Angela A. Karras, PsyD

Hi, I’m Angela, a psychologist who specializes in body confidence. I work with body conscious women who are fed up wasting their life chasing the ‘perfect’ body. I help them embrace the body they’re in and reclaim their time, energy, and head space to focus on the things that matter most to them.

For most of my life, I believed that if I could ‘fix’ my body, I’d be happier and more successful…sound familiar?

Do you feel like..

❤️‍🩹 No matter what you try, you feel uncomfortable in your body and can’t get past wanting to be thinner or prettier?

❤️‍🩹 You struggle to recognize your worth beyond the number on the scale or a dress size?

❤️‍🩹 You compare yourself to other women and let other peoples’ opinions about your body dictate your happiness?

❤️‍🩹 It’s hard to enjoy life because you’re constantly thinking about your body and wishing it was different?

If any of these resonate, you’re in the right place…

Do you want to be the kind of woman who..

💖 Wears what she wants.

💖 Moves her body in ways that feel good to her.

💖 Stops hiding behind make-up and clothes.

💖 Doesn’t care what others think about her body.

💖 Knows that what fills her up on the inside is more important than what is on the outside.

💖Wears a swimsuit with confidence.

💖 Gets off the diet cycle and make peace with your body.

THE TRUTH IS…

This woman is already inside of you, she just needs to be freed. You weren’t born hating your body, it’s a behavior that you’ve learned. We will work together to learn new behaviors that will allow you to live the life you always wanted.

👉🏻 DM me “body confidence” and we’ll discuss next steps!

“I swear, if I were just thinner this wouldn’t have happened”

Can you relate?! 🙋🏻‍♀️
Follow for more relatable advice.

I used to blame my weight every time something bad happened in my life. Somehow, I had convinced myself that life would be perfect if I had the perfect body.

We blame our body as an attempt to regain control of a situation that is not actually in our control. if you can change your body and get the outcome you want, then bam, all you have to do is lose weight.

The alternative is a painful reality, there is nothing we can do to change the outcome. And for me, that was always a terrifying thought. It was much easier to believe that my weight was the only thing getting in the way. I could change that.

The hard truth is that sometimes things just don’t work out and there’s nothing we can do about it. Accepting rejection and failure is so hard.

There is a freedom in accepting that not everything that happens is your fault. Things end and often don’t work out but it will never be because you weren’t good enough.

💫 You are always enough and your worth is non-negotiable.

You do not have to carry the shame any longer.

Be the first in your family to break a cycle and want something more, something better. A life lived in body shame is a life of being trapped in self hatred.

I recognize that as a white, straight sized woman it is easier for me to let go of body shame and move to a place of self compassion as I am closer to the “standard of beauty” that our society holds.

I hope you find your freedom ❤️

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice.

Dear body,

I am so sorry that I have spent so much time ignoring you and your needs. I promise that moving forward I will make you a priority every day.

Here are 5 promises I make to you. These promises are my commitment to you, to your healing, and to finding respect and love for you.

Drop a ❤️ in the comments if you will also try to make these promises to your body!

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

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This sh*t runs deep.

After years of dieting or restricting our brain is traumatized into thinking we are going to die of starvation, which is why it obsessively thinks about food. From a survival perspective, it’s actually quite incredible what our brain is doing for us. It wants to keep us alive.

Thanking our brain for looking out for us may seem silly, but it’s actually quite powerful and grounding. Reminding your self that you are safe and that you are no longer in survival mode is crucial if you want to get rid of the obsessive thoughts around food.

Intuitive eating can change your entire life and create peace with foods but it is going to take some time. And while the thoughts may be uncomfortable, you do not have to dwell on them.

Notice them, accept them, thank your brain for protecting you, and move on with your day.

If you’re looking for 1:1 support; head to my bio to schedule a free consult call.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice.

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I see you. I’m with you. We’re in this together… you are not alone ❤️

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

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Trapped emotions keep us stuck in life, living in a cycle of emotional pain.

Somewhere along the way many of us learned to repress our emotions, especially if those emotions were considered “bad”.

For many, home was not a safe enough place to express our emotions and feel seen, heard, and comforted. When parents don’t model how to deal with difficult emotions, we become overwhelmed and feel inadequate for not being able to handle them.

So we numb ourselves. For me, it became binging and purging. I buried my pain so deeply, that I built walls to keep people out. But I lived in constant anxiety and depression, using my eating disorder to try and regulate myself.

It wasn’t until I went to therapy that I realized how much was hidden under the surface and how much needed to be released.

