Psychologist Shares Free Solutions to Overeating, Overload, and Overwhelm

BELLINGHAM, Wash., Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- If you are a successful, high-achieving woman, your to-do list and your busy life may be contributing to weight gain and weight loss difficulties. So says Dr. Melissa McCreery, clinical psychologist, life coach, and founder of TooMuchOnHerPlate.com. She's created a holiday, complete with gifts, to raise awareness and help busy women who have a lot on their plates take charge of their lives.

"There are 3 Os that tend to ambush high-achievers," says McCreery. "Overwhelm, overload, and overeating are common problems that many successful women struggle with but don't talk about. These problems are often related. It's critical to understand that stress and overeating are connected if you are trying to lose weight. If you don't address the stress and the hectic lifestyle, weight loss attempts are much more likely to fail."

Not only can stress lead to stress eating and other types of emotional eating, but McCreery points out that stress and sleep-deprivation, which often accompany the too-much-on-her-plate lifestyle, actually cause weight gain and increases in appetite.

"Successful women often buy into the belief that they have to work harder and harder to maintain their success, but if stress and overload are not addressed, and if self-care doesn't find its way into your schedule, you're likely to pay a price. That price often includes exhaustion, frustration, and weight gain."

To bring awareness to this issue, Dr. McCreery has created Too Much on Her Plate Week, a holiday designed to help women rebalance and take charge of overeating, overload, and overwhelm. Beginning November 14, 2011, McCreery and a team of experts will be giving away more than 15 free gifts designed to help women add more ease and balance to their lives.

In the meantime, McCreery offers these three tips for women with too much on their plates (in any sense of the word):

• Make sure to claim time for yourself, even if it's just a few minutes. Try carving out ten minutes at the start of your day to journal, stretch, or simply set your priorities.
• Think do-able. High-achievers tend to have high expectations. If your attempts at lifestyle change or weight loss feel overwhelming, try cutting the steps you plan to take in half. Small changes really do add up and are more likely to be maintained.
• Make sure to get at least seven and a half hours of sleep a night. Women who don't get enough sleep gain weight, tend to feel more hungry, and have more cravings for sugary or high-carb foods.

For more information about Too Much on Her Plate Week, go to http://toomuchonherplate.com/programs-and-services/too-much-on-her-plate-week/.

About Melissa McCreery and TooMuchOnHerPlate.com:

Psychologist and Life Coach Dr. Melissa McCreery focuses on the three Os that ambush successful, high-striving women -- overeating, overwhelm, and overload. She is the founder of TooMuchOnHerPlate.com where her clients take control of overeating and stress and add more ease, success, and joy in their health, their businesses, and their lives. The creator of The Emotional Eating Toolbox™ 28 Day Program and the How to Put Yourself First 7 Day Blast-off, Dr. McCreery has been featured in Self magazine, on Yahoo Health, in Diane magazine (the magazine of Curves Fitness Centers), SparkPeople.com, and many other wellness publications. For more tips and articles or to arrange an interview, visit http://TooMuchonHerPlate.com or email [email protected].

Contact:

Melissa McCreery, PhD
360-671-8520
[email protected]

SOURCE TooMuchOnHerPlate.com