If you’re of a certain age, you’ve probably noticed that young people – teenagers, especially – have a strong need for approval from others.  Young adults want to fit in and feel accepted, a natural desire that is part of our normal developmental process at this stage of life. Feeling that we belong helps us to grow and expand, and gives us the confidence to explore our world.  As we grow older, however, people can become unknowingly stuck at this developmental stage. And when this happens – life can get miserable pretty quick. Left unchecked, we may never outgrow our desire for acce ..read more

Jill, 44, wants a new relationship with food – one where she can enjoy a more easygoing, intuitive way of eating. She’d like eating to be fun and lighthearted, and feel satiated after a great meal.  But her dreamy new relationship with food seems so very far away. Jill has an intense desire for food – so deep that it feels like her desire can never be quenched. No matter what or how much Jil eats, she doesn’t really feel like she ever finds true pleasure and contentment with food. It just never feels like enough – and Jill has a lot of anxiety that she’ll end up overeating and gaining wei ..read more

Food is intended to be our source of nourishment, but all too often it can feel like a losing battle.  Perhaps you’ve been struggling with your weight, and why it’s so hard to lose it – or keep it off. Or maybe you binge or emotionally eat, and are frustrated that you can’t stop these behaviors.  Whatever your unique challenge with food may be, after a while it’s hard to not come to a particular conclusion… Food has a POWER over you. It must – otherwise, you’d have been able to put an end to your unwanted habits a long time ago, right?! But is it really possible for food to hold powe ..read more

Negative body image is something that so many of us struggle with – regardless of our nationality, age, or background. It almost seems to be part of the human condition, something that is innate to our journey here on Earth. But is it, really?  While not liking our body – or constantly trying to achieve a certain weight or shape – is ubiquitous around the world, the truth is that is NOT a natural, normal part of being alive. Our beliefs around body image and beauty are instead ingrained from us at a young age. We were, quite literally, taught to believe that beauty looks a certain way, an ..read more

Perhaps more than any other food group, carbohydrates can really freak people out. You might say, carbs are one of the world’s great nutritional “hang-ups.”  And a big reason for this is we’ve been told carbohydrates will make us … fat. Eat the wrong kinds, too much, and too often, and you’ll be popping the buttons off your jeans in no time.  So many of us then try to avoid or limit carbohydrates, but find ourselves struggling to sustain that.  Part of what makes carbohydrates so confusing is that we’ve come to believe they’re not only problematic to both our weight and health ..read more

Many of us struggle with emotional eating. And that’s because food is a reliable way to manage our unwanted emotions. Think: Bored. Stressed. Lonely. Angry. Anxious.  When we’re experiencing difficult emotions, it’s natural to turn to food.  But here’s something that’s also common: some of us label ourselves as emotional eaters, when that’s not actually the case.  For some of us, something else altogether is going on: We just LOVE food. A lot. The truth is, some of us love food so much that we don’t know how to contain ourselves.  We overdo it because we love it so much. In ..read more

For those of us who struggle with weight, are in a battle with food, or who have ongoing anxiety around eating, it’s no secret that these unwanted food and body challenges can have a myriad of possible causes. Well, one of the more overlooked causes is something that many of us experienced when we were young: ➡️ Having an absentee parent. This can mean: ? A parent who was never there, or was seldom there, or who came into and out of life in an erratic way. ? A parent who was around, but was emotionally absent and didn’t really show up for us in a meaningful way.  ? Spending time in foster ..read more

Ever hear the phrase “health is wealth?”  For many people, we don’t quite recognize how valuable our health is until we find illness or injury knocking. Enjoying robust health is truly the foundation of a happy, fulfilled, and connected life. But it’s also true that worrying about our health, or being vigilant about every aspect of our diet and lifestyle, can actually take us in the opposite direction of vitality – as Marc David explores with 53-year old Daniela.  Daniela’s health anxieties – like many people – were born at a young age.  As a child, Daniela had always thought sh ..read more

A surprising fact about the weight loss universe is that despite so many built-in difficulties, plenty of people have success. So often, we DO actually lose the weight, we hit our target number - or come close to it, we celebrate, we feel good, we fit into our clothes, and life is finally great. We did it. But then, something happens. Somehow, the weight we lost finds its way back home.  Our efforts worked, but only for a brief time. If this sounds at all familiar to you, you’ve probably asked the question, “Why does the weight come back on? And what can I do to ensure that this unwanted ..read more

Chances are, you’ve had the experience of hearing conflicting voices in your head when it comes to food and body. One part of us can clearly say: “I absolutely must lose weight.” While another part of us can simultaneously whisper: “I’m tired of dieting. Maybe I should just give up and love my body as it is.” And from here, an inner conflict unfolds.  On the one hand, we can find ourselves motivated to stick to a diet, get to the gym, and do everything we can to control our appetite. After all, we know how much happier we’ll be when we hit our weight loss number. But another part of ourse ..read more