The Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross Show: Binge Eating Disorder, Stress Eating, Emotional Eating, Food Addiction

127: Gut Function and Eating Disorders Apr 03, 2023

In this episode, I will be speaking with London nutritionist and health coach, Marcelle Rose. The number one complaint of people with binge eating, food addiction and emotional eating is usually a digestive one. That makes sense because the digestive track depends on receiving enough fiber and other nutrients to work well. Also many of the binge foods or “food fixes” are foods that can cause inflammation in the gut. The gut has also been called “the gut brain” because it is so closely tied to our actual brains and problems in the gut can increase issues with depression, anxiety and more.

In this episode, you will learn:

What are supplements that can help soothe inflammation in the gut?
How to heal problems with the gut such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
What our thoughts have to do with gut issues?
How emotions can influence gut function and vice versa.

126: Emotions, Negative Beliefs and Perfectionism: How insecure attachment can lead to eating disorders Mar 07, 2023

Research is now showing that something called “attachment styles” may also explain why people with a history of toxic stress related to childhood trauma or to other specific childhood issues (abandonment, neglect, abrupt separation from a parent, frequent changes in caregivers, or lack of caregiver responsiveness) may have food and body image issues. Individuals who were raised in a family where their parents invalidated their views or feelings are more likely to binge and purge or have other disordered eating behaviors.

In this episode, you will learn:

What are the 4 attachment styles?
How many people with anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder have insecure attachment styles.
How is perfectionism related to attachment style and to eating disorders.
How can insecure attachment make you more vulnerable to the social media message about dieting and the thin ideal?

125: Weight Stigma, Medical Backlash and Social Justice – Conversation with Stephanie Dodier Jan 24, 2023

Stephanie Dodier of “Going Beyond the Food” has been a guest on my podcast many times and our conversations have always been honest and cover a variety of topics. Today, we talked about the toxicity that exists in the world of eating disorders, black and white thinking, backlash from the medical profession, what it means to really do your own trauma work and how social justice is an important part of healing our relationship with food and our bodies.

In this episode you will learn:

Why I call trauma work, the new “healthism”
How black and white thinking has caused an us vs. them mentality in the work with people with food addiction, emotional eating and binge eating.
Why the desperation for a thinner body continues to be paired with being happy and being healthy.

Change your relationship with food NOW! Learn to eat with JOY! Jan 11, 2023

You may have dieting whiplash and just frankly have so much misinformation that you really don’t know what is good for your body and what is not. So you end up eating lots of raw carrots and celery or stick mainly to salads. While there may be kernels of truth in expert nutritional advice, nutritional confusion also contributes to unhealthy eating styles. Joyful eating is about determining what works for you and your body, and learning to eat those foods with joy and without guilt or fear.

In this podcast, you will learn:

What is joyful eating?
How can joyful eating help me with binge eating, food addiction and emotional eating?
What you can do to learn to eat with JOY?

123: Food Shaming Dec 27, 2022

Food shaming is when someone criticizes or judges what another person is eating. Food shaming can be intentional but even with unintentional, can lead to guilt, shame and embarrassment. Constant examination of what you are eating or what someone else is eating are all part of the diet mentality and diet culture. Diet culture endorses the importance of staying thin which then leads to the compulsion to feel you have to watch every calorie that goes into your mouth and eat foods that fit into diet culture where it’s all about the calories

In this podcast you will learn:

How food shaming can make your food addiction, binge eating and emotional eating worse.
Why food shaming is part of the “arousal cycle” of those with food addiction.
What you can do to reduce food shaming from others and from yourself.

122: Grief and Loss Have Overwhelmed my Food Addiction and Binge Eating Dec 13, 2022

Grief following the death of a loved one is well studied and understood. Researchers have documented an initial period of numbness, followed by sadness or depression and then reorganization and recovery. Grief in this case is used to describe how we react to loss - physically, emotionally, behaviorally and cognitively. It is not uncommon when we experience a loss that we default to old behaviors such as binge eating, obsessing about food and emotional eating. The emotions associated with grief can feel overwhelming and we may reach for the comfort of our old friend – food.

In this podcast you will learn:

Why is there no time limit on grief?
What are “normal” responses to grief?
What role does food play in the grieving process?

121: What is Childhood Trauma and is it the Cause of my Food Addiction? Nov 29, 2022

What is trauma? Well, in the past, most people would say, "Trauma is severe abuse or neglect." But our more modern definition of trauma is that trauma is anything that causes you to lose an essential part of yourself – a sense of security or safety, peace or love. Over 2/3 of children under age 16 reported at least 1 traumatic event by age 16. What is important to understand is that trauma is common in individuals with substance use disorders and eating disorders. In fact, a history of trauma can increase your risk for attention deficit disorder, depression, anxiety as well as many medical issues including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Recognizing that you or a family member has experienced childhood trauma can help you understand why you’ve had trouble dealing with food and body image issues such as food addiction, binge eating and emotional eating.

In this episode, you will learn:

What are examples of childhood trauma?
How does childhood trauma lead to binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating?
What can family members do to help heal childhood trauma?

120: Interview with Julie Duffy Dillon Nov 15, 2022

In the podcast, I interview friend and colleague, Julie Duffy Dillon who is a specialist in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). We discuss the importance of addressing TRUE determinants of health – what makes us healthy and how weight loss does not have to be part of that equation. We also discuss treatment of PCOS including use of supplements and talk about weight stigma.

In this podcast, you will learn:

What is PCOS?
How does having binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating affect PCOS?
What is weight inclusive medical care and how can I get it?

119: Eating Disorders in the Workplace Nov 01, 2022

We spend about a third of our adult lives in the workplace. Work can improve mental health for some individuals – providing them with a sense of meaning and purpose and offering valuable social connections. However, for individuals with binge eating disorder, food addiction or emotional eating, work can also be a source of stress and stigma that can make their eating disorder worse or can lead to relapse.

In this podcast, you will learn:

How the workplace can be a trigger for people with eating disorders.
How having an eating disorder can make workplace stress worse.
What are 3 actions you can take so reduce relapse or triggers in the workplace.

118: Interview with Ali Shapiro Oct 18, 2022

My guest on the podcast today is Ali Shapiro – the creator of Truce with Food® and the Truce Coaching Framework Certification, host of the top-ranked podcast Insatiable, a holistic nutritionist, integrated health coach and rebel with a serious cause. My interview with Ali covers a wide range of topics including how the body positivity movement has been co-opted, how her struggle with childhood cancer helped her explore her relationship with her body and more!

In this podcast you will learn:

What it means to have a truce with your body.
What is self-trust and how does it help heal from eating disorders like food addiction, binge eating and emotional eating?
What role does experimentation play in healing your food and body image issues?

117: How do I forgive those who have hurt me to heal Oct 04, 2022

116: Body Image Issues in Men Sep 20, 2022

Aaron Flores is a dietician and health at every size, body trust and intuitive eating advocate who works with individuals with eating disorders, including males. While eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder often are seen as affecting mainly women and girls, studies show that men and boys are also impacted. Binge Eating Disorder, in particular affects males almost as much as it affects females.

In this podcast, you will learn:

How are men with eating disorders different than women with eating disorders?
What is the impact of weight stigma on individuals with eating disorders?
Why is it so difficult for men with eating disorders to seek treatment?

115: Leveraging Your Brain Power to Overcome RDS Sep 06, 2022

This is the third and final part of our series on RDS. In Episode #112 and #114, I discussed what RDS is and how it could impact your eating behaviors as well as what caused RDS and how sugar addiction that you’ve read about is related to RDS. In this episode I will be discussing what steps you can take to heal your brain from RDS and that will positively affect your recovery from food addiction, binge eating and emotional eating.

In this episode, you will learn:

What is the difference between emotional mind and rational mind and how can you use this information to manage cravings.
What are positive natural reinforcers that you can use to increase dopamine in the brain?
What are 3 specific things you can do to heal your brain from RDS, food addiction, binge eating and emotional eating?

114: Food and Mood and RDS Aug 23, 2022

In episode #112 I talked to you about Reward Deficiency Syndrome – what is and how it may contribute to food addiction, emotional eating or binge eating. In this episode, I will discuss the causes of dopamine depletion or reward deficiency syndrome. I will also talk about how having RDS can affect your preferences for certain foods, cause cravings and lead to unwanted eating behaviors.

In this episode, you will learn:

What causes reward deficiency syndrome?
How are our eating behaviors used to manage our mood?
What are the three stages of eating?
How internal opiates impact our eating behaviors?
What’s the truth about sugar addiction?

113: Developmental Trauma - Interview with Dr. Joanne and Dr. Lynne on Aug 01, 2022

Trauma has been show to increase the risk for eating disorders and addictions. There has been much research showing that early childhood trauma can really change a person’s life trajectory – causing problems with learning, attention, memory and the ability to regulate emotions. Despite these traumatic experiences, individuals with trauma are able to live healthy, successful and fulfilling lives. Healing the trauma is key to healing addictions, eating disorders and other mental health issues.

In this podcast you’ll learn:

What is developmental trauma?
How does developmental trauma show up in our lives?
What are signs that you may be suffering from developmental trauma?

112: What is Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) and how can it help me heal my Food Addiction Jul 18, 2022

You may never have heard about RDS but it may be critical to understanding why your food and body image issues are so difficult to heal from. If you have binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating, you may have a genetic risk for RDS or early childhood trauma may have increased your risk for RDS.

In this podcast, you will learn:

What is reward deficiency syndrome?
How can I tell if I have RDS?
How does RDS cause food cravings, food obsessions and unwanted binging behaviors?

