A personal note from Cookie: You know that after 35 years working to create programs, products, and offer coaching through my podcasts, my book, and The Freedom Group, that I recently took a 3-month sabbatical. This was driven by my need to practice the same self-care that I teach you, and to prioritize my health and my relationships. Now that I’ve had time to reflect, I’ve made the hard decision to retire from my weight loss coaching business. I love so many parts of it that I think stepping back in a permanent way will be hard to get used to. But my decision is made. So now, the coun ..read more

  Hello my friend. Welcome to Weight Loss Made Real, where you will be coached by me on how to stop overeating so you can lose weight for good. Today we’re continuing part 3 of a 3-part series we started two episodes ago. After 35 years as a master weight loss coach, I’m taking a sabbatical and stepping back from the live part of my coaching practice. That means the Freedom Group is coming to an end. Over today’s and the last two episodes, I’m sharing the 10 big things I’ve learned from running my business, creating my ETL program within my Freedom Group, and working with 1000’s of women ..read more

  Today we’re continuing Part Two of the three-part series we started last week. After 35 years as a master weight loss coach, I’m stepping back from the live part of my practice. The Freedom Group is ending. So, over these three episodes, I’m sharing the 10 big things I’ve learned from putting my business together, creating my Eat, Think, Love program and working with thousands of women. On our last episode, 319, we talked about the first three things I’ve learned over the last 35 years that helped me in my life, my business, my own weight loss journey, and also have helped my clients ..read more

  This month I’m having a huge celebration and an even bigger sale in my shop, and you’re invited. To celebrate my 35 years in business as a master weight loss coach, I’m throwing a party! As you may have heard, my work as a live coach is ending for now—that’s the work I’ve done in the Freedom Group and on this podcast. If you’ve been listening for a long time, you’ve heard me talk about the FG and all the amazing concepts my members have learned. You’ve also heard how they changed their lifelong eating, thinking, and self-care habits and learned to become natural eaters. Don’t worry, t ..read more

  If you’ve lost weight before but are here listening to me now, it’s probably because you’ve slipped and regained some or all of the weight you lost. You, my friend, are not alone. Many of us have gone through this experience. I call it backsliding. It can be very discouraging, and it may even feel a little embarrassing. So, I’d like to spend today’s session talking with you about what causes backsliding and how to bounce back when it happens. Backsliding is just what it sounds like: You get to a certain point in your weight-loss journey and rather than continuing on to reach or maintai ..read more

  On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being tolerable and 10 being absolutely miserable, how would you rate your most recent trip to a dressing room? Most women I know would say 10, or even 11! If your experience also rates high on the misery scale, join me in this coaching session. In today’s session we’ll talk about where your dressing-room agony is coming from, and you’ll learn how to make your next visit a little more pleasant. Have you ever stood in a department store, your arms full of clothes, debating with yourself about whether it’s worth it to even try them on? I have, and I bet you ..read more

  I have a question for you: Once you’ve decided that you want to lose your extra weight, how often do you think about it? Well, here’s my guess: all day. From the time you wake up until you go to bed. In our session today, we’ll be talking about why this is not the way to go. And you’ll learn how to develop healthy, productive thinking that will help you achieve your goals. As women, we juggle many responsibilities. There are endless things to keep track of and do and managing it all takes a lot of brain power. So, when you begin your weight-loss journey, you do need to set aside some e ..read more

  If you’re listening today, you probably grew up seeing “before and after” photos everywhere: in TV commercials and magazine ads, and now online and on social media. You know what I’m talking about, right? A pair of photographs, often of a woman. The first shows what she looked like before she started some trendy diet plan. The second shows how she looks as a result of being on that plan. In the “after” photo, the woman has obviously lost weight. And she’s smiling, so she seems happier. It seems like she’s transformed—physically, at least. That’s all we know from the photos. But photos ..read more

  Hello my friend! If you find it easy to start projects, like losing weight, but have trouble following through, you’ve come to the right place today. Today we’re going to have another live coaching session with Debra, a Freedom Group member. This is the last live coaching session, in a series of five, that I’ve done recently. I’ve done this live session for you for two main reasons: 1) I want you to hear someone with the same or similar challenge that you are facing. I want you to know that you are not alone, that your struggle is not uncommon, and that there is a way to break the prob ..read more

  If you spend time on Instagram or any social media platform, you’ve probably seen people posting lighthearted quotes about food, like this one: “Carbs are the answer. No matter the question.” Many people share these quotes because, besides being funny, they’re so relatable. Of course, you know that carbs don’t solve problems. Yet every time a problem comes up, it seems you’re reaching for a donut. These quotes may be fun to share. But the reality behind them is not as fun. If you’ve ever experienced that reality, you’re in the right place. In today’s session you’re going to discover wh ..read more