Emotional eating, healthy eating, motivation and support, permanent dietary change, building willpower.

My Story:

My passion for chocolate was instilled from a young age by two doting grandmothers who frequently demonstrated their affection with home-baked goods. I learned early on to associate food—especially dessert—with love. But it was during adolescence, when that “love” started to show up as extra filling in my already-tight Levis, that I embarked upon what would be a decades-long power struggle with chocolate. I began a quest for control at age 15 by greatly reducing my caloric intake until, at 5’6” and 90 pounds, my doctor insisted that I stop losing weight or enter the hospital to be force fed.

I gained 50 pounds fairly quickly.

Almost overnight, my eating went from being completely under my control to completely out of control.

In the decades that followed, my weight fluctuated in a 20-pound range, depending on how motivated I was to tame the chocolate beast within. I tried many things from individual therapy, group therapy, raw food diets, fasting, abstaining from sugar, Overeaters Anonymous, Food Addicts Anonymous, exploring my inner child, talking to empty chairs, emotional freedom technique, and on and on.

I staged The Great Chocolate Experiment, in which I furnished my pantry with all things chocolate—cake, cookies, candy bars, and beyond—and ate to my heart’s desire in an attempt to rid myself of the “deprivation” that some people think drives overeating. Unfortunately, the chocolate beast is eternally insatiable, as I learned over the ensuing months of weight gain and a never-ending desire for all things sweet, bready, and chocolate.

It’s all I could think about, and it was near impossible to resist the continuous desire to eat it.

No matter how strong my resolve after a day-long chocolate/cheese/bread binge, no matter how much I affirmed and visualized and journaled, no matter how many phone calls or promises I made, I’d inevitably awaken to a fresh new set of chocolate yens first thing in the morning. Often, I’d just give in immediately, rationalizing that I might as well eat it now so I could focus my attention elsewhere. Alas, as they say in Overeaters Anonymous, one brownie is too much and the whole pan isn’t enough, so I’d be back for more before lunch.

Man, those were hard times!

But I kept trying, and eventually I managed to put together a multifaceted program for healthy, long-lasting weight loss that has kept me “sober” with food for the better part of a decade. By using a multitude of strategies from various disciplines, I have been able to maintain a low BMI while enjoying the hell out of a nutrient-dense diet style.

Now, I help others do the same.

I love this work because I still remember how awful it was to not have control over what I put in my mouth, and I enjoy helping people gain that control.

My focus is less on nutrition education and more on habit change. I teach folks some very specific skills which, when employed consistently and over time, result in a permanent switch from the standard American diet to nutrient-dense whole foods.

It takes a lot of hard work and determination, but with these tools, which are aimed at modifying behaviors around food, high-nutrient eating will become easier and easier.

Today, I still love chocolate. But the difference is this: I consume chocolate; it no longer consumes me.

Client Testimonials:

Working with Caroline has made me much more aware of my eating habits. I've been eating much healthier and have reached my lowest weight in years. Also, I'm off my cholesterol and diabetes medication for the first time in nine years! I never could have done this without Caroline's daily coaching. - Judy P.  

When it comes to health and nutrition, Caroline knows her stuff. She educated me on how to eat healthy and helped me understand that my basic instincts were at the core of my cravings. After 8 weeks of working with her, I lost over 20 lbs and felt great. She has helped me stick with a healthy eating lifestyle for over a year (so far).- Damon D.

Nutritional Education Institute (founded by Dr. Joel Fuhrman), BS in Exercise Physiology