111: How to Free Yourself from the Tyranny of the Scale Jun 10, 2022

In this episode, I will share with you some of my personal struggles with the tyranny of the scale. I will also talk about body shaming and weight stigma especially when it comes from physicians and will give you my responses to and anger about the medical profession which continues to make everything about size. If you’re struggling with binge eating, emotional eating and food addiction, you may also be experiencing internalized weight stigma. This can make it more difficult for you to care for your body in a healthy way.

In this episode you will learn:

5 Questions you can ask yourself to find out if you’re a victim of scale tyranny.
Four solutions for dealing with doctors around the issue of food and body image issues.
Why I say that body image is not about your body!

110: The Future of Eating Disorder Treatment (with Dr. Jillian Lampert) May 12, 2022

109: I’ve lost my passion and purpose and food is all I have! Apr 26, 2022

Being out of touch with or disconnected from your spirit can lead to spiritual depletion. Spiritual depletion can exacerbate binge eating, food addiction and emotional eating. Spiritual emptiness is a sick- ness that has signs and symptoms just like any physical illness. It’s important that you recognize the signs so you can address the causes of spiritual depletion with as much compassion and care as you would any other illness.

In this episode you will learn:

What are the signs and symptoms of spiritual depletion?
What causes spiritual depletion and how is it related to binge eating, food addiction and emotional eating?
What can you do to re-nourish your spirit and cope better with challenging stresses?

108: Help! I’m Stressed to the Max and I can’t Stop Eating! Mar 31, 2022

If you are struggle with food addiction, emotional eating or binge eating, stress can trigger emotions that you may have been regulating with food. Managing stress without food requires that you learn a new set of skills to use when you’re feeling overwhelmed, worn out, or stressed to the max. Managing stress also requires learning to tap into your body’s wisdom to identify the early warning signs and symptoms of stress, a key first step toward handling stress differently. Stress management involves a moment-by-moment mindful awareness that you may not naturally possess but that you can learn.

In this podcast, you will learn:

What the difference is between stress and burnout.
Why loneliness can exacerbate stress and shorten your lifespan.
Key steps you can take to build resilience to stress.

107: Betsy Thurston Interview Mar 15, 2022

In this podcast, I will interview Betsy Thurston, a dietician who also specializes in the use of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy as a unique tool in treating her eating disorder clients. The founder of IFS, Dr. Richard Schwartz describes IFS as “a powerfully transformative, evidence-based model of psychotherapy.” We will discuss how she has seen IFS work for her clients who struggle with eating disorders.

In this podcast you will learn:

What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
How is IFS different from other therapies?
How can IFS help patients heal from food and body image issues?

106: How to, for once and for all, make peace with your body Mar 09, 2022

If you are dissatisfied with your body, you are not alone. While having self-doubts is a normal part of being human, if your self-evaluation is primarily dependent on your superficial appearance, your size or shape, that can lead to shame, negative self-talk, suffering and the use of extreme and harmful behaviors to reach the ever-elusive thin ideal. As well, it’s important to realize that trying to “hate yourself thin” can put stress on your body and increase belly fat and risk for diabetes and heart disease.

In this episode you will learn:

What some women are willing to give up in exchange for a thin body.
How to stop the transmission of body image issues from one generation to another.
Why weight stigma may be the reason for health risks, not size!

105: How body movement can help heal binge eating and food addiction Mar 04, 2022

Physical activity has been co-opted by the diet industry just as food has – in other words, only good to get you to lose weight. No wonder thinking about body movement may send you into a fit of resistance or rebellion or make you feel guilty – feeling you’re not doing enough or not doing the right kind of activity that the experts say you should. If you struggle with binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating, you may struggle in finding a way to move your body that doesn’t feel like something you have to do or something you feel bad about not doing. In this podcast, you will learn:

How to recognize if you’ve experienced exercise trauma.
How to reclaim body movement as a form of self-expression.
What the 3 most common reasons for not being physically active are and how to address them.

104: Skills you can use to stop binging and overeating NOW Feb 14, 2022

The first goal of therapy if you have binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction or emotional eating should be interrupting any current unwanted behaviors, such as bingeing, overeating, obsessing about food or your body. But these behaviors are so automatic and so linked to emotions that often are not acknowledged or even recognized, that it’s hard to stop or interrupt them. There are skills that can help you if you want to move on and just don’t know how.

In this podcast you will learn:

Why practicing certain skills can help you end unwanted behaviors.
Five skills you can put into practice immediately.
How skills can help uncouple your emotions from your unwanted behaviors.

103: Breaking free of the foods that hold you hostage Jan 28, 2022

If you have binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating, you may know that diet culture has rebranded itself as “healthy” vs. the prior focus on the thin ideal, losing weight or getting skinny. There has also been a trend by social media influencers to market detox products to make money, but in doing so, they may be contributing to the development of eating disorders in their followers. Your body has its own detoxification system. There are things you can do to give your body and mind a “reset” for the new year that will help you deal with cravings, binging, body dissatisfaction and food obsessions.

In this podcast you will learn:

Why detox products can be dangerous.
What is orthorexia?
How can mindfulness help your break free of food obsessions.
Specific steps you can take to reset your body and mind in the new year.

102: Five Steps to Recovery: #5 Finding Soul Satisfaction Jan 11, 2022

If you’re struggling with food addiction, binge eating or emotional eating, at some point you may have come to realize that there’s something deeper to your food and body image issues. If you ask yourself what the cause is of most of your suffering about your food obsessions and body hatred, you may realize that it is because of these problems you have not allowed yourself to express who you truly are. You may have held yourself back in your career, in relationships, as a parent and in other roles you play in life because of your size. The ultimate goal of recovery from binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating is to find soul satisfaction and to bring it into all areas of your life, including your relationship with food and how you feel about your body.

In this episode, you will learn:

What is soul satisfaction?
What does soul satisfaction have to do with my binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating?
Why is soul satisfaction not about religion or even spirituality?
How can food and body image issues be metaphors for what is missing in your life?

101: Five Steps to Recovery: #4 Creating New Core Beliefs Dec 27, 2021

Unconscious core beliefs can stand between you and your goal to put an end to your food, body image, and weight issues. When first formed, usually when you were younger and during times of transition, trauma, or emotional upheaval, core beliefs are solutions to problems you couldn’t solve—perhaps because you didn’t have the resources at the time. Research highlights the importance of addressing negative core beliefs; when they are not addressed, you may find it more difficult to stop unhealthy behaviors. Examples of core beliefs include: I’m not worthy, I’m not good enough and more. Negative core beliefs play an important role in the development and maintenance of the symptoms of food addiction, binge eating and emotional eating.

In this episode you will learn:

What are core beliefs?
How do core beliefs stand between you and what you desire most in your life?
How can you change a negative core belief?

100: The Five Steps to Recovery: #3 Embracing the Body's Wisdom Dec 13, 2021

If you’ve been struggling with binge eating, emotional eating and food addiction for most of your life, you may view your body as an adversary. When you experience negative feelings about your body, it may be the result of past hurtful experiences from childhood, which can lead to a disconnection between you and your body. This can lead to your self-evaluation (how you feel about yourself) being tied to your body size or shape and a desire to whip your body into shape. When you reconnect to your body, you can tap into a vast reservoir of wisdom and advise that will guide you in your recovery from binge eating, emotional eating and food addiction.

In this episode you will learn:

What is body image?
What are the 3 causes of negative body image?
What in your childhood is the key to understanding your body image issues?

99: The Five Steps to Recovery: #2 - Emerging from the emotional soup Nov 23, 2021

Did you know that there is a hidden force that drives your behaviors associated with food addiction, emotional eating and binge eating? This hidden force is your emotions and when you struggle to regulate your emotions, it can have a big impact on your binge eating, emotional eating and food addiction behaviors. If you have food and body image issues, you may respond to emotions by using food to numb yourself or tamp down even happy feelings. Both reactions to emotional pain are two sides of the same coin—attempts to escape from your emotions, or from the “emotional soup.”

In this episode you will learn:

What is the emotional soup?
What are the 4 things you need to know to get out of the emotional soup?
How can being stuck in your emotions affect your food and body image issues?
Why how you express your emotions is the same as how you deal with food.

98: The Five Steps to Recovery: #1 Stopping Superficial Behaviors Nov 16, 2021

If you’ve tried different diets to help with food obsessions, binge eating or emotional eating, you may have concluded that your food and weight issues are not about food. These issues are about how you use food to deal with your emotions, experiences from your past, and beliefs that have resulted from past hurts or traumas. By working on your food and weight issues on a deeper level, you can expect your healing to also be deeper and more sustainable. Over the next podcasts I will be sharing with you the 5 Steps to Recovery from food and body image issues.

In this episode you will learn:

Why focusing on the number on the scale cannot provide lasting results.
How to stop unwanted behaviors related to food and body image issues.
Why the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine may have made your food and body image issues a lot worse!

97: Answers to Anorexia Nov 04, 2021

Anorexia nervosa is a life-threatening illness that is challenging to treat and can be overwhelming for families seeking help. The Minnesota starvation study dating to the 1950’s showed without any doubt that starvation causes psychological as well as physical symptoms – symptoms that mirror symptoms of individuals with anorexia. The current state of treatment for anorexia has ignored this connection and instead resorts to the use of medications that lack FDA approval and therapies that have consistently been shown to be ineffective. What is needed is addressed by my guest, Dr. James Greenblatt who is a pioneer in the field of functional and integrative medicine.

In this episode, you will learn:

Why anorexia treatments currently fail miserably.
What is the research that could lead to significantly better outcomes for treating those with anorexia.
Why therapy is likely to fail unless nutritional deficiencies of self-starvation are addressed.