As I moved through my emotions and learned how to express them, my need to resort to eating disorder behaviors decreased. Finding a way to identify and release my emotions is what helped me get unstuck.

❤️ If you’re struggling to access your emotions, therapy is a great place to start! If you live in NY or MA, I have space for a few new clients. Go to my bio to schedule a free consult.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice.

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Don’t waste 6 years of your life, like I did. Join my Masterclass and show up confidently now!

You do not have to be alone. You are worthy of love and respect exactly as you are. The only thing getting in your way, is yourself.

In my masterclass, I will help you identify exactly what is holding you back.

I know you’re tired of the negative body image talk, thinking you need to lose those last 5lbs, thinking you are the only one that just can’t seem to figure it out.

If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back and want the tools to show up confidently on your next date then drop a ♥️ in the comments and I’ll send you the info to sign up!

Presale is going until 4/27! Tix are on sale for only $27!

🔔 Dating Boldly is now out on Presale!!!

• Imagine feeling 100% present on a date
• Imagine feeling confident knowing yourself and your outfit
• Imagine being able to enjoy the conversation and person without thinking about how you’re being perceived
• Imagine focusing on if you like them, not worrying about if they like you

Dating Boldly will teach you how to show up now.

• No, you don’t have to wait until you lose weight.
• You will not be canceling because your body image is stopping you
• You won’t be shame talking yourself for how you look
• You won’t be skipping a meal because you’re ashamed to eat infront of someone.

I will teach you strategies for showing up and feeling good!

DM me “Ready” to get the direct link to the presale!

You deserve love ❤️

I know you think that losing weight is going to absolutely transform your life. That used to be me.

I literally thought If I lost weight, everything would be amazing. I’d be confident, I’d date, I’d travel alone, I’d be super social and super fun. Life would be good.

WRONG

The more weight I lost, the more obsessive and insecure I became. When the number wouldn’t budge, I’d hate myself and feel like a failure. When the number did drop, it never felt like enough and I had to go harder.

All of a sudden I was saying no to plans so I wouldn’t ruin my diet. I would never skip the gym even if I was exhausted. I was tired all the time, I was irritable, I was starving, I was miserable.

Letting go of the idea that my weight would change my life is actually what changed my life. I started living in the now and stopped waiting.

Follow for ways to improve your relationship to food and your body.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice.

Is this you? Has your lifestyle change only led to a terrible cycle of restricting and then bingeing? If so, save this post!

For many, feeling shame around our body and food can be so overwhelming that the natural response is to try and “fix” it and that usually means restricting food intake. We tell ourselves that this isn’t a diet, it’s a long term lifestyle change that is going to make us “better”.

But, the reality is that restriction can actually make the desire to binge even stronger. And then you’re stuck in the cycle.

The only way out is to intervene at some point. That can happen in several ways:

• Making sure to not skip meals even if you did have a binge that day or the day before
• Getting rid of your food rules and being more flexible
• Understanding your feelings of shame and working through them rather than avoiding them.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice.

We get so lost in the idea of wanting everyone to like us that we start losing our sense of self as a way to mold into something that others want.

If you’re always trying to fit in then you’ll never really belong.

This was the hardest lesson for me and the biggest motivator that fueled my eating disorder and negative body image. I was constantly trying to make myself small, both physically and emotionally so that no one would ever perceive me as “too much.”

The reality is that not everyone is going to like us, and we are not going to like everyone. You cannot go through the world trying to satisfy everyone because all that will happen is that you will lose yourself in the process.

Your opinion is all that matters. Drop a ❤️ in the comments if you agree!

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Emotional tolerance is such a crucial skill in life and especially in recovery. Much of the work is around “learning to tolerate discomfort”

I like to tell clients, it’s about learning that it’s ok to not be ok. That sometimes we are going to be uncomfortable and we need to find a way to work through it, rather than go around it or avoid it.

In recovery, this may mean leaning to tolerate the discomfort of fullness, eating fear foods and tolerating the anxiety, feeling fear from not counting my calories, etc.

You have to allow the space to feel your feeling and work through them. This is where having a toolbox of coping skills is essential. You will use your coping skills to help manage and tolerate the discomfort.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Hand up if this is you 🙋🏻‍♀️

Food rules and restrictions only make cravings and obsessing over food even worse. By trying to distract from what we actually want, we end up trying to get our needs met in ways that continue to leave us unfulfilled. Eventually we feel “out of control”.

