Busting “If I’m not perfect, I’m a failure” beliefs
One question I ask all my new clients is, “Do you believe you have to
Overstimulated? How to turn down the volume on ‘too much’
The holidays are just around the corner, and for a lot of people they can feel overly stimulating. Maybe not the entire holiday season, but certainly parts of it. Here's some self-care that may help.
“I won’t be happy until I have my 19-year-old body back”
If you’ve ever said, "I want my teenage body back,"you’re not alone. But there is no universe in which you will have that body back...not even close.
Will weight loss make you healthier? Good question.
If you’re trying to lose weight, is it for appearance, or is it for health? I encounter many people who on one hand, say they know that dieting isn’t good, but that’s OK because they want to lose weight to be healthier. But the intentional pursuit of weight loss is not a harmless escapade.
Does eating at night cause weight gain? Good question!
“Don’t eat after 7 p.m.,” “Close the kitchen after dinner.” This advice is so frequently repeated (typically directed at people who are trying to lose weight or avoid gaining weight) that it’s taken on a veneer of truth and common sense.
Are you really what you eat? Let’s take a look
This post is part of my “Know Better, Do Better” series, in which I revisit an old blog post that makes me cringe because my thinking has evolved substantially since I wrote it. I wrote the original post in 2012. Please enjoy my snarky current day comments, aimed at my past self (but with compassion).
‘I’ll never be able to change’ (lies we tell ourselves)
“I’ll never be able to change.” I hear those words all the time from clients. Maybe you’ve said (or thought) them yourself. The reality is that people change all the time. We’re constantly changing, whether we know it or not. To be alive is to be changing
Why try cultivating self-compassion? It’s one key to true health
Research shows that self-compassion is important for mental and emotional health and well-being as well as for physical health. Learn how to cultivate more self-compassion in your own life.
Can you have an eating disorder if your weight is “OK”?
Eating disorders are mental health disorders that can cause serious medical complications. This is true even if someone isn't underweight. Unfortunately, the weight-centric healthcare system feeds stereotypes about what eating disorders “look” like.
Are body concerns getting in the way of your life?
Our bodies carry us through this world — aren’t you glad you aren’t just a mass of free-floating consciousness? — but they can also hold us back. Often, that’s not because of our bodies, per se, but because of our mindset.
The damage of diet culture affects more than dieters
Why diet culture causes harm to everyone, even if you've never dieted. How? By impacting relationships, affecting how you view food and your body, and warping your view of what it means to be healthy.
How to set diet talk boundaries in the Age of Ozempic
The onslaught of ads and articles about new weight loss medications has "normalized" taking one of these medications, which has contributed to increased weight loss talk. How can you set diet talk boundaries?
Is it possible to feel physically comfortable at a higher weight?
Someone asked me recently if it’s possible to feel comfortable physically at a weight that is higher than you have ever been. As with so many questions, the short answer is, “Yes,” but the long answer is highly nuanced.
What makes intuitive eating easier, or harder, in post-menopausal women?
I’ve seen up close and personal how intuitive eating has helped many of my clients develop a peaceful, balanced relationship with food. I’ve also seen how the path to adopting intuitive eating can be quite different in young adult women than it is for women in midlife or older.
Eating disorders are underdiagnosed. Stereotypes play a big role.
It’s estimated that 9% of Americans* will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime, but a fraction of those will receive a diagnosis, and even fewer will receive effective treatment. Why is it so hard to diagnose an eating disorder? Eating disorder stereotypes are one obstacle.
Are ultra-processed foods addictive? Let’s look at the evidence
The idea of food addiction is controversial. Perhaps even more controversial is the current belief that ultra-processed foods, specifically, are not only addictive but intentionally designed to be so.
Do you need a vacation for your brain? Try grounding
Feeling stressed? All caught up in thoughts and worries? It can help to get out of your head and into your body. One effective way to do that is grounding.
Which is more helpful, ‘Gentle nutrition’ or ‘optimal nutrition’?
Do you feel like you need to strive for optimal nutrition? This sort of all-or-nothing thinking can interfere with health and happiness. Gentle nutrition and eating competence offer an alternative.
Your doctor recommended a GLP-1 for weight loss. Now what?
