If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know it’s not so easy. In fact, it can be incredibly challenging (just look at all the billions of dollars we collectively spend on weight loss every year).  So that begs the question: why is losing weight so hard? While challenges with weight loss are multifactorial, today we look at one of the hidden psychological obstacles that often gets in the way. And that’s feeling like the things we must do to lose weight are a form of self-punishment.  It can seem like we’re being forced to do things that we don’t enjoy, and eat foods we don’t love, and the real kicker? We must do them F.O.R.E.V.E.R.  Healthy decisions like:  Eating vegetables at every meal Minimizing processed foods and sugary snacks Fitting in time at the gym most days Prioritizing meditation or yoga over Netflix or surfing the web…  … can have us feeling like there’s no longer any pleasure or enjoyment in life. Friends, as long as weight loss feels like self-punishment, we’re always going to be in a battle with ourselves.  As Marc points out to guest coaching client, Adrianne, it’s pretty hard to find freedom in weight loss when getting there has us feeling imprisoned.  As you’re about to learn, a big part of the weight loss journey is reversing the old belief, “I must punish myself in order to lose weight.”  That’s what this episode is all about: learning how to transform this negative belief that holds so many of us back.    {Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough, set to release in early 2023! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/} --------------- Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/  Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food. Follow us on social:  - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/ - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych #emotionaleating #weight #dieting #sustainableweightloss #foodfreedom #intuitiveeating #healthyhabits #healthylifestyle #bodypositivity #psychologyofeating #marcdavid

Ending the Cycle of Self-Punishment with Food – In Session with Marc David

Real people. Real breakthroughs. For more than three decades, Marc David has helped millions discover the true causes of their unwanted eating habits like overeating, binge eating, emotional eating and the inability to lose weight. In this unscripted show, Marc coaches real clients using his unique blend of psychology and nutrition. Whether you want to transform your relationship with food or learn how you can help others, there’s no better place than The Psychology of Eating Podcast, and there’s no better way than hearing the stories of real people.

Nutrition

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Chances are, you’ve had the experience of hearing conflicting voices in your head when it comes to food and body. One part of us can clearly say: “I absolutely must lose weight.” While another part of us can simultaneously whisper: “I’m tired of dieting. Maybe I should just give up and love my body as it is.” And from here, an inner conflict unfolds.  On the one hand, we can find ourselves motivated to stick to a diet, get to the gym, and do everything we can to control our appetite. After all, we know how much happier we’ll be when we hit our weight loss number. But another part of ourselves can feel uncomfortable with making our happiness contingent on how we look. After all, shouldn’t the goal be to unconditionally love and accept ourselves, no matter what? This question of whether you should change your body – or embrace it – is something many of us are struggling to answer – and that Marc David takes on in this episode. Marc works with James, 52, who has long wanted the body of his dreams: trim, fit and muscular like a lifeguard.  It’s a bucket list kind of wish, a goal that James knows will make him feel a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. He’s even reached his dream goal several times, and has loved the feeling of having a fit, sculpted body. But James is torn, because another voice inside just wants to love his body as it is right now, and feel like he’s good enough without the need to change anything. So, with all these conflicting voices living inside of his head, what should James do? Tune in to hear Marc help James discover a way through the paradoxical journey of learning to love oneself amidst the desire to have a certain body. They explore topics of weight loss, body acceptance, emotional eating, and the path to greater self-love. Episode highlights: ✅  The unexpected ways our inner critic can drive emotional eating, and weight challenges. ✅  Why we withhold self-love, and how to turn this around. ✅  Unwinding the negative belief that you can’t have the life you want until you have the ideal body. ✅  Keys to satisfying the needs of our various inner archetypes, or “voices.” ✅  And much more… This is a powerful session that explores the many voices or archetypes that live inside of us, and how to empower these voices to become our best allies. --------------- Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/  Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/ Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food. Follow us on social:  - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/ - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych #bodyimage #weight #bodypositivity #bodyacceptance #bodyliberation #foodfreedom #dieting #emotionaleating #selflovejourney #eatingpsychology  

Which Voice Should You Listen To: Change Your Body, or Embrace It? – In Session with Marc David

