Overcoming Emotional Eating: 3 Common Mistakes People Make

Emotional eating is essentially eating food in response to emotional triggers rather than your physiological hunger cues. It can involve eating to numb or suppress uncomfortable feelings or seeking comfort through food. It often occurs impulsively and can lead to overeating or binge eating. Navigating this eating behaviour can be tricky, and many fall into common traps when trying to overcome it.

The three common mistakes people make:

1. Thinking Emotional Eating Is Always a Bad Thing

Emotional eating is a behaviour that’s deeply ingrained in human nature and contrary to popular belief, isn’t inherently negative. During celebrations we might eat delicious cake when we’re not hungry. Perhaps because it’s a happy event, to be sociable and connect with others.

However, it's important to recognise when emotional eating becomes problematic. This happens when these eating patterns become your primary coping mechanism or lead to feelings of guilt and shame. Instead of berating yourself for turning to food for comfort, it's important to embrace self-compassion. By understanding that seeking comfort through food is a natural human instinct, you can shift away from negative self-judgment that keeps you stuck in the never-ending cycle of guilt and shame.

2. Falling into All-or-Nothing Thinking

"All or nothing" thinking is a cognitive distortion that can exacerbate emotional eating patterns. This mindset categorises behaviours as either entirely good or entirely bad, leaving no room for flexibility. For instance, you might think, I've already eaten something I shouldn’t have, so I might as well just continue

Breaking free from this loop involves challenging the black-and-white thinking and adopting a more balanced approach to eating and self-care. Your relationship with food is a life long journey but one that gets easier as you collect the required tools and strategies along the way.

Rather than viewing food choices as moral judgments, it's critical to work on self-awareness and mindfulness around your eating habits. This includes recognising triggers for emotional eating events and developing alternative coping strategies.

3. Turning to Dieting as a Solution

For many people, the instinctual response to an emotional eating episode is to start a new diet. However, this approach often backfires, exacerbating the very issues it aims to solve. Dieting commonly fuels feelings of deprivation, leading to intensified cravings and an unhealthy preoccupation with food.

Rather than viewing dieting as a solution to emotional eating, think about what might have led to the eating behaviour. Were you sad, lonely, angry, premenstrual, tired or sleep deprived? Did you experience a body image situation, have a disagreement, or notice a recurring source of distress? Become curious without offering up self-judgement and you may be amazed at the transformative power it holds.

If the idea of tackling your eating patterns feels overwhelming and you're unsure of where to begin, take a look at my FREE guide Breaking the Cycle - Your First Steps to Healing Your Relationship with Food to kickstart your journey today

This invaluable resource will help you:

✔️Know when you’re really hungry and when you’re not

✔️Learn when to eat that’s best for you

✔️Know the best snacks to help you stop craving and feeling out of control

All or Nothing Mindset? Here’s How to Break Free

I help many women who are desperate to break free from dieting, having spent years or decades trapped in the cycle – exhausted by the headspace it consumes and misery it brings. They feel overwhelmed and confused not knowing how to eat without being on a diet and worry about what will become of their weight.

Many of my clients are overly restrictive with many fears and rules around food. Some find themselves binge eating or feeling out of control around foods. Others may be compelled to exercise excessively.

ALL OR NOTHING THINKING LIES AT THE HEART

All or nothing thinking lies at the heart of all of these distressing challenges and the inner dialogue is often 24/7. It is a negative thinking pattern often experienced by those struggling with their relationship with food and their body.

Often termed as dichotomous or black-and-white thinking, this mindset involves viewing situations in extremes. It leads to attempts at restricting foods perceived as bad for health or weight. For most people this is unsustainable and often results in bingeing or emotionally eating the very same ‘forbidden’ foods.

The cycle goes like this; Eat the perceived ‘bad’ food, and automatic thoughts that follow are I’ve eaten really badly, I’m a bad person, I’m greedy, I have no willpower, I’ve blown it again. I need to start again tomorrow/ next week/ on Monday and so on.

Anxiety is often coupled with these thoughts. This may lead to skipping meals or severely restricting caloric intake. It may lead to a bout of punishing exercise to make up for ‘falling off the wagon’.

