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Do You Want to Feel Special and Loved this Valentine’s Day?

– Posted in: adjusting expectations compassion embracing emotions emotional eating forgiveness gratitude holiday eating holiday overeating holiday overindulging hope hopelessness hurts Inner Nurturing loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments overeating, dieting, weight loss self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-love self-worth stress and overeating stress eating sugar addiction sugar cravings Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate the great romantic love in your life, if you have one. Truthfully, every day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate those you love. I’d like to encourage you to consider celebrating self-love today as well. Because, truly, that’s where it all begins. How can you be kind to

Handling Post-Halloween Sugar Cravings

– Posted in: blood sugar imbalances brain chemistry imbalances delaying gratification diet mentality Elimination Diet emotional eating fasting food addiction food allergies glycemic index high insulin levels holiday eating holiday overeating holiday overindulging identifying emotions and needs motivation to change habits overeating, dieting, weight loss reducing stress resolving emotional eating self connection stress and overeating stress eating sugar addiction sugar cravings weight loss whole unprocessed plant foods

Do you have leftover bags of candy and treats after Halloween?  If so, you're probably debating whether to throw it all out or put it in the freezer and save it for later. You certainly don't want to eat that much candy now, you know it's not good for you (or your children), but perhaps

Do you have an Inner Nurturing voice?

– Posted in: compassion emotional eating identifying emotions and needs Inner Nurturing overeating, dieting, weight loss resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-love

One thing most emotional eaters have in common is that their childhoods didn't feel particularly nourishing. Even if their caregivers were loving and kind, often there just wasn't enough quality attention and listening, good attunement, soothing, comfort, empathy or consistent compassion. Even well-intentioned parents can miss the mark if they themselves didn't learn these skills somewhere along the

How Effective is Your Self-Talk?

– Posted in: depression despair embracing emotions emotional eating mindfulness reducing stress self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-defeating thinking self-love self-worth stress and overeating unrealistic expectations

Have you ever thought about how powerful your self-talk is and how quickly it can alter your mood? Truthfully, how often does a thought or series of thoughts ruin a perfectly good day for you? How often do you grab something to eat to calm or soothe yourself because of overwhelming, anxious, depressive or shaming

Are Unmet Needs Sending You to the Refrigerator?

– Posted in: dieting emotional eating food addiction identifying emotions and needs loneliness and overeating overeating, dieting, weight loss resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-love self-worth stress and overeating unrealistic expectations weight loss

Does it feel like you're living your life, day-to-day, with many of your needs unmet? Do you think this may have something to do with your overeating or imbalanced eating? If so, you're not alone. Many people, frustrated by years of unmet needs, find themselves regularly turning to food for emotional comfort, pleasure, soothing, escape,

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

– 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?

– 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

Happy International No Diet Day

– 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 overeating

I 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?

– 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 expectations

Everyone 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

Is Your Eating an Act of Rebellion?

– Posted in: compassion depression despair disappointment embracing emotions emotional eating forgiveness grief grieving hurts identifying emotions and needs loneliness and overeating losses and disappointments old pain overeating, dieting, weight loss painful childhood memories perfectionism rebellion reducing stress resentments resolving emotional eating self connection self-acceptance self-compassion self-love self-worth stress eating trauma Uncategorized unmourned losses weight loss worthiness wounds from childhood

Shirley, a 37-year-old wife and mother, looks forward to her nightly binges.They are the only time she feels totally free and in control of her life. She resents the fact that her husband doesn’t earn more money and that she has to work full-time while raising their three-year old. She’d like to have another child before time runs out, but can’t