Emma Randall
Mindful Eating Workshops: Improve Your Eating Habits & Relationship With Food
(In-Person Sessions And Online, Via Zoom)
“I was very impressed by Emma’s in-depth understanding of emotional eating issues. Emma had some sound advice for us all and it was tailored to our own unique circumstances. Emma’s obvious understanding of nutrition plus the psychology of overeating made the talk very informative and interesting.”
Since 2008 I’ve been giving talks and running groups to people of all ages at a range of organisations, corporate companies, schools, colleges, senior citizen groups, drop-in centres and depression support groups. I’ve worked as a trainer at a weight loss company, creating and delivering nutrition modules to weight loss consultants. My talks are normally 90 minutes (including time for Q&A), but I can also run half or full day workshops or group sessions for organisations on request. All of my talks can be in-person or online. Please scroll down to read summaries of all my various talk topics, and for more information on employee-wellness sessions for organisations.
My talks are really useful for anyone who:-
~ Overeats, binge eats, secret eats, grazes, and might struggle to control their weight
~ Would describe themselves as an emotional eater, comfort eater, or has struggled long-term with disordered eating
~ Tends to eat mindlessly and on ‘autopilot’
~ Is a yo-yo dieter
~ Is looking for some help to improve their relationship with food
~ Is interested in learning about the physiology (food, appetite and the body, and nutrition for mental health/brain function and weight management).
“Emma led a very useful, comfortable, directed session that encouraged openness in a safe environment. I left feeling encouraged, empowered, provoked into thought, confident to try some new solutions, but also felt that all was not lost and hopeless.”
‘How To Stop Binge Eating’: listen-only, non-interactive webinar (recording available).
When life is going on around you, does eating feel like a relief? Does it help to release tension and calm you down? Does eating give you a chance to have a break, or provide you with moments of escapism? Do you think of food as one thing you CAN have when other areas of your life seem out of control? Or do you feel that all areas of your life are working well, but it’s just food that you can’t seem to get under control? Is your eating then immediately followed by feelings of guilt and shame?
This webinar is for anyone who wants to address their binge eating. It provides in-depth information and advice about some of the key underlying causes, common binge eating triggers and how to build a self-help ‘tool box’ to manage your binge eating. It has also been set up for individuals who prefer a slightly shorter (60 mins), non-interactive webinar (no discussion), enabling them to listen and learn, with a handout after the session to help them start trying out new strategies.
Food and eating can symbolise different things to different people. For example, eating can be a way to relax or have a break, it can be a way to connect socially, it can have a calming, numbing or distracting effect when things feel difficult or overwhelming, it can be a way to reward oneself, a way to put things off (procrastinate), it can be something to do when feeling bored, lonely or unfulfilled, and it can even be a means of rebelling, ‘rule breaking’ or self-punishment.
Many people feel a lot of guilt and shame around their eating, but in many cases it’s not simply about giving in to the diet or being greedy. Once you become aware that binge eating or even just mindless eating/grazing is often a symptom of something- a reaction to a stressful situation, ongoing relationship, work, physical or mental health issues, or some deep-seated urge to comfort yourself with food, you can start being kinder to yourself and find effective strategies to address your true needs, rather than using food as a sticking plaster.
The webinar will help you to:-
~ Identify factors that have influenced your relationship with food over time, including mindset (attitudes, beliefs, thought patterns, values), history of dieting, mental health and childhood / life experiences
~ Explore key binge-eating triggers, and the many different types of eating, and identify which ones you can relate to most
~ Understand the ‘two brains’ (thinking brain vs. emotional brain)- how your emotional brain might hijack you in certain situations and how to activate your thinking brain to help you avoid knee-jerk reactions to sudden food cravings
~ Pinpoint how and why you might use food as a coping mechanism, and how to start addressing your true needs
~ Start working with your feelings and emotions, and see them as a sign that something needs to be addressed (rather than ignoring them or numbing them with food); problem-solving is a key part of tackling emotional eating, whereas eating only keeps us functioning on a surface level, preventing us from addressing our needs
~ Acknowledge that to have a better relationship with food, you need to have a better relationship with yourSELF- how to start being more aware of your inner critic, and any negative/unhelpful thinking you do such as catastrophising, making assumptions about what other people are thinking of you, all-or-nothing thinking, calling yourself names, automatically taking the blame or always apologising for things, having overly high expectations of yourself, or ignoring the positive aspects of yourself- once you’re more aware or your negative thinking, or your inner critic, you can start making positive mindset changes to support your mental health and develop a better relationship with food
~ Understand how to make new habits stick- the key element required (and it’s not willpower!)
