Today is Monday, September 7, 2026
Issue #328 ~ By Rachel Brandes
Moments by Mira
www.everafterphotograpypnw.com
Located in Gig Harbor, Washington, Ever After Photography PNW is owned and operated by Mira Nachtigall, a long-time friend of Rachel.
Feline Tomfoolery
By Brady Wilfork Snugglebum & Belichick McDaniels Runtzilla
Hello Humans,
This week, we thought we would share something we enjoy doing. More than anything, we enjoy spending time on top of our human. It doesn’t matter what she is trying to do, we will find a way. She tells us we are good heaters at times. Other times, she tries to get rid of us. How dare she? Who wouldn’t want a combined 20 pounds of cat on top of them all day? Aren’t we darling?
Mental Health Minute
Image shared from Instagram account myselflovesupply.
“ When you feel in conflict with your body, remember that your body carried you through every challenge you’ve faced.”
– Carolyn Jennings
The Struggle is Real
First, let’s celebrate a win…
During the month of August, Rachel participated in the Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) Marathon Month event. What is Marathon Month? Below is a screenshot from Rachel’s OTF app explaining things.
Will she, or won’t she?
She was a bit wishy-washy about signing up this year. With travel and company, she wouldn’t take her first OTF class until the 10th of August. Would she have enough time in the gym to reach one of these distances? What it really came down to was what she would receive for the effort. You see, each one of these fun OTF challenges comes with a small registration fee. The fee earns you some sort of swag once you complete the challenge.
When she came to class on August 10th and learned that the swag would be a pair of OTF socks, she was in. Socks? Really? Yes, Rachel loves fun socks, and you can’t buy these OTF socks. She knew she must have a pair. Spoiler, of course she got her socks. Aren’t they amazing? Which distance did she select? A full marathon would be the goal, only 26.2 miles, right?
Time to Strategize…
It was time to think strategy. How many classes would she need to take to reach 26.2 miles without overdoing it and causing an injury? She determined that she should be set with 12 classes. This would be doable. Doable if her body cooperated, that is.
She quickly realized that without pushing herself too hard in any given class, she would need a bit more time to reach this distance. She signed up for two extra classes that would give her additional time on the treadmill. That ought to do it.
Time to Slow Down…
Due to some calf soreness, she took a four-day rest stretch at the end of the month. She had set herself up for success knowing that her class on the last day of the month would be enough to reach the final goal.
Oh, yes, she did!
Throughout the month, participating members each had a ‘passport’ for their distance. A map along the studio’s glass wall listed distances and locations. Once a distance was reached, members could move their passport along the road and place a new travel sticker on the passport as they went. It was a fun way to see the progress of fellow members.
After class that final day, Rachel celebrated by receiving her cooler than cool socks and posed for a photo with the brag board.
What’s Next at OTF?
September is more of a laid-back month at OTF but don’t let that fool you. October brings Hell Week. Rachel is excited for this one. Who wouldn’t be excited for an 8-day high-intensity workout challenge?
Here it goes
This isn’t going to be easy…
By January this year, Rachel had gained a significant amount of weight and was having difficulty with most things, both physically and mentally. She joined the OTF Transformation Challenge, which is an 8-week coach-led fitness and lifestyle program designed to create sustainable habits. She jumped all in and began taking great care of herself. During those eight weeks, she lost 2% of her body fat. Even after the challenge, she stayed on track and after another eight weeks, she lost an additional 3% of her body fat.
Discomfort Level 3/10
She isn’t sure exactly when the shift happened, but something changed; she was no longer able to control her urges. These urges have been a part of her life going back to her teens and have been a great source of shame. After a very uncomfortable appointment with her doctor, she came to an understanding of sorts. It was the kind of uncomfortable that opens doors to what could be possible. The kind of uncomfortable that explained why she was able to go months in control and then watch her efforts collapse. It wasn’t because she is weak, which she believed to be true. It is brain chemistry.