You’re in the exam room at your doctor’s office. Maybe it’s for an annual check-up. Maybe you’re there for a specific concern. Then it happens. They recommend a GLP-1 for weight loss. What do you do next?
Self-esteem? It’s a downer. Self-compassion is the real winner
If self-esteem and self-compassion were horses, self-compassion would win every time. Why self-esteem can fail you, but self-compassion can help you quiet your critical voice.
Are you pursuing health, or thinness? What really makes you healthier?
The pursuit of thinness can get so tangled up in the pursuit of health that it's hard to know if the actions you're taking are actually making you healthier.
Food noise driving you nuts? How to quiet it without meds
How to quiet food noise is a hot topic. But weight loss meds aren't the only way to stop those cookies from calling to you from the kitchen. Here are three very different strategies.
‘I know it makes me feel good…so why don’t I do it?’
When we know what behaviors and habits help us feel our best, you would think it would be adequate motivation for doing those things…yet often, it’s not. What’s the deal?
Did our mothers’ dieting contribute to the ‘obesity epidemic’?
The "obesity epidemic" emerged in 1976-1980. Could dieting mothers in the 1960s and 70s have contributed? What clues does science offer?
It’s the New Year. Watch out for diets in disguise
Not feeling great about your body or your eating or exercise habits? Instead of falling for diets in disguise, consider what wellness really means.
Dealing with food pushers? How to set (and respect) food boundaries
Dealing with food pushers can take some of the joy out of holiday meals. Here's how to set your food boundaries and enforce them with grace.
Can self-compassion help you heal from disordered eating?
Abundant research shows that if you are more self-critical, especially if you're also a perfectionist, you are likely to have less self-compassion and at higher risk of disordered eating or eating disorders.
Why you might need to find joy in life before you can find it in food or movement
Joy is a big part of Intuitive Eating and other non-diet approaches to health and
‘Stomach bug’ won’t go away? It could be post-infectious IBS
If you’ve ever had a bout of food poisoning, traveler’s diarrhea or the “stomach flu,” only to have some of symptoms stick around for the long haul, what may not have crossed your mind is that you suddenly developed irritable bowel syndrome.
How do you get from negative to positive body image?
When you struggle with negative body image, the possibility of ever having positive body image may feel like an unreachable goal. But research has identified several common themes in successful body image journeys.
Let’s bust some myths about carbohydrates and health
Carbs have been getting a bad rap for quite a while. But carbohydrates come from plants, and many plant foods are rich in the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber that are vital to good health. In spite of this, carb-phobia persists. Here are some of the myths about carbohydrates that are getting in the way.
The low-FODMAP diet is great, but it’s not right for everyone
For many people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the low-FODMAP diet can feel like a miracle. But is the low-FODMAP diet right for everyone?
Why we need to unpack internalized weight stigma
Anyone of any body size can internalize weight stigma, which can harm both physical and mental health. But when it comes to weight stigma, generally, all bodies are not in the same boat.
Is your attitude getting in the way of habit change?
We often approach habit change with the wrong attitude. We criticize ourselves. We strive for “perfect” instead of “good enough.” We try to make changes that someone else says we should make, without really taking the time to decide what WE want. All of that is a recipe for failure.
IBS causing distress? Why the low-FODMAP diet may help
If you have IBS and struggle with abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, can a low-FODMAP diet help?
Love your food and let it love you back
This post is part of my “Know Better, Do Better” series, in which I revisit an old blog post that makes me cringe because my thinking has evolved substantially since I wrote it. Thank goodness.
Awareness is your superpower. No cape or spandex suit required.
Becoming more aware of your thoughts, feelings and emotions gives you more choice in the actions you take. This has two important benefits. One, it allows you to stop living on autopilot so you can begin to unhook from habitual, unhelpful patterns. Two, it makes it easier to respond rather than react to whatever's happening in you and around you.
What is weight-inclusive care? And why it is the best way to care for ALL bodies?
Weight-inclusive care is an approach that assumes that patients of all weights are capable of achieving health and wellbeing if they have access to non‐stigmatizing health care. This approach also challenges the belief that a particular BMI reflects a particular set of health behaviors, health status, or moral character.
Does Intuitive Eating mean eating whatever you want?
Does intuitive eating mean eating whatever you want, whenever you want, as much as you want? That's certainly what many people believe. The simple answer is, “No.” But I also want to give a disclaimer.
