Is the COVID vaccine causing a food free-for-all?

2024-03-13T09:46:56-07:00By |

Any kind of food restriction or deprivation can lead to rebound or compensatory eating, sometimes even binging. This phenomenon is something I’m seeing right now in some friends and family, as well as a few clients, who find themselves really reveling in the freedom of dining out with also vaccinated friends and family.

Look inside (not in a mirror) with intuitive exercise

2024-03-13T09:46:57-07:00By |

I have a mantra when I exercise: “Exercise to be strong, not smaller.” It’s what gets me through on those days when body image is not exactly in peak form, as I dare say is the case for everyone, at least from time to time. It’s also a way of continuing to deprogram myself from decades of believing that the primary benefit of exercise was weight loss.

5 non-diet podcasts I can’t get enough of

2024-03-13T09:46:57-07:00By |

Even if you have Zoom fatigue, you can still listen to stuff, right? And now that we've waved buh-bye to winter and welcomed spring's (sometimes) warm embrace, odds are you'll be outdoors more. And needing stuff to listen to. Fancy some non-diet podcasts? While I've subscribed to a LOT of podcasts, these are the five that I listen to and recommend the most

6 ways to boost your energy naturally

2024-03-13T09:46:59-07:00By |

If I were to make a bet, I would bet that most of you wouldn’t mind having more energy. And possibly more stable energy. It’s no fun feeling like we are moving through our days operating consistently at about 70 percent of what we know ourselves to be capable of. Here are six solid tips for moving yourself closer to 100 percent.

You’re never too old to develop an eating disorder

2024-03-13T09:46:59-07:00By |

You're a grown-ass woman with decades of experiences to your credit, and you've got it all together — at least you look like you do. OK, sure, you never have a kind word for yourself when you look in the mirror. And, yeah, you're obsessed with what you're eating (or not eating), get anxious if you have to miss a planned exercise session, and maybe you indulge in some secret binges, and even an occasional purge? Those can't possibly be signs of an eating disorder...right?

Why BMI is a flawed way to look at personal health

2024-03-13T09:47:00-07:00By |

When it comes to health, does body mass index (BMI) matter? That question has been a matter of debate for decades. A mathematical formula originally developed by to look at trends in population health, today many healthcare providers use BMI as it was never intended—to diagnose individual patients.

Understanding the HAES-dieting-eating disorder spectrum

2024-03-13T09:47:02-07:00By |

As tempting as it is to imagine that life falls neatly into categories, this sort of black-or-white, all-or-nothing thinking does not reflect the fact that life is, if not messy, at least existing on a spectrum or continuum. That’s no less true with how we relate to our body weight, our food, and how we move our bodies.

Why radical belonging is good for health

2024-03-13T09:47:03-07:00By |

In my column last week for The Seattle Times, I reviewed the new book from Lindo Bacon, “Radical Belonging.” As is often the case, when I interview book authors, there’s a lot of material that gets left on the “cutting room floor” because I run out my allotted words. Here, I give space to those words, as well as talk about what Bacon's books mean to me.

Can you lose weight through Intuitive Eating?

2024-03-13T09:47:04-07:00By |

I occasionally about whether Intuitive Eating is basically “intuitive weight loss” — although honestly, most people who contact me about learning Intuitive Eating are simply sick and tired of (even exhausted from) the years or decades of dieting they’ve put themselves through. They’ve reached the point where they just want to make peace with food and their bodies.

How do you want 2021 to look?

2024-03-13T09:47:05-07:00By |

There’s a lot we can’t control in life — especially now. And some of the uncertainty that cast a shadow over three-fourths of 2020 will seep into at least the first part of 2021. But most of us are fortunate enough to have the ability to meet our basic needs (I fully realize that this is not the case for some). But how you view those needs can mean the difference between surviving and thriving.

5 (free) gifts you can give yourself this week

2024-03-13T09:47:05-07:00By |

It's Christmas week, and whether you celebrate Christmas or instead honor one of the other winter holidays, why not give yourself something nice this week. I'm pretty sure you deserve it. Because the best gifts don't have to carry a hefty price tag --- or any price tag, really --- I want to offer you five ideas for totally free gifts you can give yourself, all in the spirit of trying something new and practicing meaningful self-care.

