Therapy for Chronic Dieting & Disordered Eating in Tampa

I’ve dieted and controlled my food intake for so long – I don’t know how to trust my body.

You are so used to following diet plan after diet plan that you have no idea how to rebuild the trust that you have lost. Disordered eating just feels like it is your burden to bear. You may have learned about dieting from the home you grew up in, from the media, or from any number of sources in our screwed-up society.

Your heart feels heavy every time you look in the mirror and you feel desperate to find that magic pill that will allow you to live in the body you have been told you should have.

You keep trying, day after day, even year after year, until you have nothing left. You are completely exhausted, frustrated, and feel like giving up.

You guidance on how to get back in touch with what your individual body needs. You can live a life free from food and body obsession and be able to focus on what truly matters to you. I can help you make peace with food and your body. Disordered eating and history of chronic dieting does not define you.

If you’re ready to start feeling better, let’s chat today.

Hi, my name is Keri, and I’m a therapist in Tampa, FL who can help you move away from chronic dieting and disordered eating

You spend so much time thinking about food and your body that you may feel anxious, depressed, and like you simply can’t function.

I’m here to let you in on a secret: It’s. Not. Your. Fault. The culture that we live in promotes an unhealthy obsession with micro-managing our body. It directly teaches us that we cannot trust our internal cues, and tells us that the next diet plan or lifestyle change is the key to “fixing” what is wrong with us. 

Your body does not need to be fixed.

Chronic Dieting & Disordered Eating FAQs

  • Chronic dieting can apply to someone who has dieted for 20 years, or to someone who is constantly thinking about, researching, and planning on going on a diet (even if they have only been on 1 or 2). If the thought of dieting, or wanting to change your body, is taking up a significant amount of time in your life, this could apply to you. There is no diet that is going to help the way you think about food and your body - these thoughts are impacted by way more than what your body actually looks like. You deserve help and do NOT need to live in this space.

  • Disordered eating can refer to a range of behaviors/experiences, some of those being: a preoccupation with food or weight, inflexible eating patterns, restriction or compulsive eating, dieting behaviors, and more. Think about it this way – if you are spending a significant portion of your day worrying about food, you may be experiencing disordered eating. Don’t let this scare you – there is help!

  • Ah, one of the most important questions. We all wonder sometimes if we “ can be helped” and if it is worth it to seek help for the things in our life that are distressing. Here’s the thing - who is to say what issue is “bad enough” for therapy? How do we know it is worth it? This is the way I like to think about it - if there is something in your life that is stopping you from doing things that you value, then you deserve a chance to figure out what is going on. In this case, if you are noticing any distress around food, dieting, or your body, then you deserve to talk to someone who gets it. I believe you that this stuff is affecting you, regardless of “how bad” you think it is. What do you have to lose by trying to see if you can make your life a little easier?

Getting Help for Chronic Dieting & Disordered Eating

The first step in this process is finding someone you can trust to hold space for you during this process. I feel very strongly that we first need to make sure we connect and that you will feel comfortable working together.  I recommend reaching out so we can do just that – connect and make a plan. If you have been suffering from chronic dieting or disordered eating for a significant amount of time, we will work together to unpack your story.

Once we decide to work together, we will meet in person in my Tampa, FL office or virtually. We typically begin by developing that trusting partnership and figuring out what your goals are. You will tell your story at a pace that feels right for you and I will be there to support you every step of the way. Many of my clients can feel very vulnerable talking about these topics which is 100% normal and to be expected. This is why you come and see me – so you don’t need to deal with emotions that may arise on your own. 

It is also important for you to know that I have lived experience in these areas.  I was also stuck in a cycle of chronic dieting for more years than I would like to count. I struggled and fought to break this cycle, and feel an immense amount of joy helping others do the same. I will not take you farther than I have gone myself. In addition to my lived experience and Clinical Social Work training, I am also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.  Many of my clients enjoy working through the Intuitive Eating framework when and if they are ready (though this is not a requirement).

Things I won’t do while we work together

  • Tell you that I am the expert (you are the expert of your own body and story)

  • Tell you that you need to lose weight

  • Judge you or your story (believe me – nothing you can say will surprise me)

  • Decide how fast we need to go