Posts Tagged self esteem

Establishing a Normal Relationship with Food

This week, I’m writing in response to a question from a web program participant as part of a web program forum discussion about establishing a normal relationship with food. Since my answer to her question was rather lengthy and detailed and, I believe, relevant to you all, I thought I’d share the question and answer here for this week’s “Tools for Recovery” article. Question: If we’ve spent years using food to cope and stuck in the Diet Mentality, how the hell do we have a clue what is normal around what to eat and how much? Michelle’s Answer: In my own personal recovery and my 17 years as a specialist in this field, if there’s one thing I have learned, it is this: In the early stages of recovery, it is not helpful to focus on food in a structured way or to get caught up in some external meter of what to eat, when or how much. (more…)

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre

Leave a Comment (1) →

Lunch and All-or-Nothing Thinking

Lunch and All-or-Nothing ThinkingHere’s a quick story about All-or-Nothing Thinking. So today, I was leisurely driving along on my way to an appointment, having left myself ample time to get from point A to point B. I had packed a lunch to take with me – a whole, skinless chicken breast that I had cooked the night before in garlic and sesame oil, (naturally making a few extra than I needed last night so my husband and I would have an easy, healthy lunch prepared); a container of fresh strawberries, washed, (I rinsed them well before I left the office this afternoon); an avocado; an apple and banana. Noticing I was feeling peckish and that my appointment was 90 minutes long, decided to eat something. I had one hand on the wheel and one hand on a chicken breast as I munched happily, listening to my favourite pop tunes playlist, which, at that point was serenading me with some vintage Fleetwood Mac, and enjoying more of that fabulous sun we’ve been having. (more…)

Posted in: All-or-Nothing Thinking

Leave a Comment (1) →

A Personal Exploration: All-or-Nothing Thinking

all or nothing thinkingAs I was walking from my friend’s house the other morning on my way to work, my mind had time to muse. It started to wander to you, my readers and the work we’ve been doing on all-or-nothing thinking. I was enjoying the warmth in the air at 8:00 am. The sun was shining. It seemed that everyone I passed had a bounce in their step as we welcomed each other warmly and celebrated the long-awaited arrival of summer. As I walked down one quiet street, a young couple emerged from their home and waved at the elderly lady next door who stood, watering her garden out front. After thanking her profusely, for what I do not know, they got in their car and zipped off down the street. (more…)

Posted in: All-or-Nothing Thinking, CEDRIC Centre

Leave a Comment (5) →

Releasing All or Nothing Thoughts

Releasing All or Nothing ThoughtsOkay folks, we’re coming to the end of this series of Natural Eating Q&A articles and today I want to focus on releasing all or nothing thoughts. This week, we have a little twist on the theme, with a specific focus on how our learned helplessness and the irrational, all-or-nothing thinking that’s at the root of it, makes this process of recovery so much harder and longer than it has to be. In fact, if you put even a few minutes of effort a day into catching the all-or-nothing stories we’ll be reviewing over the next few weeks, and responding as I suggest, you will see an immediate – I mean immediate – shift in your anxiety level and in your focus on food and use of food to cope.  Not only that, but those stories just won’t come up anymore. You’ll never have to hear them again! (more…)

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Natural Eating 101

Leave a Comment (0) →

Creating Safety Around “Those” Foods: Natural Eating Q&A

Hello all.  We are moving through our series of questions on the in’s and out’s of Natural Eating with this week’s question: How can I trust myself around certain foods when every time I get around them or have them in the house I binge? This is such a common question in my work with clients. Regardless of whether they restrict, binge or purge, I am confident it will hit home with anyone who uses food to cope. (more…)

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Natural Eating 101

Leave a Comment (1) →

How Do I Learn To Trust My Body? Natural Eating 101: Q&A

Hello, and welcome to another instalment of our Natural Eating Q&A series. This week we’re exploring the following question: “How can I trust my body to know what it needs when, in the past, I always ended up binging? Clearly, I can’t trust myself to just let myself have whatever I want, right?” (more…)

Posted in: Natural Eating 101

Leave a Comment (0) →

What if I Want to Eat Now Without Checking In?! Natural Eating 101 Q&A

We are continuing our Natural Eating Q&A session with a question that comes up with each and every client I’ve ever supported through this process. It goes something like this: “What if I try to check in but the voice in my head just says: “Who cares about checking in?! I just want food now!!!” Well, this is a pretty simple one. If you’re hearing that dialogue in your head when you realize you’re wanting to use food to cope, it absolutely, no exceptions, means that you’re feeling overwhelmed and you are afraid that if you don’t use food to cope in that moment, you’ll get consumed by the thoughts and feelings you’re trying to keep at bay through the act of eating (and then maybe purging or beating yourself up). (more…)

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Natural Eating 101

Leave a Comment (0) →

How Do I Let Go of the Guilt for Eating That?! Natural Eating 101 Q&A

This week we’re continuing our fantabulous exploration of Natural Eating troubleshooting with an answer to the question: “How do I “not feel guilty” for eating something when I’ve been telling myself/or others have been telling me for years that certain foods are just plain bad or that they’ll make me fat?” First of all, when it comes to food, the most important thing we can do is to come back to Natural Eating basics whenever we feel anxious or unsettled around food, or feel drawn to eat when we aren’t hungry. (more…)

Posted in: Natural Eating 101

Leave a Comment (0) →

Natural Eating 101: Q&A: How Do I Know When I Am Full?

How do I know when I am fullI hope you enjoyed the first instalment of the Natural Eating Q&A last week. As I mentioned in that article, I’m going to spend the next few weeks answering some questions that I often hear clients asking regarding natural eating. Continuing on with the list of common questions that I posted in last week’s article, this week I’m going to address the question: How do I know when I’m full? For those of you who have been overeating to cope with stressful life situations and anxious thinking or depressed moods, it is quite possible that you have come to associate a feeling of over-full, or absolutely stuffed, with being full. It is important to learn to discern the difference between comfortable, appropriate levels of fullness and downright stuffed. (more…)

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Natural Eating 101

Leave a Comment (0) →

Natural Eating 101: Q&A

natural eatingFor the next few weeks, I am going to make my articles specific to those of you who are actively working through Natural Eating or wanting to begin exploring how to go from that annoying old Diet Mentality to the peace, ease, and flow of Natural Eating. To do that, I’m going to spend the next few weeks answering some questions that I often hear clients asking regarding natural eating. I’ve listed some of the questions I’ll be answering in the weeks to come below. If you have a question on Natural Eating that is not on that list, send it my way and I promise I will answer it at some point in this series. (more…)

Posted in: CEDRIC Centre, Natural Eating 101

Leave a Comment (4) →
Page 3 of 14 12345...»