You’ve been navigating your weight and working toward your health goals on your own for long enough!
It can feel isolating to be on the journey on your own and it’s overwhelming, especially when you’ve lost and gained the same weight over and over again. You have a ton of information and know what you “should” be doing but for some reason you’re not able to stick with it consistently. I get it! I have been there before and was also stuck in that cycle.
This is a research-based process created by Ali Shapiro, MSOD, CHHC that combines functional medicine, adult development and narrative coaching to resolve the root cause issues, which lead to people not taking as great of care of themselves as they would like. During this program, you will gain clarity around the external factors causing your cravings because once you’re aware of them, the pull of food can decrease. Through our sessions, you’ll also strengthen your self-trust, which will lead to being more in tune with what works best for you, your body and your lifestyle. (Hint: It likely won’t be a one-size-fits-all approach.)
If you are ready to radically transform your relationship with food and your life, this comprehensive, 6-month program is right for you. We will dig deep and find out what is at the root of your self-sabotaging behaviors.
"When I first reached out to Laura for support, I was emotionally and physically unhealthy. I was stuck and could not move forward with my exercise and eating goals. I now feel so much more comfortable in my own skin and am a lot less anxious.
I really enjoyed the opportunity to dig deeply into issues that I only touched on in a surface level way during traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. Laura helped me question my own thoughts/feelings in a way that I had not done in the past (despite all that therapy!).
Overall, I'm more effective in all areas of my life because I am in more control and able to pick and choose what I do and don't want to take on.
I always felt understood and never judged by Laura. I recommend this program to anyone who has struggled to understand his or her relationship with food. This is not another diet.
I feel 1,000% better than I did when I first started working with Laura. This process was life saving!"*
~ Lauren, Chicago, IL
"When I first started Truce with Food, I was hoping to remove shame around eating out of alignment with what I understood to be appropriate healthy eating. While going through the program, I learned junk food was associated with reward, fun and love and I used food as a way to avoid my feelings. Whatever “bad” feeling I had, I would smother it with the foods that represent “love.”
My eating is now healthier and binge eating of non-nutritional food is mostly a thing of the past. I pick and stock better foods and food is less of an emotional crutch overall.
I recommend this program to anyone struggling with eating issues tied to unresolved or unexamined emotions. Laura creates a safe place for you to share your worst secrets in a non-judgmental environment, bringing the secret shames to the light of day, allowing for understanding and healing."*
~ Carrie, Chicago, IL
“After completing the six month program, I feel stronger in being assertive for my needs. I have become less scale obsessed and more rooted in what are my actual goals that I want to accomplish, such as being more physically capable and happy. I feel happier understanding my relationship with food than actually hitting a number on a scale.
This program is helpful for anyone who is frustrated or confused by their ability to have a healthier relationship with food. I am in my early 40’s and thought that maybe this was just the way it was going to be but now I do not feel as defeated as I did going in.”*
~ C.H., Chicago, IL
“When you start giving a sh*t about yourself (and your choices, values, how you live your life) all of that will reflect back on how you treat (and nourish) yourself.
Before this, I knew there was room for growth and areas where I wasn't being good to me, but I was doing it in a rebellious, isolating kind of way. Authenticity doesn't have to be loud or advertised, and I no longer feel the need to justify it to naysayers. Accommodating isn't required to fit in.”*
~Sarah R., Chicago, IL
*Results may vary from person to person.
Have some questions?
The difference with Truce with Food® is it isn’t just another tool or tactic to try that’s built around willpower. Throughout the process, we will get you to see your “bad eating” as a protective behavior and will start to understand the real root cause of why you battle food and “fall off track.”
Ultimately, we will shift the focus off of dieting and deprivation and onto you, your emotions and your triggers.
During this program, we will meet every two weeks for six months. You will receive a homework exercise to complete between sessions and I will provide email support in between the meetings in case you’re feeling stuck along the way.
