Stress eating can be disastrous for your weight loss or wellness efforts. Many of us turn to food as comfort during stressful times. And it should go without saying that ‘comfort food’ is more likely to be ice cream or french fries than it is to be green beans or kale smoothies! But putting specific foods aside, stress can lead … Read More

Do you always feel deprived while you’re trying to lose weight? Here is how to not feel deprived while you’re trying to stay away from sweets and eat healthier: It’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking about all the foods you’re “not allowed” to eat when you’re trying to lose weight. “I can’t have _____” “I’m staying … Read More

I have a great analogy to help you with stress eating: I just got home from an amazing once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands. It’s a magical place with an astounding variety of marine life, and the snorkeling experiences I had there were unquestionably the best ever. But if you never put your head into the water, you wouldn’t have … Read More

We’re hard-wired to like sweets and fats. Eating less sweets goes against our survival urges! Our caveman brains are drawn towards foods that are high in calories, and those that give us pleasurable sensations – primarily taste, dopamine reward, and “mouth feel”. Our brain loses its ability to regulate itself when we eat these foods. They override our brain’s normal … Read More

Using food as a source of comfort is something most people struggle with at some point in their lives. Emotional eating is also something we don’t like to discuss (Politics, Religion, and Eating Habits, right?). Emotional eating is personal, and for some it’s painful, but it doesn’t have to be this way! There are strategies to work through it. Start … Read More

Why are some people more productive, and infinitely more successful at realizing their financial, physical, spiritual, mental, and artistic goals? Is it due to more desirable circumstances and access to opportunities that others do not have? Are some gifted by their families with a foundation of reserve wealth for which to pursue their talents? Yes, perhaps, but you should know … Read More

I had a conversation with a client this week about her resistance to change. In a nutshell, she said: “I need a more organized and planned life, but when I organize or plan, I don’t want to do it anymore because it turns to an obligation. And I hate to be pushed. Healthy behaviors feel like punishment – just another … Read More

There are many ways to make healthy decisions easier, but here’s a big one. Many of my readers report that they put off making nutrition and lifestyle improvements because making changes seems like a big, hairy, overwhelming monster. They’re afraid to “get started.” Here’s one big reason why changes seem so scary: If you’re like most people, you’ve probably fallen … Read More

Today I’m here to tell you to watch out for these two surefire ways to kill your motivation to eat healthy. MOTIVATION KILLER #1 The first motivation killer is what I call “Compare And Despair”. This is where you walk into a room and immediately compare your body to everyone else’s. If you don’t feel good about yourself, or if … Read More

If you feel like you’re constantly dieting and then giving up, your weight loss successes will be short-lived. If the roller coaster of watching the scale go up and down over the years has been your #1 pastime, then welcome to the Yo-Yo Diet Club. It’s a big club, filled with both mighty intentions and enormous frustrations. • Could you … Read More

Do you feel like you just don’t have enough willpower to control sugar cravings and emotional eating? Have you told yourself,   “Just say no!” “I need more willpower!” “I can’t have _____”   But the reality is that when we behave with that kind of avoidance mentality, where we’re exerting so much energy to STOP and NOT and CONTROL our … Read More

Early motherhood presents a rich opportunity to practice transition-management. One of the best ways to manage the stressors inherent in this life change is to learn to be purposeful in nourishing oneself, both figuratively and literally. That is what mindful eating for mothers means. Here, we focus on literal nourishment—food. Becoming a mother is a unique time to reflect not only … Read More

Mindless eating means eating when you’re not thinking about what you’re doing. It’s plowing through a bag of snacks while watching TV, or eating because an external cue tells you to keep eating – like your plate’s not empty, or there are still more French fries in the bag. Mindless eating can add up to thousands of unfulfilling (and often … Read More

The study of Emotional eating is all about why we eat. Maybe you had had a rough week at work, and all you want on Friday night is to plop down and watch a movie with a giant bowl of buttery popcorn. Maybe you’re a student stressed about a big exam, and you’re munching on candy as you study. Or maybe … Read More

I have a new tool for you to try out if you’re having trouble with food temptations. It’s called “TIME-BOXING.” If maintaining discipline all the time feels too overwhelming, or feels like too much deprivation, you can take baby steps towards cutting back on the unhealthy foods in smaller chunks of time — a “time box”. Here’s an example: Let’s … Read More

Emotional eating affects your diet’s success. It’s estimated that less than 10 percent of those who make weight loss resolutions actually keep them. Every year, tens of millions of people promise themselves they will lose weight, and while their intentions are good, most of the results are disappointing. Even if weight is lost initially, people usually put it back on – … Read More

It’s your moment of truth. You slowly step towards the scale that’s about to tally your entire week’s efforts — the hours of sweat at the gym, the rejection of that second helping of pasta, the refusal of that double-chocolate dessert, the stares of your family when you eat a burger with no bun — you’ve done it all. Now … Read More

by guest author Joanne Reid Rodrigues The available evidence suggests that about 90 percent of people who lose weight regain it. When I got serious about losing 63lbs, the only question in my mind was how can I make sure I’m in the 10 percent who keep the weight off? I’d been a junk-food addict for more than a decade. I’m … Read More