Comfort Cravings

How to soothe yourself without food—and how to eat healthfully and mindfully

by Susan Albers, Psy.D.

Eating Mindfully on Thanksgiving: 6 Tips

Would you rather eat mindfully this Thanksgiving instead of overeating? We often approach Thanksgiving with the misguided belief that eating a large quantity of delicious food will give us a lot of pleasure. Here are seven tips to help you eat mindfully this Thanksgiving.

Here is an example of another program that may want to consider if it is doing more harm than good. If you are a freshman at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, you will be stepping on the scale as soon as you arrive on campus (See the article in the Chronicle). If you have a BMI over 30, you will be required to take a course entitled "Fitness or Life." You can pass out of the class by reducing your BMI or playing a sport.

This rule assumes a number of things. First, is suggests that students who have a BMI over 30 are unhealthy and that thinner students are healthy.

Working out and eating mindfully doesn't have to be a drag. How can we make exercise more fun? www.thefuntheory.com has some great ideas. Here are five tips for making exercise easy and fun. Read More

French Women Do Eat Mindlessly

Who didn't envy French women just a little when the book, French Women Don't Get Fat was released? French women seemed to know some secret about eating that we didn't. The book inspired many women to take a new look at their diet. A new survey suggests that French women may not be as stellar at eating as we once thought. Read More

Men & Binge Eating Disorder

"Rocco" was a guest on the Dr. Oz show this last week (See the video clip). This 53 year old man took a 28 day challenge that transformed him from a meat eating cowboy to a vegan. What was most impressive was not that he became a vegan per say, but the ability to dramatically change his life and health in less than one month. You can literally reverse some of the damage done to your body just by changing what you eat. Food (or the right foods) can sometimes be medicinal. Read More

Kids & Candy: The Marshmallow Test

Did your parents ever bride you with candy? If so, you aren't alone. Every parent has broken down and given their child candy as a bride, to quiet them or to provide comfort. Intuitively, we all know it isn't a good idea. A 2009 study gives us another reason to avoid giving in to kids' demands for candy. According to a British study by Simon Moore, kids who ate candy everyday at age 10 were significantly more likely to be convicted of a crime at age 34. This study seems to be a spin on the classic study by Walter Mischel. Click here to see a cute youtube video recreation of the Marshmallow Test. Mischel examined a preschooler's ability to delay gratification in order to receive a larger reward. Read More

An Apple a Day Keeps the Grumbles Away

"I don't know when I feel full," is common statement made by overeaters. Unfortunately, satiety cues can become warped by years of yo-yo dieting. Gigantic portion sizes, like those given to you at restaurants, don't help either.

The trick to mindful eating is getting in touch with your satiety cues. In other words, knowing when you are hungry and full. The pre-meal apple may give you a jump start in learning how to do this. Read More

Finding the Motivation to Eat More Mindfully

Do you need motivation to start eating more mindfully but don’t have the money to hire a trainer like Jillian Michaels? If so, don’t worry.

What is more frightening than ghosts and goblins during Halloween? For many people who are trying to eat healthier, walking into a grocery store brimming full of bags of little Halloween candy bars brings up a lot of fear. Learn to eat candy and other foods you crave in a new mindful way. Read More

Addressing Your Inner Critic

We all have it. It's that little critical voice in your head that just won't be quiet. The inner voice questions and nit-picks, gives unfavorable commentary and has the uncanny ability to make you feel about the size of a pea.

This inner voice becomes pretty obvious the moment you slip into an outfit and stand in front of the mirror. Suddenly, the voice pipes up out of nowhere. It has a lot to say about the shape of your thighs and your nose. Read More

The Benefit of Ralph Lauren's Blunder

The model indicates that she hasn't gained a significant amount of weight during her contract at Ralph Lauren. It's likely that this is true. But, we have to consider that this model began working with the company when she was only fifteen years old. Read More

A Week Without the "F" Word?: 5 Ways to End Fat Talk

The Academy of Eating Disorders and Delta Delta Delta are supporting a Fat Talk Free^TM Week (FTFW) October 19th-23rd. This is a five-day awareness campaign to challenge and begin to reverse the prevalent and damaging pursuit of the "thin ideal" by women of all ages.

5 Helpful Ways to Stop Harmful Fat Talk Read More

Eating Disorder Awareness Event

See a Two Minute Video of the NEDA walk: Join Dr. Susan Albers on the walk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLiExPMsFbU

On October 11th the very first National Eating Disorder Association Walk was held in New York City. Individuals directly impacted by eating disorders, their families, friends and professionals marched on the Promenade at Riverside Park. The National Eating Disorder's Association is an organization that focuses on developing prevention programs, creating better treatment and helping people find resources, among many other things. They held a walk to raise money and to draw awareness to this very important issue. Read More

A Weight Loss Drug?

Making an FDA approved drug that is safe and effective is extremely difficult. We don't want a repeat of Fen-Phen which helped people lose weight but also caused severe heart valve damage and even death in some cases. Read More

The Impact of Body Talk on Self-Esteem

Courtney Cox revealed how she really feels about her body last week on The Tonight Show. She is making appearances on talk shows for the release of her new show, Cougar Town. In Cox's interview with O'Brien, she discussed a scene from Cougar Town that many people, particularly women, can identify with. Viewers will see Cox scantily clothed and evaluating herself in the mirror. Her character judges herself harshly and picks apart her body. She laments about the parts she feels haven't aged well. Who hasn't done this same thing? Unfortunately, approximately 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance (Smolak, 1996).

Join me Oct 1th, at Riverside Park for National Eating Disorders Association's Walk Read More

Do We Need Calorie Laws?

