We’re going to go back to basics today and talk about breakfast. Are you eating it? Regularly? Does your morning meal sustain you until lunch? Yes, folks, everything your mom told you about the first meal of the day is true: It’s important.

Why you should eat in the am: When you eat breakfast, you are literally doing just that…breaking the fast from the night before. You need fuel in your tank to function at your best and to rev up your metabolism. If you skip breakfast, your body will hold onto the food you consume next (lunch) for as long as possible instead of burning it right away. Essentially your body is saying, “Food, finally! Gotta hold onto these nutrients—who knows when I will get them again!”

Weight loss and eating breakfast has been linked multiple times, so do I really need to convince you to make this a priority? Plus, who doesn’t want an opportunity to eat?! Also, studies have shown that those who skip breakfast have a tendency to consume more food than usual the next chance they get and have a higher tendency to snack on high-calorie foods. [continue reading…]

Now that summer is over and the temps are getting cooler, it’s only natural to get a case of the blahs. But don’t give up and undo your good efforts and hard work from previous months—I won’t let you! Whether you’re seriously going through a rough time or just find yourself a bit bored with life in general, think about these rules the next time you want to Band-Aid the situation with a bag of Doritos. [continue reading…]

Now that you’re getting more sleep and consuming less sugar (right?), it’s important to take a closer look at how you are setting yourself up to succeed in your weight loss efforts. Are your choices helping you or making it harderfor you to reach your goals? Because really, healthy eating is not about willpower—it’s about making conscious decisions that help make it easier for you to make good decisions. Chew on this: [continue reading…]

The last time I checked in, I emphasized the importance of making small, conscious lifestyle changes. Continue to think about how these efforts can really impact the big picture—whether you set an intention to go on a walk twice a week, drink more water daily, increase the intensity of your workouts or add more veggies to your meals.

Now, I’m going to hit ya with a little tough love and ask you to take it a step further. I know this might not be very much fun, but you really need to start taking control of—and owning up to—your actions. What do I mean? Well, I’ll put it in language we all can understand these days: Facebook.

Status Update #1 @ 4pm: Third Starbucks trip of the day! #grandesoylattePLEASE
Status Update #2 @ 1:30am: Omgggg Why am I still awake??? #fml
Status Update #3 @ 9am: Need…coffee…now #ughhhh

Ok, so I’m exaggerating a bit to make a point, but I HAVE seen similar updates on Facebook. The thing is, when it comes to your body, everything is connected. Don’t drink multiple cups of caffeine a day—particularly late in the afternoon—and then wonder why in the world you can’t get to sleep at night! Sure, there may be other contributing factors, but trust me, your Starbucks habit is not helping.

People in general tend to make excuses that have them believing there’s just nothing they can do to change. I know, I used to be one of them. But it’s time to get a grip and think about three of the biggest hindrances to weight loss: [continue reading…]

For the better part of my adult life, I was a Monday through Thursday calorie-counter. Once Friday hit, I’d loosen my belt juuuust a little…and then a little more, and then…by Sunday night, I’d find myself sitting on my couch in baggy sweats staring at the bottom of yet another empty pint of ice cream declaring, “I’m going to be good on Monday!” For me, this cycle was normal. In fact, at the time I assumed that everyone ate their body weight in junk food on Sunday night!

When I diagnosed myself as an emotional eater last year, a sense of self-awareness came over me. I have always prided myself as being an optimistic, resilient person, but I realized that when it came to food, I was quite resentful and angry. Why can’t I just eat a freakin’ cupcake and not have to think about it?! How can she polish off a burger and fries and stay so skinny? (Sound familiar?) Simply put, I was pissed off that making consistently healthy choices always seemed like such a chore.

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Pretty much everyone who knows me (including my 1,181 Facebook friends) is aware of the fact that that I am an avid Bethenny Frankel supporter. Whether you love her, hate her or simply just don’t get her, there is one thing I can say about this savvy businesswoman: She makes a heck of a lot of sense (and money!).

After reading Naturally Thin, I stopped obsessing about food; The SkinnyGirl Dish taught me that healthy cooking doesn’t have to be labor-intensive and A Place of Yes prompted me—immediately—to pursue a career as a nutrition counselor.

Here’s where where my journey with food and emotional eating began… [continue reading…]