WHERE TO START

1. Adding in 

If this is something you recognise with the way you approach your food, try removing the moralistic value from the foods. Yes, some foods are more helpful for our health than others but it is ok to have all types of foods some of the time.  Instead, focus instead on quality, nourishing foods you can add in to your diet. These will help you to feel better, lift your mood and stop punishing yourself.

2.  Cognitive reframing

This is a technique based on shifting your perception of a situation. This can help you transform your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Begin by recognising the unhelpful thought and ask what else you can say to yourself that would be more helpful.

For example:

Situation: Binge eat a pack of biscuits

Thought:  I failed again

Reframe: I notice that I’m thinking I’ve failed because I had a binge, slipping up is part of the process, I am learning how to manage this

Or this is a learning experience

 3.  Challenge your thoughts

To help with reframing, begin to question the validity of the thought

Ask yourself Is this really true? How strongly do I believe that it is? What is the evidence to support it? What is the evidence against it? It’s important to note that thoughts are not facts; they are just your mind's way of interpreting and processing information. Recognising this distinction empowers you to challenge and reshape your thoughts, leading to a more balanced perspective.

 4. Visualise your journey

 I help my clients to change their perspective by approaching this work as a journey and this is something you can do too. I encourage them to envision themselves embarking on a cycle ride. Along the way, they will encounter obstacles and setbacks—falling off the bike now and then is both normal and expected. Importantly, these setbacks don't signify a return to square one. Instead, they learn to recognise setbacks as part of the process, dust themselves off, and get back on their bike, to continue forward on their journey. 

Do you long for a happy relationship with food, but are feeling lost on where to begin? Grab my FREE guide Breaking the Cycle - Your First Steps to Healing Your Relationship with Food, to kickstart your journey today

This invaluable resource will help you:

✔️Know when you’re really hungry and when you’re not

✔️Learn when to eat that’s best for you

✔️Know the best snacks to help you stop craving and feeling out of control

5 Reasons Why Diet Apps Can Harm Your Health

In a world driven by technological advancements, dieting apps like Zoe, MyFitnessPal and Noom, have risen to prominence as tools for weight management, fitness, and health. Despite their apparent benefits, there are many unforeseen issues that come with using these apps. Contrary to the many claims made, there is an unexposed dark side of diet apps that can potentially have significant adverse effects on your well-being.

This week, I'm shedding light on the unseen challenges that you might face with these platforms also highlighting why these apps often fall short of delivering on their proclaimed benefits.

1. The Numbers Game

A 2021 study found that diet and fitness apps often foster disordered eating by emphasising ‘quantification’, such as calorie counting. This focus on numbers creates a fixation that can lead to rigid diets, obsession and app dependency. Have you ever found yourself constantly checking back with notifications and craving a sense of achievement from sticking to strict numerical goals? The apps' 'negative' messages serve as motivation for some users, creating an unhealthy cycle.

2. Overlooking Mental Health

The emphasis on weight loss aligns with Western cultures' fixation on thinness and dieting, potentially exacerbating psychological problems. The previously mentioned study revealed that participants often felt rewarded or shamed based on the visual feedback provided by the apps, contributing to their mental health issues.

3. The Gamification Trap

Many participants described feeling trapped in an unhealthy competition with themselves and the app, to eat less and less each day because the app ‘gamified’ eating, exercise, and tracking. Apart from disrupting their metabolism and increasing the risk of rebound weight gain or binge eating, undereating can lead to heart problems, dangerously low blood pressure, digestive issues, hair loss, infertility, osteoporosis, and a myriad of psychological and emotional issues, including panic attacks and depression.

The use of progress visualisations, particularly in apps like MyFitnessPal, contributed to feelings of guilt and shame if exceeding their calorie budget. Even the Zoe app (which sells itself as a health promoting programme) creates a fixation, by heavily relying on blood glucose data that disregards other aspects of nutrition and disconnects users from their body’s natural appetite needs.

4. A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Notably, diet companies and apps that position themselves as lifestyle platforms may still perpetuate the same problems. Many of these apps have got wise to the anti-diet rhetoric such as Noom, that despite labelling itself as psychologically driven to help you stop dieting, continues to promote calorie counting and daily weigh-ins.

5. A Diet is a Diet is a Diet

At the end of the day, many of these apps are promoting dieting of some kind and as research has shown diets are ineffective in the long term and cause more harm than good. As you embark on the journey to heal your relationship with food, I encourage you to download my guide, 'What the Diet Industry Doesn't Want You to Know.' This resource debunks common dieting myths in an easy-to-read format, empowering you with knowledge and insights to make informed choices on your path to a healthier and happier relationship with food.

