: intuitive eating, body image,
  

eating disorder awareness, diet culture,

weight neutrality, Health At Every Size.

• I am available to speak at women’s retreats, youth
  

groups, classes, etc.

• 1:1 Coaching
• Minimum 3-month commitment recommended.
  
• Limited availability

Please email me if you are interested in either of these

opportunities.

What is intuitive eating?

Intuitive eating is a self-care eating framework, which integrates intrinsic, emotional, and rational thought and was created by two dieticians. IE is a weight-inclusive, evidence-based model with a validated assessment scale and over 220 studies to date. The ten principles include: reject the diet mentality, honor your hunger, make peace with food, challenge the food police, discover the satisfaction factor, feel your fullness, cope with your emotions with kindness, respect your body, movement-feel the difference, and honor your health- gentle nutrition.

What is diet culture?

Diet culture is a belief system that values thinness, equates it to health and moral virtue, and categorizes foods as "good" or "bad." It often promotes weight loss and idealizes certain body shapes, creating a moral hierarchy of bodies.

What is body image?

Body image is the perception that a person has of their physical self and the thoughts and feelings that result from that perception.

What is weight neutrality?

Weight neutrality is a healthcare approach that moves beyond weight or thinness as the main health goal. It acknowledges that body weight is determined by a complex set of genetic, metabolic, physiological, cultural, social, and behavioral determinants, many of which individuals cannot change. Weight-neutral healthcare includes no conversations about diet, weight loss, or body negativity, and no recommendations of weight loss as a cure for physical health issues.

What is Health At Every Size?

Health at Every Size (HAES) is an approach to public health that shifts focus from weight management to promoting healthy behaviors. It emphasizes the acceptance of diverse body shapes and sizes and challenges the societal norms that equate thinness with health. The HAES principles advocate for:

• Weight inclusivity: Accepting and respecting the inherent diversity of body shapes and sizes.
  
• Health enhancement: Supporting policies and practices that improve access to healthcare and information for everyone.
  
• Respectful care: Acknowledging biases and working to end weight discrimination and stigma.
  
• Eating for well-being: Promoting flexible, individualized eating based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs, and pleasure, rather than external eating plans focused on weight control.
  

What are eating disorders?

Eating disorders are serious and sometimes fatal illnesses that are associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and are related to thoughts and emotions. Preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape may also signal an eating disorder. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

So, what does God have to do with all of this?

I fully believe and trust in God’s Word. In Genesis 1:27, God created humans in His image. In Genesis 1:31, He declared it all to be very good. Psalm 139:13-14 reminds us that God knit us together in our mother’s wombs and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I believe that God does not make mistakes and we are all inherently worthy of love and respect despite what we look like, what our health status is, and what we eat. I believe that God gave us food, not only to nourish us, but also to enjoy. I believe that God designed us to be diverse in our own beautiful way. I believe in doing what we can to honor God with our bodies, through food and exercise, as an act of worship, not a source of punishment; I also believe that this will look different for everyone as this area is very individualistic.