How to deal with a body image downward spiral
It happens to all of us. You see a photo of yourself and don’t like what you see. You’re getting dressed and hate how your clothes look on you. You’re in a body image spiral, and you’re in danger of circling the drain. Here's what to do.
It’s summer. Why are you still covering your body?
When you don't have fond feelings for your body, you might be hesitant to show more than a few inches of skin, even when the temperature rises. This can leave you physically uncomfortable for much of the summer..and interfere with participating in summer activities.
5 questions and comments new Intuitive Eaters get
As with many ideas that suddenly start to grow in popularity, the central tenants of intuitive eating can be easily misinterpreted. If you're starting to practice Intuitive Eating, you may get some interesting comments and questions from family, friends and co-workers.
Why I’ve traded body positivity for body liberation
The current state of "body positivity" means the term has almost no meaning any more. That's why body liberation is the more empowered path.
Why I care about social justice AND nutrition
I believe in the power of nutritious food. I’m well-versed in what scientific research says about the role of the food we eat in preventing chronic disease. But I also that nutrition is not the sole, and often not the most important, determinant of our health.
Can you ditch dieting and still care about nutrition?
There’s this myth that adopting an anti-diet approach is also anti-nutrition. The truth is that you can absolutely eat a nutritious, balanced diet with lots of variety without being restrictive or rigid about it.
Understanding Health at Every Size® + the new HAES® Principles
The key to understanding what Health at Every Size really is in their newly revised principles, which focus on bias-free healthcare access.
Why is the Washington Post attacking anti-diet dietitians?
The Washington Post just published a hit piece on anti-diet dietitians. It shows how very little they understand about what they're attacking.
What does ‘non-diet’ mean now?
I’m often asked what “non-diet” actually means, both in general terms, and specifically when a
Why self-compassion isn’t a zero-sum game
Self-compassion (and compassion) are infinite resources. You don’t need to fight for your slice of the compassion pie AND you don’t need to deny yourself compassion because someone “deserves it more.”
The lasting harms of early life non-consensual dieting
There are many things kids have to do that they may not consent to (like homework). But those things don’t do damage the way non-consensual dieting does.
How Intuitive Eating helps you find authentic health
What's authentic health? Authentic health happens when you weigh any external health advice against your own experience before deciding whether to incorporate it. This supports health while helping you break away from diet culture.
How to NOT celebrate weight loss for health
If you’re not celebrating intentional weight loss for any other reason, and you know that weight doesn’t equal health, should you congratulate someone for losing weight for "health reasons"? In a word, no. And here are more words explaining why.
Identify your values to build better habits
Do you find it challenging to form habits that last? It may be because you haven't identified your values. And if you haven't, then you're not using values to guide your daily actions.
How to start shedding diet culture thoughts and words
When you’re charting a path away from diet culture, it helps to be mindful of your thoughts and words. Are they still reflecting diet culture?
The futility and peril of food and body shame
Food and body shame is futile, because it's not motivating, and perilous, because it does real harm. What to know if you're struggling.
Your 5-Point Plan for mindful holiday eating
Do food-centered holiday social events make you feel a bit anxious? Here are some mindful holiday eating tips that might help you enjoy that next holiday party or buffet more.
How intuitive eating can help make the holidays brighter
Once upon a time, holiday foods stood out as highlights in a year of relatively simpler fare. But in today’s food environment, with its year-round access to delicious and even indulgent foods, it’s as if the holiday season has upped the ante, making the holidays feel like a minefield.
Anxious about holiday eating? How to reduce the stress
If you already tend to have anxieties about food, holiday eating can make you especially anxious. Here’s some food for thought about how to approach holiday eating that brings you joy and leaves you feeling good, too.
How to get more pleasure in your life (and why)
Why is it important to get more pleasure in your life? One, because you deserve it, and two, it can help your relationship with food.
Where are the missing bodies in that new WeightWatchers study?
What's wrong with the latest study supposedly showing how "successful" WeightWatchers is? So, so much. Let's start with the missing people.
What do you have to do before starting intuitive eating?
If you’re intrigued by intuitive eating, or at least heard of it, you might wonder what you need to consider, or perhaps do, before giving it a go. Here are three factors that I think are important.