Do you long for a happy relationship with food, but are feeling lost on where to begin? Grab my FREE guide Breaking the Cycle - Your First Steps to Healing Your Relationship with Food, to kickstart your journey today

This invaluable resource will help you:

✔️Know when you’re really hungry and when you’re not

✔️Learn when to eat that’s best for you

✔️Know the best snacks to help you stop craving and feeling out of control

New Year, New Perspective; Escaping the January Diet Trap

Christmas day has come and gone – the day when we are told to indulge. The final opportunity to ‘allow’ yourself to relish chocolates, cakes, biscuits and whatever else is on offer without restraint. Very soon you’ll be heading into the month of deprivation hopping back on to the diet hamster wheel. Sound familiar?

And yes, it is important to be able to enjoy treats, alongside to the foods that will sustain you -keep you energised and optimise your health. Allowing yourself complete freedom to eat these foods at any time of the year will decrease your desire for them and reduce the likelihood of binge behaviours.

Diet culture opposes this notion.

The diet and fitness industry heavily invests in the ‘New Year- New You’ narrative – after all it contributes to the industry’s multi-billion-pound bank balance. It benefits them when we overindulge over Christmas, feel bad about it, and are quickly  propelled headfirst into the next dieting regime.

At this time of year, we are bombarded with a deluge of this messaging, and it’s everywhere. The before and after images, the promises of dropping a dress size or shedding pounds so that you can finally be ‘good enough’ and everything will come right in your life. And I get it – this narrative is powerful.

My message to you is different. Protect yourself from the misery that dieting brings. If you’ve been there before then don’t expect a different outcome by returning down that same path. We know that dieting doesn’t bring lasting results. Your body has inbuilt regulation mechanisms to slow your metabolism and amplify your hunger when you try to restrict. It’s not that you have failed in the past; rather, it's the diets themselves that have let you down.

This January can be different for you. There is a way to create balance in your life. and dieting and restriction prevents that.

Start here and now by downloading my FREE guide, 'Breaking the Cycle - Your First Steps to Healing Your Relationship with Food.'

This structured 4 step guide is an essential resource for anyone who suffers from emotional or disordered eating.

This invaluable resource will help you:

✔️Understand the best way to structure your eating routine

✔️Develop a better understanding of your body’s appetite cues 

✔️Navigate snacking to help you reduce cravings and feel satiated

✔️Use the journaling pages (included) to gain a deeper understanding of your eating behaviour, thoughts and emotions 

Also included: 

✔️My free appetite tool 

✔️My free journaling pages

✔️Snack ideas

<<<I work with a small number of clients each month to give them the maximum support for a minimum of 6 months to help them transform their life. If you are struggling with your relationship with food, book in a complimentary call HERE to see how I can help >>>

Navigating Food and Body Changes During the Perimenopause

Whether you've already entered the perimenopausal stage or it's still years down the road, it’s important to understand the factors that can influence your relationship with food and your body- especially if you have struggled with this in the past.

This is a time when women often find themselves in a whirlwind of changes, effecting both eating behaviour and body image. So, why does this happen during this transformative phase of life?

Stress and Coping

Picture this: perimenopause arrives, and suddenly, you're dealing with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and a foggy mind. Life can start feeling a bit overwhelming, and it's not unusual for women to turn to food as a way to cope. Juggling the responsibilities of looking after aging parents, adjusting to "empty nest" syndrome, or going through a breakup can make things even more challenging.

Changeing body shape

During perimenopause, your body shape can go on an adventure of its own. The hormone oestrogen rollercoasters and then along with progesterone, declines , leading to that notorious weight gain around the middle. Metabolism slows down by about 15%, and conditions like Hashimoto's disease can add to the mix.

You might notice that what used to work in terms of diet and exercise doesn't quite cut it anymore, and that's when women will be driven to try unhelpful dietary restrictions such as calorie deficits, fasting, or food group eliminations.