96: Binge Eating, Food Addiction and Emotional Eating – What’s the Difference? Oct 28, 2021

It can be confusing to determine whether you have binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating. While criteria for binge eating disorder have been established for some time, research is beginning to show some of the ways in which binge eating and food addiction are similar and different. All of these disorders can affect men as well as women and are related to how you use food. It’s not food or your body that is the problem, it has to do with how you use food that may stem from early life adversity, trauma or neglect.

In this podcast, you will learn:

What is binge eating disorder?
What is food addiction?
What is emotional eating?
How do I know if I have binge eating disorder, food addiction or emotional eating.

95: Don’t Let the D’s (Despair and Depression) Get You Down! Oct 01, 2021

If you've struggled with binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating for some time, you may find that the stresses and isolation of the quarantine have worsened your symptoms. Or you may have had other life challenges that have caused stress and overwhelm in your life. All of this can lead to depression and feelings of hopelessness or despair. It can make your battle to make peace with food and your body feel even more difficult, leading you to fall back on using food to numb your emotions or provide comfort during these trying times. But there is hope! By nourishing your spirit, you can build resilience to help replenish your resources and give you the boost you need to rise to meet the challenges in your life.

In this episode you will learn:

What are the causes of despair?
What are the symptoms of spiritual depletion and despair?
What are 3 actions you can take to get back on top of your game?

94: Tattoos and Trauma Sep 06, 2021

Tattoos have become more acceptable over the years but are often only seen as having decorative value. My guest #DonnaTorrisi has written a book about the connection between tattoos and trauma. While a tattoo sits only on the skin, the meaning of tattoos may be much deeper for some individuals, telling a story of a difficult time in their lives, a loss or a story of abuse. In this way, tattoos are a form of self-expression that can tell you something about the person and their life’s journey. We heal from trauma in many ways…tattoos are one of those ways.

In this episode, you will learn:

How tattoos can create a bond between people who have experienced difficult life circumstances.
How body markings can play a part in healing from trauma.
Whether Dr. Carolyn has a tattoo and if yes, why?

92: How Body Image Archetypes Can Help You Be The Best You Can Be Aug 23, 2021

If you struggle with binge eating, emotional eating and food addiction, you may also have body image issues. Your body image issues may keep you from doing what you want to do in life and keep you from being the best you can do. Think of your body identity as a role or archetype you have chosen to play in your life for the time being until you are able and willing to be your best self. This is the way you’ve learned to cope with being in a bigger body. Are you the rebel, wounded child or sexy mama? Whatever role you’re playing it may be covering up the truth of who you are.

In this podcast, you will learn:

How identifying your archetype may help you to see your authentic self.
How negative self-talk just makes binging, food obsessions worse
Why you can’t “hate yourself thin.”

93: 5-Day Money Attraction Challenge Podcast Aug 15, 2021

Many people who struggle with food addiction, binge eating, or emotional eating also have money problems – overspending, impulse buying or you may have had a bad divorce that left you with financial problems. My special guest, Tasha Chen is with me on this podcast to discuss why money can be a problem for so many people and how you can attract more financial abundance into your life.

In this podcast, you will learn:

About the 13 money traumas and how they may be holding you back
Why how you manage your money can be a window into your other life challenges.
The difference between being deserving and being worthy and how that affects your ability to attract money into your life.

I will be joining Tasha to talk about how money issues relate to food and body image issues on her 5-Day Money Attraction Challenge.

To sign up for the 5-Day Money Attraction Challenge with Tasha Chen: https://tashachen.com/money-attraction-challenge/?ref=894

91: How to Stop Self-sabotage from Ruining Your Life NOW! Jul 07, 2021

Self-sabotage is common and happens to people from all walks of life. Many people with food addiction, emotional eating or binge eating self-sabotage with food as a way to numb unpleasant emotions or cope with stressful situations. This can lead to feelings of failure and can worsen the behaviors or body dissatisfaction. Then you can get stuck in the vicious cycle of binge eating, obsessing about food, and being dissatisfied with your body. Rinse, Repeat.

In this video you will learn:

1. What the connection is between perfectionism and self-sabotage 2. How trauma can be a cause of self-sabotage 3. 4 tips on how to stop self-sabotage in its tracks

Thanks for listening! If you're interested in learning more about food addiction, enter the book sweepstakes to win a copy of The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Where you can find Irene:https://irenelyon.com/

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

90: Body Memories Trauma and Eating Disorders Jun 14, 2021

Traumatic life experiences, including childhood trauma and the relationships you have with your caregivers growing up, directly affect the nervous system – often throwing it out of balance. An out-of-balance nervous system can make it difficult for you to tolerate your emotions. This then leads to using food (and other substances and behaviors) to numb or manage your anxiety, sadness, fear, anger, and other emotions. In this episode, I talk with Irene Lyon from Vancouver, Canada about the links between trauma, body memories and binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, and emotional eating.

In this episode you will learn:

The effect of trauma on the nervous system.
How to use your body sensations and body functions to help you understand your emotions.
How to release trauma using your body’s wisdom.

Thanks for listening! If you're interested in learning more about food addiction, enter the book sweepstakes to win a copy of The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Where you can find Irene:https://irenelyon.com/

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

89: Binge Eating, Ethnicity and Trauma Jun 09, 2021

“Health and weight are not synonymous.”

Behaviors such as binge eating, compulsive overeating, emotional eating, and food obsessions are part of systems of power that rank human bodies by size and race and create an illusion that health and virtue are obtained by being thin. Being controlled by size and food is still an accepted way of controlling the futures of women, leading them to wait to have the lives they deserve and desire until they can change their size.

What you’ll learn in this podcast:

Is the BMI a racist measurement?
Why is it so hard to give up binging?
How graham crackers started as a diet food.
How diets fail us, while making us feel we are failures.

Thanks for listening! If you're interested in learning more about food addiction, enter the book sweepstakes to win a copy of The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

88: How to End Diet Thoughts! May 21, 2021

“Weight stigma is associated with several physical and psychological health consequences.” You've realized that diets don't work for binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, or emotional eating. You've been on a lot of diets and even though you lose weight, it doesn't last. After many diets, you've come to the conclusion that there's more to your food and body image issues than a diet can fix. You feel good about this insight. You may even be working towards taking steps to make peace with food and your body. But why can't you stop thinking about dieting! In this podcast, you will learn:

What do twin studies teach us about binge eating, food addiction, and emotional eating?
Why one physician’s research led him to stop recommending the intermittent fasting diet.
How weight stigma can make binge eating, emotional eating, and food addiction worse.

Thanks for listening! If you're interested in learning more about food addiction, enter the book sweepstakes to win a copy of The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

87: Eating Disorders in Pregnancy with Jaren Soloff, RD May 10, 2021

"Pregnancy can be an intense time for women with eating disorders." Most eating disorders, including binge eating disorder, food addiction, and emotional eating occur in women during their reproductive years. It’s not unusual for someone with an eating disorder to also be pregnant or for relapse of an eating disorder to occur during or after a pregnancy. My guest will discuss some of the issues related to nutrition that occur when eating disorders like binge eating disorder, food addiction, and emotional eating occur in pregnancy.

In this podcast, you will learn:

What is the most critical time for your baby to get the best nutrition for health and development?
What are some of the triggers during pregnancy for binge eating disorder, emotional eating, and food addiction?
How to nourish yourself during the fourth trimester.

You can reach Jaren Soloff, RD and find out about her book at: https://www.fullcrcl.co/about

Thanks for listening! If you're interested in learning more about food addiction, enter the book sweepstakes to win a copy of The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

86: Discovering the Joy of Eating with Rachael Hartley Apr 23, 2021

"How would you eat if you weren’t trying to lose weight?" - Rachael Hartley

My guest, Rachael Hartley, and I will discuss how to change your relationship with food from one of eating only to lose weight to do what she calls “gentle eating.” She discusses her approach to gentle nutrition and intuitive eating. Rachael also talks about how trauma can impact intuitive eating and what to do about that.

In this show you will learn:

What are some of the psychological effects of dieting?
What is intuitive eating?
What is the difference between the pursuit of health and the pursuit of thinness?

Information on today’s guest:

Rachael Hartley, RD, LD, is a Columbia, SC-based nutrition therapist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and nationally recognized food and nutrition expert who is passionate about helping others rediscover the joy of eating and foster a healthier relationship with food. She is the founder of Rachael Hartley Nutrition, a weight-inclusive practice where she specializes in disordered eating and healing from chronic dieting, IBS and other digestive disorders, and women's health. She also runs the popular blog The Joy of Eating, where she shares practical intuitive eating advice and non-diet recipes and is featured regularly in national media outlets.

In 2021, Rachael’s first book, Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthy Eating was released.

https://RachaelHartleyNutrition.com

Thanks for listening! If you're interested in learning more about food addiction, enter the book sweepstakes to win a copy of The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

85: How Our Food Has Been Engineered to be Addictive Apr 09, 2021

"Research has shown that HALF of all the foods Americans eat are ultra-processed “industrial formulations.”

There's been a lot of talk about whether foods can be addictive or not. In truth, there are a group of foods, called “ultra-processed industrial formulations” that have been engineered in the nutrition lab and that contain high amounts of fats, sugar, and salt. These foods can lead to eating behaviors that are addictive. Studies show that 50% of the American diet consists of these ultra-processed food-like substances and that these foods are a cause of increases in weight, diabetes, heart disease, and other medical problems. If you have binge eating, emotional eating, or food addiction, you are more vulnerable to being “hooked” by these industrial formulations. In this podcast, you will learn:

What are the top 5 foods that are considered “industrial formulations?”
How is food changed to make it more addictive?
Is it true that sugar is highly addictive?

Thanks for listening! If you're interested in learning more about food addiction, enter the book sweepstakes to win a copy of The Food Addiction Recovery Workbook.

