I’m willing to bet that you already know that reducing certain foods in your diet would be good for your health, your confidence and your quality of life.
I’m willing to bet you’d say you “eat your feelings”
I’m willing to bet that you’ve tried to eliminate or reduce sugar, cookies, cakes, donuts, processed snack foods like chips, crackers, sugary drinks like pop and treats like candy or chocolate and despite your best intentions and multiple attempts you’ve failed to make the permanent changes to your diet that you’d like to make.
I’m willing to bet you’ve been struggling with it for years, or maybe even your entire life and you’re frustrated, depressed and sick of trying.
I’m also willing to bet that you’re starting to think there’s something seriously wrong with you, something is screwy in your brain or maybe you’re wondering if it’s possible that you’re addicted to sugar or specific foods.
I want you to know that you are NOT alone, you are NOT weak and there IS a solution to this problem.
To fully embrace this solution and have it work for you need to understand some very important things about human nature and human psychology that SABOTAGE our BEST intentions, OVERRIDE our logic and GET in our WAY when we try to do something that’s good for us. You also need to know that even the strongest WILLPOWER is NO MATCH for them.
What I’m talking about is our subconscious programming and our brain chemistry.
I struggled with food issues for as long as I can remember.
In grade school I’d come home at the end of the day and eat a BOWL of peanut butter slathered in corn syrup while I sat and watched TV…and then I’d eat ANOTHER one! It was nothing to wash that down with half a dozen homemade cookies (or store-bought, it really didn’t matter), then two hours later eat a full dinner followed by desert.
It’s no wonder I developed a weight problem early in life. I could eat and eat sweets and my “full meter” just never worked.
I started to develop a “fat consciousness” around the age of 9. I compared myself to my friends, especially my best friend, a naturally lean and tall beauty that made me feel like an ogre.
In high school the dieting started. For the next 20 years I struggled with food addiction, stress and emotional eating, poor body image and low self-esteem.
I made valiant efforts to find solutions. In my twenties I became a holistic nutritionist, thinking that I just needed to know more about food to solve my food-related problems. I counted calories, fat grams, protein grams and carbohydrate grams-even counting the fiber in those carb foods and learning about “good” vs “bad” carbs. I did the cabbage soup diet, I did a six day water fast, I did juice fasts, I tried Atkins, Metabolic Typing, The Zone, The NO-Grain diet and every other diet I came across that promised “this was the one” to finally help me “fix” my metabolism and allow me to shed those extra 20-30 pounds and solve my food problems for good. But every time I tried to eliminate processed sugars and carbs I would be “good” for a few days, maybe a week at the most and then the cravings would just take over my brain, or I’d have a bad day and I would put something “off limits” in my mouth. It didn’t matter if it was a stale Peak Frean sugar cookie (I don’t even like those), if it was sweet, I was eating it. And then I’d be consumed by guilt and berate myself for being weak-willed. It was a horrible, viscous cycle that left me feeling like a completely incompetent FAILURE.
Can you relate? All that knowledge, all that money and time spent learning about nutrition and I couldn’t get myself to DO what I KNEW would be good for me. How depressing. I felt like a total fraud.
But, I persevered.
I knew there was a solution, I just had to find it.
Since the food approach wasn’t working, I turned my attention to the other “proven” method of reducing fat. Exercise.
I’d been exercising fairly regularly since high school, but much like the nutrition end of things, I would be “good” for a while and stick to my routine and then something would happen and I’d fall off the exercise wagon for a few weeks or even a month at a time.
I decided I needed to step it up when it came to exercise and I became a personal trainer. In the years that followed I explored every type of exercise I could to see what the magical formula was for “my body”. Have you ever been there?
I ran, I did yoga, I did Pilates, I strength-trained (although not as well as I do now), I tried to train like a fitness competitor since it worked so well for them. I got up at 6am to do early-morning cardio on an empty stomach. I did HIIT (high-intensity interval training). None of it got me where I wanted to be. Sure I got more fit, but I was still miserable when I compared myself to other women that seemed to be getting great results, yet they were doing ALL THE SAME STUFF!
I was pounding my head against a wall, trying and trying, learning and expanding my knowledge but not really getting what I wanted..which more than anything was PEACE and SELF-LOVE ..although I didn’t know it at the time.
Then finally…after 30 years of looking for solutions I found the thing that would ultimately pull all the pieces together for me and help me become the person I always wanted to be.
That thing was EFT. EFT is a technique that involves tapping with the fingers on acupuncture meridians to clear subconscious beliefs, negative emotions and can even be helpful with day to day stresses.
When I discovered this technique that had the power to re-wire my subconscious beliefs and to help neutralize stressful emotions I was off and running. Things didn’t change immediately mind you, but after a few years of using and mastering this incredible tool, the me I am today began to emerge.
