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
stress eating
Does Your Eating Have an Emotional Component to It?
August 28, 2017 – Posted in: adjusting expectations delaying gratification diet mentality dieting embracing emotions emotional eating hope identifying emotions and needs Inner Nurturing overeating, dieting, weight loss purpose of emotions reducing stress resolving emotional eating self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-doubt self-love stress and overeating stress eatingWe all eat for emotional reasons some of the time. Let's face it: food is convenient, pleasurable and exciting. It can also be comforting and soothing. And eating is a way to distract ourselves from dealing with the things we don't want to deal with, right? Generally, we're not bothered by a little emotional eating
Do You Turn to Food When You’re In a Transition?
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 expectationsThe 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?
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 lossJackie 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
Do You Tend to Overeat When The Days Get Shorter?
October 3, 2016 – Posted in: brain chemistry imbalances depression despair emotional eating holiday eating Making lifestyle changes mood disorders overeating, dieting, weight loss resolving emotional eating Seasonal Affective Disorder stress and overeating stress eating sugar cravings transitions winter bluesAt this time of year, many of my clients come in complaining of the shorter, darker days. 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 sudden find
Are You Taking Things Too Personally?
September 25, 2016 – Posted in: adjusting expectations embracing emotions emotional eating hurts loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories recovery resolving emotional eating self-defeating thinking self-love self-worth stress and overeating unrealistic expectations weight loss worthinessI could tell when I entered the waiting room of my office that Samantha was having a bad day. She appeared depressed--she sat slumped in the chair and she was visibly upset. Her mascara was running and she looked like she had been crying. Unlike times when she was more upbeat, she was not distracting herself with her phone
Are You a Late Night Eater?
August 26, 2015 – Posted in: blood sugar imbalances delaying gratification diabetes diet mentality embracing emotions emotional eating food addiction glycemic index high cortisol levels high insulin levels hope hopelessness identifying emotions and needs insulin resistance Late night eating loneliness and overeating Making lifestyle changes motivation to change habits overeating, dieting, weight loss reducing stress resolving emotional eating stress and overeating stress eating sugar addiction sugar cravings weight loss whole unprocessed plant foodsAlright, let's be honest. You eat dinner most nights at a reasonable hour, but then, later in the evening, you find yourself heading to the freezer for your nightly ice cream fix, or to the pantry to raid the cookies and chocolate stash. Truthfully, you're not even hungry, but you feel a craving for something sweet and fatty. Nothing to be ashamed of--late
Can Emotional Overeating Affect Your Sex Drive?
July 25, 2015 – Posted in: loneliness and overeating Making lifestyle changes motivation to change habits overeating and libido overeating and sex drive overeating, dieting, weight loss oxytocin resolving emotional eating self-love Sex and overeating stress and overeating weight lossWe humans are pleasure seekers. In fact, in order to ensure our survival, there are mechanisms embedded in our genes that “wire” us to seek pleasure, avoid pain and conserve energy. Unfortunately, since nature’s plan for guiding us towards survival and reproduction is a system dependent on what feels good, the door is wide open
Happy International No Diet Day
May 6, 2015 – Posted in: diet mentality dieting Elimination Diet emotional eating gratitude hope identifying emotions and needs overeating, dieting, weight loss perfectionism recovery resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-doubt self-love self-worth stress and overeatingI bet you didn't know that today is International No Diet Day. Well it is, and its observed annually on May 6th. It's a day dedicated to raise 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
Self-Doubt and Overeating: What’s the Connection?
April 25, 2015 – Posted in: adjusting expectations compassion depression embracing emotions emotional eating hopelessness identifying emotions and needs overeating, dieting, weight loss overwhelm perfectionism procrastination reducing stress resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-doubt self-love self-worth stress and overeating stress eating unrealistic expectationsEveryone struggles with self-doubt occasionally. It's not only normal to experience self-doubt, it's actually healthy and a sign that you're open minded and questioning your choices, abilities and behaviors. A little self-doubt is humbling, keeping our self-confidence in check and reminding us that we're still mortals who make mistakes and have short-comings. The key is not