Picture this:  You’re trucking along your day – everything’s going pretty well, when BOOM: You see a picture of yourself, and you’re instantly triggered.  “Is that really what I look like?” you ask yourself.  You can’t believe your appearance. Maybe it’s extra weight, or the shape of your hips or stomach.  But whatever it is – you feel your heart start to sink, and a crushing sadness races in.  Before you know it, you’re spiraling into that incorporeal place made famous on Netflix’s acclaimed series.  (And let’s just say, it’s not “The Good Place.”)  Sound familiar?  Most of us have had the disconcerting experience of getting triggered around our weight or appearance. So in this episode, we take a special look at body image triggers, where they come from, and how to begin healing them.  You’ll hear Marc David work with 41-year old Jen on her triggers with weight and body image.  While Jen is hungering for weight loss – she’d love to lose around 40 pounds – she comes to realize in working with Marc that there’s something she’d like even more: Being able to love and stand by herself, even if she’s not yet at her goal weight.  Because Jen’s body image triggers have been preventing her from so many things, such as:   Taking photos of herself with loved ones.    Role modeling a healthy body image to her daughters.    Feeling confident in her own skin.   Living in a state of freedom and joy.    Tired of feeling sad, afraid, and anxious about her weight, Jen is ready for a big shift … even if she’s confused about how to get there. While her wisdom, self-kindness, and high values have served her well so far, her body image triggers are clearly still blocking the way. But one thing she’s clear about? It’s time to break the door down.  Nothing is going to stop Jen from doing the inner work she needs to do, so she can finally embrace herself – and the life she so deserves.  Listen in as Marc shares:    How to understand the root causes behind your weight and body image triggers.   Reframing the core negative beliefs and old traumas that are often at the root of body image challenges.    How to recognize and shift how you speak to yourself about your body.   A powerful exercise for learning to embrace your appearance.    And much more…   Don’t miss this remarkable eating psychology coaching session, where Marc lays out the path for all of us who are ready to release our body image triggers, and discover just how good life can be on the other side.  --------------- Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/  Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/ Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food. Follow us on social:  - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/ - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych #bodyimage #bodypositivity #bodypositive #bodyneutrality #selfimprovement #selfawareness #selflove #weight #weightloss #dieting #psychologyofeating

Body Image Triggers: Where They Come From & How To Find Healing – In Session with Marc David

Managing emotions with food, otherwise known as emotional eating, is something that humans have been doing for millenia. And the reason is simple: when we eat, we reliably feel better – no matter how fleeting those “feel-good” feelings may be.  While many people intuitively understand that emotions play a key role in our eating habits, it can often be a lot harder to understand the emotions themselves. The truth is, our inner emotional world is fantastically complex, and influences our relationship with food in so many diverse and fascinating ways.  Which brings us to guest coaching client Beverley, 70, whose deepest desire is to understand the “dark places” inside herself that drive her to food – and to finally bring healing to the challenging emotions she’s been feeling for over 50 years.  As Beverley shares with Marc David, she’s never really been able to understand her negative feelings, where they came from, or why she has them.  Beverley reflects that she’s had an “amazing life,” with so many blessings. She’s developed a fulfilling career as a theater director, helping young people develop their skills and confidence as an actor. She raised four incredible children of her own, and was, herself, born to a remarkable mother who always inspired and supported her.  And it’s this latter feature of Beverley’s life – her special bond with her mother – that is especially interesting. As Marc explores with Beverley, her love for her mother runs so deep, and a very real part of her – her Child Archetype, doesn’t seem to want to let go. Even though Beverley’s mom has long since passed away, a part of Beverley still wants to be her mother’s daughter.   Her uncanny way of staying connected with her mom is by continuing to engage in a behavior – emotional eating – that she knows her mom would have always encouraged and supported her to not judge herself for. By turning to food and being childlike when it comes to soothing her emotions with eating, Beverley has found a way to symbolically stay connected to her mother.  As Marc reflects, sometimes our “dark places” aren’t actually what they seem. They aren’t actually dark, or sinister, or even flawed. They’re just young parts of ourselves that hold onto a pattern out of fear of letting go of something – or someone – we love.  So be sure to tune into this powerful, wise, and heartfelt session that highlights the mother-daughter connection when it comes to food, and how we can continue to learn, grow and transform at any age in life. Episode highlights:  ✅ Why “going dark” with food isn’t always what it seems.  ✅ Key transformational tools to bring consciousness to your own unique relationship with food.  ✅ Why overcoming emotional eating often requires us to “graduate” from our parents house.  ✅ Learning to see yourself as equal to your parents – and why that matters when it comes to food. ✅ How to forgive yourself around food and emotional eating. ✅ And much more! --------------- Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/  Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/ Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food. Follow us on social:   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych  #emotionaleating #emotionaleatingjourney #relationshipwithfood #wisdom #innerchild #childarchetype #selflovejourney #selfsoothing #bekindtoyourself #loveyourself #elder #holisticnutrition