Meeting every other week provides the accountability you may crave while also providing the space to process and digest what comes up in sessions. Your life is the classroom so we use those experiences as data and information to guide our discussions.
Below is an overview of what we cover in each session:
- Session 1: (105-minutes): Get to the bottom of why you battle food and “fall off track” by diagnosing the story that’s been keeping you stuck
- Session 2 (60-minutes): Connect the dots between your story and eating, which will provide more clarity so you can be compassionate with yourself and the process
- Session 3 (60-minutes): Understand and identify what leads to unaligned eating choices in the moment and how they drain your energy
- Session 4 (60-minutes): Characterize how you’re being in your story that leads to the behaviors making you feel out of control around food and in life
- Session 5-12: Rewrite your story and experiment with new behaviors so you have more room to choose, instead of react. It will also help you see other options you may not currently see.
Results vary by client based on where they are in their journey, how open they are to the process and the work they put in. However, many of my clients tend to:
- Reduce mental food gymnastics.
- More naturally eat in alignment with their healthy eating goals without having to resist food.
- Feel relieved, hopeful and empowered by being able to identify the themes that are leading them to make unhealthy food choices. They tend to see a shift where they are more naturally able to eat in alignment with their healthy eating goals, without working so hard to resist food.
- Take more risks in their lives and are no longer avoiding things they would have in the past. This can show up with new job/career opportunities, in their relationships, making a move to a new home, etc.
- Create more balance in various areas of their lives.
- Speak up more often for their needs in an authentic and genuine way that feels right for them. This leads to experiencing relief and more fulfillment.
So many programs promise to be different but underneath they’re all different ways to give you a formula (often not based on research) or cut calories that creates more restriction, which only leads to eventual rebellion.
This is a process you can’t fail if you devote yourself to trying and learning how to understand your out of alignment eating, which is what Truce with Food gives you the awareness and tools to do. It doesn’t require willpower in the traditional sense. In fact, imperfection is built into the material and is expected!
This process is challenging and is not for everyone. The challenge is the willingness to be a beginner and continue to show up when you’re new (e.g., not the best) at building a new skill set. This can be uncomfortable for perfectionists and those with an all-or-nothing mindset. It’s about being devoted to yourself.
If you can commit to showing up when you feel imperfect, this process will work for you. There’s not a formula for success or failure here. This process meets everyone exactly where they are in their self-awareness and lifestyle. It’s the opposite of having a bunch of rules to follow that only fuel the battle and a sense of failure.
Curiosity Calls are always free! Exploratory Discovery sessions are $350 and will be applied toward the cost of a program. Program prices start at $1,750 and vary based on their length. Payment plans are also available to fit within your budget.
During the Curiosity Call we will determine which program is the best approach for you based on where you’re currently at and the type of support that would be most helpful for you.
Sessions can be done in-person, over the phone or via Zoom. You don’t need to be local in Chicago but many people who are close by prefer meeting in person, when available. It’s really a personal preference and what works best for your lifestyle. Regardless of how we meet, clients tend to get similar results whether we meet in person or virtually.
Ready to get back on track for good?
Schedule a 40-minute Curiosity Call free from shame, guilt and judgment. You'll fill me in on your challenges with your relationship with food, gain some insight, and will have a safe space to talk about what's been swirling around in your mind. You'll walk away knowing the steps to create sustainable change (no willpower required)!
There's absolutely no charge for our first chat.
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Users of this website understand that the purpose of this website is not to prescribe or provide health care, medical or nutrition therapy services; or to diagnose, treat or cure any disease, condition or other physical or mental ailment of the human body. Users understand that this information is not acting in the capacity of a doctor, licensed dietician-nutritionist, psychologist or other licensed or registered professional, and that any advice given is not meant to take the place of advice by these professionals. If the user is under the care of a health care professional or currently uses prescription medications, the user should discuss any dietary changes or potential dietary supplements use with his or her doctor, and should not discontinue any prescription medications without first consulting his or her doctor.
