Is the fear of weight gain stopping you from healing your relationship with food?

One formidable hurdle often stands in the way of making peace with food and your body – the fear of gaining weight. This fear is deeply ingrained, fuelled by societal norms, diet culture, and a pervasive belief that thinness equates to worthiness. But what if you challenged this fear? What if you dared to redefine health and happiness beyond the constraints of the scale?

The problem is that even if life feels all consuming, distressing, and these behaviours encroach on various aspects of your being, you still might feel conflicted about letting go because of the uncertainty that change will bring. The fear often stems from a nagging question about what might happen to your body if you abandon these familiar patterns. Diet culture, with its relentless pursuit of thinness, has normalised this fear, making it seem like the only acceptable goal is to be thinner.

Whether you struggle with chronic dieting, binge eating, bulimia, or emotional eating, it’s likely that your strict food rules and dieting behaviours have given you a sense of control. However, the longer they persist, its important to ask yourself if they are truly serving you now.

In order to move forward and overcome your fear its important to consider the following:

1. Understand Where your Fear has Come From

To overcome the fear of weight gain, it’s critical acknowledge its roots. Whether it stemmed from your childhood; perhaps you were made to feel unworthy because you weren’t the ideal body size? Perhaps comments were made at school, or your body felt different to others because you went through puberty early? Maybe the influence of social media, or the pervasive messages of diet culture have allowed these fears to take hold, dictating your choices and diminishing your self-worth.

2. Fixation on Weight Loss at What Cost?

Are you missing out on vital aspects of your life? It could be the lack of social connections with friends and family, or perhaps you're unable to share meals with your children, impacting your relationship. Maybe you find yourself with no headspace to focus on meaningful aspects of life that bring you purpose, joy, and fulfilment.

3. Reframe your Perspective

Challenge the notion that all weight gain is bad and all weight loss is good. Instead, focus on behaviours that promote overall health and fulfilment. This means reconnecting with our core values and remembering the things you loved about yourself and your life before weight loss became the priority. Many people’s unintentional weight loss is due to health issues- they may have an eating disorder or a chronic illness. For others gaining weight is a positive thing to help with hormone function, menstrual cycle regularity and, energy, vitality and health.

4. Embrace the Uncertainty

Life is inherently uncertain, and change can be uncomfortable. But by embracing the unknown and surrendering the need for all the answers, you can open yourself up to new possibilities. Yes, the journey may be challenging, but pushing through discomfort is where your growth begins.

5. Challenge Your Internal Dialogue

Challenge your inner voice that constantly equates your worth to your appearance. Your value, ability to be loved and worthiness are not dependent on the number on the scale. Instead, they are rooted in your experiences, relationships, and the joy you find in life. Talk to your self with compassion and kindness as you would with someone you care about.

Overcoming the fear of weight gain may be challenging, but it's also a journey toward reclaiming your health, happiness, and autonomy. By confronting outdated societal norms, reconnecting with your values, and embracing the uncertainty of change, you can free yourself from the shackles of diet culture and discover a more fulfilling way of living.

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

Why eating ‘addictive’ foods, doesn’t make you a junk food addict

Ever stopped at one Pringle?

Find it hard to eat only half a KitKat?

Perhaps the temptation of a whole Dairy Milk is just too strong?!

Like many processed foods, many crisps, chocolate bars and biscuits contain a combination of carbohydrates, the unhelpful fats, sugar and often salt that affect our brain-reward circuitry. They overpower our appetite signals that tell us when we’re full. These foods have been coined hyper-palatable foods, by researchers studying their powerful effects.

Most processed foods commonly consumed in Europe and the US, meet the hyper-palatable food criteria. This was defined and accepted in 2019 by researcher’s who came up with specific quantities and proportions within processed foods that have the ability to affect our brain chemistry in this way.

WELL DESIGNED FORMULAS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT WE EAT

Professor Fazzino and his team conducted a study that found that food companies have well designed formulas for foods to increase the amount we eat. The scientists believe they can activate our brain neuro-circuits in a similar way to cocaine. The researchers also discovered that these foods may have the ability to overcome our satiety and fullness signals that tell us when to stop eating.

The same study found that 49% of foods labelled low or reduced sugar, fat or salt also met the criteria. Understandably it feels almost impossible for most to navigate the food isles and avoid these brain-hacking food products.

Most people I work with to overcome compulsive and emotional eating feel guilty and blame themselves, they feel society blames them for having no will power, failing at diets and not being ‘good’ enough. However, the battle is so much more complex than having will power. The addictive nature of these foods is one of the many components making it so hard.

If this is something you struggle with, it’s important to acknowledge firstly that you are not alone but also that just because you find these foods addictive (as they have been designed to be), it doesn’t mean that you are a sugar or junk food addict. It is possible to learn how to eat these foods as part of a balanced diet without feeling out of control around them.

Sometimes addressing this alone is too great a challenge to undertake -especially if you have years of chronic dieting, bingeing or emotional eating behind you. 

I work with people just like you, who need a new approach so they are able to 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, Facebook community- supporting women to ditch dieting, beat binge eating and make peace with their food and their body. 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 support – it’s free to join!