Sleep Problems

As if that weren't enough, perimenopausal symptoms including night sweats and anxiety can wreak havoc on your sleep. It's not just about tossing and turning, though. Lack of sleep messes with your appetite and influences your food choices. Your fullness hormones, like leptin, take a nosedive, while the hunger-inducing hormone, ghrelin, goes into overdrive. This leaves you craving less-than-healthy foods. Plus, with less energy and increased stress, whipping up a balanced meal can feel like a huge overwhelming task.

Stress Hormones

Meet cortisol, one of your body's stress hormones. In small doses, it's your "fight or flight" helper. But when stress becomes a regular companion, it can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and craving sugary treats. Chronic stress even messes with insulin, making it harder for your body to process glucose, potentially leading to more weight gain.

Insulin and Appetite

Insulin, the blood glucose regulator, also has a say in your appetite. When insulin resistance creeps in (and it often does during menopause), it can't effectively reach your brain to tell you that you’re full. This can leave you feeling hungry and more prone to overeating.

Brain Chemistry and Cravings

As if that weren't enough, the spiking and then plummeting oestrogen levels during perimenopause can lead to lower levels of the mood-regulating brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin. The result? Powerful sugar cravings and a ramped-up appetite, sometimes leading to emotional eating and bingeing.

In a nutshell, menopause can throw some curveballs when it comes to food and body image. Understanding the reasons behind these changes is the first step to navigating this phase effectively.

If this is something you are struggling with right now, be sure to down load my free guide ‘Breaking the cycle – your first steps to healing your relationship with food.’

 This structured 4 step guide is an essential resource for anyone who suffers from emotional or disordered eating.

In this guide you’ll learn how to: 

✔️Understand the best way to structure your eating routine

✔️Develop a better understanding of your body’s appetite cues 

✔️Navigate snacking to help you reduce cravings and feel satiated

✔️Use the journaling pages (included) to gain a deeper understanding of your eating behaviour, thoughts and emotions 

Also included: 

✔️My free appetite tool 

✔️My free journaling pages

✔️Snack ideas

The Truth about the ketogenic diet

(Please note– if you currently have an eating disorder or are in recovery – I hope this information will help you to shift your thinking about dieting and reframe eating disorder thoughts about diets with something more rational.)

Whether you have a long history of dieting or you relatively are new to the ‘game’, the keto diet may have piqued your interest. Hailed as the diet to help you burn fat faster or watch your weight disappear, it sounds like the magic bullet you’ve been searching for – or is it?

WHAT IS THE KETOGENIC DIET?

The keto diet has been around for approximately 50 years but was used as a treatment for epilepsy. It involves removing almost all carbohydrates from your diet resulting in a significant increase in your fat intake. Foods that contain carbohydrates don’t just include pasta, bread and cake. In fact, all grains, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, peanuts), fruit and ‘below ground’ vegetables would also be out of the picture.

SO WHAT IS KETOSIS?

A regular person will metabolise both carbs and fat – ie use them for energy. If you remove the majority of carbohydrates from your diet – to almost none, his halts this process for producing energy. Instead, we begin to produce ketones from the breakdown of fats in the liver. They are an alternative source of energy when glucose is not available. Overnight, we will produce ketones if we haven’t eaten for between 6 and 12 hours as we will have used up our carbohydrate stores.

IS THE KETO DIET REALLY THE ULTIMATE WEIGHT LOSS PANACEA?

If you’ve been following me for a while, you will know my take on diets. I am frequently questioned on this particular one– after all we are told it has fantastic health benefits and if it just burns fat surely it will work?

But as with all things nutrition we cannot just simplify and isolate – we need to look at the big picture. What happens in the body, how sustainable it is, the physiological knock-on effects when we restrict whole food groups|?

A recent study compared the keto diet to a traditional Mediterranean diet (which excluded refined carbs- but not all carbs -and sugar.) with prediabetic and diabetic individuals. After 12 weeks, participants on both diets lost the same amount of weight. Not a great surprise when we restrict intake and exclude sugar and refined carbs, we are likely to lose some initially. However it’s interesting that the keto diet did not live up to the hype. 

 It's worth noting that it was only a short-term study. The research tells us that in the longer term, weight lost from any diet is not sustained for the majority of people.

In fact, most of research investigating ketogenic approaches, tells us that initial weight loss is due partly to water loss. Some fat loss may then occur but as the sustainability of the diet wanes, the effect becomes similar to other diets after one year. (It’s after this time that we begin to see weight regain for the majority of people)

IS THIS DIET HARMLESS?