Yes, this example is around food and learning to honor your cravings however this is a much broader lesson that can apply to our entire lives. Stop trying to distract and not have your needs met. It will only lead to feelings of disappointment, shame and guilt.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Yes, food is a huge component of eating disorder recovery. For those who need to re-gain weight, it may feel like the only component. For a while, it may be because we cannot do therapy on a starving brain.

The reality is that recovery requires work in a lot of different areas. It includes learning to tolerate discomfort and physical sensations without trying to distract or avoid.

It also includes challenging your through process, the way you view the world and the way you interact with others and yourself.

Common thought distortions that come up include black and white thinking, catastrophizing, etc.

So remember, if you are struggling with your meal plan or relationship with food that doesn’t mean that you are not making progress in other areas.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Diet culture uses language that places a moral value on food. It encourages behaviors or thoughts that make us distrust our own body's response to food. They also teach us how to ignore our innate hunger cues by following a rigid schedule/structure.

Here are some words we should avoid using when we describe food. These are words that are often used in diet culture and create a lot of guilt, confusion and shame around food and health.

If you find these words being used in your life or around you, be mindful that they are strongly connected to diet culture and may be affecting your relationship with food.

⬇️ What words are missing? Comment below!

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

A healthy relationship with exercise means you don’t have to think too much about it. It’s not something you force into your day because it feels like a requirement but rather something that may be a nice addition.

If you have been questioning wether or not you have a healthy relationship to movement, check in with yourself. Take some time to journal and ask yourself some of these questions in the following slides.

Save this post for reference and as a guide to start helping you become aware of what your body may need to heal.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Today, March 8th is International Women’s day. It is a day to celebrate all of the amazing social, political and economic achievements of women around the world.

It is a powerful reminder that we need to continue to call out gender inequality and end the stereotypes associated with being a woman.

My hope is that not just this day but every day we remember that we are strong, fierce, intelligent and we belong.

This badass sweatshirt is my new favorite. Created by my dear friend Dr. Michelle Solomon as a reminder that our mental health is more important than our external appearance.

That’s not to say that we can’t find joy and pleasure in taking care of our appearance but rather that our worth is not tied and does not change based on our appearance.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Dealing with weight gain can be challenging, but pretending it’s not will make it even harder.

You are allowed to “mourn” your old body but it’s also important to respect the current body you have.

1) Change is inevitable in life, that includes with our bodies. As we age, our bodies change. Give your body permission to change, grow, evolve, etc. set the expectation that it is ok for your body to change and that weight fluctuations are normal.

2) Be super mindful of the things you are looking at and how they affect you. Avoid looking at old photos. Unfollow pages that make you feel bad or trigger you. Remember, you and your well being have to come first.

3) Find others who can help support you. That may be anti-diet/ body positive social media pages, friends, or mental health professionals. We change our ideals and vision of beauty when we expose ourselves to a variety of images of bodies.

4) Remember, you don’t have to love your body to take care of it. Make sure you are properly fueling and hydrating. Check you sleep hygiene. Engage in joyful movement. Prioritize self-care and speaking to yourself with compassion.

5) Stop forcing your body into clothing that no longer fits. Pick outfits that feet comfortable and allow you to move freely. Remind yourself that bodies are meant to change and that it’s ok.

As always, please separate your worth from your body. You are powerful and fabulous regardless of your weight. You are so much more than just a body.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

I have had such an influx of eating disorder cases coming in, especially in adolescents. I keep hearing the same story over and over.. the teen loses weight and everyone praises them and thinks they look “amazing”.

When we praise people for weight loss, we are praising their behaviors and enforcing the idea that whatever they are doing to lose weight is worth the result.

We need to start challenging this and start checking in with people about how they are doing. Stop assuming that weight loss is always a good thing or coming from a good place. Praise is literally the worst thing we could offer someone in that moment.

If you notice someone in your life has lost a significant amount of weight instead of praising them you can ask the following:
“How are you doing?”
“How are things going?
“How have you been feeling?”
“What’s on your mind?”

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

The world is a really scary place right now, between the ongoing pandemic and now the Russia- Ukraine crisis. If you notice old behaviors coming back, check in with yourself.

When we are in high stress situations, we often turn back to old behaviors because they make us “feel safe”. I understand how difficult it is to feel safe right now. However, it’s important to try to use more adaptive coping skills to take care of yourself..

Sending everyone lots of love and strength. Standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine 🇺🇦

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

I woke up particularly angry about these things, though in reality the list would be endless…

1) Why do we assign so much meaning to random numbers? We give them so much power in doing so. Why do we have to be a specific weight, weigh a specific number, wear a specific size? Who told us that number and why does that number have so much power..

