When You Feel Desperate for Weight Loss--5 Tips to Help
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
Oftentimes on the intuitive eating path, we can get stuck in the old "but I need to lose weight NOW" mindset. When things don't happen fast enough or progress is slow, it can be hard to not get tempted to diet. How do you balance the desire for weight loss with intuitive eating? 5 tips to help!
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Using the Diet Pendulum to Help You in Food Choices, Exercise and Life
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
I often talk about the diet pendulum around dieting and bingeing. But it can be a powerful metaphor to help you navigate life!
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Missing Food as a Way to Soothe Yourself
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
I used to ache for what food did for me--take away my pain, soothe my heartbreak and comfort my inner emptiness. How do we move forward on this path and deal with the "hard" stuff when we miss what food does for us? Tune in today to find out!
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How to Roll with the Punches Around Food
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
If you get flustered when something unexpected steamrolls through your day, listen in for 4 tips to help!
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"I'm a Daily Failure at Proper Eating" (3 Tips to Reframe and Help!)
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
If you feel like you "fail" daily at eating healthy, check out the podcast for tips to help!
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"Can I trust my body to ask for what it needs?"
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
In the world of dieting and what we "should" eat, it gets confusing to know when (or if!) you can trust your body. Explore 3 tips to help you know how to REALLY trust what your body says!
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30 Tips to Stop Overeating from a Holistic Nutritionist
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
Here are my favorite tips from 9+ years working with women to end bingeing!
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Struggle with how your body used to look?
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
I got a really good question via email last week that I wanted to answer on the podcast! Here is what she wrote: I found your podcast a few months ago and love it. I’m writing for two reasons. The first, lately I have been struggling with how I used to look and how I look now. I’m in a bigger body than I had been three years ago and am in the biggest body to date. I struggle to accept this new body while I move around in the world. There seems to be a direct link hardwired in my brain. Bigger body-> not good enough-> you won’t find a partner -> I won’t get to...
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Holistic Weight Loss: What It Is and How It Works
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
Written by , Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Health Coach, NBC-HWC Is Holistic Weight Loss for You? One of the reasons we end up getting stuck in the dieting cycle is because we want to lose weight. We don’t like our body size, we desperately want to control our food, or we have to lose weight for health reasons and we do what we’ve always done– try to achieve the goal through a diet. But the paradox is that the more we try to lose weight and control our food, the more it eludes us. Enter holistic weight loss! Table of Contents Prefer to...
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Can't Stop Eating When Something is Tasty? Try These 5 Steps!
The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast
I received a fantastic question from a blog reader and podcast listener last week: I feel like I am having a hard time stopping when I’m full when I really like the taste of something, and I feel really disappointed when I realize I AM full. How do I stop eating when something is tasty? This is such a great question so I thought I'd answer it on today's podcast! Do you have a question you'd like answered on the podcast or the blog?
info_outlineI was reading my book aloud for its Audible recording this weekend, and I got super in my head about it.
(Mainly, it brought up some shame around food habits and what I used to do with food).
Writing my story in a book was one thing; reading it out loud when a sound engineer was sitting right there was another thing :)
Often times, what we do with food can bring up a lot of shame and embarrassment.
We want to hide--eat in secret, pretend we eat a certain way in front of others, or plan to eat something without others knowing.
Or maybe we've engaged in some habits that we don't want anyone to know about (picking something out of the trash, finishing the cake that was supposed to be for someone else, sneaking the rest of a coworker's candy, etc) and we get embarrassed.
If you ever wrestle with this, here are a few things to keep in mind on how to release shame around food habits:
1. Bring It to Light
I used to hide everything I did—eating in secret, bingeing after everyone went to bed, dressing so I covered my body.
All of the “hiding” made me even more ashamed. The more I kept it secret, the more embarrassed I was about what I did.
It’s the darkness in which we put our shame that keeps it within us.
How can we bring a little bit of it to light?
Maybe you share something vulnerable with your spouse, best friend or sister.
Or you tell someone about the journey you’re on and your struggles.
Or maybe your “sharing” is your journal because you’re not ready to say it out loud yet.
Whatever it is, bring a little bit of light to the hiding, the secrets.
The light always dispels the darkness that surrounds our shame.
(Prefer to listen to the expanded version? Check out the podcast below)
2. Know We All Have Our Own Secrets
When I first started my blog, I wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out again.
I did NOT want anyone to read it.
I wanted to share my story and help other women, but I didn’t want anyone to know what I did with food.
Once my blog started to gain traction, I had people come out of the woodwork to tell me they struggled with food, body image issues, and disordered eating.
Some people were still struggling, others had healed from it.
I was amazing at how many people I know in the world (acquaintances, people I worked out with, Facebook friends from high school, etc) who reached out to me to share their “secrets”.
We all have things we are ashamed of. Except we think no one else does because no one talks about it out loud!
But they do. We all do.
Rest assured that you are not the only one.
3. Be Extra Kind
A part of making embarrassment worse is thinking we “shouldn’t” feel what we feel.
We feel shame over what we did with food or around something we ate, and then we berate ourselves for feeling embarrassment. (Or just think “get over it, it’s fine” or something along those lines).
Where can be create some extra compassion for yourself?
Can you create a post it note affirmation? A note on your mirror? A nourishing song to listen to?
Reach into the depths of your "kindness" reservoir and dig deep to bring some extra love to yourself.
I like to think that kindness, light and sharing are the antidotes to shame :)
4. Let Go of What People Think
When I was reading the chapter in my book where I talk about stuffing my face with peanut butter, inhaling Reese’s cups (describing a binge I had)…I felt myself get all hot, bothered and embarrassed.
The sound engineer who was working his magic on my recording was right in front of me listening.
“Does he think I’m super weird?!” I thought.
“What if he doesn’t know what bingeing is and thinks I’m gross for doing those things with food?!”
I kept thinking about what HE was thinking…
(And honestly, he probably wasn’t even thinking anything because he was immersed in making sure the sound levels were right :) )
A big part that contributes to shame is what OTHERS will think of us.
We fear what they think, so we hide it.
How can we make what others think less important?
(I know, easier said than done!)
But it’s worth paying attention to and being aware of how much we’re letting our fear of judgement take over our minds.
5. Use Your Breath to Release the “Shame” Energy
When I could feel the embarrassment creep into my body yesterday, I started really breathing into it.
I took a quick break and went outside to take some deep breaths and feel the feeling of shame/hotness/wanting to hide.
It felt sort of tingly in my chest and made my body feel hot/fiery.
It helped to dissipate the emotion to release it.
Your breath is like magic when it comes to releasing an emotion.
I try to picture inhaling and expanding my whole self, then as I exhale, I envision a release of where the emotion feels like its stuck in my body.
This may be helpful when you feel that shame energy arise.