My thoughts on that anti-dietitian Washington Post article
As a registered dietitian and journalist who used to write for The Washington Post, I was deeply dismayed by the clickbait “gotcha” journalism of their September 13 article, “The food industry pays ‘influencer’ dietitians to shape your eating habits.”
Why weight stigma awareness? Because it’s not a personal problem
You know what bothers me? The idea that anyone needs to change their body to meet someone else's ideals. That "someone" could be a spouse/partner, a friend, a stranger, or society at large.
Mindfulness is here to stay, and that’s a very good thing
When you think of mindfulness, do you dismiss it as a trend? It’s true that mindfulness is trendy, but it also has deep, traditional roots that are backed by modern research in the fields of psychology and neuroscience.
Are we encouraged to make health part of our identity?
Health may be a personal value, but it’s also become a yardstick by which to measure other people’s value and worthiness. Are we encouraged to have a health-based identity, to think of ourselves as healthy
How can self-compassion help ease body dissatisfaction?
When you’re moving away from a history of dieting and body dissatisfaction toward a future of intuitive eating and body respect, appreciation, or liberation, self-compassion can be a powerful tool.
What if trying to lose weight feels easier than body acceptance?
Why can it sometimes feel easier to just keep trying to lose weight than it is to accept your body as it is? Here are some reasons why you can be exploring, even practicing, intuitive eating and body acceptance, but still want to lose weight.
How to tell if your diet is really disordered eating
Dieting to lose weight (even under the guise of “lifestyle changes”) is so normalized in our culture that it indeed feels normal. And if it’s “normal” it must be OK…right? Let me break this to you gently — not only can dieting lead to disordered eating, but in many cases, dieting IS disordered eating.
Can you practice intuitive eating with a chronic disease?
There are a lot of myths about intuitive eating. One is that you can’t learn or practice intuitive eating if you have a chronic disease. You absolutely can, because it can help you both enjoy your food while you're caring for your health.
How to start habituating to food
Habituating to forbidden foods can feel challenging. While making peace with food involves some mental aspects, to take it all the way and habituate means actually practicing eating those foods.
Can you really habituate to ‘forbidden’ foods?
One of the so-called “holy grails” of practicing intuitive eating is the day when you have become habituated to formerly forbidden foods.
Is body positivity achievable? Is there something better?
“Body positivity” is a buzzy catchphrase that has deep origins. But is body positivity achievable, even in today's watered-down version?
Excerpts from the new edition of my book!
The second edition of my book, “Healthy For Your Life” is now available on Amazon. This new edition is revised and updated as well as expanded, with 80 more pages, new recipes, and selected citations. It also has a new subtitle: “A non-diet approach to optimal well-being.” Here’s are some excerpts.
Why eating for pleasure is both important and good for you
How does pleasure work with intuitive eating? If you are honoring the intention behind intuitive eating, then you are eating for pleasure.
Self-care tips for when life feels especially stressful
Self-care is extra important in times of uncertainty. I’m always an advocate of physical and emotional self-care, because if you don’t take care of yourself, who will? So here's some food for thought, as well as some self-care tips for creating or refining an overall self-care practice that’s right for you.
From ‘health is wealth’ to cultural capital: why performing ‘health’ can be harmful
It used to be 'health is wealth.' Now, health is a modern form of 'cultural capital.' For many people, this means performing 'health,' which can become harmful.
Why is self-compassion important? Because it’s not all rainbows and kittens.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about self-compassion. It also won’t be the last, because self-compassion is that important, including for easing shame and increasing motivation.
Ditching the O-words: How to talk about fat bodies
There are many words we can use to refer to bodies, including body size. When deciding how to talk about fat bodies, two words I've stopped using are "ob*sity" and "ov*rweight." And when I have to use the O-words, I use them carefully.
Why does intuitive eating feel hard instead of intuitive?
While moving toward Intuitive Eating and away from years or decades of dieting is work well worth doing, there are many reasons you might have struggled. Let me talk about some of the most common reasons.
Selling weight loss by stealing from fat activism
There's a dangerous narrative that's been unfolding, and it's getting worse. Stealing the words and work of fat activists to sell weight loss.
Why (and how) mindfulness makes habit change easier
Mindfulness supports habit change by helping us view "failure" non-judgmentally, with kindness and curiosity, making it easer start again. Mindfulness meditation offers a wonderful metaphor for this.
