For well over 20 years, I was a personal trainer and health coach, and I eventually opened my gym, where I ran successful weight loss challenges.  

I helped hundreds of adults reverse the long-term effects of negative self-image and poor nutrition habits, and I noticed something significant…

When I met with each participant, I could often trace their unhealthy patterns to some point in their childhood when they first learned these conditioned patterns that self-sabotaged their efforts as adults.

I’ll never forget one of those clients who walked into my office as a highly successful VP of sales and marketing in a large company….who would get out of breath whenever she walked up a flight of stairs.  

As we worked together, we began to trace the threads of her identity back to her childhood, where she had labeled herself ‘the fat kid.’ 

That was a self-inflicted label she put on herself.

Being the fat kid became an IN-security blanket of sorts for her. But one that was comforting nonetheless. 

And no matter how much success she built for herself in her adult life, underneath it all was that same little girl trying to figure out who she was.

She grew up regular, just like any other kid.

Her parents would sit down for family dinners and try to serve a well-balanced meal with a corner of the plate dedicated to a lonely and outcasted green veggie that was usually barely touched.

On the outside, Karen’s parents thought she was a picky eater.

But on the inside…

Something else was going on with Karen...

A storm of insecurities was brewing.

Insecurities that made her feel different, and her self-worth was on the line.

Yes, she had a small circle of friends, but it did little for her psyche to feel more confident.

So to remedy the situation, Karen formed a fondness for candy and Little Debbie treats.

Every day she would sneak them to her room and feast on a good ole sugar rush after hardly touching her dinner just to feel good again.

Something about that sugary treat made her feel ‘good.’ Even almost normal.

What was actually happening to her, which happens to most kids on sugary foods, was a physiological dependency of dopamine from a sugar spike.

At a physiological level, a spike of dopamine ( a feel-good neurotransmitter ) enters the system and releases serotonin, which gives you a feeling of happiness for a brief moment.

However, as quickly as the euphoric feeling comes, it is as soon as it crashes down.