Negative body image is something that so many of us struggle with – regardless of our nationality, age, or background. It almost seems to be part of the human condition, something that is innate to our journey here on Earth.

But is it, really?

While not liking our body – or constantly trying to achieve a certain weight or shape – is ubiquitous around the world, the truth is that is NOT a natural, normal part of being alive.

Our beliefs around body image and beauty are instead ingrained from us at a young age. We were, quite literally, taught to believe that beauty looks a certain way, and that we must do everything we can to attain this beauty … or else.

Depending on our culture, family, and childhood, the beauty ideals we grew up with might be different from other people.

But regardless, these ideals have a very similar effect on us: they cause massive low self-esteem throughout adulthood, until we recognize and release them.

That’s what we explore in this episode, where we meet Sharon, 32, who has been trying to lose about 15 pounds – but can’t figure out why she’s unable to fully commit to her diet and exercise.

Growing up in Chinese culture, Sharon learned from watching Chinese beauty pageants on TV that to be thin and light was beautiful. She was mesmerized by the beauty contestants, and imagined herself one day being as pretty and elegant as they were.

Her parents and community also echoed this value, and her weight fluctuations were frequently a topic of conversation. All of this was even more confusing to Sharon because, in Chinese culture, sharing food is a way of sharing love. Her dad was an amazing chef and made delicious food – and she was encouraged to relish it, just not too much of it.

Now as an adult, Sharon understandably has a lot of conflicted feelings about food and her body. She finds herself still wanting to achieve the ideal body, the one she dreamed of as a little girl.

But that thin, lythe body always feels just out of reach – no matter how hard she tries to diet or get to the gym. Sharon just can’t quite get herself to consistently do the things that she thinks would help her lose weight – and she’s wondering what to do.

So in this episode, Marc David, founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, explores:

✅ The keys to recognizing childhood conditioning around body image – and how to begin to let it go.

✅ Why the belief, “I’m not good enough,” will almost always derail our weight loss efforts.

✅ Weight loss as an emotional, non-linear type of goal, and why this matters in the weight loss journey.

✅ Learning to approach weight loss from a place of inspiration and self-love.

No matter where we’re from or what our background is, almost all of us have been taught certain beliefs around weight and beauty. But as this episode demonstrates, we don’t have to keep feeding these beliefs.

We get to choose which beliefs we want to embrace – and one of the most important beliefs about ourselves we can ever choose is, “I love myself. I am enough.”

Enjoy this powerful episode!

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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 #selflovejourney #innerchild #selfworth #selfacceptance #radicalselflove #foodpsychology

Many of us struggle with emotional eating. And that’s because food is a reliable way to manage our unwanted emotions. Think: Bored. Stressed. Lonely. Angry. Anxious.

When we’re experiencing difficult emotions, it’s natural to turn to food.

But here’s something that’s also common: some of us label ourselves as emotional eaters, when that’s not actually the case.

For some of us, something else altogether is going on:

We just LOVE food. A lot.

The truth is, some of us love food so much that we don’t know how to contain ourselves.

We overdo it because we love it so much. In the midst of our food love affair, it seems we can lose our ability to manage how much food we eat.

So it’s not so much that we have a “problem” with food – instead, we love it so much that we can easily go overboard.

If this sounds familiar, this episode will really hit home.

Marc David coaches 35-year old guest client, Romana, who has long assumed that she’s an emotional eater. In an effort to put an end to her ‘emotional eating,’ Romana wonders: how can she only eat when she’s hungry? What does she need to do to control herself? And why does she go against her own wishes when it comes to how much she eats?

But in the course of their session, Marc helps Romana recognize that her challenge is a bit different from what she imagines it to be.

What Romana believes is her “food issue” is actually just a deep love and excitement for food.

So how does Romana and the rest of us love food, without overdoing it?

By owning, honoring, and embracing that love.

And also learning that loving food in a good way – in a way that supports our body, mind, and soul – means we must cultivate some real SKILL. The truth is, most of us who struggle with emotional eating and overeating simply haven’t learned key skills around eating and pleasure.

So in this episode, you’ll hear Marc explore:

💟 Why embracing our inner Hedonist archetype is hard for so many of us to do – but why it’s so important to overcome emotional eating & overeating.

💟 How to experience pleasure wisely.

💟 Learning to “embody” with food – and recognize the signs of “checking out” when eating.

💟 How to slow down with food and allow your nervous system to register pleasure.

💟 Transforming excitement with food into fulfillment with food.

💟 How to ground yourself when you eat.

This positive and uplifting episode is a powerful reminder that our love for food is both natural and beautiful. Through embracing that love, we can find the nourishment and connection with food that is our human birthright.

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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 #emotionaleater #overeating #pleasure #hedonist #loveaffair #nourishment #relationshipwithfood #foodpsychology #podcast #marcdavid