Vincci Tsui, RD

Make Peace with Emotional Eating is less than one week away!

I was very intentional in naming this course. We're NOT here to stop eating emotionally. Instead, I invite you to pause and gain a deeper understanding of emotional eating—what it actually is and how it manifests for you, so that you can stop🥊fighting🥊 with it and start 🕊️making peace🕊️

The live calls start next Tues, Sept 10, but you can get access to our exclusive community right away.

Learn more and sign up at vinccitsui.com/mpee

🙋🏻‍♀️ I do!

Which is why my upcoming course, Make Peace with Emotional Eating includes an entire module discussing the systemic factors that have conditioned us to label emotional eating as "bad".

Most advice on emotional eating is about stopping or replacing the behaviour. Even when they switch to saying "Cope with your emotions with kindness" instead of "without food" ( ), the implication is that emotional eating is something to be avoided.

In Make Peace with Emotional Eating, we take a critical look at how anti-fatness, classism, ableism and healthism have influenced our beliefs. This isn't to dismiss the discomfort or distress that you feel around emotional eating; rather, it's an invitation to question the idea that emotional eating is inherently bad. More importantly, it's a reminder that YOU aren't bad for being an emotional eater.

We will also look at the different factors that contribute to emotional eating (and specifically how it shows up for you) so that you can stop fighting with emotional eating and start to make peace.

Learn more and sign up at vinccitsui.com/mpee (Link in Bio)

🛑 Stop fighting your emotional eating! 🛑

Learn to stop and listen in my upcoming course, Make Peace with Emotional Eating, which kicks off on September 10.

In this 5-week course, we'll dive into why YOU eat emotionally, and explore different ways to honour your unique needs (and talk about why it's OK for those needs to be met with food sometimes too!)

Find out more and register at vinccitsui.com/mpee (Link in Bio)

✨✨NEW EMOTIONAL EATING COURSE✨✨

I've wanted to do a group course on emotional eating (and its cousins, stress eating and boredom eating) for a while now, so the other day when I was telling a client the exact things that I am planning to teach in the course, I told myself, JUST LAUNCH IT ALREADY! 🚀

I see so many people beating themselves up for being "out of control" or "not having willpower," when emotional eating isn't about either of those things.

In Make Peace with Emotional Eating, you'll find out the real reasons why we eat "emotionally" (and more specifically, why *you* eat emotionally). You'll also learn strategies for addressing these different reasons, with or without food, in a supportive group setting.

Join us starting Tues, Sept 10, because you've been fighting with emotional eating (and yourself!) for far too long. It's time to make peace ✌️☮️🕊️❤️

Learn more and register at vinccitsui.com/mpee (Link in Bio)

Happy 9 years to aka .sorting.machine. Thank you for always supporting me and carrying our little family. One day we won't be so sleep-deprived 🤣🤣🤣

(He is deep in an Instagram phase so he will see this! Hehehe)

I'm celebrating 15 years as a dietitian today! 🎉🥳

It's a privilege to pick a very specific major out of high school, graduate and still be on this career path so many years later.

It was a bit hard to get this list going, but once I got things going, it was hard to keep it to 15! (Of course)

Here's to another 15? 🥂

#15

Until recently (like, a few days ago) I thought the problem with "unconditional permission to eat" was that people were interpreting it as "I *can* eat whatever I want, so I will/must eat whatever I want."

But the real problem is that unconditional permission to eat has had conditions this whole time 🤯

People in the US have been using the 5Calls app to contact their representatives about calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and other political issues that they care about.

But what about here in Canada?

I have compiled 5 actions that we can take in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

1️⃣ Call/Email your MP

2️⃣ Sign Petition e-4649

3️⃣ Join the NDP's letter writing campaign

4️⃣ Join Independent Jewish Voices (IJV)'s letter writing campaign

5️⃣ Donate (If you choose to donate to the Humanitarian Coalition, your donation will be matched by the Canadian government)

I know these actions are not "perfect," but I believe that imperfect action > inaction.

This is not an endorsement of the NDP or IJV; rather, they have set up the technology to make it easy to send a letter to the Prime Minister and other representatives. Aside from Petition e-4649, you can customize the text in the NDP and IJV letters, and what you say to your MP. You can choose who you want to donate to. Do what is aligned with your values.

