Sarah Berneche

07/10/2026

On a GLP-1 to stop the "food noise" and still struggling?

While some people find peace with this medication, many people (including my clients!) still struggle with binge eating, emotional eating, and eating past fullness.

There are many reasons for this, including food restriction (yup, still matters), self-soothing, and, critically, because GLP-1s don't teach our nervous systems how to regulate (feel safe).

Relief from food noise does not equal relief from unprocessed trauma.

My work with clients is founded on safety -- with food, movement, and with our bodies. If you're interested in how that could look for you, I'm accepting new clients. Book your complimentary call (link in bio) and let's talk about what might be driving your behaviours. You deserve understanding, compassion, and relief.

07/10/2026

If you've ever said, "Coping strategies just don't work for me," it's time to learn about nervous system dysregulation.

Folks struggling with binge and emotional eating are often advised to replace the unwanted behaviour with another coping strategy. You know, take a walk, journal, call a friend, practice breathing exercises, and so on. These tools CAN be helpful, which is why we use them.

But they're typically ineffective when the nervous system is highly activated.

When deeply dysregulated, your system is searching for a felt sense of safety. It isn't looking for an intellectual problem.

You might know all the coping skills in the book and what you're "supposed" to do. But it's another thing to access these options when your house (aka your body) is on fire.

When the ANS is overwhelmed, accessing flexible thinking or problem-solving becomes limited. This is is why trauma-informed approaches to binge eating focus on building capacity rather than simply adding more strategies.

(And sometimes you don't need more --you need less.)

Building capacity can involve many things. But consider that blaming yourself for "overeating," your body is actively trying to protect you. Not sabotage you.

Binge eating and emotional eating aren't just about food. They're about the search for relief.

Recovery isn't about finding the "one thing" you're doing wrong. Rather, we want to uncover the larger pattern leading to the behaviours...
..and create enough safety and trust so that food no longer has to do the heavy lifting of keeping you safe in the same way.

To learn more about my trauma-informed approach to recovery, DM me the word "Curious" for both free and paid options.

07/10/2026

Think restricting, binge eating, or feeling out of control around food is just something you're always going to deal with?

I want you to know it's possible to:
🍪 Enjoy baked goods just because without guilt or shame
🐟 Order the grilled fish because it's exactly what you want, not because it's the "healthy choice."
🧀 Have some cheese and olives because you're in the mood for a snack (also, cheese.)
🫕 Eat out multiple times a day without giving it a second thought

As someone with lived experience of disordered eating and negative body image, I used to get extremely anxious whenever I broke a rule (or felt incredibly guilty). I never would have thought I'd be able to put those days behind me, but I'm so glad I proved myself wrong.

But feeling safe isn't a switch you can just turn off and on; it's a process. To grab a copy of my trauma-informed guide to nutrition counselling, DM me the word "Curious" and I'll send it over!

06/30/2026

If you've been trying to eat "forbidden foods" regularly to stop feeling out of control around them, and now you're Googling:

-Why aren't fear foods getting easier?
-Why do I feel numb when I eat?
-How long does food obsession last?
..It's possible it just hasn't been enough time, or you're lacking support. Many people are told just to keep eating them and that their relationship with food will change in time. They might be recommended some mindful eating strategies. Maybe someone suggests eating those foods after a full meal or with other items.

But trauma might *also* be part of the picture.

Nobody might be looking at what your nervous system learned to expect from food.

Food might once have meant unpredictability, danger, rejection, criticism, or control. And these conditioned responses to food can persist long after you intellectually know the food itself is safe.

I will always encourage eating enough food, because it's not possible to feel safe when your basic needs aren't met. But when you're using food to manage trauma symptoms, eating more of a forbidden food will not in and of itself lead to feeling safer and less out of control around food.

If you're struggling to make peace with food on your own, DM me "Curious" and I'll send you different ways I can help you -- both free and paid.

01/14/2026

05/18/2025

In case you missed it, I'm on Substack!

Today, I'm talking about:
1. My experiences with endometriosis, chronic illness, and chronic pain
2. Limitations or problems in how we teach body image in the context of chronic illness
3. My answer to "the goal" of body image work -- you might be surprised!

What endometriosis has taught me about body image work

04/04/2024

A struggle that comes up repeatedly in my practice?

Wearing fewer clothes. Sporting a swimsuit out in public. Choosing shorts over long pants. Tossing on a t-shirt instead of spending summer days in sweats.

The culture positions dieting — and specifically, weight loss — as the “solution” to the discomfort you experience in your body.

✨The problem? Losing weight doesn’t teach you how to love or care for your body more. According to body image research, dieting worsens body image. ✨

I want to give you another option — one anchored in care and compassion rather than judgment, control, and criticism.

This is why I’m opening enrolment to The Life Preserver, an intimate somatic group body image program…just as we head into the warmer months.

Over 12 weeks, I’ll support you to:

✨Feel comfortable showing your arms and legs in public on sweltering hot days…instead of covering up (and sweating buckets)
✨Wear a swimsuit while out in public without constantly worrying about what other people are thinking about you
✨Deal with the discomfort you feel about your body without embarking on another restrictive diet
✨Manage tough body image days with tried-and-true tools that support a healthier nervous system
✨Look at photos of yourself through a more neutral lens
✨And soften your most critical and judgmental thoughts about your body…

I know it can seem like the only way to feel more comfortable in your body is through weight loss, which makes sense if that’s all you’ve ever known.

I want you to know there's another way.

Click on the link below to find out more or to enrol. Doors close on Thursday, April 11 at 11:59pm and we start on April 22!

12-week body image group training

11/03/2023

https://sarahberneche.com/2023/11/03/weight-gain-feels-threatening/

Does weight gain feel like a threat? It's common to be afraid of weight gain as you go through eating disorder recovery.

09/05/2023

What myths have you heard about binge eating?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Here are 4 myths about binge eating I see most often:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Binge eating is a willpower issue.

Far from it! As I like to say, "weak willpower" is actually a code for strong restriction.

Binge eating, also known as reactive eating or driven-driven eating, is driven by food restriction (physical or emotional/mental.)

Trying to impose "willpower" or "discipline" is likely to worsen binge eating.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Eating carbs causes binge eating. Eating too FEW carbs can actually drive binge eating.

There are many reasons you might feel out of control around food.

And if you're not eating enough carbs for your unique body, carbs are going to feel extra.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨You can't binge if you don't restrict food.

I often see this one coming out of the non-diet community and it's not entirely true.

While many people will stop binge eating once they stop restricting food (especially if they're getting good therapy), food restriction isn't the only reason for binge eating.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
✨Binge eating or BED is a body type.

People of all body sizes, races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, genders, and sexualities struggle with binge eating. Binge eating is a label, not a body size.

09/04/2023

Many of us know not to deliver "negative" body comments, but "positive" comments are harmful, too.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It may not always seem this way initially. But repeated comments, even "positive" ones, can be really dehumanizing, reducing who we are to a cluster of body parts.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Objectification is a risk factor for depression, anxiety, eating disorders and disordered eating, low self-esteem, a diminished sense of agency, and shame. Sexual objectification is strongly linked to harassment, sexual violence, and rape-supportive attitudes.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I doubt anyone means any harm when they comment on someone's body, but this is the impact.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