Let's Get Real, Shall We?
I wasn’t always healthy and happy. I grew up eating sugar cereals with mini marshmallows, pizza, chicken nuggets and fries, mallomars, ice cream, and chicken parm. Veggies and fish were out of the question. I never even considered the fact that I was physically unhealthy. One could say I wasn’t the healthiest mentally either, holding on to anger and resentment from childhood experiences.
The person I am today is a complete turn-around from where my health and mindset used to be. I attribute the shift to self care and a ton of personal development work on myself. By embracing self-care, I learned that the relationship we have with ourselves is directly related to how we take care of ourselves, including our relationship with food. I learned to literally love myself from the inside out - from the words I think and speak, to the food I eat, to the daily actions I take, in order to create the beautiful life I now enjoy. Many of us, especially busy Moms like myself, are so focused on caring for everyone else around us that we often neglect to take care of ourselves. And the result? We suffer. We gain weight. We feel overwhelmed. We feel exhausted. We feel unbalanced. We feel helpless. Enter the concept for LoYo Wellness. Love yourself. First and foremost.
So Who Am I Now?
I’m Jessica. I’m a Mom of 3 little kids, as well as a wife of a fun-loving amazing hubby. I’m a marathon runner, a triathlete, an avid fan of the outdoors, and a world traveler. I’m a health food nut who also totally loves chocolate and froyo. Professionally, I am a former attorney turned Holistic Nutritionist, Nutrition Psychology Counselor and Emotional Eating Coach. I help women let go of chronic dieting behaviors so they can find their comfortable and confident weight they deserve and maintain it, in a healthy and sustainable way, overcome negative body image and navigate emotional eating/binge eating/overeating/mindless eating with ease.
Overcoming Bullying & Self Image
I’m gonna take you way way back for a moment. Back to middle school when my life was pretty perfect with friends, sports, activities, you name it. Then, in what felt like overnight, I became the target of serious bullying. I was picked on, abused, and a victim of prejudiced thinking. No one stood up for me. No one helped me. My friends became unrecognizable. My life had become a cruel existence that I had to endure every day. Even in summer camp, I had no respite, as I was picked on for having a belly that hung over my pants like a beer gut. So, I zipped up my feelings and became very self-protective. A new high school was a relief from the abuse, yet I still felt so self-conscious and embarrassed about my body.
My weight gain and body image issues became worse in college. I’d grab onto my belly fat with my hands and named it my Buddha belly – you know, trying to deflect discomfort with humor. My chin had its own chins and I hated taking pictures of myself because I would simply hone in on how many chins my face was showing. I was so unhappy in my skin. This pattern continued for years.
For Years I Tried Everything to Lose Weight.
My experience with food throughout the years always came with emotion. It was either self-criticism, fat-bashing, self-loathing, or guilt. Lots and lots of guilt.
I never realized the strong emotional attachment I had to food while I was sampling through every fad diet out there to lose the damn belly and double chins! Immense frustration and self esteem is an understatement for what I was feeling, even into my early 30s.
I tried all the things. I yo-yo dieted. I stopped eating carbs. I measured my food. I counted calories. I only ate certain fruits and veggies. I took diet pills. I drank my meals. My head was consumed with what I “should” or “shouldn’t” do. And even if one of “the things” I tried “worked” (aka the scale moved down a few pounds), the fat rolls and love handles were always there.
Sometimes I’d even do weight loss challenges and I would deprive my body to lose the weight quickly. Of course as soon as the challenges were over, the weight packed right back on… and then some. Definitely not a winner in my books. I also tried running. I was trying run the pounds away, but still could not lose the belly fat.
In my early 30s, my weight challenges became coupled with being an overworked, exhausted, coffee addict. I’m talking 4 to 6 cups of coffee per day addicted. Every morning my alarm would startle me awake from what felt like a coma. By 2pm, I was dragging. I would have to physically peel my eyes apart. I needed more coffee, which actually only made me feel jittery and awful inside. Something needed to change.
A Light Turned On in my Body and I Felt Alive Again
It wasn’t until I started working with a mindset coach to help shift my thoughts and behaviors around emotions, that my life began to change. I dove headfirst into the inner work, into my own personal development. It finally hit me that I was seriously toxic (in mind and body) and I was simply not getting the right nutrition no matter how “healthy” I thought I was being or how many miles I was running. I finally let go of the negative emotions that were fueling my self sabotaging behaviors. A light turned on in my body and I felt alive again! Bam! I kicked my coffee addiction, felt incredible, and the inches melted away from my belly for the first time in my life. I actually could smile at myself in front of the mirror. Not only did the weight come off, but I felt so energized and strong that I was able to hit two personal records in running because my body, my muscles, my everything felt THAT awesome. I went on to run 14 Half Marathons, and the NYC Marathon. I enjoy coffee now, rather than need it or feel addicted to it. I maintained my weight loss results through 3 healthy pregnancies and melted away my baby weight because of these easy nutritional tools and my new mindset shifts around food. THIS is what inspires me.
By overcoming my own struggles and focusing on self-care, I finally found my passion to help people become the best versions of themselves. After 11 years of practicing law as a trial attorney and feeling unfulfilled, I decided to switch gears. I enrolled in the world’s largest nutrition school, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and I completed an intensive health coach training program. I went on to acquire additional certifications and expertise in emotional eating, intuitive eating and mindfulness stress reduction. I then trained and became certified as a Nutrition Psychology Counselor with the Institute for the Psychology of Eating’s internationally acclaimed program in Mind Body Nutrition and Dynamic Eating Psychology. This is an exciting and cutting edge approach where I effectively addresses weight concerns, binge eating, overeating, body image challenges, and various nutrition related health concerns. My approach is positive and empowering. I don’t see your eating challenges merely as a sign that “something is wrong with you” – but as a place where we can more fully explore some of the personal dimensions in life that impact food, weight and health. Oftentimes, our eating challenges are connected to work, money, relationship, family, intimacy, life stress, and so much more. By working on the places that are most relevant for you, success is more easily achieved. I look to support you with coaching strategies and nutrition principles that are nourishing, doable, sustainable, and that yield results.
No matter what challenges you’re facing, positive change is entirely within your reach and the life you’ve always dreamed about is waiting for you.
So Here's My Message to You:
"Love Yourself"
You have one life and there are infinite possibilities waiting for you. All you have to do is be open-minded to do something a different way.
To your health and happiness,
