How I turned from being an overweight child and teenager myself, into a clinical psychologist helping thousands of parents to improve their family's eating and exercise habits.
I was put on my first diet at age 7. It was the mid-'80s. My mother sat me down in a church meeting room with all the old ladies debating if Sara Lee pound cake was "on-program".
I was embarrassed.
I was ashamed.
And it was the first of over 25 diets I tried before graduating high school...
Diet programs, workout videos, and unlimited pasta?
My parents tried so hard to help me lose weight.
I was put on every popular diet you could think of: Slim Fast, Richard Simmons' 'Deal-A-Meal', & Weight Watchers. The Pasta Program, delivered by a local business called Slim-U & Your Waistline, involved eating only pasta (so long as it was prepared fat-free🙄).
I tried playing every sport, which was challenging due to my size and inability to keep up with my peers. I quit dancing due to embarrassment about wearing a leotard. My mother made me do Jane Fonda workouts on VHS and Sweating to the Oldies! We walked the track at the Y. I had a trainer who resembled Hulk Hogan at a gym full of adult men.
I lost and regained the same weight over and over. My mother hid Oreo cookies in cupboards reserved only for my skinny older brother. He teased me constantly about my weight. So did my classmates. It was awful. I would sneak food into my room constantly and eat in secret.
The problem with all those diets...
I learned how to be on diets but not how to have a healthy relationship with food or exercise.
Ultimately, I resented being put on these restrictive programs, which led to binge-eating, self-loathing, and guilt.
By the time I could drive, I was taking myself to McDonalds every day after school for cheeseburgers, and spending countless nights at Friendly's ordering ice cream.
It was not until my sophomore year of college that I finally took a stand. I went to a therapist and delved into my relationship with food. I got healthier - never thin - but I made better choices and took myself to the campus gym daily.
When I went to graduate school for my doctorate, I decided I wanted to work in the field of Health Psychology and promote health behavior change.
I served as an attending psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital in the Optimal Wellness for Life Program - a multi-disciplinary treatment program for obese children and their families.
I spent over a decade as an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
I discovered what was missing from all of the programs I tried as a child and teenager: PSYCHOLOGY!
I applied all of my psychology training to my therapy sessions with overweight children & their parents.
I learned:
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- How parents can work with their children together to form lifelong habit changes without formal dieting programs.
- How to get kids off of screens and outside, (or at least moving more inside) without insulting them or having to yell all of the time.
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- How to help children who feel hungry all of the time,and reduce arguments about snack choices or portions.
- How to help parents talk to their children about weight without worrying about causing an eating disorder, using the correct language to avoid shaming.
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And best of all…
I’ve had the honor of helping thousands of parents like you to move their children away from poor eating habits and inactivity toward a positive & healthy relationship with eating and exercise.
How?
By changing one small thing at a time.
I've shown parents the best ways to approach food and weight with their children to promote HABIT changes versus weight loss. When you change poor habits, the weight comes off naturally (and stays off).
Now, I have taken all of these strategies out of the hospital to share with you online.
I am confident that we can work together to give you the tools you need to prevent your child from inevitable yo-yo dieting and suffering, and instead create a lifelong positive relationship with food and exercise.
If you like what you're reading and want to get started, click the button below to learn more about my parent resources.
Dr. Fishman is amazing. Her approach is so relatable and her training is easy to absorb - without being at all critical.
What she teaches just makes sense.
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