As we speak, there is a bill in congress that may completely change the way you eat. If you've been to New York City (or live there), you already know what I'm talking about. Walk into most NYC restaurants (except fine dining) and you will see calories posted front and center. It is called the Dietary Disclosure. It's already in effect in NYC and is making its way to California next. If it follows the pattern of most legislation, other states will soon follow. Read More

Mindless Eating at Work

People who eat a pretty healthy diet at home sometimes find it a bit more of a challenge at work. Temptation comes in all sizes such as candy or soft drinks in vending machines, candy dishes, takeout or convenient fast food, snacks in desk drawers. You may also follow bad habits of co-workers. Read More

Dr. Oz as Food Cop or Good Example?

Dr. Oz has banned junk food in the office of his new television show which begins on September 14, 2009. Dr. Oz shared this revolutionary decision with the women on The View on the day that his first show is set to air. Frankly, they looked horrified and a little stunned. The co-hosts tried their best to challenge him on this rule.

Okay, so maybe you aren't ready to clean out all the vending machines or hand out apples. Here is a way to start helping yourself and your coworkers eat more mindfully. Read More

The Best Way to Lose Weight

Which diet actually works? Dieters have been trying to answer this question for decades. I had the pleasure of attending the Cleveland Clinic's 4th Annual Obesity Summit today. Dr. Bray, the Chief of the Division of Clinical Obesity and Metabolism in Baton Rouge, attempted to answer this very question.

Here is the gist of the study he discussed. The researchers looked at the benefits of varying different macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates) to promote weight loss. Most dieters know these types of diets by other names such as an Atkins type Diet, Low Fat Diet, South Beach etc. But, the names of these diets were taken away and the subjects were not aware of which type of diet they were on. The same foods were on each plan but varied in portion (ex. 1 slice of bread versus 2 slices). Why do this study? People who want to lose weight are often confused by the very different philosphies. Is it better to go low carb or low fat? They are opposite approaches. Very confusing.

According to the book, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, there are many distraction techniques that have been clinically shown to help you avoid emotional eating.

For example, did you know that knitting may be the perfect antidote to stress eating? So if you think knitting isn't cool, you may just want to reconsider.

A 2009 study published in the journal of Eating and Weight Disorders put knitting up to the test. The researchers wanted to see if knitting had any notable clinical benefits and whether it could be a useful tool in helping people lessen the amount of obsessing they do about food and their weight. Read More

The Reason An Eating Disorder Can Hold You Captive

The story of Jaycee Dugard's abduction is horrific—for so many reasons. Yet we can't help but be curious about what happened and oddly want more information. While nothing can compare to the tragedy this little girl endured, we can use this term, "Stockholm Syndrome" to also understand how people become "abducted" by an eating disorder. Read More

Painting Your Own Body Image

I have seen many cheap copies or variations of this painting on napkins, wall hangings and purses. But, what sticks out most in my mind, is A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte's appearance in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Read More

A Radical New Plan to Help Stress Eaters, the Economy and Health Care

When we started counseling, I asked Jessica to make a list of all the fad diets she had tried in the past five years. There were some of the usual suspects such as the South Beach Diet, Atkins, the Detox Diet, the No Sugar Diet and the Peanut Butter Diet (okay, she was getting a little desperate). You get the idea. Some of the diets provided moderate success. But, ultimately the weight came back and she just could not keep it off. Our first task: to tear up the list and stop trying an approach that obviously did not work for her. Good bye dieting, hello mindful eating.

Jessica isn't alone. The tough economic times hit everyone's waistlines hard. Cheap food and junk food became an easy, affordable way to comfort ourselves. Unfortunately, this was a one way ticket to increasing obesity and thus health care costs. Read More

More to Love? Sex, Body Image and the Weight of Attraction

More to Love is a show about plus sized individuals looking for love. Here is the question I ask. Why do we need a separate show for people based on their weight? I think that matching people by weight is like matching people by their shoe size. Being the same size does not mean you have anything in common. Some of the contestants do share a sense of being excluded or limited by their weight, which is unique to someone who is curvaceous. However, these women are no different than any other women. Their personalities are diverse. They are just as charming and lovely (and at times catty) as any other women. Read More

Shut Up and Eat: Cannolis, Olive Oil and Pasta for Comfort Eaters?

Who would have thought that Dr. Albers and The Sopranos have anything in common? Apparently, we both know quite a lot about comfort foods and comforting yourself with food. This weekend I ran into Vincent Pastore (aka Salvatore, "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Tony Lip (Carmine Lupertazzi) from the HBO show The Sopranos. We both happened to be signing our books in NYC. Read More

Sneak Peak at New Book for Comfort Eaters

In this video, Dr. Susan Albers discusses one of the tips from her new book for comfort eaters. Read More

Dr. Oz & The Tell-Tale Signs of Comfort Eating

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Oz about comfort eating today. Here is a sneak peak at an upcoming episode of Dr. Oz on FX radio (to be aired soon, click here for show times). If you don't already, tune in! Dr. Oz has a wonderful program on Oprah radio with a broad range of medical and mental health issues. He will be moving to TV on September 14th. Read More

Food Confessions: The Quirky Foods We Eat To Comfort and Soothe Ourselves While Eating Alone

Think for a moment about the last meal you ate alone. What did you eat? Cheese pizza? Pepper steak? Taco Bell? Popcorn? Now answer this question. Would you have eaten the same thing if you weren't dining solo? This is an issue explored in a new book by Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin entitled: What We Eat When We Eat Alone: Stories and 100 Recipes. Read More