In this week’s Client Spotlight, I interview Tanya Bender about her journey to finally identify and overcome Food Addiction after a lifelong battle with dieting. She has successfully overcome her history of compulsive overeating to achieve sustainable weight loss by dealing with the root issues of her eating behaviours and food addiction. Tanya describes how she discovered self-respect and love, and is on a mission to share this with others. She is excited to pay it forward, share her truth, struggles, realizations and successes in the hope of helping others jump off the perpetual hamster wheel and finally be free of the excess mental and physical weight.

Tanya describes herself as a creator at heart, who could spend endless hours planning painting projects, remodeling, refinishing, stenciling, displaying outdoor seasonal porch designs, crafting wreath creations and home décor items.

She is a person of faith, a mother to my 9-year-old son and a wife to my husband of 12 years. She prefers to have quality over quantity of friends, and has never been one to have many acquaintances. By nature, she’s a “yes” person and a people pleaser.  She has had to reflect much upon this and recognize when this part of myself is doing more self-harm than good.

The beach is her sanctuary and music is her therapy.  Her life can be offset, and time-lined against an epic soundtrack.  She an avid belt it out (sing) to the steering wheel kind of person.  All too often she doesn’t recognize that the windows are see-through!  But you know what, SHE DOESN’T CARE!

Tanya can recently add to her bio that she’s an advocate of self-care and the importance of positive self-talk. This last year has been transformative and she has recognized that her story needs to be shared to help others break through the barriers they unknowingly put upon themselves when it comes to overeating, losing weight and most importantly self-respect and love.