~ Realise that it’s important to consider the ‘whole picture’ when it comes to understanding your relationship with food- eating habits, body image, self-worth, lifestyle, personality, mental health and past experiences are just some of the topics that you need to explore.
The webinar includes a detailed handout (Powerpoint slides) and a comprehensive questions and exercises handout emailed to you after the webinar, enabling you to go back through the material and try out exercises in your own time.
SPECIAL OFFER for this NEW webinar: HALF PRICE! (£15, normally £30).
Tickets (Eventbrite): Wednesday 27th November 2024, 7-8pm (UK time).
Comments from previous webinar attendees and clients who have benefitted from my teaching and support:-
“I didn’t realise just how much eating and mental health are connected.”
“I was fed up…really very fed up…of eating all the time- and wondering what was wrong with me. Emma helped me to see that I was eating to fulfil deep emotional needs that went way back. Now, I work on fulfilling my emotional needs another way and find things to do that I truly enjoy. It’s a pleasure to enjoy food as just food.”
“I found this course really good at focusing my mind on what I’m eating. I particularly found the exercise looking at my childhood helpful, and how that has affected my adult eating habits.”
“Emma helped me to recognise how overeating had become a way of numbing my emotions.”
‘How To Tackle Overeating For Good’
This talk/webinar includes content similar to the above webinar ‘How To Stop Binge Eating’, but also looks at nutritional strategies and blood sugar management to make meals and snacks more satisfying, leading to less hunger and overeating, as well as key mindful eating strategies. The talk is interactive, with a little discussion and some Q&As at the end.
This webinar will show you the benefits and rewards of:-
~ Freeing yourself from diet rules to help you stop worrying about what you should and shouldn’t be eating
~ No longer seeing your eating as right/perfect or wrong/terrible
It’s for anyone who:-
~ Describes themselves as a mindless eater/grazer, or an emotional eater
~ Would like to learn more about mindful eating practises to help them feel more in charge of food, and any particular food environments they’re regularly faced with where they have to make food choices
~ Has a history of yo-yo dieting, swings between ‘perfect’ eating (being on a diet or following strict food rules) and overeating, and finds it hard to eat in a moderate way
~ Feels unsure how to approach healthy, balanced eating and / or weight loss, and might be looking for more nutritional information to help guide their food choices
~ Regularly turns to food in an attempt to ‘cope’ or feel better.
Includes a handout (Powerpoint slides).
Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite. Next date to be confirmed.
Reviews from previous attendees:-
“Thank you so much for such a fab workshop. I have learnt so much about myself as well as my eating habits and triggers. I found the session so beneficial, as well as learning that you are not the only one, and would recommend to anyone who is struggling with their relationship with food”.
“Thank you Emma for such a fantastic workshop. You were so generous with the huge amount of information that you shared, and the genuine interest you had in each of us. I learned so much from it- I feel like I’m no longer in a battle with food, but rather, food and I are on the same side. I absolutely loved your kind, compassionate approach. The session chipped away at long held guilt and blame towards myself for not always making good food choices. I’ve come to understand there are so many factors at play- it’s not just about food, or exercise, or self-care, or having my needs met etc, but they’re all completely interlinked. I feel I’ve got more understanding of myself, and why I’ve put on weight in the past and made bad choices. Thanks again! I’m so pleased Google led me to you!”
“I was very impressed by Emma’s in-depth understanding of emotional eating issues. Emma had some sound advice for us all and it was tailored to our own unique circumstances.”
“Emma was extremely informative, helpful and interesting to listen to. Lots of good tips to take home”.
“This was a really positive session with Emma. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to learn from her extensive experience and to meet others who are going through the same struggles. The content of the session was very relevant and easy to identify with, and was supported by helpful and practical recommendations around how we can all take steps to help ourselves. Emma also delivered the session in a very down to earth, non-judgemental style which put us all at ease. I definitely plan to come along to future events.”
See more reviews about my talks and workshops.
‘The Hormone Factor: Understanding & Tackling Obesity’
When it comes to weight management, thinking about calorie intake simply isn’t enough- we also need to consider the ‘metabolics’- this means looking at a range of key hormones that are involved in appetite, satiety, the processing of glucose from food, fat storage and fat burning, and the body’s stress response. What we eat, as well as our attitude, personality and lifestyle (busyness and stress levels) all have a powerful influence on our physiology (the body’s processes), which in turn can impact appetite, food cravings, blood sugar levels and our ability to keep our weight under control. When we think of obesity and the type 2 diabetes epidemics, it’s important to have an understanding of some of the key hormones involved, in order to prevent and tackle obesity and diabetes. Two of the major players are insulin and cortisol.