All links available at bit.ly/5callscanada (as well as my bio and highlights!)

🚨 Wee Ooo! Wee Ooo! 🚓

It's one thing when our loved ones engage in diet talk, but it's a completely different ball game when *we* are policing our own eating and body.

Hope some of the strategies will give you some ideas for responding to your Inner Food Police.

How do you turn down the volume on your inner critic?

If you're looking for someone to help you talk back to your Inner Food Police, book a free 20-minute Appetizer Call with me at vinccitsui.com/appetizer-call and let's chat!

A different kind of [Canadian] Thanksgiving prep 😉🦃

Note: Depending on family/relationship dynamics, your personality, capacity, etc, some of these responses may resonate more than others. You may need to experiment to see what works for you.

Remember: Just the fact that you are trying to respond differently to a situation is a big step, even if it doesn't "work out" exactly the way that you hoped.

What are some strategies or responses that have worked for you? Please share (especially if they're snappy one-liners) in the comments!

It's too late to get in with me for a pre-Thanksgiving plan *but* it's not too late to get in touch if you need someone to help you debrief and decompress (or to plan for another gathering!) Just go to vinccitsui.com/appetizer-call to book a free 20-minute Appetizer Call with me and let's chat!

Dietitian guilt (n.)
1. The guilt that a dietitian feels when eating/not eating certain foods or engaging/not engaging in certain behaviours that are deemed "unhealthy" or "healthy" by society because "they're a dietitian and they should 'know better'" even though logically they know it won't impact their health either way
2. The same guilt that leads a dietitian to eat/act in a societally deemed "healthy" way, even if they might want to eat/act otherwise.

Any fellow RDs feel the dietitian guilt?

Sometimes it can be so hard to find the line between what we do because it's "healthier" or because we're "supposed to," vs what we genuinely enjoy. (I will share an example in an upcoming reel!)

I see this often in clients who are pursuing intuitive eating when they find themselves eating a "diet food" or engaging in behaviours that they associate with dieting. The fear of "returning to dieting" is valid, AND there is no such thing as a "perfect" intuitive eater. Sometimes you are going to eat foods that you don't 100% enjoy. Sometimes you are going to do things for "diet culture" reasons. All of it is normal and ok.

Eating for weight loss is not the same as eating for health.

To me, eating for health means eating in a way that satisfies your health needs—physical, mental, social, etc.

On the other hand, eating for weight loss inevitably means eating *less than* what your body needs. You can't nourish by taking away.

In our anti-fat and healthist society, weight and health are often conflated. While it's true that some people lose weight as a result of eating for health, we need to stop giving weight loss the credit for something that is more likely the result of change in behaviour, the privileges and circumstances that allow for this change in behaviour, and/or decreased exposure to weight stigma (both external and internalized)

Continuing to conflate weight with health means that those who *don't* lose weight may give up on their behaviour changes, believing that they're "not working" even though they might actually be reaping the benefits.

Furthermore, regardless of the methods used to lose weight, including medications and surgery, the weight loss is almost never permanent. Repeated cycles of weight loss and regain have been shown to lead to worse health outcomes than maintaining a higher weight.

These are just some of the reasons why I'm not in the business of helping people eat for weight loss, but the most important reason is that promoting intentional weight loss upholds and perpetuates the marginalization of fat/larger-bodied people, which in turn is a form of anti-Black racism. As someone who believes in respect, dignity, and inclusive care for all, helping people eat for weight loss simply goes against my values.

I'm not always in the business of helping people at for health either, but that's another post for another time.

*I use "fat" as a neutral descriptor, though I understand that it can be uncomfortable hearing that from a thin person, so I also use "larger-bodied"

**For more on anti-fatness as a form of anti-Blackness, I suggest reading:
📖 Fearing the Black Body by Dr. Sabrina Strings
📖 Belly of the Beast by Da'Shaun L. Harrison
📖 It's Always Been Ours by Jessica Wilson, MS, RD

Heads up - we're heading into the last long weekend of summer. With the anticipation of shorter days and colder weather, the stress of back to school, and so on, the transition from summer to fall can be tough!

For some people, this may manifest as emotional eating and/or bad body image days.

