1. There aren’t enough hours in the day! We are all very busy people. How often have you heard someone complain by saying that they don’t have enough time to do things they would like to do? The average American spends 4 hours per day watching TV. What would you do with 4 more hours […]
Children are emotional sponges. They pick up on everything we do even when we don’t realize we are doing it. Like it or not, our children idolize us. They want to please us and imitation is the most sincere form of flattery right? Unfortunately, children are unable to differentiate our healthy and positive behaviors from […]
I can skip breakfast to lose weight, right? Wrong! A common misperception for many people is that the key to losing weight is skipping meals. This is problematic for several reasons. Skipping meals generally leads to overeating. When we have long periods of time between meals, the hormones responsible for hunger flood our system and […]
How often have you made a New Year’s resolution only to have it fail by February? You are definitely not alone. The concept of a New Year’s resolution sets you up to fail. Consider this, between Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s; we are bombarded with food, food, food, drink, excessive spending and stress. Resolving […]
Christmas is upon us once again. Every year, I am struck by the generosity I see in others this time of year. I see people donate money, time and much needed items to people who are grateful for clean socks and warm clothes. It makes me wonder why we don’t take opportunities all year long […]
I should lose weight. I should eat better. I should exercise. He or she should do that. Sound familiar? We use the word should quite a bit. Should is an off-limits word in my office because it is dangerous. When we use the word should, we create an expectation. This is mostly unconscious. We usually […]
Most people become detached from their emotions. We constantly distract ourselves to avoid life. We use many distractions, but food seems to be one of the most powerful. How many times have you found yourself in a stressful situation and start fantasizing about food? When we are feeling stressed or sad, food can temporarily improve […]
I work with many clients who have battled their weight for many years. They often feel like getting to their ideal weight is so far out of their reach that they struggle to maintain motivation. This is particularly true if they have never experienced a weight where they felt good about themselves. They can’t even […]
Although experts cannot agree whether or not food is “addictive”, the evidence suggests that we do, to a lesser extent than say cocaine or heroin, show similarities in behavior with food. For example, food “addicts” or compulsive overeaters often experience: Obsession or preoccupation with food Compulsive thoughts or behaviors regarding food despite negative consequences Using […]
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of six weeks of gluttony for most people. Over the years, we have heard shocking statistics of weight gain over the holidays. Some sources have reported an average of 5 to 10 pounds. More recently, it seems that weight gain is more likely to be 1-5 pounds. This doesn’t have to […]
Michelle Lewis has been working in the mental health field since 2001. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Weber State University and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Utah. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals. Read more