Discomfort Level 6/10
For as long as she can remember, she has been extremely judgmental of her body. Kids in school called her fat (when she wasn’t), loved ones criticized her for eating sweets (Do you really need that candy bar? If you just lost some weight, you would look good. You need to try harder.) and society (we don’t even have time for that one) has pitched in plenty.
When she looks in the mirror, she sees each and every flaw and focuses on them. She’s tried many things to combat this over the years and has had some success. Not enough. She is happy to report that she has decreased the mean things she says to herself in the mirror and tries to always compliment something she sees.
Discomfort Level 9/10
Underneath the body image issues has always been an uncontrollable urge for sweets. Imagine you are craving donuts and go to a donut shop. A reasonable selection may be one or two donuts. You buy a box of six. You reason with yourself by saying, “I will only have two now and save the others.” Within an hour, all six donuts are gone. You were full after one but the deep-seeded need to continue consuming was so strong, you kept eating. One by one, feeling more sick with each bite, you continue. You feel so full you could vomit. You feel ashamed. You feel that you failed. You feel fat.
Next week, you do it again knowing how bad it will make you feel. When you walk into the donut shop you feel self-conscious and embarrassed. Do they recognize you? Of course, they do. They must be judging you. They know you eat all of them in one sitting. You feel disgusting.
Each time you do it, you feel more and more ashamed. You tell nobody. Nobody would understand why you can’t stop yourself.
You have an eating disorder.
It was never something she thought she would be diagnosed with, but when her doctor began asking her questions about her life, she felt the puzzle pieces coming together. Tears welled up in her eyes as she answered the questions. The doctor handed her a tissue. As she blotted her eyes, which quickly became a steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks, the doctor explained that what she was experiencing is binge eating. There were underlying reasons and this wasn’t a choice she was making. Her anxiety, well, this was tied right in with a pretty little bow.
For Rachel, binge eating is a loss of control. With loss of control comes anxiety. Feeling ashamed comes with anxiety. All of these years, she has struggled in silence, never able to admit what is going on inside. This has to stop. She will try to be open to take back her power. She will try to normalize it and make it okay to talk about.
There are options…
The short of it is this… Help is needed. Therapy would be great if healthcare in the United States wasn’t such a huge pile of steaming shit. Being open and aware with an assist by medication will be the route she goes. Her doctor prescribed her a medication that, if it works for her, will block the signals to the brain that cause the cravings. The doctor also reminded her that working on the underlying trauma is also very important.
Feeling Optimistic…
If this works for her, imagine the possibilities. Imagine the growth, the joy, the contentment. Imagine enjoying a donut and stopping there. Enjoying one. How different her life could be without constant shame and embarrassment at what is happening inside her brain. Imagine how strong she could become without worrying about more and more cardio as the focus. Imagine.
Let’s Do This…
She started the new medication on September 1st and once again began tracking things in an app. She isn’t focusing on all of the little macros this time, but only on her protein intake and hydration. The success of the new medication is depending on it.
As with any new medication, the first week or so is full of not so fun side effects. She would remiss if she didn’t admit the struggle of the first week. She has experienced tiredness, dizziness, nausea and headaches. This with continued cravings. She has missed workouts, run club, Good Intentions Club and spending time with friends. The way through is to remember it is a means to an end. These side effects will come to an end; the cravings will decrease (optimism is essential).
Just Imagine the Possibilities…
The possibility of a new life is a powerful incentive. If you have made it all this way, thank you for reading. There are many things we don’t know about one another. Many things are difficult to share. Rachel’s hope is that sharing this, one of the most uncomfortable things in her life, it will allow her room to heal.
There you have it, Rachel mostly unfiltered. Struggling but okay, optimistic as ever and speaking kindly to her inner child. Until next time, be well.
Feel free to stick around (below) and like, rate, share and comment (direct to Rachel). She is always looking for content ideas and would love input.