2) before and after pictures are literally the worst.. not only do they imply that one version was better than the other, what happens if you return to that version at a different point in your life?

3) People who post “what I eat in a day videos” do not under the harm they cause. Half the time, the things they eat/ drink I would never have in my home, probably never heard of, and most likely are super expensive and unrealistic. We all have different needs, accessibility and access.

4) Stop airbrushing pictures, not only does it make you feel bad because you cannot show up as yourself, it makes the rest of us feel like s**t too.

5) I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to label food as “guilt free” but it’s a nightmare. I never would have thought to feel guilty about eating certain things until someone literally slapped it onto the bag of food.

6) food has no more value, so let’s stop labeling things as “good” or “bad”. I refuse to believe I am “being bad” for eating carbs or dessert. However, tell me I’m being bad when I’m hurting someone’s feelings and I’ll listen.

7) enough with the “willpower” idea. It’s not the cure all to everything difficult in life. It’s not that simple and it’s incredibly invalidating to our struggles.

⬇️ What else would you add to the list? Comment below!

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

I think body love and body positivity is amazing. I also recognize that it’s not for everyone. I don’t need you to love and obsess over your body.

I need you to recognize that you are so much more than just a body. You don’t have to love your body to respect it and take care of it.❤️

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

The diet industry does not care about you and your well being.. they care about your money. They want to profit off of your insecurities.

This is a business, and the worse you feel, the more “programs”, “cleanses” “6-workout plans” you will buy.

That’s why there are new diets constantly being created, new programs, new influencer packages, etc.

This industry is not interested in your “health”, If you’re successful, they will no longer profit. Think about it..

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Part of this journey is learning that food isn’t always exciting. Yes, sometimes we’re hungry and excited for our meal. Other times we eat something that we’re not so excited for. And there are times when we don’t want to eat but have to.

This is all a part of the process of reconnecting with your body and healing your relationship with food. It’s important to learn to distinguish between your hunger and fullness cues but also to recognize that not every meal is going to be the best mea you’ve had, and that’s ok.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

This is your life and you are allowed to do whatever you please with it. You have full permission to satisfy your needs and deserve to feel comfortable in your body and your life.

Please remember that everyone’s needs are different, and instead of trying to do what “they” so, focus on doing what you need. ❤️

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Please please please listen when I tell you that weight loss will not yield happiness. And if it does, it will be temporary and fleeting.

When we are unhappy we are willing to do anything to make it better. Focusing on our body and weight feels like the perfect option because there is a solution.

We think to ourselves:
I’m unhappy
If I lose weight I’ll be happy
(Goes on a diet)
(Feels like they’re working on the problem)
(Loses weight but doesn’t find happiness)
Ok, maybe I need to lose 5lbs more. Then I’ll def be happy.
(Rinse and repeat)

Our weight and body were never the problem but they felt like the best solution. The hard truth is that sometimes there is no solution. Sometimes we have to dig deep and make lots of changes in our lives. We have to look at our relationships, both with ourselves and with others. It’s a lot of work and it’s scary. And the fear is that what if we don’t have anything else to offer? What are we left with..

You cannot use external validation to fill the need for internal validation. It won’t work. And as long as you continue to do so, you’ll never get at the deeper issues that really need to be addressed.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

The more you restrict, the more you will obsess about food. If you want to heal your relationship with food you have to begin adding.

It may take some time for your body to realize that moving forward it will have access to food, but slowly, you will stop obsessing.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Two of the most universal fears are that we are not enough and that we won’t be loved.

These internal fears can often feel so overwhelming that we choose to externalize them and make them easier to solve. However, it’s not the solution.

Losing weight or going on a diet is not going to change your fundamental belief of your worth. You won’t wake up all of a sudden feeling more worthy and loved just because you lost weight. You cannot change something external expecting it to fix something internal.

The true work is deeper than that. However, as long as you focus all of your energy and attention on weight loss, there will be no room or space left to focus on the deeper issues.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice

Here’s your weekend reminder that you deserve to eat simply because you are alive.

Eating is not a reward and you certainly do not have to “earn” it. Nor should it ever be used as a punishment.

Eating is a basic need for human survival. And as animals, all humans have an innate desire to try and survive. When we go against this primary drive, we force our body/mind to obsess over food because of this.

Do not let diet culture trick you into believing that you do not deserve to eat. You do.

🌟 My page is for educational purposes only and is not therapy or medical advice