I can’t say it was like a switch flipped, it was more like hundreds of little switches were flipped, one at a time. At the same time, my knowledge of the human brain and psychology began to evolve and the lights just gradually came on.
Food is still a challenge for me. If I’ve had a bad day, not enough sleep, if someone rejected me, if I’m lonely or if my hormones or brain chemistry are fluctuating a bit too much I can easily find myself rooting through the cupboards or “innocently” going to the Bulk Barn for some candied ginger. It’s something I’ve learned about myself and it’s now something I can successfully manage with the tools I’ve found.
Do I look like a fitness competitor? NO.
Am I completely happy with my body? NO.
But I’m fit, I workout consistently 3-5 times per week and my fitness continues to improve despite being in my 40’s.
I eat clean 80-90% of the time, meaning I generally avoid sugar, grains, dairy, processed foods and industrial seed oils. My diet consists of whole, mostly organic, unprocessed foods. Within that framework, I’ve learned how to enjoy healthy indulgences without guilt and with minimal impact on my health so I’m not forsaking the pleasure that food provides.
I feel good about my body most of the time. Sure, I still compare myself to other women once in a while, but I no longer base my worthiness on the appearance of my thighs, or hit emotional low points because I have cellulite. I’ve learned how to love my body, flaws and all.
And you can do the same.
You can get off the diet roller coaster.
You CAN be HEALTHY and FIT and feel AMAZING, but I’m here to tell you that willpower is NOT the answer. In fact, food and exercise is only a VERY SMALL part of the equation when it comes to making permanent changes to your health and your life. When you get your MIND right, the rest just FALLS into place!
Overcoming Stress Eating and Food Addiction Programs
Over the years I’ve developed programs to help my clients deal with stress eating and food addiction. Every client is slightly different and I find that a tailored approach often works the best. Working in a one on one coaching relationship is by far the most effective way to resolve this problem, but that option can be costly and it’s not feasible for everyone. That’s why I created an on-line program delivered as a series of lectures and workbooks that you can listen to and read on your own.
No matter how you choose to work with me, either in-person or via the on-line self-study program here’s what I’ll teach you:
- what I’ve learned about brain chemistry, stress eating and food addiction that will COMPLETELY change the way you view your struggles with food and empower you with a mindset geared to SOLUTION
- multiple PROVEN mind/body techniques to DRASTICALLY reduce food cravings and actually change your brain chemistry (and no, I’m not talking about deep breathing)
- how to uncover the subconscious roots of self-sabotage so you can UPROOT them and stop them from TRUMPING your willpower.
- what willpower REALLY is, how to make it stronger and how to know when not to rely on it
- which foods and supplements are vital for overcoming cravings and food addiction
- how to identify and STOP your unique reasons for STRESS EATING
You’ll also get the Stress Eating and Food Addiction Handbook and you’ll be able to download all of the webinar recordings so you can listen to them again and again!
You’re probably thinking “ Sounds great, but how much does this cost?” and I don’t blame you. I see programs on a weekly basis that I’d LOVE to take, but I just can’t justify spending the money on everything I see. I could tell you that the time and money it cost me to learn all of this is in the range of $40,000 when you include conferences, workshops, courses, books, trainings and time investment. I could tell you that you won’t learn what I’m teaching ANY WHERE else because my unique approach combines holistic nutrition, fitness, food addiction and professional level EFT. I could ask you to add up all the money you’ve ALREADY spent on diet programs, books, specialty foods, gym memberships, personal trainers or other practitioners. I could ask you how much you predict you’ll spend in the next five years on more of the same tired old non-solutions. And finally, I could ask you what it would be worth to you to FINALLY have the answers you’ve been looking for?
There are three ways of working with me and my materials. Obviously, working with me in a one on one capacity is the most effective option. When you do private coaching with me I can tailor all of my material and resources to your unique situation. That’s generally an investment of a couple thousand dollars, but it depends on how long we work together. Because my time and expertise is valuable and I firmly believe that the benefits you’ll receive from that type of intensive coaching is MORE than worth my rates, which are about the same as hiring a good personal trainer or seeing a naturopathic doctor.
The next best option is to work with me in a live on-line group program, which I offer once or twice per year. When I offer this material in a group format I can charge less, but obviously you don’t get the personal, tailored approach. Many of my clients have found success working with the materials in this way, especially if they make a commitment to themselves to engage fully with the course, show up for every session, volunteer to work with me in front of the group and do their homework.
Last, but not least the on-line coaching program is available as a self-directed course you can engage with on your own (or with a friend) at any time. E-mail me for details if you’re interested in this option!
So, if you think one of my programs is right for you I’d love to speak with you and help you decide which option is best for you!
My next on-line live group program will run early February 2018, so sign-up below to get details about that!