Now before you jump the gun, I am not talking about whether or not you are a picking eater, fast eater, slow eater, or even a "I eat everything eater." What most of us don't realize is if you struggle with your weight, you have some kind of emotional attachment to food.

I'm sure you've heard this more times then you can count - just stop eating so much and move more! It's not hard. Or you may even be one of those people that says, "I know what to do, I just don't do it." I hear these things all the time. And both of them are true! The equation to lose weight isn't hard --- but it is complicated. And it's complicated because we don't do what we know we should.

When you struggle with your weight, your relationship with food is a HUGE deal. Believe me...I know from experience that it is much harder to stop eating junk, to stop eating when you're full, and to just say no when you're out with friends.

You may use food to deal with an array of emotions and situations. Our culture already shoves food and drinks in our face - we celebrate with food, we take food when someone has passed away, we cook big meals for our families - food is ALL around us!

The key to finding success is to figure out which part of your life revolves around food....more importantly when and where do you seem to lose control.

Dr. Judith Beck has an amazing book called, The Diet Trap Solution, where she talks through what kind of eater we are and how we can plan ahead.

She mentions eight major categories: stress, emotional eating, food pushers, family problems, travel and eating out, holidays, psychological issues (think of your reaction when you say diet), and getting off track.

If you have ever struggled with your weight, you will find a connection to at least one question that she poses in each section. However, there are usually one or two sections that come to the forefront. And that section is where we spend our time developing our escape plan.

Some of the most relatable questions are:

How likely are you to use food to relax after a stressful day?

How likely are you to eat more than you should when you're tired, bored, or procrastinating?

How likely are you to cave to peer pressure when people urge you to drink or eat more than you think you should?

How likely are you to keep your family happy instead of doing what you need to do to lose weight?

How likely are you to say, "All diets are off!" while on vacation?

How likely are you to say to yourself, "I'll start watching my eating once the holidays are over?"

When I tell you I related to almost everyone of those questions, it's the honest truth. When I began on my health journey, these are the kinds of things that made me say, "YES! I need to tell the others!"

If any of these questions resonate with you, I want you to think through what you could do instead of eat. If you are using food to feel better or fill your time, what can you do to distract yourself? Is there a healthier way to you to destress? Music? Friends? If you are putting your family first, what mantra can you say to yourself about your worth? You can't pour from an empty cup! How many years have you said you could care less during a vacation or holidays and how many times do you feel terrible afterwards....wishing you didn't have to start over.

Becoming aware of our potential pitfalls helps us prepare. You can think ahead and have things in place that help you make better choices. Life is about adapting and changing your habits, and eating is no different.

I hope you will take a minute to reflect on your relationship with food and how you can replace it with healthier habits.

Start with changing your mind and your body with follow.

XX - Rachel