Going in to see your doctor might be something that fills you with dread. While you may be all-too familiar with this feeling, there is a name for what you might be experiencing when you step into a clinic: weight bias.

This is defined as negative views, usually based on serotypes or misconceptions, towards people who are overweight or obese.

Everyday people who are overweight face discrimination, from the size of seats on a plane to critical looks and comments from others. There are prominent beliefs that plus size or obese individuals are somehow lesser than, aren’t considered beautiful, and should be blamed (and shamed) for the size of their waistline. This bias also exists in healthcare. 

While there have been strides made in providing training to nurses and doctors that provide primary care, it can still be daunting to go to the doctor for something that *seems* simple like an annual checkup. Here are five things to keep in mind that might help you feel empowered when gathering...

You have often heard us say that emotional eating is never about the food, it is about the feeling behind how and what you eat.

You may want to eat six doughnuts because the sugar “coma” helps you feel numb to emotions.

Or one of your binge foods of choice might be birthday cake because you have positive memories of feeling good attached to that food.

Managing your wellbeing—mental, physical, emotional—and how your feelings react to triggers, can seem overwhelming since there are so many things to consider! This is why today we’re breaking down the 7 pillars of wellness and providing realistic ways to support each one in your life.

There is no need to overhaul your day-to-day life or try and focus on perfecting your approach to each one (because there is no such thing as perfect). After reading the explanations below, think about which one or two pillars you are called to and see if you can bring more awareness and action to that area of your life.

• Emotional: This is, of course,
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Some foods we reach for when we’re tired ☕ Some foods we reach for when we’re upset 🍩 Some foods we reach for because we have labelled them “good” 🍏

But have you ever stopped to think about what foods you enjoy? Having food satisfaction at every meal—you read that right!—can lead to fewer cravings and the desire to overeat. 

Food satisfaction means two things: that you physically respond positively to the food (it makes you feel full, gives you energy) and you also have a psychological enjoyment of what you ate (it’s tasty, “hits the spot”).

You may be wondering: how do I find out what I really like to eat? Believe it or not, this is a very common question. We are constantly told what foods we should and shouldn’t eat. If you’ve been around the diet block, chances are you’ve cut out whole food groups like carbs or fat or sugar at one point or another. Getting rid of this diet conditioning may seem impossible, but it can be a fun experience! Here’s where to start:

Step One: Write...

As the weather starts to warm up and sweater and coats are put away for the season, we begin to turn our minds to our summer wardrobe. This can cause a lot of anxiety for those of us who struggle with our body image. We begin to wonder: “Will I still fit in my clothes from last summer?”, “Will I sweat through the fabrics?”, or even “I hated how I felt in those shorts, but they were the only thing that fit.”

Instead of a summer “ready” body, let’s look at getting your mind ready for summer! Here are five journal prompts to use when you’re facing thoughts about your body and how it “fits” into the changing season:

1. When I feel good in my clothes, what does that physically feel like? What does that mentally feel like? (You may find your body language is more confident or you like the feel of certain fabrics.)
2. How do I feel about my summer wardrobe? What do I currently have that I like and that I don’t like?
3. If money weren’t a consideration, what would I add to my summer wardrobe? (Th
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As emotional eaters we often think about (and fear) weight gain being noticed by those around us. Even worse: we stress over if they will say anything about it! But emotional eating can also mean a loss of appetite too: stress, anxiety, and depression can feel so all-encompassing that our natural hunger signals are lost in the chaos.

Often, losing a pant size or two can lead to positive comments from family, friends, and even your doctor. But these comments can be just as problematic as ones on weight gain. As a society we uphold thin bodies as the ideal standard for beauty and health, but what is often missing from the discussion is the emotion or illness that can be behind the weight loss. We become torn between the positive comments and the negative feelings that have led to our body’s changes.

While we’ve got some tips for when someone says something about your weight, the added layer of social conditioning—of acceptance of thinness—can create a very different impact. You might f...