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

84: Stressed, Tired and Binging – You May Have Adrenal Fatigue Mar 24, 2021

Whether you've been stressed about your health, suffered losses, tired of the quarantine, had financial stressors, working long hours, or had a relationship breakup, stress has become a constant irritant for many of us. If you're struggling with binge eating, emotional eating, or food addiction, your eating behaviors may be the first sign that you are stressed to the max. When the situation goes on for weeks or months, and the stress becomes chronic, the adrenal glands burn out from chronic production of cortisol and may cause what is called adrenal fatigue syndrome (AFS).

In this podcast, you will learn:

1. How can you tell if you have adrenal fatigue syndrome (AFS)? 2. What causes adrenal fatigue? 3. How do stress and adrenal fatigue cause binge eating, food obsessions, and emotional eating? 4. What can you do about AFS?

Supplements and free meditation mentioned in the video:

· For sleep: magnesium at bedtime or the homeopathic remedy Calm Forte

· Take vitamins - vitamins C and B5 help with cortisol production, vitamin D can help support the immune system.

Download a free meditation here

Thanks for listening! Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

83: I Don’t Like the Way I Feel About My Body Mar 10, 2021

"Body image is the picture you hold in your mind of your body."

When you hold a negative picture or are dissatisfied with your body, it can be a significant predictor of compulsive overeating, binge eating, emotional distress, depression, and problems in your relationships. Having positive feelings about your body if you are in a bigger body may be difficult in a culture filled with images of the thin “ideal,” but it’s not impossible.

In this podcast, you will learn:

How childhood adversity or trauma affects body image.
Why you may have trouble knowing what you are feeling.
How eating can be part of your survivor self’s playbook.
How to tap into your body’s wisdom.

Thanks for listening! Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

82: What You Should Know About the Intermittent Fasting Diet Feb 24, 2021

"There is no one diet that works for everyBODY."

Despite the research, many people continue to look for a "perfect diet" (diet to go on) and cycle from one fad diet to the next, hoping that they will find a quick fix or a solution to their food and body image issues. They are often excited when starting a new fad diet, then disappointed when they are not able to stay on their chosen diet or to maintain their gains. But have you ever considered that you’re going about this entirely the wrong way?

In this podcast, you will learn:

What the research shows about the intermittent fasting diet.
What the $60 billion diet industry won’t tell you.
What you should eat to get and stay healthy.

Mentioned on the show: Link to my blog on Intermittent Fasting: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing/202102/what-you-should-know-about-intermittent-fasting

Link to my blog on the Keto Diet: http://bit.ly/3aEyfIQ

Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid: http://bit.ly/3pErGdK

Michael Pollan Article: “Unhappy Meals” - https://nyti.ms/3bmfTLW

Thanks for listening! Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

81: The 5 Things You Don't Know About Food Addiction Feb 10, 2021

There are over 200 million searches on Google for the term “food addiction.” Food addiction affects a large number of individuals, even though it's not accepted as a true diagnosis (yet) by the medical profession. Using the Yale Food Addiction Scale, 5-10% of the general population test positive for food addiction. Over half of individuals diagnosed with binge eating disorder also meet the criteria for food addiction. When you struggle with food addiction, the basic principles of healthy eating can get buried beneath your beliefs, fears, and obsessions.

In this podcast, you will learn:

1. The signs that you may have a food addiction. 2. Specific practices you can use to overcome food addiction. 3. How you can get rid of the negative self-talk that makes food addiction worse.

HOMEWORK: 5 Things About Food Addiction and Practices that Will Help You Overcome Food Addiction

1. Yo-yo dieting makes food addiction worse

Practice: I will not diet. My body is an exquisitely tuned organism that knows how to manage its weight. I don’t need to restrict my food intake to make my body work correctly. 2. There's a difference between asking yourself: "What's wrong with me?" and recognize "What happened to you."

Practice: I will become more aware of when I am emotionally hungry and find other ways of coping with my emotions without always using food. 3. Your body has all the wisdom you need to overcome your food addiction.

Practice: I will interrupt any negative inner dialogue I have towards my body and replace it with a neutral thought.

4. Unconscious core beliefs can stand between you and your goal to put an end to your food addiction behaviors.

Practice: I will honor the part of me who did what she could to survive and instead of continuing with negative core beliefs, I will start journaling about guiding principles (gp) I can use for my new life. (Ex. instead of "I'm not worthy", a gp could be "I value myself."

5. Recovery from food addiction may be different than you expect

Practice: I will be gentle with myself as I learn new ways of being the best I can be.

Thanks for listening! Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/CONSULT The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com How you can reach (guest): Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

80: The Relationship Between Binge Eating and Grieving Jan 27, 2021

"Everyone's experience of grief is unique - there is no "right" way to grieve."

Grief is a normal reaction to any major loss. If you've lost a loved one during the pandemic, you may have experienced complicated grief. The normal feelings of yearning and sadness may have been complicated by not being able to be with your loved one or not even being able to go through normal rituals that can bring a sense of comfort and closure. Maybe during the pandemic, you've experienced other serious losses - loss of a job, the breakup of a significant relationship, loss of a long term friendship or you've been diagnosed with a serious illness (including COVID-19). All of these losses can also be a cause for grieving.

In this podcast, you will learn:

>>What are the signs that you are having a grief reaction >>How binge eating, food addiction, and emotional eating are a normal response to grief and loss. >>How to manage your grief, cope with losses during the pandemic – lessons learned from personal experience.

Mentioned on the show: Thanks for listening! Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com How you can reach (guest): Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

79: The Ultimate Guide to Ending Food Cravings NOW! Jan 20, 2021

"Depriving yourself of foods you crave just sets you up for more cravings"

Are you struggling with food cravings? Well, you're not alone. At least 50% of people experience food cravings on a regular basis. If you have binge eating, emotional eating, or food addiction, these cravings can threaten to overwhelm you and lead to unwanted behaviors. You may use food as a way to "self-medicate" your emotions. Essentially, the stress or unpleasant feelings are the “problem,” and eating is the “medicine” that makes you feel better.

In this episode, you will learn:

>>Why food cravings come from a lack of dopamine in the brain >>How to find out if you use food to help with your mood >>What specific things you can do to conquer your food cravings

HOMEWORK-- Try one or more of these tips to help you conquer your cravings:

1. Journal about your feelings. See if you can identify patterns associated with your cravings. If your journaling shows that you’re always hungry (emotionally) after stressful days at work, change your routine. Don’t go straight home and binge on peanut butter; stop at a local park and take a short walk, or call a friend to meet you for tea. 2. Here are some integrative medicine tips to help with cravings:

Eat bitter foods (ex. arugula, olives) to reduce sweet cravings
For salt cravings, look at how you're managing your stress and use "adaptogens" which are herbs that help your body deal with stress (ex. drink ginseng tea) or take a yoga class or take a nap
Take a chromium supplement to help keep your blood sugar stable to reduce cravings

3. Even if you give in to the cravings, eat mindfully and pay attention to how your body is feeling, and don't judge yourself 4. Get a good night's sleep (7-9 hours of sleep). Studies show that cravings are worse when we are tired

Thanks for listening!

If you are struggling and need professional help to manage stress during the pandemic, you can find a list of resources: https://bit.ly/3ooKNIC Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

78: This Might Be the BEST New Years Resolution You Can Make Jan 11, 2021

"Gratitude is the glue that lets us maintain our optimism!"

The New Year is usually a time when we make resolutions, express our hope for the future, and shake off our past troubles to make a new start at whatever we want to change. But 2020 was a much different and more challenging year!! So, how should you approach THIS New Year? Should we still be optimistic?

In this podcast, you will learn:

>What I learned from #MichaelJFox about his struggle with #optimism >Why it’s just as important to be realistic as it is to be optimistic. >What is the best New Year’s resolution you can make? Exercise mentioned in the podcast: Gratitude Practice

Homework Exercise: Thank You >>List below areas of your life where you feel you are struggling to be grateful. (Example: My mother does lots of thoughtful things for me, but I rarely show my appreciation.) >>In response to the list above, write specific actions you are willing to take to show your gratitude to people in the areas you listed. >>Create a Daily Practice

Choose from the list below or make your own list of things you can do every day to practice gratitude.

>>Take a few minutes at the start or end of each day to take three deep breaths— breathing in gratitude with each breath and feeling the energy of gratitude pulsing throughout your body with each beat of your heart. >>Say grace before your meals. >>Say thank you to at least five people every day for one week.

Affirmation mentioned in the podcast: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. Today I am grateful for all that I have and all that I am.” Thanks for listening!

If you are struggling and need professional help to manage stress during the pandemic, you can find a list of resources: https://bit.ly/3ooKNIC Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

77: Quarantine Resilience – Growing Through Our Pain Dec 21, 2020

“Pain can be an invitation to heal.”

When we began talking about the quarantine it was 8 months ago and I'm sure you, like me, had no idea that it would last this long. Because it has lasted so long, I am hearing from people all over the world and also reading the research showing that there are record increases in mental health issues.

Social isolation, fears about the virus, home-schooling, working from home, unemployment, and financial stress can lead to binge eating, emotional eating, and food addiction behaviors. Building resilience will help you get through difficult pandemic/quarantine struggles. As well, many people are finding they have grown in response to their struggle or loss.

In this podcast, you will learn:

10 steps you can take to build resilience.
How to take advantage of your struggles to build self-confidence
What you can do to find comfort without binging, emotionally eating, or having food addiction behaviors.

Mentioned on the show: Take the Resilience Quiz - https://carolynrossmd.com/resilience-questionnaire/

Exercise mentioned in the podcast: When one door closes, another opens.

The goal of this exercise is to help you realize that the end of one thing is also the beginning of something new. Also, the end of something positive is not only a negative. Shifting your perspective can help you to refocus from what is not there to the potential of the future.

