Binge Dieting

Do you often find yourself overeating, especially when you are stressed? If you answered yes, then there are probably other things in your mind contributing to this behavior. It's not obvious. The subconscious mind is unbelievably complex.  I think most dietitians, including me, would agree that you want to honor your cravings to some degree. Intuitive eating teaches us the value of listening for...

Do you want to lose weight and change your relationship with food? We're so used to thinking that the ideal body type is thin, but it's not. "Ideal" is outdated. It's subjective. The world is changing, and we are all waking up to the truth that you are so much more than the body which carries you through life. Yes of course we all want to look a certain way, and it's not a bad thing to attempt to...

In our journey toward mindful eating, we usually encounter a form of self-sabotage that says, "Why bother?" This little voice urges us to eat even if we're not hungry or even if we know it's too much food or it's harmful to our body. The voice might also say that the situation's hopeless or the mountain is too high for us to climb. So how can we navigate this part of us that convinces us to stop c...

Have you ever built up good eating habits, only to return to old ones later on? It hurts when it happens. You might feel disappointment, frustration, sadness, guilt — but it's okay to feel these things. They're all normal emotions to have. It's also normal to falter occasionally. In this episode, I discuss why we often self-sabotage when changing our eating habits. No, it doesn't speak about your...

Do you remember how heavy it was to carry your backpack to school? In the same way, your mind has an unseen bag, holding the feelings and weighted expectations you put on your shoulders every day. These emotions and thoughts add enormous weight to our "backpack" that can have real, material consequences in our life.  In this episode, I teach you an exercise where we look inside our mental and emot...

Do you find yourself stuck in a loop of overthinking thoughts about what you should be eating or what you shouldn't be eating or what you want to be eating later in the day? Do you also get stuck ruminating on thoughts about your body?  Our mind sends us innocent little thoughts over and over - scientists guess that we might think 80,000 thoughts in a day. But when these thoughts connect to our se...

Betsy Thurston MPH RD talks about the mind and its relentless overthinking, which leads to behaviors that don't serve us well. The brain at any moment is just doing what all brains do, which is trying to help us.   In this podcast she talks about the polyvagal theory and how your nervous system is designed to help you, even as it can trap you into unwanted states of being.  By understanding the br...

We need food to feed our physical hunger, but at times we eat only to feel better emotionally.    In this episode, I will help you understand addiction from the perspective of an addict and will discuss concepts from some authors in the spiritual and recovery movement. I will share some of my clients' insights on Overeaters Anonymous (O.A.) and will also talk about O.A.'s fundamentals. Like any 12...

Our society values thinness very highly. We see it in the media, major industries, and in our culture. Thus, we internalize the need to be thin and work towards achieving that throughout our lives. But how far will you sacrifice your happiness to be thin? We tend to forget that we are more than how we think our body looks because of these false stereotypes. In this episode, I discuss the core of t...

If you're struggling with binge eating, you've thought at least once that recovery is not possible. You fall short of your goals, and you think that's it. You can't possibly reach the other side anymore because of this one slip-up. But sometimes, your body has a mind of its own and may not act in a way that aligns with your goals. But once you free yourself of this obsessive thinking, you'll disco...

Who doesn't make excuses? From skipping the gym to overeating when we're full, we can eke out any and all excuses about why we can't stick to our health goals. Most of the time, we do this subconsciously. In fact, the excuses come from little parts inside of us that have a need. They seem like excuses but in fact when we come up with an excuse it means a part of us is scared or trying to protect u...

Do you often get stuck in the thought that you are so different and you don't fit in anywhere — at home, in school, or in the neighborhood? Is that feeling forcing you to be who you are not, affecting how and when you eat?  If yes, you are not alone because so many people are stuck in that thought too. In this episode, I discuss how you can deal with the feeling of being an outsider and its effect...

Do you feel the need to eat when you're tired or in pain? Do you tell yourself, "Just for today, I won't eat healthy," and then cope with these feelings through unhealthy eating?  You're not alone. Many people use food and overeat to get temporary relief from their discomfort. However, eating healthy is not something you do only when it's convenient — it's a commitment.  In today's episode, I will...

The Importance of Setting a Daily Intention The first step in change can be the hardest. It's easy to lose focus, even when you think you've prepared enough for it. A daily intention is a great way to help your brain come back to the present tense and to your goals, especially when you're in the midst of a moment of stress and overwhelm. In this episode, I discuss the art of managing your thoughts...

As the holidays approach, it might be tempting to relax into the season with the attitude of eating in excess. It can be very easy to allow yourself extra bites of food or another piece of pie and to forget that you might feel overly full or uncomfortable later. In some cases, you might find it hard to refuse a relative who keeps filling up your plate or to eat moderately in the midst of a delicio...

Are you living your life with one foot on the brakes? So many of us (myself included) often find ourselves sabotaging our efforts to get what we want in life. When we do that it can lead to frustration, anger, and hopelessness. In today's episode, I talk about self-sabotage, empowerment, and how to stop living with one foot on the brakes so we can allow ourselves to have a happier and more fulfill...

It's hard to talk about eating without tying it to ideas about nutrition, so it's helpful to understand what makes up the food we eat and how it affects our bodies. Different foods have different functions in the body. There is no one answer to the question, "What should I eat?" However, there are guidelines to help you balance it out. In today's episode, I touch on the science of food. I talk abo...

Structuring Meals & Managing Intrusive Thoughts About Food Many people are struggling with losing or maintaining weight. As eating becomes a coping mechanism, you might find yourself turning to food whenever stressed, sad, upset, tired, overwhelmed, angry, or bored. The truth is, you cannot satisfy your emotional hunger with eating because it is a different type of hunger. Even if you strictly fol...

How to Use the Hunger Scale for Intuitive Eating Wouldn't it be nice if you can give your body permission to eat without feeling guilty? Often, we rely on binge dieting strategies and beat ourselves up for the short-term numbers we see on the scale. But what will happen if we tune into our hunger scale long-term and eat to honor our body? In this episode, I discuss two essential skills to gain con...

This Tool Can Stop Your Food Cravings Do you often find yourself binge eating? Are you having trouble following through with your goals? The good news is there are several ways to manage your food cravings and learn how to train your brain to stop the impulse to go into a binge eating moment.   In this episode, I discuss one great tool you can use to help stop the cravings and impulsive thoughts l...

Understanding the Triangle of Perfectionism, Binge Eating & Shame   We all have a family that lives inside of us, which each member showing up as voices, urges, sensations, or images. These inner voices can be your harshest critics and worst enablers yet they're trying desperately to help you.  When it comes to binge dieting, understanding and finding these parts of us through a lens of compassion...

Betsy Thurston RD talks about the experience of several clients and their struggles in the current pandemic environment. The podcast talks about Betsy's personal experience at a retreat, about a client's plan to show up on the beach showing more skin then she wanted, and about other client's and their sense of meaninglessness.   There are a lot of big concepts on this podcast! 

Betsy Thurston MPH RD talks about some common childhood situations that can set the stage for overeating, body shame, chronic dieting and a stressful relationship with food.  She talks about some specific action steps you can take to help work through and manage these problems.

In this episode Betsy talks about quick and effective ways to manage anxiety and fear in the moment. This is a practical, no nonsense episode which looks at common issues related to food issues as well as life issues that lead to eating problems. 

Betsy Thurston MPH RD talks about the beginning of a success story involving alcohol and eating during the time of Covid-19.  She walks listeners through her journey, step by step.  Internal Family Systems, Pema Chodrin, Compassionate Curiosity, Courage and Boundaries all play a role.