When it comes to weight, many people can identify with the concept of "weight extremism" – otherwise known as yo-yo dieting. 

We're "all in" with our health commitments, whether that's daily exercise, a healthy diet, getting to bed early every night. We analyze, assess – and maybe even obsess about – every little morsel of food we put into our mouth.

And then, well – life happens. Tragedy happens. Stress happens. 

Our habits start to unravel, and before we know it: our healthy lifestyle is kaput.

We're secret-eating in the dark and binge eating when we think no one is looking. 

The weight starts to creep back up, and before we know it, our weight has swung widely to the other side of the spectrum. 

And every bite of food is accompanied by terrible, self-attacking thoughts like, "I'm so disgusting. I can't believe I'm doing this again, I can't stand who I've become."  

As Marc David explores in this episode, the extremist mentality can go way beyond the realms of food and body. 

But in every case, our extremistic mentality simply isn't sustainable – and when we fail to notice that, our heart, mind and body suffers.

That's what's happening with guest coaching client, Jeff, 53, who has gained and lost 100 lbs many times since he was young. Through extreme approaches like juice fasting and running marathons, Jeff has always been able to lose the weight.

But inevitably, something happens in life that throws him off. He gets divorced, his parents die, he moves. Grief arises, as does loneliness – and he turns to his familiar friend, food.

But Jeff is deeply tired of the yo-yo dieting, and of all the weight that piles on – and that's so much harder to lose as he gets older. 

And he's exhausted of all the shame-filled, hurtful thoughts his brain hurls at him about how he's "weak" – a message that's all too familiar from the childhood lectures his parents used to give him around his food and weight. 

So how can Jeff and the rest of us move beyond weight extremism, yo-yo dieting, and the "all or nothing" mentality? How do we find the middle ground with food?

Find out in this moving conversation…

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Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 

Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/

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