The picture of your grandmother holding your baby. The lifesaver candies that remind you of Grandpa. The empty chair at Christmas dinner. The holidays magnify grief in ways that send you straight to the kitchen at midnight, eating to fill a void that food can never actually fill.

If you've lost someone close to you and the holidays feel impossible—caught between wanting to honor happy memories while drowning in sadness—you're navigating something most people won't talk about.

We've been conditioned like Pavlov's dogs to associate food with love, celebration, and connection. When someone dies, especially around the holidays, those associations become a tangled mess that feels impossible to unravel without abandoning the memories altogether.

This week, I'm breaking down what's really happening when grief and food become intertwined during the holidays. You'll discover why your brain defaults to emotional eating when you miss someone (hint: it's pure conditioning, not a character flaw), learn the difference between honoring someone's memory and using food to avoid feeling sad, and hear practical examples of how real families have transformed grief into meaningful traditions that don't require eating your feelings. I'll share the "Mike and Hazel Bowie" story from my own family and how one client processes her father's passing through daddy-daughter photo time instead of emotional eating.

Ready to stop letting grief sabotage your health goals? Join my Conquer Emotional Eating class where you'll get real tools to navigate the holidays without using food to fill emotional voids. Check it out HERE

Plus, my January class on making goals without beating yourself up starts January 9th—because this year can actually be different. Details are HERE

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

🎄Why food and family memories are enmeshed (and how to separate them)

🎄The Pavlov's dog effect: how we've been conditioned to associate food with love and celebration

🎄How to feel sadness appropriately without being afraid of the emotion

🎄The critical question: What do you actually miss about that person? (This reveals how to fill the void)

🎄Why filling emotional voids with food leads to devastating health consequences

🎄Real examples of honoring loved ones through meaningful traditions (not food)

🎄The "Mike and Hazel Bowie" golf and bowling tradition that keeps memories alive

🎄How one 65-year-old client handled job loss and hip replacement surgery completely differently than four years ago

🎄Why taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's the legacy you're creating

If you are ready to take the next step in creating the life you want with Dara's help, join her lifetime membership program, Love Yourself Thin. Because loving yourself is the first step to lasting change. Details are HERE

Follow Dara on Instagram @dara_tomasson