1. Think of a time in your life when a door closed - you lost a job or a relationship, a business failed, etc. Then answer these questions: - What was the door that closed? - What led to the door closing? - What new experience came into your life? - What did you learn from this experience? - What character strengths did you use to get through this?

2. Now think of all the people who have helped you in the past to open new doors? What did they do? What can you do to help others open new doors?

Thanks for listening! If you are struggling and need professional help to manage stress during the pandemic, you can find a list of resources: https://bit.ly/3ooKNIC Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

76: Food and Money - Interview with Francine Rogers Dec 14, 2020

“Food and money are both used to self-soothe.”

You may not be aware that if you have binge eating, food addiction, or emotional eating, your relationship with food may be a mirror for your relationship with money. If you binge with food, you may also be a binge shopper or spender. My guest, Francine Rogers, says she can easily look at a client’s credit report and identify everything about their relationship with money. Both food and money can be used to self-soothe emotional upset, to celebrate, and to numb yourself.

In this episode, you will learn:

⦁ How food and money issues have the same root causes. ⦁ Why a focus on numbers (FICO score or the number on the scale) can never solve either food or money problems. ⦁ Three steps you can take to heal your relationship with food and money.

Mentioned on the show: Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com How you can reach Francine: https://www.facebook.com/purposefulcredit Where you can find me: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

75: Fullness - An Interview with Author Azure Moyna Dec 04, 2020

“Dysfunction in a family can trigger eating and body image issues.”

Azure Moyna has written a memoir about her journey to healing from an eating disorder and how her childhood trauma and family dysfunction contributed to the development of her food and body image issues.

In this podcast you will learn:

⦁ How and why family dysfunction can lead to an eating disorder ⦁ How writing a book can be a form of therapy ⦁ The role food plays and doesn’t play in binge eating disorder, food addiction, and emotional eating

STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

Start keeping a journal of your own journey to healing from binge eating, emotional eating, or food addiction. Challenge yourself to limit what you write in your journal to: positive changes in behavior or thinking, affirmations, quotes that inspire you, and what you’re grateful for.

Mentioned on the show:

Link to book “Fullness”: https://amzn.to/2JlCKNG

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

How you can reach Azure:

Azuremoyna.com

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

74: Midlife Eating Disorders Nov 23, 2020

Midlife eating disorders are increasingly common in women. Some midlife women experience binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, or emotional eating. Others may develop anorexia or bulimia. Midlife eating disorders may lead to unhealthy dieting as a way to solve uncomfortable transitions in life, grief and loss issues, or other stressors associated with aging. There are many causes of eating disorders in midlife that can include pandemic depression, menopausal changes in body image, perimenopausal depression, or anxiety over the future.

In this podcast you will learn:

1. What are the causes of midlife eating disorders? 2. What does midlife eating disorder prevention include? 3. How does trauma impact midlife eating disorders?

Mentioned on the show:

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

How you can reach Nicole:

https://www.mentalhealthnewsradionetwork.com/our-shows/zestful-aging/ https://www.zestfulaging.com/

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

73: Depression and Binge Eating Disorder Nov 18, 2020

In some studies, the association is between 84% and 100% of those with these eating disorders also having depression and anxiety. Binging, food obsessions, and body image issues can trigger or exacerbate depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety can also lead to binging and emotional eating. There are many types of depression including – pandemic depression, seasonal affective disorder, and some types of depression unique to women.

In this episode you will learn:

What is seasonal affective disorder?
How the pandemic has caused a spike in depression and anxiety.
What are the 3 types of depression unique to women?
How can you know if you have depression or anxiety?
How depression and anxiety affect binge eating, emotional eating, and food addiction.

Mentioned on the show: (links)

Schedule a free consult to discuss your food and body image issues: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet program offering ONLINE group and individual sessions for the treatment of binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction, and compulsive overeating. Want to learn more about the Anchor Program? https://AnchorProgram.com

72: Emotions, Food and the Body Nov 09, 2020

The current pandemic has resulted in an increase in fears about financial security. People have been experiencing feelings of stress, failure, and anxiety around money matters. Dr. Galen Buckwalter coined the term “financial PTSD” which may affect over 20% of the US population to describe this overwhelming fear and lack of financial security. My guest today will discuss how she works with clients in her financial planning business to identify hidden beliefs that impact their stress around money and why these beliefs may come from past traumas. “Twenty-three percent of adults and 36 percent of millennials experience financial stress at levels that qualify as a diagnosis of PTSD.” (Dr. Galen Buckwalter)

Mentioned on the show:

Three Tips for Building Resilience: https://cadynorth.com/3-tips-for-building-resilience

Find out if you are an emotional eater = take the quiz: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y8X8QYL

Join the webinar: “How to stop feeling crazy around food” http://bit.ly/2sEH7dS

To learn more about The Anchor Program: https://AnchorProgram.com

Supporting articles:

https://goop.com/wellness/career-money/are-you-struggling-with-financial-ptsd/

How you can reach Cady:

https://cadynorth.com/

Where you can find me:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing https://www.youtube.com/user/DrCarolynRoss

STUDY GUIDE:

Here are a few techniques you can begin to practice to help you with financial fears:

Negative thought stopping – try to interrupt constant repetitive thoughts about failure and financial worries.
Take my guest’s advice and practice using affirmations to keep your mind from defaulting to fear thoughts.
Recognize that financial PTSD can impact your eating behaviors. Stay present when eating and identify any emotions that may lead to overeating, binging, or obsessing about food.
Practice relaxing. Use apps like “calm.com” to hear relaxing music and meditations that will help lower your stress hormone levels.
Consider working with a therapist on your past traumas.

Be sure to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review!

71: Why Being a "Good Girl" Leaves Much to be Desired Nov 02, 2020

"A woman's fury holds lifetimes of wisdom." (Actress Traci Ellis)

Being a “good girl” often means at its most basic level, not being authentic; not being able to express yourself authentically. If you want to overcome binge eating or a negative body image, you need to realize that good girls can NEVER express anger. Over many past newsletters, I have highlighted the importance of being aware of your emotions as an important step in putting an end to unwanted behaviors such as binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, and emotional eating. Often we use archetypes as a way to deal with our emotions, covering up our personal truth. But it's more important now than ever to bring context to the roles or archetypes that define women's body identity and body image and most especially tend to define women living in larger bodies.

In this episode, you will learn:

How the roles we play can have an impact on our body size and body image.
How archetypes can hide the truth of who we are.
How to find your truth beneath the roles you play.

STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

1. Identify which archetype fits you best. 2. Look for the “truth” that your archetype may hold for you. 3. Listen to the Archetype meditation in the podcast and to recapture the dreams you may have lost or thrown away because of limits you or others placed on you because of your body size.

Mentioned on the show: Here is the link to my #TEDxPleasantGrove talk on intergenerational trauma: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

Schedule a free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

70: Interview #3 with an Anchor Program Graduate Oct 26, 2020

The Anchor Program is an online program that offers a non-diet approach to treating binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, and emotional eating. The video below is an interview with a graduate from the Anchor Program (1 year after she completed both the 12-week intensive and the 6-month Subscription program). I wanted to do these interviews as a way to demonstrate the successes these amazing women have achieved in the program and to highlight what "success" means when you take a deeper approach to deal with food and body image issues.

Schedule a free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

69: Interview #2 with an Anchor Program Graduate Oct 21, 2020

The Anchor Program is an online program that offers a non-diet approach to treating binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, and emotional eating. The video below is an interview with a graduate from the Anchor Program (1 year after she completed both the 12-week intensive and the 6-month Subscription program). I wanted to do these interviews as a way to demonstrate the successes these amazing women have achieved in the program and to highlight what "success" means when you take a deeper approach to deal with food and body image issues.

Schedule a free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

68: How to Stop Using Food as a Crutch Oct 12, 2020

If you've been using binge eating, emotional eating or food addiction behaviors or body dissatisfaction as a way to deal with your stress, emotions or to deal with underlying childhood beliefs of unworthiness or unlovability, it is hard to change. Want to know how to deal with stress and food cravings? Want stress relief, food addiction help, and an end to emotional eating. Listen in.

In this episode, you will learn:

How to deal with emotions without using food as a crutch.
Specific actions you can take to deal with stress without using food as a crutch.
Why your body is the result not the cause of your problems.

STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

1. List situations in your life that are stressful. Some examples might include: - loneliness - dissatisfaction at work - relationship issues (relationship with parents, siblings, partner/spouse, friends) - parenting concerns and fears - financial - other - add in any other stressful situations in your life right now 2. For each of these situations, make a list of behaviors you have around food that you are recognizing are a response to these life stressors. For example, I was laid off from work and have been worried about finding another job. Looking back, I've noticed that I've been eating lots of junk food "because it's cheaper" but really because of wanting to be comforted. 3. List 1 statement (affirmation) you can say to yourself the next time you "feel fat." For example, I can ask myself "what are you really feeling?" or I can remind myself that I can use another skill to deal with stress rather than food or body hatred.

Mentioned on the show: Schedule free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Here is the link to my #TEDxPleasantGrove talk on intergenerational trauma: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

67: Interview with an Anchor Program Graduate Oct 05, 2020

The Anchor Program is an online program that offers a non-diet approach to treating binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, and emotional eating. The video below is an interview with a graduate from the Anchor Program (1 year after she completed both the 12-week intensive and the 6-month Subscription program). I wanted to do these interviews as a way to demonstrate the successes these amazing women have achieved in the program and to highlight what "success" means when you take a deeper approach to deal with food and body image issues.

Mentioned on the show: Schedule a free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

66: I Feel Fat Today! Sep 28, 2020

Many of the people I work with - whether it be with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, food addiction, or emotional eating - see their bodies as separate from their lives (and never the twain shall meet). Like the separation of church and state. They don't realize that negative body image is often directly related to what's happening in their lives or what has happened in their lives.