If you’re trying to lose weight but finding it difficult, then this talk will give you a comprehensive and valuable overview of the physiological aspects of weight management and appetite control, and the interaction between food and the body. You will gain a good understanding of how food choices and lifestyle can influence appetite hormones, stress hormones and sex hormones, as well as cause hormone imbalances, and you’ll learn some key tips to help you support your body to help it burn fat more efficiently, and set up long-term eating habits to support health and well-being. The ‘Hormone Factor’ is one of the ‘three keys’ I teach people, with the other two being eating behaviour (mindful eating practises) and emotional eating (see talk above).
“Emma was very friendly and approachable, explained concepts clearly and offered a ‘down to earth’ approach to healthy eating. Very informative session!”
‘Healthy Eating For Hectic Lives’
Signs and symptoms of stress can include:-
~ Feeling tired all the time (‘TATT’)
~ Alert at bedtime, making it hard to get to sleep
~ Waking up during the night, unable to get back to sleep
~ Difficulty relaxing or ‘switching off’
~ Feeling out of control, overwhelmed, irritable, angry or anxious
~ Sweet cravings or cravings for caffeine
~ Weight gain that’s hard to shift
~ Digestive problems such as IBS or headaches
This talk explains how, through balanced, more mindful eating, various nutrients and some simple lifestyle strategies we can start to feel more energised, stop craving ‘pick-me-ups’ such as caffeine and sugar, get a better quality night’s sleep, feel more inspired to make healthier food choices, feel more in charge of food, feel able to tackle the day ahead with enthusiasm, feel more in control of daily life, eat more healthily and fit in the important and enjoyable things in life despite being busy, feel more calm and happy and less irritable, have a better overall sense of well-being and lose weight through balanced, mindful, flexible food choices.
This talk will give you a good understanding of the importance of looking after ourselves as we lead busy lives, and inspire you to make some simple but effective dietary and lifestyle choices which your body and mind will thank you for during stressful times.
“Emma had planned the workshop to flow very well, to appeal to a range of knowledge levels and was very knowledgable in her Q&A at the end.”
‘Food & Mood’
How we feel can affect what we eat, but what we eat can also have a big impact on how we feel. My ‘Food and Mood’ talk covers:-
~ The link between what we eat and our mood and brain function
~ The role specific nutrients play in mood and brain function, and how a balanced diet can support a balanced mood
~ The dietary building blocks that make brain chemicals which regulate mood, such as serotonin
~ How brain chemical imbalances can affect mood, appetite, sleep, general well-being and functioning
~ How dieting can affect mood and appetite, and tips to help you manage your weight
~ What can cause sugar cravings and how to combat them
~ The important link between our brain and our gut, and how they’re intimately connected
~ Dietary and lifestyle tips to boost mood and brain function.
This talk provides some really useful nutritional, dietary and lifestyle information and tips for anyone who experiences low mood, poor concentration or poor memory, or who simply wants to keep their mood balanced and brain healthy.
Read my Food And Mood blog HERE.
“Excellent, thought-provoking, empowering, welcoming- an hour wasn’t enough!”
Corporate Companies And Other Organisations
Tailor-Made Mindful Eating Workshops, Talks, Support Groups And Training Sessions
My talk topics include:-
- ‘How To Tackle Emotional Eating’
- ‘The Hormone Factor: Understanding & Tackling Obesity’
- ‘Healthy Eating For Hectic Lives’
- ‘Food & Mood’
- Other talks I’ve previously run and can offer on request: ‘Simple Steps To More Mindful Eating’, ‘Personality & Eating Habits’, ‘Good Fats, Bad Fats’.
I’m very flexible and can adapt the content and level of my workshops/talks to the needs and interests of any particular group or organisation. My talks usually focus on a particular topic (based on the topics mentioned above), but I can also run longer workshops (eg half or full day) or multiple sessions (such as weekly support groups). Please contact me to discuss.
“We have invited Emma to speak at ‘Roost’ twice now, and each time she has done an outstanding job.“
“Emma Randall has run many weight management groups for me over the years. She has a real knack for turning the science of nutrition into something we can all understand. Her talks are informative and fun. Clients are always pleased when I tell them she is taking a group. She has a real empathy for clients with weight issues and speaks their language”.
If you’d like to see my events schedule or attend one of my talks please click HERE, or if you would like to host one of my mindful eating workshops or talks at your own premises, please contact me: 07961 423120 or email me (Emma Randall): info@mindfuleating.org.uk for further details and to discuss your requirements.
Other Services
I offer one-to-one sessions. SPECIAL OFFER: buy three sessions up front and get a 4th session FREE! Contact me via email HERE.
I run a fortnightly online support group.
For more information about how I support clients, see ‘Services‘.
For tips, information and advice see my blogs.
Follow me on Instagram.
I also provide short video tips and advice on my YouTube channel.