Apart from the fact that diets do not work in the long term and are often a high-risk factor for developing disordered eating behaviours and even eating disorders, this diet is extremely restrictive. We know from any kind of diet which omits foods and food groups, that it becomes extremely difficult to sustain in the long term.

Additionally, the absence of many vegetables, grains, legumes and fruit has quite an impact on the microbiome. The microbes in our gut need diversity of these plant foods to remain in a healthy balance. Not only will this impact our digestive health but may also negatively affect our immune system, mental health and possibly our weight too! (Yes, you heard that right – there is much emerging research in this area!)

These ‘forbidden’ foods are an important source of many nutrients – fibre, vitamins, minerals and polyphenols that are so essential for our wellbeing and for the body to function at its best.

So as with any diet (that is unsustainable, restricts foods and therefore important nutrients) and impacts your relationship with food – the keto diet is not all its cracked up to be and for some may cause harm.

If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges

If any of these resonate then this community is for you :

💠You are on and off diets all the time

💠You find yourself binge eating

💠You are an ‘emotional eater’

💠You restrict food in order to lose weight

💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food

💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat

Why stress affects how we ingest our food

Part of the work I do with my clients is to teach and support them in eating to regulate their blood sugar (glucose) levels. This helps to optimise energy, improve sleep, regulate fat storage and reduce cravings. However, the crucial work alongside this, consists of the mindset work; coaching to shift the feelings of guilt and shame, when they do eat the foods that are less helpful for blood sugar control.

We know that harmful thoughts about ourselves and the food we are eating lead to feelings that trigger the stress response. The stress hormone cortisol is released from the adrenal glands and leads to the liver producing more glucose. Some of this glucose is converted to energy (to be able to react to a threat quickly) But if we don’t need to use this energy, as the perceived threat is in fact a harmful thought, much of this glucose will be stored in our fat cells.

A remarkable study published recently illustrated just how our thoughts can have a physical impact on our physiology. In this study two groups of people were observed, drinking the same drink with the same amount of sugar. One group knew they were consuming a drink containing 15 grams of sugar, and the other group believed they were consuming a sugar free drink.

The outcome was fascinating. The group who knew they were drinking a sugary drink had a greater increase in blood sugar levels than the group who believed they were drinking a sugar free drink, illustrating how our perception alone is enough to impact our body’s physiological responses.

So, where the diet and fitness industry would have you believe that it’s all about counting calories and restriction, I beg to differ. Focusing on the where, why and how within a framework of coaching, cognitive work and solid evidence-based nutritional science is where it’s at.

If you are stuck in a diet mindset, have realised that dieting and restriction doesn’t work for you and want to understand why, then take a look at my free download - ‘What the diet Industry doesn’t want you to know’. Using evidenced based weight science research, it exposes the biggest weight loss myths and will help you discover the truth about dieting

Trapped in the diet cycle? Why 'all or nothing' thinking keeps you stuck

I help many women who are desperate to break free from dieting, having spent years or decades trapped in the cycle – exhausted by the headspace it consumes and misery it brings. They feel overwhelmed and confused not knowing how to eat without being on a diet and worry about what will become of their weight.

Many of my clients are overly restrictive with many fears and rules around food. Some find themselves binge eating or feeling out of control around foods. Others may be compelled to exercise excessively.

'ALL OR NOTHING' THINKING LIES AT THE HEART.....

All or nothing thinking lies at the heart of all of these distressing challenges and the inner dialogue is often 24/7.

This dichotomous thinking leads to attempts at restricting foods perceived as bad for their health or their weight. For most people this is unsustainable and often results in binging or emotionally eating the very same ‘forbidden’ foods.

The cycle goes like this; Eat the perceived ‘bad’ food, and automatic thoughts that follow are I’ve eaten really badly, I’m a bad person, I’m greedy, I have no willpower, I’ve blown it again. I need to start again tomorrow/ next week/ on Monday and so on.

Anxiety is often coupled with these thoughts. This may lead to skipping meals or severely restricting caloric intake. It may lead to a bout of punishing exercise to make up for ‘falling off the wagon’.

WHERE TO START...

If this is something you recognise with the way you approach your food, try removing the moralistic value from the foods. Yes, some foods are more helpful for our health than others but it is ok to have all types of foods some of the time.