In this episode, you will learn:

Why I say “fat is not a feeling.”
Why the size of your body is not the REAL problem.
Why fixing your body won’t fix your life.

"Fixing your body won't fix your life."

STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

1. List situations in your life that are stressful. Some examples might include: - loneliness - dissatisfaction at work - relationship issues (relationship with parents, siblings, partner/spouse, friends) - parenting concerns and fears - financial - other - add in any other stressful situations in your life right now 2. For each of these situations, make a list of behaviors you have around food that you are recognizing are a response to these life stressors. For example, I was laid off from work and have been worried about finding another job. Looking back, I've noticed that I've been eating lots of junk food "because it's cheaper" but really because of wanting to be comforted. 3. List 1 statement (affirmation) you can say to yourself the next time you "feel fat." For example, I can ask myself "what are you really feeling?" or I can remind myself that I can use another skill to deal with stress rather than food or body hatred.

Mentioned on the show -- Schedule free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Here is the link to my #TEDxPleasantGrove talk on intergenerational trauma: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

65: Overcoming Body Hatred Sep 07, 2020

Many people with food and body image issues hold on to the belief that the only thing keeping them from being fat or fatter is having to whip themselves in shape periodically, or getting mad at themselves when they “make a mistake.” The negative self-talk and body hatred that goes along with the diet mentality does not address in any way the underlying reason for your binge eating, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, food addiction, or emotional eating.

Homework: Ask yourself how your body hatred limits your life 1. When you go shopping for clothing 2. In your friendships 3. In having an intimate relationship or your desire for one 4. In social situations 5. At work 6. With your children

Schedule free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

64: Do I Need to Lose Weight to be Healthy? - Part 2 Aug 31, 2020

Research from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study demonstrates that the true causes of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases may be related to your childhood.

Getting thin(ner) won't fix your childhood experiences. But healing from these experiences can give you help with food addiction, freedom from emotional eating and less food obsessions from food addiction.

HOMEWORK: Think of how much of your time and energy you spend on thoughts about your body, negative self-talk, self -judgment, body hatred.

Now think of what you could do with that time and energy if you no longer obsessed about your food and body image issues.

Mentioned on the show: (links) Poodle Science Video: https://youtu.be/H89QQfXtc-k Schedule free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

63: Do I Need to Lose Weight to be Healthy? - Part 1 Aug 18, 2020

I have so many patients who come to me absolutely certain that they have to be thin in order to be healthy. Usually, these are women who have been dieting, hating their bodies, being obsessed with food, binge eating, compulsive overeating, or who identify as emotional eaters or individuals with food addiction. They may be as young as 25 or as old as 70. What they have in common is the desperate need to be thin.

Mentioned on the show -- Poodle Science Video: https://youtu.be/H89QQfXtc-k Schedule free Anchor Program consult: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

62: Are You Prepared for Your Next Relapse? Aug 05, 2020

You may be afraid to think about the possibility of relapsing from binge eating, food addiction, or emotional eating in the future. In fact, many people believe that even talking about lapses gives you an excuse to go back to your old behaviors. The truth is that your cravings may come back when you least expect them. Maybe you’ll be doing well, but then you get a promotion at work and have old feelings of insecurity come up. Next thing you know, you’re standing at the refrigerator with an empty carton of ice cream in your hand. Relapse happens…here’s what you can do about them.

In this podcast, you will learn:

How to be ready for your next relapse from binging., emotional eating, food addiction.
3 Steps that will change the mindset about the meaning of relapses from binge eating, emotional eating, food addiction.
What “being woke” means for your binge eating, food addiction, and emotional eating recovery

Mentioned in the podcast To schedule a free consult with Dr. Ross – https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

61: Why Am I Binging More During the Pandemic - Part 2 Aug 03, 2020

Many people who are in recovery from binge eating, food addiction, or emotional eating stay at the superficial level, as in not obsessing about food or not bingeing. While it is important to overcome binge eating, to get food addiction help and to find freedom from emotional eating, but your unwanted behaviors can also be seen as the gateway for a deeper understanding of yourself and your eating addiction—not just an end result. The ultimate goal of healing from binge eating, food addiction, or emotional eating is to find soul satisfaction, to awaken to who you truly are—seeing yourself, your flaws, and your mistakes with compassion.

In this podcast, you will learn: What it means to be conscious / woke and what that has to do with binge eating. 3 Steps you can take to improve your physical well being. How to stop focusing on being perfect and start living again.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

More from Dr. Ross Check out my TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

To schedule a free consult with Dr. Ross – https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

60: Why Am I Binging More During the Pandemic? – Part 1 Jul 21, 2020

Do you want to overcome binge eating, get food addiction help or have freedom from emotional eating? Are you finding yourself binge eating more during the COVID-19 pandemic? You may feel like you’re putting yourself first by obsessing about food or about your body, but actually you’re using food to satisfy cravings or to keep staying in your comfort zone first. You may also be overwhelmed by the quarantine due to COVID 19 and fears and anxiety about what’s happening in society. If you are black, indigenous, LatinX, or a person of color, you may literally be feeling that you are not safe. The chaos of these times can reactivate historical and intergenerational trauma, triggering you and leading to binging. Now’s the time to prioritize your own well-being.

In this podcast, you will learn:

To identify triggers that lead to binging., emotional eating, food addiction.
4 Steps you can take that will improve your mental and emotional well being.
Why counting on willpower in your recovery will never work.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

Download my free e-book – The 5 Levels of Recovery: https://YourFoodBattle.com

Link to Beach relaxation meditation: https://carolynrossmd.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

More from Dr. Ross Check out my TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

To schedule a free consult with Dr. Ross – https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

59: Food Addiction Help Jul 13, 2020

Food addiction, like addiction to drugs or alcohol, often begins as a way to manage stress, turn up the volume on pleasant emotions (like happiness or comfort), or dampen uncomfortable feelings (like anxiety, anger, or sadness). Since 2010, researchers at Yale University have been using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) to identify people with food addiction. Binge eating disorder shares a number of characteristics with food addiction.

To download the guided imagery mentioned in the podcast, use this link: https://carolynrossmd.com/journey-of-discovery/

To learn more about the Anchor Program for food addiction, emotional eating and binge eating: https://AnchorProgram.com

Check out my TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

58: What to Do After Binge Eating Jul 09, 2020

It's been a tough day, week, month! You've been struggling with your eating behaviors and you've been upset that you've starting binging more often. Things had been going well for a while and you thought you had the binging under control. You convinced yourself after every binge that you won't binge again. And then, it happens again and again. You may feel like a failure, disappointed in yourself, or just tired of dealing with this issue. But maybe you've been thinking about this all wrong without knowing it.

Ever wonder why you are struggling? It may be due to intergenerational trauma. Learn more by viewing my TEDxPleasantGrove talk: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

To schedule a free consult with Dr. Ross, go to my website: https://AnchorProgram.com

57: You Don't Know What You Don't Know Jun 29, 2020

Awareness Is Not Enough. Implicit bias makes it acceptable to discriminate against people for race but also for size, sexual orientation, age, and abilities. You may have a hard time identifying with bias based on skin color, but maybe you're in one of the other groups that have been discriminated against. Remember, if there isn't justice for all, there won't be justice for any.

FREE MEDITATIONS – bit.ly/crossmd

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES – To learn more about my personal experiences with historical trauma and how it impacted my work with people with eating disorders and addictions, see my #TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

To schedule a free consult with Dr. Ross – https://AnchorProgram.com

*To test yourself for implicit bias, you can take the Implicit Association Test

*Jane Elliott's brown-eyed / blue-eyed experiment: https://youtu.be/1mcCLm_LwpE

56: I Overeat Because I Just Love Food Jun 15, 2020

Have you ever heard someone say: "The reason I overeat, is because I just love food"? I hear this a lot from my patients with food and body image issues. But when you think about it - food doesn't taste any better if you eat just enough versus if you binge or overeat. So the question is: can you love food without having to eat more than your body needs. How does know this change your behaviors such as binge eating, emotional eating, or food addiction?

In this episode, you will learn:

How impulsive behaviors around food are driven by deeper needs. Why your journey to healing is sacred. How do you build resilience? How does your family’s dynamic affect your current food and body image issues?

Resources mentioned in the video:

Webinar “How to stop feeling crazy around food.” - http://bit.ly/2sEH7dS

Email me about what kind of family dynamic you grew up in: carolyn@carolynrossmd.com

The Anchor Program is a 12-week non-diet approach to healing the root cause of your binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, and binge eating. https://AnchorProgram.com

55: Shall I Tell You What I Find Most Beautiful About You? Jun 15, 2020

The question above comes from the 1984 movie “Starman” and has stuck in my mind because the answer to that question is what exemplifies what makes Americans great. Protests about the death of George Floyd and the COVID-19 pandemic may be triggering your binge eating, food addiction, and emotional eating.

In this video you will learn:

Four techniques to help yourself stabilize and avoid unwanted behaviors during stressful times What makes Americans a beautiful people. Why your experiences during this time can take you deeper into the work of your own recovery.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

The Equal Justice Initiative website provides factual information that will help you understand Black history: https://eji.org/reports/segregation-in-america/

My TEDxPleasantGrove talk discusses my experience of growing up in the segregated South during the Jim Crow era: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

Check out the Netflix documentary: “13th” to learn more about why racial discrimination is linked to excessive incarceration of Black men.

A great article that summarizes what is the frustration behind the protests: https://bit.ly/2MxNExO

You can email me your “acts of compassion” here: crossmd@mac.com

54: Consistency Trumps Intensity May 25, 2020

Consistency trumps intensity and novelty. What does that mean? I hear over and over how my patients are able to stick with a new (novel) eating plan, exercise routine, or (fill in the blank) for only a short time then they are off to something new (novel). Many tend to gravitate towards dramatic or intense new ways of eating or being physically active (ex. CrossFit). They feel pumped up by a new diet or by a new way to "lose belly fat," for example.

