If you’ve been dieting for many years, you know it can get to be a little “much.” Chronic dieting can leave us frustrated, exhausted, and exasperated. Why does something so simple – weight loss – have to be so hard?  Millions of people around the world are realizing that they’re just plain tired of dieting. So much so that an increasing number of people are deciding to take a break from weight loss altogether.   But taking a diet break doesn’t alleviate the very real fear that many of us experience: that the second we stop dieting, we’re going to gain weight.   In this ..read more

Emotional eating always has a psychological or biological reason for showing up in our life. It never just “happens” … it’s almost always an unconscious psychological strategy to regulate difficult emotions.  That’s the case for guest coaching client, Katy, who’s going through a period of massive change – and is struggling to manage her feelings about it all. As a newly-turned 30-year old, Katy is figuring out what’s important to her in life, what sort of career she wants to pursue, and how she wants to earn money. She’s hoping to find a life partner, and would one day like to become a mo ..read more

It’s no surprise that many people around the world would like to lose weight. In fact, between 2017 and 2021, 55% of all Americans have expressed the desire for weight loss. And unfortunately, many people who are single and would like to find love in their life are instead putting it off until they’re at their desired weight.  That’s the case for 41-year old Shawnna, our guest in this episode of the podcast.  Shawnna would like to lose about 50 pounds, and find a more peaceful relationship with food – one where she’s not constantly thinking about what, when, and how much to eat. As s ..read more

In this episode of The Psychology of Eating Podcast, we’re going to take a look at why we need to get past the label of ‘body dysmorphia’ – a medical term – and instead look to understand why body dysmorphia is actually present. And to do that, we must explore our personal story from childhood to adulthood – because our history contains the clues for where this pattern developed in the first place. The reality is, many of us have dysmorphic tendencies. Meaning, we see our body differently than it actually is – and not in a good way. That’s the case for Rory, 62, who reports struggling with bod ..read more

We all have different reasons for wanting to lose weight: Feeling lighter  Being healthier Fitting into your “skinny” clothes Or sometimes, just feeling more confident… And sometimes, there are hidden reasons for wanting to lose weight that we don’t even realize we have. For Nataliya, 46, weight loss has been a lifelong journey. Nataliya wants to be more confident in her body, and to feel lighter. She jokes that her goal is to feel “like a squirrel” and be able to jump from branch to branch. But what she doesn’t quite realize is that her desire to feel lighter is driven by a part of her ..read more

The desire to lose weight unites so many people around the world. And while it may be a common global phenomenon … what’s not frequently recognized is how unique all of our weight loss journeys turn out to be. The truth is, if we want to lose weight and keep it off, we need to intimately understand our life story and how it affects our journey with weight. In this episode of The Psychology of Eating Podcast, you’ll meet Wendy, 57. She’s been on a strugglesome journey to lose weight. And one thing that particularly stands out in Wendy’s life story is the prominent role a particular archetype ha ..read more

In this episode, Marc David works with Richard, 72, who is living in a constant state of vigilance when it comes to his weight and health.  Like so many of us, Richard has developed a belief that his diet must be perfect in order to maintain his health, avoid illness, and keep weight off. And what happens if he can’t maintain the perfect diet? The moment Richard gains a pound, he imagines that he’s just around the corner from a heart attack. He believes that if he doesn’t eat 100% perfectly all the time and at every meal, then his family history of arteriosclerosis will instantly catch up ..read more

So many of us are trying to lose weight.  We can put all of our energy, our heart and soul, into fulfilling what seems like a simple desire - just lose a bunch of body fat. When our efforts aren’t working though, things can get complicated. We can become a bit anxious, and adopt the kind of beliefs that are intended to motivate us, but actually hold us back. These beliefs can include:  I’m not good enough as I am I am not lovable Something is wrong with Once I lose the weight, then and only then can I finally be happy If I just work harder, then the weight will come off W ..read more

When it comes to weight, many people can identify with the concept of “weight extremism” – otherwise known as yo-yo dieting.  We’re “all in” with our health commitments, whether that’s daily exercise, a healthy diet, getting to bed early every night. We analyze, assess – and maybe even obsess about – every little morsel of food we put into our mouth. And then, well – life happens. Tragedy happens. Stress happens.  Our habits start to unravel, and before we know it: our healthy lifestyle is kaput. We’re secret-eating in the dark and binge eating when we think no one is looking.  ..read more

Food is so much more than just fuel for our bodies. It’s also a powerful connector.  Food brings us together with family and friends, and allows us to express and receive love and appreciation, spark new relationships, create memories, discover and care for the world around us, and even navigate and explore our inner emotional and spiritual landscape. Because food helps us feel connected, we may also reach for it in moments of disconnection, distress, isolation, and loneliness. We can turn to it for comfort, or for a sense of familiarity and reassurance. And that’s because of a foundation ..read more