'Diet-free your life' - FREE on-line workshop

Free on-line workshop for women struggling with yo-yo dieting, binge + emotional eating.

Discover the key mistakes most women make when it comes to their challenges around food, the 3 little-known reasons why dieting may not be working for you and I’ll show you what I teach my clients to successfully do instead.

When:

Choose from one of the following 45 minute sessions:

7.30pm Tuesday 19th October

1pm Thursday 21st October

7.30pm Wednesday 27th October

⭐️I would love you to join live but if you can’t make it be sure to register HERE to receive the recording ⭐️

About your coach…..

I’m Marcelle -BANT Registered Nutritionist + Health Coach with specialist training in eating disorders and eating distress ( Master Practitioner qualified - National Centre for Eating Disorders)

I specialise in helping women beat binge eating, emotional eating and yo- yo dieting for good so they can make peace with their body and heal their relationship with food so they are able to live life to the fullest.

I’m looking forward to joining you 💜

If you can’t make it live be sure to still register to receive the recording. Register by clicking the button below

Is it a new diet you need?

I wonder how long you have spent over throughout your life searching for the magic pill when it comes to weight loss? And how much money you have spent on miracle diets that promised to make the weight drop off over night?

If you are someone who has spent a significant amount of time in slimming clubs, slimming programmes or starting again on Monday, you may be beginning to think that something just isn’t working.

It is likely you have been taught the notion that calories in equals calories out, that low carb is better than low fat (or visa versa) or that drinking celery juice is the answer to all your prayers.

The weight loss group mantras seem to be about finding ways to cheat your body. It’s no wonder people lose weight and put it straight back on again.

What the slimming clubs miss is that unless you get to the root of what is going on for you, nothing will change in the long term and your mindset is at the core of this.

One part of this is taking care of your self-care. If you are an emotional eater, no ‘diet’ in the world is going to help you deal with what the REAL issue is – your wonky relationship with food. You need to rewire your food brain, because emotional eating or binge eating are major causes of feeling a diet failure but, unless you get to the underlying causes of the problem, you’re destined to yo-yo diet … forever.

Self-care is the recognition that only YOU can make yourself happy and that, if you make sure that you dedicate some time EVERY DAY purely for your own enjoyment, you will have more joy in your life, be more fun to be around and have far greater reserves to deal with the stresses of everyday life.

The miracle of self-care doesn’t end there. When you dedicate a small amount of time each day to your own happiness, there is less need to reach for the chocolate biscuits. I’m guessing you’re like many of my clients – you are usually so time poor, that rewarding yourself with treat foods like cake and biscuits is the easiest way to show yourself some self-love.

My experience when working with clients has shown me over and over again is that so little of why you eat what you eat has to do with nourishing your body. The greater part is to do with how you feel about yourself and about life in general. Eating half a packet of chocolate biscuits is much easier than getting what you really need, which might be a way to de-stress, feel loved, get attention, relax and even sleep. 

I am sure that you get what I am saying, but this is not enough for the magic to work. Just understanding won’t get you the benefits. You have to be in action.

I promise you that if you make a commitment to yourself, other challenges in your life will start to feel that bit easier. Maybe you need some support with deep rooted struggles; a slave to food, your weight or appearance or worry about every calorie that enters your mouth. Perhaps you’re unable to break free from the endless cycle of yo-yo dieting, binge or emotional eating, I want you to know, you are not alone.

I work with people just like you who need a new approach to gaining balance and moderation around food and eating. And I can help you to take action when you commit to doing something completely different so you can leave dieting behind for good. 

Un-diet your Mind is my new 21 day coaching course where you will unlearn your old food patterns & make new confident choices. I will be with you every step of the way, so you feel supported and motivated to begin the process of long lasting change. Its starting on Monday 1st November

Join my VIP wait list to be the first to be notified when the course goes live and have the chance to enrol at the discounted price!

The course is just £89 and only £69 to the first 15 people who enrol

Are you ready to Un-diet your mind?

I understand that taking the decision to move away from a life of dieting is hard. There is a great deal of fear that if you step away from dieting - you will gain weight, loose control or perhaps be judged by others.

So I wanted to create a course with a clear roadmap to take you on this journey. You won’t need to commit to anything that feels overwhelming but you will get results, gain clarity and feel more balanced around food.

FIND OUT ABOUT IT HERE

Un-diet your Mind is my new coaching course where you will unlearn your old food patterns & make new confident choices in 21 days. I will be with you every step of the way, so you feel supported and motivated to begin the process of long lasting change.

The course is just £89 and only £69 to the first 15 people who enrol

****It's starting on Monday 1st November - so mark your calendar!

Un-diet your Mind is the perfect place to start if you.....

~ feel overwhelmed when making food choices, you have no idea what to eat anymore

~ feel confused and frustrated thinking-‘Why have I lost weight on diets I did before and they don’t work now?’

~ turn to food when you’re not hungry

~ can be overcome by sugar cravings which lead to emotional eating or bingeing

~ You feel obsessed with 24/7 thoughts about food, diets and your weight

~ You don’t know how to stop dieting- it feels like too big a step for you

The first 15 people who join the course will receive a special founding participant's discount – Join my VIP wait list to be one of the first to be notified when the course goes live!

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.