Challenges with food and disliking your body can be an intense and persistent struggle, you may even start to wonder, do I have an eating disorder?

I would like to start by saying that if you are even asking the question of “do I have an eating disorder?” even if only in those far recesses of your brain, then you are struggling more than you have to and you could benefit from support regardless of whether or not you have a diagnosable eating disorder.

Do you find yourself “saving up” or “making up” for food eaten. Do you help yourself “earn food” through exercise? This is common around the holidays, but here’s why it’s problematic.

What are you putting off until you lose ‘x’ number of pounds? Is it a vacation or cruise? Dating? Visiting friends or family? Having family photos taken? Going to that restaurant? Exercise? Taking that dance class you always wanted to take? Buying pants that fit better? Wearing shorts or a sleeveless top? Life is happening while you are waiting to be thin.

Have you noticed that many cookbooks and recipes are designed to feed four or more people? What about people who live alone? Don’t we deserve to eat well too? Of course we do! Here are a few tips on planning for and preparing easy meals for one person.

You have questions. You were just diagnosed with PCOS and you have no clue what to do next! Or you have been diagnosed for awhile, but still feel like you’re not exactly sure how to manage your PCOS symptoms. You have questions and are looking for professional nutrition support, but where to go?

How do you know who to talk to? Here are 3 things to keep in mind when looking for a dietitian to work with:

If you woke up tomorrow and your weight would not be affected by what or how much you ate, would you eat differently than you do now?

Are you envisioning all the things that you would want to eat and enjoy right now?

Would it feel freeing to eat what you wanted? Would it feel liberating to no longer feel guilty for it?

This is what eating intuitively feels like.

Has this ever happened to you?

You start getting into some sort of movement/exercise, you settle into a rhythm with it, you actually feel pretty good. You are sleeping better, your mood is elevated, you actually feel a little better in your body. You think you’ve got a good thing going.

Then you get on the scale… and it hasn’t gone down, maybe it has gone up.

So you stop. As far as you are concerned, if you are not losing weight, then clearly it’s not working.

Maybe you are someone that has had many previous New Year’s resolutions that were related to weight loss and fitness. In year’s past the excitement of a new beginning was palpable once the confetti settled - the promise of a new, fitter, thinner, healthier version of yourself. But maybe now you are someone that is beginning to question all the hype around weight loss resolutions.

After all, once that confetti does settle you are left with food rules that feel boring and you are finding yourself more and more “cheating” on your diet. But if you are someone that has relied on the “guard rails” of food rules from following a certain plan or diet to know how to eat, you may be finding yourself asking…

If I don’t diet, then what?