Many of my clients tell me they want to eliminate emotional eating forever. As someone who has struggled with emotional eating, I completely understand the desire to make this behavior go away forever. To never feel compelled to turn to food for soothing or stress relief or out of boredom again. Some people get there, but most don’t – and that’s okay. You can make mountains of progress without conquering emotional eating altogether. In my opinion, it makes more sense to work towards less frequent and less intense episodes of emotional overeating. Attempting to “end” emotional overeating once and for all sets us up for disappointment. Any time we overeat, we feel as though we’ve failed. And feeling like a failure is not … [Read more...] about You Probably Won’t “Conquer” Emotional Eating – and That’s Okay
Self Acceptance
Once I Lose Weight
Most of us think our weight is the main problem that needs to be solved. I wholeheartedly disagree. When our obsession with our weight is front and center, we’re unable to focus on any aspect of self-care that doesn’t involve shrinking our bodies. I’ll be kinder to myself once I lose weight. I’ll start walking (or go to a yoga class) once I lose weight. I’ll buy quality clothes that fit well once I lose weight. I’ll eat what truly feels good in my body once I lose weight. I’ll book that vacation once I lose weight. I’ll stop starving myself once I lose weight. Essentially, we’re neglecting our basic needs and desires until we feel we “deserve” it by losing weight. This is incredibly unhelpful. What leads to … [Read more...] about Once I Lose Weight
The Unfillable Hole
In the minutes before yoga class a few weeks ago, I saw my friend Shana walk into the studio. Happy to see her, I jumped up and immediately heard a POP in my leg. Not good. But because I can be stubborn and willful, I decided to stay. It’s not that bad. You can make it through. Come on Robyn, you’re tough. You got this. As soon as I half attempted Warrior 2 pose, it became VERY clear I needed to go. Tail tucked between my legs, I grabbed my mat and hobbled out of class. Tim, my Godsend of a physical therapist, diagnosed the injury the next day (a strained gastrocnemius muscle) and set me up with a few weeks’ worth of PT appointments. It wasn’t as bad as I feared, but it would take some time to heal. With … [Read more...] about The Unfillable Hole
Beauty Sick Book Review
I sometimes struggle with reconciling my advocacy of body acceptance with the fact that I help women lose weight. Can you respect your body and want to change it? My answer is a resounding yes. More than ever. If I didn’t believe this to be true, there is no way I could do this work with integrity. Unwinding beauty sickness and appreciating what our bodies do FOR us is an essential component of well-being. In her book, Beauty Sick, Renee Englen, a professor at Northwestern University and head of the Body and Media Lab, very clearly and in a very compelling manner exposes the cultural epidemic of beauty sickness, the obsession with appearance, and how it affects or has affected most women in America. Using scientific … [Read more...] about Beauty Sick Book Review