ecoutay, ecoutay wellness, intuitive eating

Meet Cindy

Why food still feels heavy — even when you’re active,
healthy, and trying so hard.

For years, I lived the same story you might be living right now. I logged every calorie, bargained with myself at every snack, replayed every meal at night, and woke up determined to “be better” tomorrow.

I worked out, I ate “clean,” I followed all the rules — and still my mind was pounding with food thoughts, guilt, and frustration.

It wasn’t because I lacked willpower. It was because my food habits were tied to deeper patterns I didn’t even recognize.

How I Arrived Here

I grew up believing food was earned and that moving meant punishment or control.
I tracked, I restricted, I “deserved” treats only if I exercised hard.
The quieter I became about my body, the louder food became in my head.
Eventually I realized: it wasn’t the food that was the problem — it was the invisible drivers underneath.
I retrained how I fed my body, how I thought about food, and how I moved — and the noise finally began to fade.

My credentials: I am a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. But more importantly, I’ve lived the loop I now help women escape

What I’ve Learned (and what you’ll learn if you work with me)

Here’s what I discovered — and what you’ll discover too:

Under-fueling creates hunger noise
If your body isn’t getting enough fuel (especially when you’re active), your brain stays loud, your cravings stay strong, and your sleep/self-control suffer.
All-or-nothing thinking strengthens the loop
“Clean” days followed by “blow-it” nights. “Earned” treats. “Bad” foods. This kind of mindset keeps you trapped.
Stress and dysregulation make quiet impossible
When your nervous system is in survival mode — from workouts, life demands, past diets, lack of rest — food becomes one of the few things you feel you can control.

When you shift these three drivers, something changes: Food stops occupying half your brain, you trust your choices, you eat without falling apart, and you move through your day with clarity — not regulation.

Why This Happens

Most women don’t struggle with food because they “lack discipline.”

They struggle because their relationship with food has been built on pressure, rules, and trying to do the “right” thing every day — even when life is loud and stress is high.

Over time, a few patterns quietly take over:

1. You're not eating enough for the way you move.

Active women burn more energy than they realize. When your body never gets fully refueled, food naturally gets louder. Cravings feel stronger. Decisions feel harder. By 3pm (or 9pm), willpower doesn’t stand a chance — not because you’re weak, but because you’re running on fumes.

2. You've picked up rules that don't actually help you.

"Be good today.”
“No carbs at night.”
“Earn the treat.”
“Start over tomorrow.”

These rules feel like control at first, but they backfire. The more you try to follow them, the more rebellious and chaotic eating becomes. You end up swinging between doing “great” and feeling like you blew it.

3. Stress makes food feel like the one thing you can control.

Work stress, family stress, life stress — your body doesn’t separate them. When your nervous system is stretched thin, it’s hard to eat calmly. You shift into survival mode: grazing, picking, restricting, or overeating without understanding why. It’s not about food. It’s about your system being overwhelmed.

4. You’re trying to fix a loud problem with quiet tools.

Most women respond to food frustration by adding more rules: track harder, restrict more, be “better,” rely on willpower.

But rules can’t fix what rules created.

You don’t need more control — you need a different relationship with food altogether.

The truth most women never hear...

Your eating patterns make complete sense once you understand the drivers behind them.

And once you work with your body instead of against it, the noise naturally quiets.

You stop arguing with yourself.

You stop negotiating every bite.

Eating becomes calmer, simpler, and a lot less dramatic.

Who I Help

I work with women who:

are active or health-minded — you move, you train, you care.
feel like food still takes up too much attention even though they “should” have it figured out.
know the rules because they’ve tried them — calories, macros, LED, etc.
are done with the tighten-up → collapse → guilt cycle.
are ready for a different path — one where eating feels easier, quieter, more trustworthy.

I do not work with women who are seeking strict diet plans, calorie targets, “earn” or “deserve” frameworks, or rapid performance results. My work is about mindset, trust, routine, and peace around food.