Emotional Eating & The Mother-Daughter Connection – In Session with Marc David

When it comes to body weight, most of us are focused on one thing: losing it! But many people aren’t prepared for what happens after weight loss.  Any thoughts we may have about post-weight loss life are pretty dreamy. We imagine we’ll feel uber confident, accomplished, and ready to boldly move forward in life.  But all too often, that simply isn’t the case.  For many, the striving and struggle for weight loss ends up getting replaced by an equally unwelcome visitor: WEIGHT WORRY. That can look like constant fear that we’ll gain the weight back, or nagging anxieties that we really should lose another few pounds.  Our food worries continue, and the voices in our head never stop criticizing. We judge our body, we shame ourselves for having body fat, and we belittle ourselves for not having absolute control over food. While weight worry might fit into that box called a “1st world problem” – it can nevertheless be pretty debilitating.  So what do we do when losing weight doesn’t stop us from worrying about weight? Tune into this episode to find the answer. You’ll hear from guest coaching client, Armine, 51, who has dieted for most of her life – and recently lost weight after a gastric sleeve operation. Armine thought she’d feel happier, but instead is often consumed by intense anxiety that she’ll gain the weight back.  How can Armine shift into a new relationship with her body, where she’s not constantly worrying and fretting about her weight? As Marc David helps Armine see, it’s a question of how she finds peace with herself and her body. Through a powerful new approach focused on personal growth, embodiment, and self-compassion, Armine discovers how to reframe her lifelong struggles with weight – and forge a beautiful new path forward.  Some of the key episode highlights include: ✅ How to send the body the unmistakable message that it’s a safe and welcome place, and why that matters when it comes to weight worry. ✅ Using a favorite form of “embodiment” to quiet the mind. ✅ Let go of perfection through the power of the Queen archetype. ✅ A key breathing technique to shift energy out of the mind and into the body. This fascinating session demonstrates that weight loss by itself doesn’t guarantee inner peace and happiness. Freeing ourselves from weight worry ultimately comes down to living in joy – which is a daily practice we devote ourselves to, no matter how we look or what we weigh. --------------- Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/  Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/ Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food. Follow us on social:  - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/ - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych #weight #weightworry #dieting #yoyodieting #weightlossjourney #selfawareness #personalgrowth #marcdavid #psychologyofeating #foodpsychology #positivepsychology

When Weight Loss Doesn’t Alleviate “Weight Worry” – In Session with Marc David

Night-time binge eating.  It’s a pastime that many people struggle with, and can feel truly insurmountable. But nightly binge eating doesn’t have to get the best of you.  The reality is, there’s a clear road to recovering our power and being in control with food – all that’s needed is a deeper understanding of why nighttime binge eating – otherwise known as “nighttime eating syndrome” – happens, and a wise framework for overcoming it. In this episode, we meet guest coaching client, Megan, who would like to finally break free from this challenging nighttime habit.  As a former fitness competitor, Megan spent many years on a low-calorie diet. Eating only 1,200 calories a day, and exercising extremely hard, Megan would find herself ravenous at night. And this would inevitably lead to giving into unwanted cravings – and heavy duty self-rejection. Years later, Megan is no longer competing, and isn’t so restrictive with her diet. She eats well, and takes care of her body. And yet, she hasn’t been able to kick her nightly binge eating … a habit that takes a full 2 hours every night snacking, munching, and roaming the kitchen for food. Disempowered and deflated, Megan feels like a failure with food. As Marc David helps Megan see – it’s understandable given her history that she’s having a hard time kicking her nightly binging. Bringing compassion and self-awareness to the table is the first step in transforming nighttime eating syndrome. The next step is identifying an effective approach that addresses the root problem. And that’s where things get really interesting in this episode! Marc offers Megan a soulful, unusual approach to healing binge eating that you won’t hear anywhere else. So, please be sure to tune into this powerful episode to discover this beautiful tool in overcoming binge eating! Marc gets to the heart of why we eat at night, and how to gently transform it without the fight or struggle.  Some of the key insights & practices you’ll learn: ✅ The concept of “conscious ritual” – and why it matters. ✅ Identifying nourishing nightly rituals that powerfully transform binge eating. ✅ The relationship between “fast eating” and nighttime cravings ✅ The counterintuitive need to stop fighting and criminalizing nighttime eating. ✅ Learning to trust pleasure & how to make friends with food. ✅ And much more… --------------- Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/  Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/ Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food. Follow us on social:   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych  #nighttimeeatingsyndrome #bingeeating #nightlybingeeating #consciousritual #fasteating #emotionaleating #mindfuleating #sloweating #foodpsychology #marcdavid

Ending the Cycle of Self-Punishment with Food – In Session with Marc David

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