If you've experienced toxic stress in childhood, your brain is also likely to crave not just sweets but intensity and novelty. You may not feel like you're not working out enough unless you're dripping in sweat and sore all over. Why? Because what your brain is craving is the same thing it gets from starting a new/novel fad diet or eating emotionally - a spike in the feel-good brain chemical - dopamine. "If you've experienced toxic stress in childhood, your brain is also likely to crave not just sweets but intensity and novelty."

DISCUSSED ON THE PROGRAM:

FREE MEDITATIONS – bit.ly/crossmd

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Check out my TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

To schedule a free consult with Dr. Ross – https://AnchorProgram.com

53: Stress Builds Character May 18, 2020

Research has shown that toxic stress - for example, adverse childhood experiences (prolonged and extreme stress without compensatory support) changes the brain - increasing the risk for addictions, eating disorders, and other mental and physical health issues. However, on the other end of the spectrum, NO stress deprives a child in particular of the brain changes that help them learn emotional regulation and resilience. In childhood, life experiences AND life stresses (when coupled with family support) help the brain develop pathways that allow the child to better respond to stress in the future. The most important life experience for children is how their parents and other adults interact with them. “If you are never tested, you won't be prepared.”

Schedule free consult with Dr. Ross: https://AnchorProgram.com TEDxPleasantGrove on Intergenerational Trauma: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM Stress reduction meditation: https://carolynrossmd.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

52: Healthism May 05, 2020

Health, particularly behavioral health, has become bound up in morality. The term for this is “healthism” based on a philosophy that everyone is responsible for their health but in a way that makes “healthy behaviors” seem to be more morally superior. This is particularly a problem when it comes to body size. There is a feeling that if health is under your control, then that means you must be “choosing” to be obese (as defined by body mass index). Often people living in larger bodies, then are blamed for not fitting into the “healthy ideal.

The problem is that moralizing about health creates weight stigma, which we know leads to discrimination against people of size in many areas of their lives. “Healthism is the new way to promote weight loss.” Schedule free consult with Dr. Ross: https://AnchorProgram.com TEDxPleasantGrove on Intergenerational Trauma: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM Stress reduction meditation: https://carolynrossmd.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

51: Coping during COVID 19 Apr 27, 2020

FREE MEDITATIONS – bit.ly/crossmd

The Anchor Program is an Online 12-week non-diet program for people with binge eating, food addiction, and emotional eating: https://AnchorProgram.com

50: Overcoming Food Shame Apr 21, 2020

Food shame is common in individuals with binge eating, food addiction, emotional or stress eating. Certain foods are more prone to being a source of shame and can lead to overeating and binging. How do the keto diet, paleo diet or intermittent fasting lead to food shame? Stress can also contribute to or result in food shame. Learn how to overcome food shame.

RESOURCES:

Check out my TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

FREE MEDITATIONS – bit.ly/crossmd

The Anchor Program is an Online 12-week non-diet program for people with binge eating, food addiction, and emotional eating: https://AnchorProgram.com

49: I’ve Been Sick. How Are You? Apr 13, 2020

The past few weeks have been difficult for many people, myself included. I'm reaching out to you now because I also know that if you have binge eating disorder, food addiction or you are an emotional or stress eater, this may be a particularly difficult time to manage your eating behaviors.

FREE MEDITATIONS – bit.ly/crossmd

Check out my TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

49: I’ve Been Sick. How Are You? Apr 13, 2020

The past few weeks have been difficult for many people, myself included. I'm reaching out to you now because I also know that if you have binge eating disorder, food addiction or you are an emotional or stress eater, this may be a particularly difficult time to manage your eating behaviors.

FREE MEDITATIONS – bit.ly/crossmd

Check out my TEDxPleasantGrove talk on Intergenerational trauma here: https://youtu.be/ljdFLCc3RtM

48: Emotions, Food and the Body Apr 06, 2020

If you are an emotional overeater, this problem probably began early in your life. As a child, if you were not taught to manage your emotions, you may be at higher risk for engaging in emotional eating as an adult. Or if you had difficulty postponing gratification as a child, threw tantrums, or expressed excessive anger about food, this also would have put you at risk for weight and food issues. The goal is to be able to experience a normal range of emotions without feeling so uncomfortable with those emotions that you use food (or other substances or behaviors) to avoid dealing with them. Here are a few techniques you can begin to practice to help you end emotional eating:

When you find yourself wanting to emotional or stress eating, try to identify the emotion you’re feeling and consider what this emotion may be trying to tell you about your situation. Every emotion has a purpose.
Try not to judge your emotion. Think of emotion as energy that needs to be expressed.
How can you move or express that energy of emotion in a way that does not hurt yourself or others?

Find out if you are an emotional eater = take the quiz: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y8X8QYL

Join the webinar: “How to stop feeling crazy around food” http://bit.ly/2sEH7dS To learn more about The Anchor Program - https://AnchorProgram.com

47: What Am I Really Hungry For? Mar 23, 2020

Many people feel their emotions are overwhelming while other people may have completely shut down any access to their emotions and even have trouble identifying what they are feeling. Both reactions to emotional pain are two sides of the same coin—attempts to escape from your emotions. But what are you really hungry for? What if your emotions are the breadcrumbs that can lead you to the secret meaning of your hunger? When you eat emotionally, if you are able to pay attention to the breadcrumbs and gain insight into why you are feeling emotional at this moment, you may be able to see a pattern that helps you understand your cravings on a deeper level.

STUDY GUIDE : What would be missing in my life if I no longer could turn to these specific foods to deal with your problems or your emotions? What is the dream you’re craving? What are you really hungry for?

Anchor Program starting soon! To learn more, sign up for a FREE consult here: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Download a free meditation audio file: https://carolynrossmd.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

Join me for my webinar “How to Stop Feeling Crazy Around Food” if you’re ready to get out of the vicious cycle: http://bit.ly/2sEH7dS

46: How to Stop Mindless Emotional Eating Mar 16, 2020

STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

Identify specific emotions and their body sensations. Then list a situation when you remember feeling each emotion strongly. Then list the body location and sensations associated with each emotion. Finally, see if you can identify nonverbal cues that are associated with each emotion. For example, think of your facial expressions, body posture, hand gestures, and other body languages that indicate what you’re feeling.

Anchor Program starting soon! To learn more, sign up for a FREE consult here: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Download the e-book “The Five Keys to Recovery” – https://YourFoodBattle.com

If you can identify with Maryann's story and are ready to learn more about how to put an end to your mindless emotional eating, join my webinar

"How to stop feeling crazy around food” - http://bit.ly/2ToZOw0

46: How to Stop Mindless Emotional Eating Mar 16, 2020

STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

Identify specific emotions and their body sensations. Then list a situation when you remember feeling each emotion strongly. Then list the body location and sensations associated with each emotion. Finally, see if you can identify nonverbal cues that are associated with each emotion. For example, think of your facial expressions, body posture, hand gestures, and other body languages that indicate what you’re feeling.

Anchor Program starting soon! To learn more, sign up for a FREE consult here: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Download the e-book “The Five Keys to Recovery” – https://YourFoodBattle.com

If you can identify with Maryann's story and are ready to learn more about how to put an end to your mindless emotional eating, join my webinar

"How to stop feeling crazy around food” - http://bit.ly/2ToZOw0

46: How to Stop Mindless Emotional Eating Mar 16, 2020

STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

Identify specific emotions and their body sensations. Then list a situation when you remember feeling each emotion strongly. Then list the body location and sensations associated with each emotion. Finally, see if you can identify nonverbal cues that are associated with each emotion. For example, think of your facial expressions, body posture, hand gestures, and other body languages that indicate what you’re feeling.

Anchor Program starting soon! To learn more, sign up for a FREE consult here: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Download the e-book “The Five Keys to Recovery” – https://YourFoodBattle.com

If you can identify with Maryann's story and are ready to learn more about how to put an end to your mindless emotional eating, join my webinar

"How to stop feeling crazy around food” - http://bit.ly/2ToZOw0

45: How Can I Ever Gain Control and Heal My Food and Body Image Issues Mar 09, 2020

I’ve discussed in recent emails and podcasts the importance of recognizing how shame and guilt can affect your eating behaviors and can exacerbate binge eating, compulsive overeating, food addiction, and emotional eating. This is a very difficult subject and one most of us don’t want to think about. But it is an important topic to understand. When we shame ourselves and when we set unrealistically high expectations and then feel guilty or shame ourselves for not meeting them, we can find ourselves stuck in a vicious cycle that often includes using food in unhealthy ways. Brene’ Brown says: "Shame is far more likely to cause destructive behaviors than it is to cure them." Self-compassion is the antidote to shame. STUDY GUIDE: HOMEWORK

Challenge yourself to do at least one self-compassionate action each day for 7 days. Examples might include, giving yourself reassurance, doing some deep breathing, practicing positive self-talk, giving yourself a hug. Keep a record each day of the self-compassionate actions you’ve taken and also how being self-compassionate feels.

Anchor Program starting soon! To learn more, sign up for a FREE consult here: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Download a free meditation audio file: https://carolynrossmd.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

Join me for my webinar “How to Stop Feeling Crazy Around Food” if you’re ready to get out of the vicious cycle: http://bit.ly/2sEH7dS

44: How Do I Heal My Guilt About What I've Done in the Past Mar 02, 2020

Ever blame yourself for something you think you should have done or something you did that was wrong? Maybe you blame yourself for your last binge or for not living up to your values or goals for the future. Is it possible to overcome the shame, and feelings of failure?

