How to End Dieting and Find Peace with Food.

If you have been on countless diets you are not alone. If you have lost weight only to regain it, you are not alone. If counting calories and worrying about food has been part of your life’s journey, you are not alone.

Clients who seek my services often say that they don’t have another diet in them. Many have never had a healthy and relaxed relationship with food and their body. Oftentimes they were told at a young age that they were chubby (or worse.) Consequently worrying about their body weight and struggling with food has become a natural and familiar part of their lives.

If this sounds like you, let me assure you that there is a way out of this painful cycle. I tell my clients that our journey together will be a gentle one; not one paved with rules and restrictions, but with self-nurturing, self-compassion, support and kindness.

First, we have to acknowledge that a behavior pattern, which is well established, can’t be “fixed” in 21 days. There is no short-term solution to healing a lifelong pattern. The invitation is to embrace a journey of self-discovery, self-compassion and a “re-wiring” of familiar habits over time: physically, mentally and emotionally.

I support my clients to safely take a “deep dive” into the core feelings, which trigger their emotional eating, i.e. eating when they aren’t physically hungry. Together we explore when and how the unhealthy (and unhelpful) patterns around food and eating were formed. Typically this happened around age seven or eight. The therapeutic goal is to become the person you needed the most, and to coach and empower yourself the same way you would encourage a young child.

So, it’s not really about the food. I trust that you know what you should be eating. It’s about what has been “fed” to you when you were growing up: Which harmful messages did you receive when you were little? That’s the work!To start taking care of yourself the way you needed to be supported as a child. To empower yourself with encouraging, self-loving affirmations and actions, and to make yourself feel safe and protected ~ without using food as a mood regulator.

I will help you design emotional self-care practices, which will (over time) replace the old harmful messages and behaviors regarding food. What will emerge are new ways of taking care of yourself, not just how and what you eat, but how you navigate emotional challenges and self-regulate in times of distress.

It’s a beautiful journey, which takes courage and trust. I will gently guide you and support you in accessing your inner wisdom so you can transform your relationship with food - for the rest of your life.

Reach out to me to schedule your initial complimentary consultation so we can assess whether my program is a good fit for you. I look forward to hearing from you.

With compassion,

Petra