Making lifestyle changes

It’s Time to Spring into Action

For many of us, our parents and grandparents got much more physical activity than we get today. They shoveled snow, raked leaves, chopped wood, scrubbed floors, hand-washed garments, hand-mowed lawns, washed and waxed cars and walked miles per day. And for our earliest of ancestors, physical activity was a natural way of life. Roaming and

Resolve to be Kind to and Patient with Yourself this New Year

By: Julie.S December 28, 2023 – Posted in: adjusting expectations compassion delaying gratification diet mentality dieting embracing emotions emotional eating exercising forgiveness gratitude hope identifying emotions and needs Inner Nurturing loneliness and overeating Making lifestyle changes motivation to change habits New Years Resolutions overeating, dieting, weight loss perfectionism rebellion recovery reducing stress resolving emotional eating self-acceptance self-compassion self-love self-worth stress and overeating transitions weight loss whole unprocessed plant foods worthiness

Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year about getting into shape or stopping your emotional eating? If you're like most Americans, you've make one or more resolutions along those lines. And then, a few weeks into the new year, you may be wondering where all those good intentions went. I've never been a

Ten Strategies to Curb Holiday Overindulging

By: Julie.S December 24, 2023 – Posted in: blood sugar imbalances diet mentality dieting emotional eating food addiction food allergies gratitude holiday eating holiday overeating Inner Nurturing loneliness and overeating Making lifestyle changes overeating, dieting, weight loss resolving emotional eating stress and overeating stress eating winter blues

Set the best intention, overeat, shame and guilt yourself, repeat. Despite our best intentions, many of us find ourselves routinely overeating at meals, snacking mindlessly, or bingeing regularly. It's a familiar pattern that seems to end in weight gain for many of us every year, especially during the holidays. With the last two weeks of

The Weight of Thanksgiving

By: Julie.S November 21, 2023 – Posted in: adjusting expectations delaying gratification depression despair diabetes diet mentality dieting emotional eating glycemic index gratitude holiday eating holiday overeating hope identifying emotions and needs loneliness and overeating Making lifestyle changes motivation to change habits overeating, dieting, weight loss overwhelm reducing stress resolving emotional eating Seasonal Affective Disorder self-love spiritual connection stress and overeating stress eating sugar addiction sugar cravings transitions whole unprocessed plant foods winter blues

Thanksgiving is a time when most of us overeat. It’s just what we do on this holiday, right? Snack, overeat, repeat. Even though we're a bit uncomfortable by the end of the day, it’s okay. We’re celebrating and giving thanks for the abundance of food on our tables and the family and friends in our

Do You Tend to Overeat When the Days get Shorter?

By: Julie.S October 30, 2023 – Posted in: brain chemistry imbalances depression despair emotional eating Late night eating loneliness and overeating Making lifestyle changes overeating, dieting, weight loss reducing stress resolving emotional eating Seasonal Affective Disorder stress and overeating stress eating sugar cravings weight loss whole unprocessed plant foods winter blues

At this time of year, many of my clients complain about the days getting shorter. Understandably so. It's not just that the summer has ended and the longer, lazier days are behind us. With this particular season change, those who suffer from mild to moderate mood disorders (especially depressive and bipolar) can all of a

Can Mindfulness Curb Overeating?

By: Julie.S May 31, 2021 – Posted in: compassion depression embracing emotions emotional eating hope hurts identifying emotions and needs Inner Nurturing loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments Making lifestyle changes mindful eating mindfulness overeating, dieting, weight loss overwhelm reducing stress resolving emotional eating self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-doubt self-love stress and overeating stress eating weight loss

Mindfulness, according to Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Mindfulness for Beginners, is “awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. Mindfulness can be traced to Buddhist origins and the practice commonly referred to as “mindful eating” is an offshoot, involving slowing down and paying attention

Making Lasting Lifestyle Changes

By: Julie.S June 25, 2018 – Posted in: adjusting expectations compassion delaying gratification emotional eating excuses for not exercising Making lifestyle changes motivation motivation to change habits overeating, dieting, weight loss perfectionism self-acceptance self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-doubt self-love self-worth stress and overeating transitions worthiness

It's summertime and perhaps you're feeling motivated to make some positive lifestyle changes like reducing your intake of processed foods, exercising more, drinking more water and less caffeine and attacking your clutter. Yet, when you contemplate these changes, you wonder if you'll really be able to make them this time. After all, how many summers

Stopping the Diet Mentality

By: Julie.S May 13, 2018 – Posted in: adjusting expectations body image compassion delaying gratification diet mentality dieting embracing emotions emotional eating healing a body image Making lifestyle changes mindful eating overeating, dieting, weight loss reducing stress resolving emotional eating self-compassion stress and overeating stress eating weight loss whole unprocessed plant foods

I bet you didn’t know that May 6th was International No Diet Day. Well it was, and its a day dedicated to raising awareness regarding the dangers of dieting and to celebrate body acceptance and body shape diversity. Despite the entrenchment of the diet mentality in our culture, research demonstrates that diets don’t work. Ninety-eight

Do You Turn to Food When You’re In a Transition?

By: Julie.S July 28, 2017 – Posted in: embracing emotions emotional eating greiving identifying emotions and needs Late night eating loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments Making lifestyle changes motivation to change habits overeating, dieting, weight loss overwhelm procrastination reducing stress resolving emotional eating self connection self-defeating thinking stress and overeating stress eating transitions unrealistic expectations

The Random House College Dictionary defines a transition as "a change from one position, state, stage, subject or concept to another." Many emotional eaters have difficulty with transitions and turn to food as a way to comfort and soothe themselves during the transition process. Here are some examples of what I call "transition eating": --You

Are You Eating Over Unmet Expectations?

By: Julie.S June 28, 2017 – Posted in: adjusting expectations depression emotional eating greiving hopelessness identifying emotions and needs Late night eating loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments Making lifestyle changes overeating, dieting, weight loss personalizing procrastination resolving emotional eating self connection self-worth stress and overeating stress eating unrealistic expectations weight loss

Jackie baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies after spending Saturday afternoon with her close friend Carol. The time spent with Carol did not feel nourishing. The two dishes of ice cream and the plate of hot, freshly baked cookies did. Just baking the cookies felt more nurturing than spending time with Carol. Jackie was

Making lifestyle changes

Receive 2 Free Chapters from When Food Is Comfort

Signup for My Blog

Receive 2 Free Chapters from The Emotional Eater's Repair Manual