Why mindful eating isn’t ‘careful’ or ‘mind full’ eating
There are always spikes in interest in mindful eating around this time of the year. Unfortunately, much of that spike is because diet culture has tried to co-opt mindful eating for its own devices. In the process, it has twisted mindful eating into “careful” eating and “mind full” eating.
Want to eat more mindfully? Jump in right here!
January is World Mindful Eating Month. While a dedicated month is a great way to call attention to this specific type of mindfulness practice, the reality is that mindful eating has benefits 365 days a year.
Four myths about intuitive eating
Today, there are more than 150 published research studies on intuitive eating. In spite of that, there are many misconceptions and myths about intuitive eating.
Want to be healthier in 2023? Fire your inner drill sergeant
Can self-compassion improve your health? Yes. Numerous research studies have shown that self-compassion is important for mental and emotional health and well-being. While that’s not super surprising, this may be: newer research is also finding that self-compassion is important for physical health.
Food for thought: an Intuitive Eating principles primer
My take on each of the 10 Intuitive Eating principles, from "ditch the diet mentality" to "honor your health with gentle nutrition."
What happens when you don’t listen to your body?
When you listen to your body, it's easier for you to protect your health and well being --- and keep yourself safe. Listening to (and trusting) our bodies is important all the time. I had to learn that the hard way.
Tips for taking salads into fall and winter
Who says salad are just for summer? Even though the nip in the air leads us towards warm, hearty soups, stews, braises and roasts, don’t take salads off the menu. A well-composed salad that blends seasonal produce with substantial add-ins can be just as satisfying in the cooler months.
What do ‘non-diet,’ ‘anti-diet’ and Health at Every Size® mean?
Non-diet, anti-diet, Health at Every Size (HAES) — these terms are showing up more and more in books, magazines, blogs and social media. I hear a lot of questions about what these terms even mean, along with, “Everyone eats some type of diet, so how can anyone be ‘anti-diet’?”
Meeting resistance with compassion as a path to growth
When you face resistance, whether physical or mental, meeting that resistance with compassion can help you overcome limitations (real or perceived) in favor of growth and improvement
What is “allostatic load”? Why it’s worse than chronic stress
Stress isn't always a bad thing, but when you are struggling with chronic stress, especially if it creates allostatic load, that's bad news for your physical and mental health.
Why food is more than just fuel — it’s also pleasure
How do you view food? Is it fuel, is it pleasure, or is it a bit of both? Obviously, food is fuel for your body, but food is also pleasure.
Are you admiring, or coveting, someone else’s body? It’s an important distinction.
We come in all shapes and sizes, and we all have eyes. When you "like" someone else's body, are you admiring it or or are you coveting it? It's an important distinction.
You are not what you eat (now, I really mean it)
This post is part of my “Know Better, Do Better” series, in which I revisit an old blog post that makes me cringe because my thinking has evolved substantially since I wrote it.
The intersections of diet culture, ableism, healthism and anti-fatness
Diet culture is just one of many social systems in which people are treated inequitably. It often overlaps not just with ableism, sizeism and healthism, but also with racism, sexism, ageism and classism.
Understanding hunger hormones…what you can (and can’t) control
Do you feel like you are always hungry? It's easy to think you should be able to control, or ignore, your hunger, but that’s easier said than done.
Hunger scales…what are they good for? Maybe a lot.
If you’ve explored intuitive or mindful eating, you’ve probably crossed paths with hunger scales. Maybe you tried using such a scale, and found it tedious, or even hard. Maybe you wondered, “Is this even helpful?”
Need a recipe that screams summer? Make a batch of ratatouille
There are certain Mediterranean dishes that just scream "summer" and ratatouille is one of them, although honestly this dish will work any time of year, even if the staple ingredients—eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes—are not in season. I enjoy making a big batch that I can eat for days, especially when it's too hot to want to cook every evening.
Now, this is what I’m talking about! (Identifying healthism)
This post is part of my “Know Better, Do Better” series, in which I revisit an old blog post that makes me cringe because my thinking has evolved substantially since I wrote it.
Is eating without restrictions really different from binge eating?
The good news is that eating with permission and without restrictions doesn’t have to translate to a food free-for-all. It also does not mean trading control for binge eating. At least not for very long. But how you approach trading restriction for permission may matter.