In this episode we will discuss:

The difference between guilt and shame
What is healthy guilt?
Why you may want to hold on to guilt and shame?
Why guilt and shame may make your binge eating, food addiction or emotional eating worse.

Anchor Program starting soon! To learn more, sign up for a FREE consult here: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

Download a free meditation audio file: https://carolynrossmd.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

Join me for my webinar “How to Stop Feeling Crazy Around Food” if you’re ready to get out of the vicious cycle: http://bit.ly/2sEH7dS

43: Self-Compassion Beyond Food and Body Image Feb 26, 2020

On today’s episode I will discuss:

1. What is self-compassion? 2. Why is self-compassion so important? 3. How can you develop self-compassion?

HOMEWORK: List 2 ways in which you can treat yourself with more compassion. Many people who have trouble feeling self-compassion, can imagine being compassionate towards a small child or a pet. So think of how you can give yourself the same care you would give to a small child or pet.

Anchor Program starting soon! To learn more, sign up for a FREE consult here: https://findingyouranchor.as.me/consult

42: Why Do I Binge When I Feel Shame Feb 24, 2020

In this episode, I will be discussing how shame that can start in childhood can impact your eating behaviors, self-confidence, and self-acceptance.

Homework to journal about :

Exercise: 1. Picture yourself at your family's dinner table. Ask yourself which foods were "forbidden" to you and why. What emotion did you feel? 2. Next, imagine a time when you felt shame about your body or your size. What emotion did you feel? 3. Now go back to each situation in 1 and 2 above and do the following: Practice saying at least one encouraging statement in each situation. For example: "I am worthy to eat what my body desires" or "I am proud of my strong body." The goal is to challenge the shame and instead of hiding because of it or binging to escape it, finding a way to have compassion for yourself and realize that you don't have to be perfect to deserve compassion.

FREE GIFT – GUIDED PROCESS DOWNLOAD HERE: https://carolynrossmd.com/loving-kindness-meditation/

41: Overcoming Resistance to Binge Eating Disorder Recovery Jan 20, 2020

In today’s episode, I will be discussing 5 points of resistance in trying to overcome binge eating disorder that can keep you stuck, repeating the same behaviors over and over again. I will discuss specific ways to address these stumbling blocks so you can overcome binge eating disorder.

What you’ll learn listening to this episode:

The 5 Key Points of Resistance in healing from binge eating disorder
What is exercise trauma
How do you shift your mindset to avoid food confusion and diet thinking?
How body hatred sabotages binge eating disorder recovery

40: Help! I Need a Miracle in 2020!! Jan 06, 2020

On today’s episode, I will be discussing: A new way for you to manage your relationship with food and your body in the New Year

What you’ll learn listening to this episode: 1. What is intuitive eating 2. What the $60 billion dollar weight loss industry won’t tell you 3. What is reward deficiency syndrome and what does it have to do with food cravings.

I invite you to consider making 2020 a NO-DIET year. Journal about how many diets you’ve been on in the past and how many worked (in the long run). What have you learned about dieting?

39: Put an End to Stress Eating Dec 23, 2019

In today’s episode I will be discussing how to end stress eating.

Stress can be difficult to define because it has so many causes and is different for different people. But you know what stress feels like, and you also have probably experienced how stress can wear you down—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The bottom line is - we all react to stress differently. Your perceptions and reactions to different situations are what make them stressful or not. Your perceptions are like wearing glasses with a certain color lens. If your lenses are red, then everything you see looks red.

Don't knock stress eating

One of the most common ways we deal with stress is by overeating. Eating can serve to push down unwanted emotions or it can be a way to numb yourself when you don't want to feel what you are feeling. Eating can provide us with a temporary feeling of comfort. This is only a problem if it is your only way to deal with stress. Comfort foods are part of the body’s inherent feedback system to help you return to balance. When stressed, you eat comfort foods that make you feel better for a time by stimulating the dopamine reward centers in the brain

Stress is the #1 cause of emotional overeating and bingeing

Acute stress leads to the fight, flight or freeze reaction and the release of adrenaline and is sometimes associated with loss of appetite. However, if stress continues, cortisol is released, stimulating your appetite, making you feel hungry all the time, it also makes you more likely to eat “comfort foods” and put on weight.

3 Ways to Deal with Stress Eating

Social support: Tapping into sources of social support (family, friends, clergy, etc.) is important in managing stress and helping you cope with food and weight issues. Avoid eating when you're tired. When you’re stressed to the max, you may feel tired and have low energy. Don’t mistake this for true physical hunger. Prioritize your well-being: One source of stress is always putting other people first and not doing good self-care. When you feel stressed - get a massage, see your chiropractor, or just take a bubble bath. Take some time to reset and replenish your energy.

Stress is unavoidable—we’re all prone to it. It is vital to recognize the signs of stress before it causes health problems for you, to be aware of your personal stressors, and to develop strategies for managing stress.

38: I’m a Guy...I Can’t Possibly Have an Eating Disorder Dec 16, 2019

A growing number of studies are showing an increase in men with eating disorders. For men, there is an even greater stigma and even less awareness about eating disorders, which makes it difficult for them to get treatment. If you have an eating disorder, you may not recognize that your son, or a male in your family is at increased risk for an eating disorder. You may not also realize that your negative statements about your own body can affect the boys in your life. Learn more about how eating disorders present in boys and men on this podcast.

What you’ll learn listening to this episode:

-Boys and men can have eating disorders too -Body image issues in men are different than those in women -Eating disorders run in families for men and women -Boys and men are being more influenced by media images than in the past

37: Overcoming Barriers to Making Changes in Your Life Dec 04, 2019

Dr. Armstrong discusses the role of the psyche in helping us to make positive transformations in our lives, and the role of the spirit in sustaining this transformative work. As well we talk about why it is difficult for African Americans to seek mental health care and where the #strongblackwoman archetype comes from.

For more info, please visit https://carolynrossmd.com/podcasts

Religion And The Drive To Be Thin With Michelle Lelwica, ThD Nov 01, 2019

Carolyn Coker Ross and guest Michelle Lelwica, ThD explore the spiritual dimensions of eating and body image problems, including the ways women’s relentless pursuit of thinness serve what has historically been a religious function insofar as this quest provides a sense of meaning, even though it fails to deliver the “salvation” it promises. Join this insightful discussion with Michelle as she explains the religion of thinness and how the American culture has recycled and repurposed some traditional Christian narratives about women’s bodies, and these narratives shape many women’s attitudes towards their own bodies, whether or not they are Christian (or religious).

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Health Beyond Diet With Stephanie Dodier Oct 07, 2019

For decades, we’ve been told that you have to lose weight to be healthy. This mindset gave birth to the diet culture that many have suffered from. In this episode, get ready to take your life back as clinical nutritionist, speaker, podcast host, and the Founder of the Going Beyond The Food Academy, Stephanie Dodiershares her personal journey of healing from food and body image struggles. At the peak of her first career, Stephanie’s body gave out on her. Diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions, she realized she needed a solution, not the next diet. That began her healing journey to being where she is today with a health beyond diet.

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Healthy Gut, Healthy Mind? with Dr. Emeran Mayer Sep 30, 2019

We have all experienced the connection between our mind and our gut – the decision we made because it “felt right,” the butterflies in our stomach before a big meeting, the anxious stomach rumbling when we’re stressed out. While the dialogue between the gut and the brain has been recognized by ancient healing traditions including Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, Western medicine has failed to appreciate the complexity of how the brain, gut, and more recently, the microbiome – the microorganisms that live inside us – communicate with one another. Do the gut microbiota influence our brain and behavior? Why is a plant-based diet optimal for our microbes and for our health? What role does the mind play in our attitude towards food? These are just a few of the interesting questions Dr. Emeran Mayer discusses in this podcast as well as the revolution that is happening in medicine as we learn more and more about the influence of the gut microbiome on our behaviors, our thinking, and our health and wellness.

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Using Mindfulness In Recovery From Addictions And Eating Disorders with Dr. Rebecca Williams Sep 24, 2019

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. Dr. Rebecca Williams, the co-author of a new book, The Gift of Recovery: 52 Mindful Ways to Live Joyfully Beyond Addiction, joins The Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross show to discuss the benefit of using mindfulness skills in healthy recovery from addictive behaviors. She talks about what mindfulness really is and why mindful principles are a fit in recovery from unwanted or addictive behaviors.

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Treating Guilt And Shame Resulting From Trauma with Dr. Carolyn Allard Sep 09, 2019

Guilt and shame during or after traumatic experiences can make it difficult to recover from the pain of trauma. A reason for that is that unworthiness to feel better because of what a person felt they had done wrong. In this episode, Dr. Carolyn Allard, Associate Professor and Program Director of the PhD Program at the CSPP at Alliant International University, dives deep into a one-of-a-kind method of treating guilt and shame. She and her colleagues have developed the TrIGR approach — Trauma Informed Guilt Reduction Therapy — that can be used to help people with PTSD and other forms of posttraumatic disorders related to combat, sexual and interpersonal abuse, childhood abuse and neglect, and other types of trauma. Guilt and shame are only recently being studied as a way of helping people heal from trauma. With TrIGR, you have a well-developed and tested approach to identify causes of guilt and shame and a concerted approach to treatment.

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Mom Hacks with Dr. Darria Gillespie Feb 23, 2019

Taking the lessons she learned from her bout with arthritis plus the mentality that lets her feel competent in her work as an ER doctor, Dr. Darria Long Gillespie created a system so that she and every other woman out there can handle anything in the world and say, “I’ve got this.” She joins the show to discuss her recently published book, Mom Hacks. The book is not just for moms, however. It offers over 100 scientifically-based strategies to make it easier to eat better, be more active, manage stress, and develop resilience that anyone can benefit from.

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