Erin Wathen is a food addiction counselor and the author of Why Can’t I Stick to My Diet? How To End the Food Drama, a hybrid autobiography/science and fitness book rolled into one self-deprecating, pop-culture-referencing, fully-relatable manual.
Like most of us in the health coaching world, Erin has a story that moved her into this space, and in the book, she speaks to her decades-long struggle with sugar, overeating, and emotional eating. Because, despite her wealth of knowledge on diet and exercise, Erin was not at peace with her body. She was always on a diet and yet never reached her goal weight. Through a lot of trial and error, Erin found her last diet, which became her food plan and the basis of her book.
Her philosophy today is that health isn’t a number on the scale or how often we exercise, but our lives as a whole. So she partners with her clients to work on solutions that fit into their lifestyle, empowering them to live their healthiest life in our crazy world.
So, why is it so difficult to stick to a diet?
Erin realized that her lifelong struggle with her weight wasn’t due to a lack of exercise, but the food she was consuming and, more importantly, the emotions she wasn’t dealing with that lead to choosing that food.
And in trying to find a better diet, Erin realized that the best diet is no diet at all. You need true nutrition in your life. That’s why, in her book, Erin doesn’t suggest a diet – she offers a simple yet comprehensive four-step food plan that anyone can follow to start eating real food that’s really nourishing.
Because, as I like to say, diet is a four-letter word. It’s not until you make nutrition part of your life that things start to work.
Sugar Addiction
In chapter two of Erin’s book, A Brain Held Hostage, she writes about the old commercial of the frying pan and the egg; “this is your brain on drugs.”
I love this analogy because that’s what sugar does to us, and the more sugar we consume, the more sugar we want. Of course, when you walk into a grocery store these days, 95% of it is sugar-laden crap – so it’s no wonder that people in our society are struggling with sugar addiction!
And not only that, this food is meticulously marketed and designed to make it even more appealing, especially to kids. Because they know that if you get ‘em hooked young, they’ll be a customer for life (of course, the first hit isn’t free in this case).
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Disclaimer: The activities and research discussed in these podcasts are suggestions only and are only advised to be undertaken following prior consultation with a health or medical professional. Fitness training, nutrition, and other physical pursuits should be tailored to the individual based upon an assessment of their personal needs.
