Learn basic knowledge about essential oils and how to use them daily to increase wellbeing, get rid of headache, increase energy.

Whole foods act as medicine to heal and protect your body and boost your immune system. Withing the coaching session we will work on shifting to a healthier dietary pattern as a way to prevent disease.

Analysing dietary and lifestyle history of the client, assessing and planning treatment requirements, recommending appropriate nutritional supplements and diets,
providing education, information and advice about lifestyle, exercise, diet and nutrition

Mind Body Eating Coaching is an exciting and timely new approach developed by the Institute for the Psychology of Eating that provides the missing ingredient to nutrition. What we eat is half of the story of good nutrition. The other half of the story is who we are as eaters. Mind Body Nutrition is the psychophysiology of how our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, levels of stress and relaxation, our personal story and more profoundly impact our digestion, assimilation, calorie burning, and nutritional status. My approach is positive and empowering. I effectively address weight loss concerns, body image concerns, overeating, binge eating or emotional eating.

So you got rid of processed foods and sodas. You exercise 5 days per week until you can’t take it anymore. You count your calories, approaching food as an enemy: Will it make me fat? Chocolate cake offered by your mother becomes an insult and while you’re buttoning up your jeans, you swear you’ll never eat a bowl of pasta. EVER.

“What happened to my body?”, you ask. While in your twenties, you could eat anything that doesn’t eat you, when you hit forty, losing weight becomes a struggle. Weight loss after 40 - illusion?

Now, let’s make this clear. Weight loss business is a billion dollar business. The newest weight loss hack, the newest diet, creams, drinks, pills, weight loss products are bombarding us night and day. The culture of dieting creeps into our lives and it’s difficult to resist. Weight loss is actually the main reason why women contact me as a Mind Body Eating Coach. Can you help me, coach?

Weight Loss After 40 - The Mind Body Approach

We know, that in our forties our activity levels change, we might be not as active as in our twenties, or we might cater to those around us, neglecting our own needs. Our metabolism slows down, our belly fat increases, and our muscle mass changes. As a result, losing weight may become more difficult than before. As you enter your forties, you are also entering perimenopause, when levels of your sex hormones progesterone and estrogen decline. Besides regulating your menstrual cycle and reproductive functions, these hormones also impact restful sleep and relaxation. Sleeping less can wreak havoc on your body and your weight.

Now, you might probably ask why a Mind Body Eating coach would advise for a weight loss. We can all be healthy no matter the size (HAES - Health at Every Size approach), isn’t it so? Yes, that’s true! There are no studies that indicate how much you should weigh. Let me repeat that - there are no studies that indicate how much you should weigh. If the BMI comes to your mind, guess what. BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He was a mathematician, not a physician (not that the majority of physicians know something about sustainable weight loss). He produced the formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the degree of obesity of the general population to assist the government in allocating resources. In other words, it is a 200-year-old hack. BMI ignores waist size, which is a clear indicator of obesity level.

Waist Size is the Problem

If you are carrying around the so called “muffin top”,” tire” or you’re “spreading”, read this section very carefully. As a Mind Body Eating Coach I don’t really care how much you weigh and we, in fact, help people lose the need to lose weight. However, abdominal, or visceral fat is of particular concern because it’s a key player in a variety of health problems. There are two types of fat on your body - subcutaneous fat, the kind you can grasp with your hand and visceral fat, that, on the other hand, lies out of reach, deep within the abdominal cavity, where it pads the spaces between your abdominal organs. And now the bad news: Visceral fat has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In women, it is also associated with breast cancer and the need for gallbladder surgery. Visceral fat is directly linked with higher total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means that your body’s muscle and liver cells don’t respond adequately to normal levels of insulin, the pancreatic hormone that carries glucose into the body’s cells. Glucose levels in the blood rise, heightening the risk for diabetes. [source]

Not Weight but Waist Loss!

As you can see, losing some of the harmful visceral fat is good for your health and longevity. And now the good news - here’s how to do it.

Sleep and Rest

I often hear from women with kids that they need that extra time in the evening to do things they enjoy. They put kids to bed and stay up until 2 am, sleeping only 6 or less hours per night. This is a big issue as a good night’s sleep is more important than diet and exercise. Your main goal should be to get at least 7, better 8 hours of sleep. Put your kids to bed earlier, switch off your electronic devices at least half an hour before going to bed, create an evening ritual. Use essential oils, have a bath, have sex, everything that makes you sleep better is perfect.

Less Exercise

You heard that correctly. When you hit 40, you won’t get away with hours of exercise per day. This can increase your cortisol levels, plus the risk of injuries is much higher. Less is more and most importantly, it should be fun! 30 minutes exercise with 10 minutes stretching before and after is sufficient. Remember, you should not be exhausted after an exercise routine but rather energized.

The Right Diet

Surprise, surprise…you won’t get away with bowls of pasta and slices of pizza. Or you will but please don’t ask me how to lose weight then. In your forties, your body may have an increasingly difficult time digesting carbohydrates, which may lead to weight gain. Women after 40 just do better on less carbs. Don’t worry, you don’t have to count them or freak out like Emily Blunt in the movie The Devil Wears Prada: You eat carbs, for Christ’s sake!

Just fill your plate with 80 percent of veggies, add some protein, healthy fats, it’s really that simple! For more information what to eat for better health and waistline, check out the book Keto Green 16 or my course on Udemy Pegan cooking and lifestyle.