The benefits of a thoughtful approach to holiday eating

2024-03-13T09:47:07-07:00By |

In the presence of once-a-year holiday treats and the pressure to be jolly, it’s easy to fall prey to one of two extremes: plunging into overindulgence or retreating into deprivation. Instead of labeling foods as "good" or "bad,” take a more meaningful approach by incorporating some mindfulness + intuitive eating into your holidays.

When’s the last time you recharged your brain?

2024-03-13T09:47:08-07:00By |

Do you fall prey to busy brain syndrome? Do you feel guilty if you're not being "productive"? You can probably thank this country's Puritan legacy for the idea that idleness is akin to all manner of sins. But here's the reality: Our brains need more downtime...and there's no underestimating the benefits of that downtime.

Need more zip in your kitchen? 10 ways to uplevel your ingredients.

2024-03-13T09:47:11-07:00By |

If you’re like most people, you're limiting trips to the grocery store and how much time you spend in the store, sticking to replenishing basic staple items. If that's starting to feel a little lackluster, here are some ways to liven up some of your pantry essentials without needing to shop more often.

How I discovered the pitfalls of motivation

2024-03-13T09:47:15-07:00By |

Let me tell you a little story about motivation. I really, really want to get into graduate school and study nutrition. I want it so bad I can taste it. I want it so bad that I spent all weekend working organic chemistry problems. I want it so bad that I am skipping a family camping trip over the July 4 weekend so I can work organic chemistry problems.

Why mindfulness benefits aren’t black-and-white

2024-03-13T09:47:26-07:00By |

Mindfulness is experiencing some backlash lately, but I think the dismissal of mindfulness is based on the unfortunate co-opting of the term, which in many people may contribute to the pursuit of being “perfect” about being mindful. As in other endeavors, don't let perfection be the enemy of the good.

It’s time to call out the “really, it’s not a diet” gaslighting

2024-03-13T09:47:27-07:00By |

(Includes some important 2022 updates!) Diets in disguise...they’re everywhere. But increasingly, diet promoters have turned to gaslighting by verbally jumping on the “non-diet” trend, then promoting what is in fact a diet while telling you it’s not. Well, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.

Nutrition myth busting: Taking the gloves off

2024-03-13T09:47:30-07:00By |

Something I take seriously, whether I’m talking one-on-one with a clients or writing an article or blob post, is myth-busting. There is a lot of misinformation (read: myths) about nutrition and health out there, and I don't want you to be spending your time and money chasing magic bullets that aren't so magic after all.

Why WW’s Kurbo app for kids may be harmful

2024-03-13T09:47:34-07:00By |

In case you haven’t read it yet, I wrote about WW’s—the company formerly known as Weight Watchers—weight loss app for kids, Kurbo, in this week's issue of The Seattle Times. Here’s some backstory, as well as some outtakes—aka quotes from my experts that I had to leave on the “cutting room floor.”

Why are we suppressing joy and creating barriers to health?

2024-03-13T09:47:37-07:00By |

Want to know what simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me want to punch something? When I hear the stories of stigma, shame and self-doubt my clients experience simply because they have the audacity to walk this earth in a body that is deemed larger than what’s appropriate.

Perfectionism: setting the stage for eating disorders?

2024-03-13T09:47:38-07:00By |

Perfectionism can be strongly related to eating disorders because the drive to be (or appear) perfect can trigger disordered eating patterns at various points along the spectrum. This could mean anything from occasional emotional/stress/comfort eating to orthorexia to full-fledged eating disorders.

My origin story, on the latest episode of Food Psych

2024-03-13T09:47:43-07:00By |

I'm thrilled to appear in the current episode of the Food Psych podcast, hosted by fellow Intuitive Eating and anti-diet dietitian Christy Harrison. In this interview, I talk about the origins of my own food and body issues that began in early childhood, my history of chronic dieting, and my movement to a Health At Every Size philosophy.

Why default behaviors “rule” over rules (they’re kinder, too)

2024-03-13T09:47:43-07:00By |

Are you a rules follower? For most people, setting rigid nutrition rules can do more harm than good. In some cases, the harm could be physical. In other cases, the harm could be mental/emotional. Having default behaviors is a better, gentler alternative to rules.

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