Throughout your life, you’ve probably tried at least one diet, and more likely several. They all promise fantastical end results: unprecedented weight loss, rapid results, turn your body into a fat-burning machine! We’re lured in by inflated and unrealistic expectations and vow to ourselves: This diet is IT. Things are going to be different! But the reality couldn’t be further from the fallacy and those magical results will never come to fruition. Just like with an abusive partner, you stick around for the rare positive moment and delude yourself into forgetting about all the times you’ve been ..read more

There’s no doubt that overeating and binge eating is something that many many people struggle with. And there’s no doubt that many people have an at least somewhat complicated relationship with food. So why does it seem like everyone has some sort of a food issue- big or small? Through new research, it’s become clear that there’s something about the food itself that makes it tricky to moderate our intake. The concept of food addiction has increasingly gained more support as the science shows that people tend to overeat and binge on certain ultra-rewarding foods. This food activates our reward ..read more

We’re surrounded by so many conflicting messages all the time about how to become healthier, how to release weight, and how to improve your life. To say these messages have become confusing is an understatement. They’ve got us jumping from one extreme diet or lifestyle change to the next- wreaking havoc on our body and endocrine system, and keeping us feeling lost and unsure of what to commit to.  Here’s the part we don’t often talk about – you are the true holder of your wisdom. We need to ask “What do I know to be true for myself that works for me?” We’re so used to ..read more

Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between someone who gets through a difficult situation in a way that is in line with their long-term goals, and someone who doesn’t? The answer is not about having more willpower, trying harder, or being less lazy. The answer is actually about being more skillful and planning.  It’s always a great time to talk through the essential skills you need to navigate your food plan with success. And while there’s so many different strategies to choose from, planning is truly the most important thing you can do today. Plan plan plan We say it all the ti ..read more

So much is going on in our lives (especially now), yet rarely do we take an intentional step back and reflect on the progress we’ve made. And yet reflecting back and appreciating how far you’ve come and where you want to go can bring about so much gratitude and appreciation- for your hard work and continuing to show up for yourself.  Even when reflecting back on ourselves comes with painful emotions- like guilt or disappointment, there’s still likely a lot to learn. For example, reflecting back and feeling disappointment from a lapse into sugar can bring about sadness and disappointment ..read more

When trying to heal your relationship with food, it’s easy to get caught up in weight loss outcomes. What did the scale say this week? How long is this going to take? I need to get to “x” pounds by this date.” With all that scale “noise,” it’s likely you’ve lost sight of all the other positive, life-changing outcomes of a healthy relationship with food.  One of the biggest things overlooked is how healing your relationship with food can also help with healing the relationship with yourself. Specifically, how it can strengthen the trust you have with yourself, as you start to act in loving ..read more

Connection is not an optional, but rather an essential piece of recovery from an addiction or eating disorder.  As social beings, it’s long understood that we don’t do well in isolation. In one study that looked at the effects of connection-deprived rats, the rats that experienced social isolation were more sensitive to stress and had increased emotional reactivity. The same has been seen in humans- we now know that solitary confinement in prisons leads to worsening of serious mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, and is linked to high rates of self-harm behaviors. So wh ..read more

Urge Surfing is a Distress Tolerance Skill  Urge Surfing is a Distress Tolerance Skill that was developed as a means for someone to recognize the physical and emotional sensations accompanying an urge, but not judge or act upon them. Cravings/urges are common. By surfing them, you can get to a point where they will pass. Instead of fighting the urge, visualize yourself on a surfboard riding the urge. Try to notice what you are feeling with the rise and fall of the waves. Urges rise just like waves. As an urge rises, it gets more intense and feels like it won’t go away unless you give into ..read more

Ella Fitzgerald sang it best: “Summertime and the livin’ is easy…” And yet, summer can also become fraught with our food and weight issues. Especially the thief and terrorist disguised as our body image.  With the heat and the shorts and the pool parties, our internal dialogue can get really loud, really fast, and take us really far away from our overall goals of freedom. And while we can talk volumes about body appreciation and body acceptance, there is one thing we overlook when our body image thoughts start to roar: How’s your food and food behavior? Body Image. The thief and terrorist ..read more

We love a simple skill. Here’s one that’s mind-blowingly simple: Using Ice to relieve stress. What better season than summer to put stress on the rocks! At Beacon, we use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and DBT creator Marsha Linehan developed distress-tolerance skills that help people use more adaptive, less destructive strategies when in crisis.  We all face situations that make us feel out of control or cause us to reach for comfort food instead of sitting with difficult emotions.  Cue the TIPP skills from DBT.  Today we focus on the “T” in TIPP, which means: Tip the Temp ..read more