Instead, focus instead on quality, nourishing foods you can add in to your diet. These will help you to feel better, lift your mood and stop punishing yourself.

When working with my clients we often work on visualising this work as a journey. I ask my clients to picture themselves on a cycle ride. Yes, they will hit bumps in the road. They may come off the bike every now and then – and that is normal and expected but that doesn’t take them back to the beginning of their journey. They just need to dust themselves off, get back on the bike and continue on.

If this s something you struggle with don’t battle with it alone. It is possible to find food freedom and create balance in your mind and your life.
I work with people just like you, who need a new approach  so they can reclaim their life.

Book in a complimentary call HERE to find out how I can help.

Please also come and join us in FOOD FREEDOM COLLECTIVE, FREE Facebook community- a safe place where you can feel supported without judgement, comparison and shame. I do live videos in the group each week to discuss a new topic to support you on your journey and I share, food ideas, motivation and supportive practices daily – it’s free to join!

Would you love to be able to make peace with your body and build a happy relationship with food? Click the button below to join.

How to protect yourself from the January diet trap

Christmas day has been and gone – the day when we are told to indulge – we can eat all we want. Very soon we’ll be heading into the month of deprivation and getting back on that diet hamster wheel.

Sound familiar? Christmas time has an air of ‘last supper’ eating about it. This is the final opportunity to ‘allow‘ yourself the chocolates, cakes, biscuits and whatever else is on offer.

And yes, we should be able to enjoy the treats, in addition to the foods that will sustain us -keep us energised and optimise our health. But diet culture opposes the fact that to give ourselves permission to eat these treat foods at any time of year, reduces the desire for them and the likely hood that we will ‘over-do it’.

The diet and fitness industry invests heavily on this ‘New Year- New You’ narrative – after all it contributes to the industry’s multi-billion-pound bank balance. It suits them that we overindulge over Christmas, feel bad about it, and are propelled headfirst into our next diet.

At this time of year, we are hit by a deluge of this messaging, and it’s everywhere. The before and after images, the promises that this diet is the one that will help you drop dress sizes and shed pounds so that you can be ‘good enough’ too and everything will come right in your life.

So my message to you is different. Protect yourself from the misery that dieting brings. If you’ve been there before then don’t expect to go back and get different results. We know that in the long run dieting doesn’t work. We know that your body has inbuilt regulation mechanisms to slow your metabolism and increase your hunger signals when you try to restrict. It’s not that you have failed in the past. It is just that the diets have failed you.

And I get it – these messages are powerful. They hit you hard in the core because it feels important to you. My recommendation is to start just noticing where and when the diet culture messages are cropping up and how in the past you may have fallen for them.

What can you say to yourself this time when you see and hear these messages?

What can you do differently?

How can treat yourself with kindness and compassion? (If it helps imagine how you would talk to someone you love – what would you say to them if they were putting themselves down?)

And finally give yourself unconditional permission to eat all foods abut allow yourself to notice how all foods feel in the body. What tastes good? What energises you? What does your gut love?

If you are struggling with your eating, don’t battle with it alone. It is possible to find food freedom and create balance in your mind and your life.
I work with people just like you, who need a new approach to transition to a balanced approach to eating and live life to the fullest! 

Book in a complimentary call HERE to find out how I can help.

Please also come and join us in FOOD FREEDOM COLLECTIVE, FREE Facebook community- a safe place where you feel supported without judgement, comparison and shame. I do live videos in the group each week to discuss a new topic to support you on your journey and I share, food ideas, motivation and supportive practices daily – it’s free to join!

Is dieting really the answer to emotional eating?

As someone who works with women who consider themselves to be emotional eaters, I’m asked this question ALL the time. But what defines an emotional eater? And will dieting stop it in it’s tracks?

To some extent we all emotionally eat. During celebrations we might eat some delicious cake when we’re not hungry. Perhaps because it’s a happy event, to be social, connect with people, take joy from the whole experience. It might not have been a conscious decision to eat the cake.

Often, emotional eating isn’t a problem that needs solving. Sometimes we do eat for comfort when we are feeling sad, angry stressed or alone. It is a coping mechanism we can turn to for a sense of solace. Comfort is after all defined as ‘a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint’.