If that's the case for you, know that this is common and normal, and not something that's "wrong" with you.

Hoping this little reminder will add some predictability so it won't feel as hard. Take care of yourself this weekend ❤️

Isn't it interesting that the same people who say that food has "no moral value" or that "all foods are morally equal/neutral" also say that eating something is BETTER than nothing?

Before you @ me, I don't say that. I say: Something is MORE than nothing.

While we have a tendency to conflate "more" with "better," "more" is objective. "More" is neutral.

This is probably just semantics, AND I think we need to be aware how our own values and biases show up in our work.

Happy ! Food Day Canada was founded 20 years ago by the late writer Anita Stewart, who was committed to putting Canada's culinary scene on the map and proving that it's more than poutine (which was really only a Quebec thing until 15 or 20 years ago) and Timmy's. Though the growing season here is shorter than our southern counterparts, there is great food being produced here!

More importantly, today is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the people who help to get the food on our table. Not just farmers, but farm workers, food processing workers, grocery workers, the hospitality industry, and so on. Many of them saw their already low wages cut back even more with the pandemic - we must all advocate for equitable compensation and safe working environments so that we can all enjoy the abundance that we have here.

Although there are many factors that can contribute to so-called emotional eating, "lack of willpower" is NOT one of them.

And I say "so-called" because often ANY eating outside of planned meals is deemed "emotional", even when the main emotion being felt is guilt over eating more than what you "need".

But eating because you're not getting quite enough at meals is meeting a need. Eating for an energy boost is meeting a need. Eating because you have a craving for a taste or texture is meeting a need. And yes, eating as a way to regulate or numb out from uncomfortable emotions is meeting a need.

This is why you can't simply stop emotional eating by going for a walk, taking a bath, or replacing the food with a "healthier" choice. Often the food is meeting multiple needs—physical, emotional, sensory, and more. How efficient!

There is no shame in wanting to get your needs met (unless your needs harm others). If you've been beating yourself up over emotional/stress/boredom/binge eating, consider why (Hint: Anti-fat bias and healthism) and if you would like to work on meeting your needs in a different way, think of expanding your toolbox rather than trying to replace it altogether.

What does it mean when we label something an excuse instead of a reason? What beliefs and values are we upholding? Are they in line with the beliefs and values that we wish to uphold?

I often see people beat themselves up for the "excuses" that they make for not "eating healthier".

Is not having time or energy an excuse or a reason?

Are unexpected events excuses or reasons?

Is having other priorities an excuse or a reason?

Telling someone that they are too heavy to receive surgery or treatment is an EXCUSE. The REASON is that medical fatphobia means that many doctors don't receive the training nor have the equipment to provide safe, dignified care.

A blast from the past! I officially became an RD just over 14 years ago 😱

Eid Mubarak to all who are celebrating today!

Ramadan Mubarak to all who are celebrating this Holy Month.

Sounds like an interesting talk that the U of C will be hosting at the Central Library!

Demoralizing Fatness Why fat-shaming harms health and how we need to change the conversation

Go, Glow, Grow! It was such an honour to be invited to opening night of The F Word co-created and performed by Keshia Cheesman and Bianca Miranda!

The show takes you along for the ride as two friends navigate the pressures of diet culture toward fat liberation. It's so awesome to see such an incredible piece created right here in Calgary!

Full review: vinccitsui.com/blog/the-f-word

DM me to get 20% off tickets - the show runs until Feb 19!

Go, Glow, Grow: A Review of “The F Word” — Vincci Tsui, RD | Calgary HAES® Dietitian & Intuitive Eating Counselor A review of "The F Word" co-created and performed by Keshia Cheesman and Bianca Miranda.

Today is Day! Hosted by Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance - CWHHA, today is about raising awareness about heart disease in women. Did you know:
❤️ Heart disease is on the rise and is the leading cause of death for women worldwide.
❤️ Heart attack symptoms are not recognized in over 50% of women.
❤️ Some types of heart disease are more common in women than men.
❤️ Women can be at greater risk for heart disease than men, depending on certain risk factors.
❤️ There is a lot we can all do to help reduce the risk.