It also goes without saying that you should ditch smoking, added sugar and drink less alcohol, and drink more water. You might experiment with intermittent fasting as well.

Stress less

A big one! Stressing out is a habit. Especially after you hit 40 you really SHOULD stress less. You’ve done it, you know it, there are few things that surprise you. I actually feel better in my forties than in my twenties - everything was just more complicated back then. Now I respect when my body says no, I rest when I need to, I make time for meditation, journaling and yoga. Life just became more simple.

Check Your Thyroid

Last but not least. Unexplained weight gain may be a sign of thyroid problems, including Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism. I personally check my thyroid levels (full panel) every year.

And now to you: What strategies will you use?

It might sound too simple to be true, but having a cup of tea can make you more mindful. Ever heard of a tea meditation? And what’s the point, you ask?⁠

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We live in a fast paced world, everything we do, we do on the go, we rush through life and never take the time to slow down. But preparing and drinking tea mindfully can help you to slow down and finally enjoy life.⁠

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Slowing down with a cup of tea: ⁠

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1. Try to do each step, from preparing your tea, to sitting down, to drinking your tea, to finishing, and cleaning up, mindfully. Whatever tea you drink, do so with a complete awareness of the present moment. Be like a kid - they live in the present moment all the time, get lost for a while. ⁠

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2. Once your tea is made, find a nice quiet place for you to sit and drink it. When kids are around, step outside if you can, or explain them , that you need a quiet minute just for yourself. Then sip the tea, notice the aroma, admire the look and color of the tea. Imagine the wind that gently caressed the tea leaf while growing far away. ⁠

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3. Give thanks. Giving thanks should not be a practice we follow only on Thanksgiving. Imagine that some people don’t have clean water, so be thankful that you are so privileged to drink a cup of delicious tea.⁠

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This awareness practice can be used with food as well and is called mindful eating. Mindful eating, or whole body eating, is a simple practice of eating with awareness. It can be done each day regardless of the diet you follow. With five simple steps you can change from a stressed eater to a mindful eater and avoid some common issues such as bloating.

Mindful Eating and Drinking - a few steps to a better health

Step 1: Make a conscious choice to eat: Are you really hungry or rather bored? Will food satisfy your hunger or would it be better to simply step outside to breathe some fresh air?

Step 2: Ask your body what it wants: Before you reach for any food, take a few deep breaths and ask your body what it really craves. Maybe you are only thirsty? Or a warm soup would do? And yes, there are times when only a slice of a chocolate cake will do.

Step 3: Eat with awareness: maybe the most important of all steps. Instead of shoveling the food in your mouth, taste it, savor it, pay attention to it, see how it makes your body feel. The French have a wonderful name for people who savor their food: ‘gourmand’. Be a gourmand and fully ‘experience’ the food. Without fully experiencing the food, our body might feel undernourished, and even after a full meal, we might still be hungry.

Step 4: Listen for feedback: Sit quietly after your meal for a few minutes (or hours when you live in France, ha ha). Take a few deep breaths. Did the food satisfy you? Do you feel satisfied or sluggish?

Step 5: Release the meal: Once you have finished eating, let it go. Forget about it for a while. Don’t obsess if the meal wasn’t healthy or it did not match your diet.

I often get asked what are the best books I would recommend to improve ones relationship with food. That you don’t have any? Everyone has! We all have to eat, and it’s quite natural that everyone has some relationship to food. Although no book can replace the one to one approach that I offer in my coaching practice (tab coaching), these books are definitely worth reading if you:

1. Are overeating and binge eating

2. Are not happy with your body or if you are constantly worried about your body

3. Are thinking about food all day, or are worried what to eat and not to eat

3. Are following some very strict diet such as raw, vegan or fruitarian

4. Are orthorexic

5. Are counting calories or weighting yourself every day

6. Are using food as comfort

Slow Down Diet by Marc David- Eating for Pleasure, Energy and Weight Loss - maybe the only diet that you should follow. Founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating writes about the importance of pleasure when it comes to food.

Nourishing Wisdom by Marc David- This book will change your attitude towards your body, and provide a foundation for developing a healthful relationship with food, combining the principles of nutritional awareness, personal growth, and body psychology.

Health At Every Size by Lindo Bacon- the ONE book that makes you reconsider weight loss. Tune in to your body’s expert guidance. Find the joy in movement. Eat what you want, when you want, choosing pleasurable foods that help you to feel good. Feel in your body right now.

Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? by Mark Hyman - Even the most health conscious among us (me included) have a hard time figuring out what to eat in order to stay fit and improve our health. But this book will explain what to eat and why.

Food: What the Heck Should I Cook? by Mark Hyman - companion cookbook to previous book. These are wonderful pegan recipes and I tried (almost) all of them!

Eat Fat Get Thin by Mark Hyman - busting myths about fat because a growing body of research is revealing the immense health and weight-loss benefits of a high-fat diet rich in eggs, nuts, oils, avocados, coconut oil, and other delicious superfoods.

Keto Green 16: The Fat-Burning Power of Ketogenic Eating by Anna Cabeca - a good resource especially for women after 40 who desire to look and feel young, including a guide to intermittent fasting and full of recipes. A bit too controlling (I’m not a fan of any kind of measurements when it comes to body) but overall a good guide for women who decide to balance their hormones. As we know, keto diet works well for weight loss but it is too harsh on women’s hormones. This book provides a green twist on keto diet and you can never have enough greens!