Boyfriend's Bad Eating Habits

Dear Charlotte,

I have a new boyfriend and he is great. However, he has some really bad eating habits that I have started to pick up too. We love to eat together, go out, snack late, grab late night ice cream, or coffee drinks. I have realized that we go from one meal to the next, with snacks in between—and a lot of the time it isn’t really healthy food either!

It has been such a fun and happy time and I don’t want it to stop. However, I have gained 15 lbs and stopped walking and biking on the weekends… instead we wake up and pick the restaurant we are going to that evening over a big greasy breakfast, and then settle down in front of the TV with snacks all day.

We laugh and eat… but is my relationship doomed if I stop eating with him day and night? Or is my waistline doomed if I choose to see where this relationship will go?

Stuffed Stephanie, NYC

Dear Stephanie –
Oh… the joys of a new relationship! Going out and having fun, laughing and enjoying time together is part of the joys of getting to know a new prospective partner.

My advice to you would be to start to look for ways to bring other activities into your time together. Enjoy eating… and don’t feel guilty for enjoying it. But, spend more time working in a trip to the park, or a visit to the bookstore. What other things do you like doing? Do you like to travel or go to art galleries? Do you enjoy hiking or exploring the city? Find some other things that allow you to spend time getting to know each other and having fun—besides eating.

Eating is a part of our day. It can be an activity along the way, and an occasional destination, but it can’t be the only thing you get done each day. As you have already figured out… that isn’t healthy.

Enjoy being in a new relationship—it is fun and exciting. Slowly bring in other things the two of you might like to do together, have in common or take time by yourselves to do the things that also make you happy. Your relationship will blossom or bust, but don’t let food be the reason for either.

It sounds like you have a great start of a relationship. Good luck taking it to the next level… a place with more to do and less to eat!

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Become The Real You is a process is for anyone who:

--Is tired of yo-yo dieting
--Wants to return to their natural shape
--Wants to come to peace with food and their body
--Wants to lose weight permanently
--Wants freedom from food obsession
Contact Charlotte today to learn more at 800.496.7710

Eating for Two... Concerned about my weight

Dear Charlotte,

I need your advice and help... I have always used food as a way to numb myself from the pain of a bad childhood and abusive relationships. I eat when I am sad or out of control. Sometimes food is my only friend.

I recently found out that I am pregnant (6 weeks), and my boyfriend and I are excited. It was unplanned, but I think I am ready to be a mom, (I am 29). I do worry a lot about food. I know I am overweight already, and that I have bad eating habits, and now I am eating for two, and I want to give my baby the best I can.

I am ready to make a change, but I need help. Where do I start?

Carol M. Indiana

Dear Carol,

Congratulations on your pregnancy, and best of luck with the baby. It sounds like you have a lot of things going on in your life, and it is important to take good care of yourself—especially since you are going to be a mom.

Bringing a new life into the world is a big responsibility. You have already shown that you are aware of how what you eat will affect the health of the baby, and this is a wonderful first step. I would like to work with you as your life coach, (we can do this over the phone) over the next several months so that when the baby arrives, you will have dealt with your food issues, (which clearly go deep and should be addressed) and you will be able to continue your new good habits and be a great example to your new son or daughter.

I applaud you for taking control, and I look forward to working with you during your pregnancy.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Become The Real You is a process is for anyone who:
--Is tired of yo-yo dieting
--Wants to return to their natural shape
--Wants to come to peace with food and their body
--Wants to lose weight permanently
--Wants freedom from food obsession

Contact Charlotte today to learn more at 800.496.7710

Feeling Healthy

Dear Charlotte,

I have always considered myself to be a “healthy” person—I ate right, exercised, etc. But in the last two years my weight has ballooned and I am tired all the time. I have no energy to exercise, or even cook. I find that I am binging on junk food or stopping at fast food restaurants all the time.

I am depressed and I know I have fallen into a bad cycle. How do I get out?

Marleen G.
Tennessee

Dear Marleen,

There may be a medical reason for your weight gain and fatigue. Twenty-seven million Americans suffer from a thyroid condition, and left undiagnosed, it can be very serious. My advice to you is to get yourself to doctor first to see if this could be the situation in your case. A thyroid condition can be easily detected with a blood test, and easily treated with medication.

If the thyroid is not to blame for the weight-gain (and even if it is) then we will next look at the causes of your bad eating habits. How do you feel after you get fast food? Physically, are you satisfied by these meals? Emotionally, do you have guilt when you don’t eat “healthy?” If I have the pleasure of working with you, I may ask that you keep a food diary, (not to track calories, I don’t believe in that) but rather to make you aware of how food makes you “feel.”

You are right that you are in a “bad cycle.” It is one that so many of us have fallen in to, however, it is one that can broken. And when this happens, you will be healthier—inside and out!

Give me a call at 800.496.7710.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!

Become The Real You is a process is for anyone who:
--Is tired of yo-yo dieting
--Wants to return to their natural shape
--Wants to come to peace with food and their body
--Wants to lose weight permanently
--Wants freedom from food obsession

Contact Charlotte today to learn more at 800.496.7710.

"I still look pregnant!"

Dear Charlotte,

I had a baby a while ago and it still looks like I'm pregnant. What should I do first to lose this belly fat? I also want to know what should I eat and how many times a day I should eat.

Tonya, S.

Dear Tonya,

it can take over a year for you to lose “the belly” after a baby, and it gets harder after each one—but it isn’t impossible. I suspect that if we looked at your eating habits, exercise and the amount or sleep you get, we would find out a lot about why you are not able to lose this weight. Having a baby puts a lot of stress on a couple and we often compensate by eating—whenever and whatever, without much regard for what we really want or need.

I recommend eating several smaller meals throughout the day when you feel hungry. Do not over-eat. Make sure to get as much rest as you can, and spend time getting exercise too...even if that is walking around the neighborhood with the baby.

Please call me at 800.496.7710 or email charlotte@secretsofslimpeople.com, and we can put together a plan for you to work towards your goals.

You may visit my website at http://www.secretsofslimpeople.com.

Charlotte Smith
Eating Consultant and Life Coach

Become The Real You will instruct you on how to listen to your own body. How to eat whatever you want to achieve and maintain your perfect body weight! No more diets, no drugs, no counting calories. It’s simple...and it works!
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