You’ve probably heard that the how you speak to yourself can lead to more or less self-esteem depending on what you say, what words you use, and the tone (negative or positive). It might be a conversation in our own mind, but there is power in your inner dialogue!

Recent research shows that speaking to yourself can also help sooth anxiety and reduce feelings of stress. Instead of hiding from these intense emotions, addressing them in a curious and kind way allows you to go slowly and see that they aren’t as overwhelming once you look at them. We’ve all been in the situation where putting our head in the sand has made a task seem that much more impossible.

While you may wish your anxiety would go away, there is no need to fight it. Begin with first observing what you are feeling—is it a flutter in your chest? An electric feeling up your legs?—and then ask your anxiety what is the concrete cause for these reactions. Maybe it is an upcoming review of your work at your job or you’re feel...

We recently did a post about what emotional eating gives you. In this second part, we’ll take a look at what else you can do to give yourself the feelings you crave when reaching for your favourite foods.

But first, we want to remind you that there is no such thing as perfect. Of course, supporting your mental health is an important way to lessen the desire to eat emotionally, but we will also be the first to tell you that food will always provide comfort. Experiences will come up in your life that make you feel upset, and that is normal and ok! We wouldn’t know how happy we could be without knowing how sad or frustrated or angry we can also be. As humans we are built to experience the full range of emotions.

Of course, there are tools and strategies to help you feel more comfortable around food and strong emotions, but expecting perfection—that you’ll NEVER eat emotionally again—just isn’t true (that totally goes for us too!). Showing yourself some compassion when feelings bubble up...

“Why do I eat emotionally? What do I get out of it?”

Sound familiar? We know emotional eating gives us feelings of shame and guilt, it can lead to weight gain, it can begin a spiral of negative self-talk, none of this we would volunteer to experience. But emotional eating gives us other things too; it is powerful. When you let your emotions guide what you eat, it isn’t about what you eat but why.

Eating emotionally…

… works as a distraction: you’re focussed on the food and not how you feel. In some scenarios, you eat so much you can only focus on the physical discomfort of overeating and not on the emotional discomfort.

… gives us pleasure: we reach for foods—like mashed potatoes, doughnuts, and pizza—that overload our senses (our mouth waters, our nose loves the smell). Sometimes the foods we reach for can even remind us of happy memories: meals at grandma’s house, birthday parties with friends, or even incredible meals had on vacation.

… gives us a sense of control. When everyth...

Seeing old friends or getting together with extended family can be a cause for celebration—especially after two years of social distancing and lockdown measures. But these situations can also bring feelings of anxiety and failure, you may start thinking “What if they notice I’ve gained weight?”, or even worse “What if they say something about my weight gain?”

It often feels like one’s waistline is open for comment no matter if it has been a weight gain or loss. The problem is that we’re celebrated when we shrink and blamed when we put on weight. Here are a few tips to support your mental health when your faced with unwanted commentary on your body.

Come up with a game plan. Knowing body comments might come up is one thing but being mentally prepared to face them can give you a feeling of confidence. Try tucking affirmations in your wallet, go to the bathroom and text a friend who will support you, schedule a therapy session or alone time after the meeting with family to decompress. T...

We’ve got some more client insights for you! When it comes to working on your mental health in therapy many people have ideas about what it will be like based on what they see in movies and on TV… But it isn’t often like that at all! Therapy is personal and it can be challenging at times too. Often, clients are surprised by certain things that come up for them while working through traumatic experiences. Here are a few examples that hopefully you can relate to, or at the very least give you a more realistic idea of what others have been through.

My binge eating got worse before it got better. 

This is incredibly common! Being honest and open in therapy means that you are working through some very strong emotions and reliving some parts of your trauma. If eating has been the way you’ve chosen to sooth or distract yourself from these feelings in the past, you will absolutely use emotional eating again as a tool. And that is ok! The more you can take pressure off yourself in your ses...