Your Weight Loss Journey - A Never-Ending Story?

It doesn’t have to be this way! If you have struggled with weight and body image issues your whole life it does’t mean you will have to be at war with food and your body until the end of time. After teaching strict weight loss classes for many years I came to realize that diets fail in many (or most) cases when emotional eating remains unaddressed. I have created a treatment model, which is based on the principles of positive psychology, mindfulness and self-compassion.

Contrary to the seductive promise of quick weight loss, my program supports former yo-yo dieters and emotional eaters in replacing the very powerful (and proven) ritual of eating when stressed, bored, lonely, sad, anxious etc. We can’t just remove one behavior without replacing it with a new one. What clients learn with me is a gentle exploration of their underlying core needs and emotions, which cause them to eat when they aren’t physically hungry.

Research suggests that diets fail when emotional eating remains unexamined and unexplored. If eating instead of feeling has served someone as a mood regulator for many years, we can’t expect her to magically practice and incorporate mindful eating principles.

Most everyone I have worked with knew what to eat for their optimal health and weight management. Approaching weight loss from a strictly practical and intellectual angle will not be “medicinal” and healing enough for the emotional eater. Since behavior always makes sense, eating in order to escape from - or numb - painful feelings may have enabled an individual to cope with whatever was ailing her at the moment. It may have served as an emotional survival tool and shouldn't suddenly be ripped away. It deserves our loving and gentle attention.

A shift occurs when a client learns to sit with and lean into uncomfortable feelings, and navigate emotional pain without escaping. It is possible to self-soothe by simply talking to ourselves the same way we would talk to a child that is suffering. The emotional self-care journey is a worthwhile endeavor, which takes courage and the willingness to let go of behavior patterns, which have become trusted friends over a lifetime.

I am here to guide you on a new path - a path that leads to emotional wellness, inner healing - and eventually to finding peace with food. What clients learn with me, they cannot unlearn.

I am here to support you on your emotional self-care journey! Reach out to me to schedule your initial complimentary consultation.

With compassion,

Petra