Learn more about these 5 key messages and this campaign at http://wearredcanada.ca

What started as wanting to share about some media spots recently turned into my first blog post in over a year 😱 I discuss what people expect dietitians to do or say, and whether there is room for something different:

Behind the Scenes of Two Recent Media Interviews: Playing the Role of Stereotypical Dietitian — Vincci Tsui, RD | Calgary HAES® Dietitian & Intuitive Eating Counselor Recently I was featured in Avenue Magazine as part of their Fresh Start feature in the Jan/Feb 2023 issue, and in a short news clip on CityNews. While the subjects of the two interviews were completely different, my experiences of both interviews were similar in that it seemed like the journalists a

"Perfectionism is the delusion of an incomplete self. It is impossible to fix our way out of what was never broken, to begin with.

Compassion is the tool that ejects us out of this endless loop to create a new narrative and way forward."

Perfectionism's roots in trauma & inequity The importance of self-compassion, burnt out students, disability and pain advocacy, and craving human relationships.

🪶 It’s Truth and Reconciliation Week, an important time to highlight the past and ongoing harms of colonialism on Indigenous wellness. As a settler healthcare provider with a heck of a lot of privilege, I humbly take on the responsibility to learn and advocate for ways that we can change harmful approaches to nutrition care for Indigenous peoples across the country.

In past years, I’ve learned and shared about the atrocious acts and nutrition experiments in starvation at residential schools that were conducted by the researcher who developed Canada’s Food Guide. The results of this trauma are inter generational and yet we continue to place blame for health problems on individuals.

I found a refreshing and important voice in the article quoted in the image. I would highly recommend anyone working in healthcare or nutrition care take a read, or anyone with an interest in the topic. The paper is entitled (Re)claiming our bodies using a Two-Eyed Seeing approach: Health-At-Every-Size (HAES®) and Indigenous knowledge, penned by a Métis scholar, Registered Dietitian, and Director of Primary Care and settler academic in the disciplinary area of public health nutrition. Link:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8076392/pdf/41997_2020_Article_445.pdf

L'Shana Tovah tikatevu to all who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah today! May your year be sweet.

Happy Fall Equinox! Today also marks the 145th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 7. If you, like me, live on this land, I encourage you to read the treaty as we are all treaty people.

Treaty Texts: Treaty and Supplementary Treaty no. 7 Copy of Treaty and Supplementary Treaty No. 7 between Her Majesty the Queen and the Blackfeet and Other Indian Tribes, at the Blackfoot Crossing of Bow River and Fort Macleod

[ It’s OK to want to lose weight ] ❤️

I sometimes have clients or friends who - because I’m a non-diet dietitian - hesitate to admit to me that they wish to lose weight, or are currently dieting or doing other things to attempt weight loss.

I don’t blame you for pursuing weight loss. Wanting to lose weight is COMPLETELY understandable given the fat phobic, healthist, oppressive, weight centric culture we swim in.

It’s the air we breathe. It’s a miracle ANYONE ceases the pursuit of weight loss.

No, I don’t blame people who want to lose weight. I have only compassion for these people. I was once an avid weight centric dietitian and human, and still have my moments of self-doubt and body image woes.

But what I DO have a massive pickle with is the crazy culture that fosters this desire for weight loss, and the widespread myopic views on health and what health “should look like”. A culture constantly promoting, discussing and praising weight loss that reinforces weight stigma & sh*tty stereotypes, and further harms marginalised people.

I have a problem with businesses that offer weight loss or “weight management” services without also revealing the research showing that for the majority of people, long term weight loss (i.e. weight loss sustained for more than 2-5 years) is unlikely. These people also forget to mention that the pursuit of weight loss increases the risk of weight cycling and eating disorders.

I have a beef with the fact that despite disordered eating being the norm for 50-75% of women, it’s not something most new grad dietitians, nutritionists & naturopaths are equipped to deal with. There is a serious lack of awareness and screening for eating disorders, which are on the RISE and affect ~9% of the population worldwide. Eating disorders have among the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses and affect people of ALL body sizes, ages, genders, and backgrounds.

So. I get it if you want to lose weight. I see you, I care for you. I offer you compassion ❤️

And to those profiting off our body insecurities and cultural fat phobia and promoting disordered eating… 🖕 🖕 🖕