However, emotional eating can be complex. When it becomes our ONLY mechanism for soothing ourselves, and leads to anxiety, obsession, and overwhelm, emotional eating is no longer our friend.

The difficulties occur when it becomes a never-ending cycle, channelling feelings of guilt and shame. Often ‘all or nothing’ thinking is at the heart of this cycle - ever said to yourself “I’ve blown it today so I may as well just carry on”?

Many women battle with this for years of their life and repeatedly turn to dieting to put a stop to it. If this resonates – let me ask you this, is dieting the solution to your emotional eating or the solution to the feelings of contempt you have for your own body?

The problem is that dieting (AKA food restriction) often plays a role in emotional eating or bingeing. The scientific literature explains that there are several complex mechanisms and research is still ongoing. Put simply we know that dieting often leads to food obsession, hunger and intense cravings. Perhaps you are burdened with those relentless thoughts 24/7, that hijack your headspace on a daily basis? Dieting is not the solution but the fuel to the fire.

SO WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

• Learning to be able to clear your head of diet thinking and cultivate a new mindset; giving yourself the permission to eat what you love without feeling out of control.

• Learning to eat in a way that helps you to feel satisfied so that you no longer have cravings

• Learning to reconnect with your body and know when to start and stop eating

• Learning to acknowledge your emotions, not push them away and find other, more helpful coping mechanisms.

AND WHERE CAN YOU START? 

If perpetual dieting has left you in a muddle about food and eating, and you feel overwhelmed anxious and confused about what, how much and when to eat? I would love to hear from you.

What are your main challenges? What would you love to know and learn? Where do you need support? How would you like to feel?

Your input will help me tailor my content and support for you – just hit reply and let me know :)

I have worked with hundreds of clients who have found themselves fighting this daily battle and I’m working on an exciting new short foundation programme to help you transition to a calm, balanced and joyous approach to eating

***KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MORE NEWS ON THIS COMING SOON

P.S. Would you love to make peace with your body and build a happy relationship with food?

Come and join us in the FOOD FREEDOM COLLECTIVE, Facebook community- a safe place where you can question, share, learn + feel supported without judgement, comparison and shame. I will be sharing tips, simple recipe, meal, and snack ideas along with strategies, motivation and supportive practices and its free to join!

It’s time to release yourself from the shackles of diet culture + empower yourself to create positive change in your life.

How to ditch all-or-nothing thinking around food and exercise

Do you often have thoughts like these:

“I’ve had one, so I may as well finish the pack.”

“I didn’t do my work out today so I may as well just keep eating the chocolate today and start again tomorrow.”

Or perhaps last supper thoughts like these “I’m going on a diet tomorrow so I’m having one final blowout today.”

Most of my clients struggle with these inner thoughts (also known as black and white thinking) before they start working with me. If you are someone who thinks like this much of the time, you will always be at risk of awakening your ‘inner rebel’ and beginning the detrimental cycle again.

So you’re stuck in this cycle what can you do about it?

1. If you tell yourself you cannot have a specific food, it will undoubtedly lead to extreme deprivation feelings resulting in excessive cravings and more than likely, binging. Avoid restricting food intake to ‘make up for previous binges’ or ‘keeping going’ with the same unhelpful eating behaviour for the rest of the day.

2. Give yourself permission to eat something you feel like without judgement. If you do choose to eat something previously on your forbidden list then eat it slowly, mindfully, calmly. This way you will savour the flavour and take real joy from your food.

3. Avoid referring to foods as good or bad, forbidden or allowed. If you need to label them then helpful and less helpful are the best phrases to use. Helpful foods are those that support our physiology so that we crave less, feel satiated after a meal and provide countless other well-being benefits. Accept that all foods eaten in moderation can be part of a balanced and healthy diet.

Many of my clients tell me that rewiring these thoughts is a revelation for them, they feel liberated from the never-ending thoughts that have prevailed around food and dieting.

Are you ready to make peace with your body and build a happy relationship with food? Come and join me in the FOOD FREEDOM COLLECTIVE, Facebook community- a safe place where you can question, share, learn + feel supported without judgement, comparison and shame. I will be sharing tips, simple recipe, meal, and snack ideas along with strategies, motivation and supportive practices and its free to join!

It’s time to release yourself from the shackles of diet culture + empower yourself to create positive change in your life