I’ve spent most of my adult years thinking I had a problem.  I couldn't control myself around food, so I did what most people do, I dieted.  I figured if I dieted, I could be thin and happy.  I could finally be normal and stop worrying about my weight.   It makes me sad to think about the time wasted obsessing about thinness.  The times I reluctantly went to parties, weddings (my own included), beaches and vacations.  It was all because I didn't like the way I looked. At some point, I had to ask myself, “What the hell am…

Nobody loves dieting, but the reality is, almost everyone wants to lose weight and one of the biggest reasons I hear for wanting this is health reasons. Which leads to the question, “How can I lose weight without dieting?” Me, “Why do you want to lose weight?” The client, “To be healthy.” Me, “Ah, okay! So you want to go on a diet to lose weight to be healthier. I get that.” So I then have to ask, “What about losing weight makes you healthy?” The client, “Well, I don’t know. Isn’t it healthier to be thinner? Won’t I put…

This was me on a diet.  Seems awesome right?  It wasn't. I was tired, cramping, dehydrated, and could barely walk. People were worried about me. This was one of my many attempts at achieving the perfect body.  And yet, I still wasn't satisfied.   My lifelong dream of a different body left me confused, frustrated, and fatigued.  This is the definition of diet exhaustion; it's painful and real.   Today, my life is entirely different, and I'm happy to say; I don't meal plan, calorie/macro count, and I never prescriptively exercise.  Instead, I intuitively eat what feels right for me,…

I've never liked my body, and I remember as far back as high school, dreading the locker room. I was scared of what the other girls would think of me. I feared losing friends, being picked on, and being unpopular. Because I knew shame around my body at such a young age, I've spent most of my life trying to control my food through dieting. Over time, chronic dieting led to guilt, shame, binges, sneaking food when nobody was looking, daily weigh-ins, bi-weekly photos, starving myself, ruined social situations, lots of tears, workout injuries, and endless internal chatter about my…

Ever dread putting on a bathing suit? Have a hard time relaxing on vacation because you just know you'll hate doing the bikini thing? If this is you, read on..... “Why are you so sensitive”? This is what my husband said when we were on holiday in Jamaica because I wasn’t acting like myself. I was accusing him of ignoring me. At one point I sat by myself and watched as he played a game on the beach. It seemed he was having fun without me. I felt sorry for myself. My low point was when I said, “you hate…

Do you feel bad just looking at the pastries, hamburgers on the grill, Christmas cookies, candy, etc.? Every party I’ve attended, I think, “oh no, here we go again.  Let me make a game plan”. I’d start by eating beforehand and hope this would keep me from over indulging.     I’d arrive, all would go well.  Then BAM, I would try “just a little” and this turned into a food frenzy.  Cookies, cheese, meats, candy – all stuff I wasn’t supposed to have.  Parties are free passes to eat right? It’s the holidays, or vacation, or a party, so I…

According to the Psychology Dictionary, self-talk is defined as, “the dialogue that we have with ourselves that can confirm and reinforce both positive and negative beliefs”. Do you talk to yourself like you would a friend, relative, or spouse? Unfortunately, negative self-talk is the norm. This can be a gateway to self-hate, self-destruction, poor body image, low self-esteem, and loads of other self-defeating behaviors. For me personally, I struggled with negative self-talk. There wasn't a day without thinking how much I hated the way I looked. I thought this was normal. This negative self-talk led me to a life of…