This Web site was founded on the principles of The Caryl Ehrlich Program, a behavioral approach to weight loss, taught one-on-one in either Caryl’s 45th Street between 3rd and 2nd Avenue office in Manhattan or by telephone and email.
First, Caryl shares her story, and then introduces you to The Program.
My Story
My name is Caryl Ehrlich. I am a compulsive eater. And yet thirty five years ago I figured out how to lose weight and keep it off. I didn’t diet, deprive myself, count calories or grams of fat, or avoid specialty foods. I didn’t change the foods I ate. I changed my habits instead.
Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of people conquer their food addictions and compulsive eating. The Caryl Ehrlich Program was born on April 11, 1981. Just recently celebrated its anniversary of 32 years in business.
To find out more about The Program or to schedule a FREE No-Obligation consultation e-mail Caryl@ConquerFood.com or call 212-986-7155.
My office is located on: 228 East 45th Street, Ste 1801, New York, NY 10017
Congratulations on taking your first step to conquering your food addiction. My goal is to help you reach your goal.
24 Comments
Hi ! I over eat , mostly when I want to start a diet I eat more, and not good food. I work at night and I don’t know when to eat. I know I shouldn’t eat before going to bed. I get out of work at 6am and I get the kids to school, sometimes I eat and go to bed. I sleep from 8 am to 1 or 2 pm make dinner and get kids from school, sometimes I eat again…I take another nap from 4 or 5 pm till 7pm then I get ready for work. At work I’m hungry from the time I get there till about 1am , I’ll have a big lunch at about 12:30 am or eat twice from the time I get to work till 1am after that I don’t want anything,, I want someone to tell me what time to eat. The most I have stuck to a diet was 2 months and lost 23 pounds but my bad eating habits came back… I was feeling so good .till I gained it all back, now I’m trying to get back, but I have lost all motivation . I have a tredmill but I just look at it and say maybe later. and don’t. I need some one to fix a schedule for me . When to eat and when to exercise .
I just got your name from Richard Ellenson who is most thrilled with your program. Would like to learn more about it and how i may benefit from it.
I”m not overweight but woudl like to lose some “post-baby” excess weight of approximatley lb20 (the excuse is expiring as the youngest is 7 yrs). Under the impression that I eat right and not “compulsive” but maybe not.
many thanks and look froward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Shideh
Thanks for all the valuable info!
from Boodgie Club Vegas!
Dear Boodgie Club Vegas,
Thank you for your kind words,
Onward and downward,
Caryl
Hi Shideh,
Did you want to speak “in person” . . Send me your phone number at Caryl@ConquerFood.com and that will reach me directly . . I’d be happy to call you if you send your phone number or you can reach me at 212-986-7155 ..
Onward and downward,
Caryl
Hello Lyndon,
Thanks for your kind words about the site and the articles about a behavioral approach to weight loss.. Let me know if there is anything else I might be able to help you with. .
Onward and downward,
Caryl
Thanks for your kind words. Let me know if I might help you; The Program offers a free (no-obligation) consultation that can be done on the phone.
Onward and downward,
Caryl
You can also sign up for free newsletters and/or download recent ones on the site as well. And let me know if you want a free no-obligation consultation.
Onward and downward,
Caryl
You’re welcome.
Hello Caryl,
I found reading your information facinating.
How can I get more information please
I am very unhappy about my weight and do all the wrongthings you mention.
Regards
Diana Tait
UK
Hi Diana,
Call for a free-no-obligation consultation. Being out of control around food is a behavioral addiction which was learned. . If you learned these behaviors and don’t like the outcome, you can learn new behaviors and will like the outcome. . It’s a process and The Program will lead you step by step to a new way of thinking and acting around food.
Onward and downward,
Caryl
I think that my brother met with you and did your program! The results were incredible!!
Thanks for your kind words . . . Did you have any questions for yourself?
I think that I am addicted to food also. I have tried everything. Usually works for a few weeks and then everything falls apart. I am constantly numbing my feelings with food. I hate how I feel and look!
Yes . . numbing your feelings with food does work for one brief shining moment but then you feel the feelings again and the cycle turns into a rut with feelings of remorse at the end. By reinforcing by continuing to do all the eating and feeling and numbing and hating, you keep it all chronic. In order to change your weight you need to change your habits . . to create a new automatic response to replace the old automatic response of always putting something into your mouth. .And to do the new way again and again until the new way becomes the comfortable way; the default setting. You can change . . Have hope. . The moments pass whether you eat or drink or smoke or not. The first step is identifying the when and with what you numb . . and then to remove those things from your home. . The first time you reach for it and it’s not there, you might feel a moment of anxiety . . you can’t complete the cycle of addiction . . But if you drink some water or call a friend or find something else with which to distract yourself, the moment will pass and you’ll feel fine. .It’s a process. . you’ll learn it all a step at a time.
Hi Caryl,
My mother says I have been a “food addict” since I was 3 years old. I am now 49. I don’t remember back to actually being 3 years old, but food has always been a way for me to “feel better” not necassarily about myself either. I do sometimes have guilt that goes along with eating certain “sometimes” food. Anyhoo, I live in Australia, but do you think it’s possible to break the chain from being a Food Addict. I am now weighing in at around 145.6 kgs. I know, it’s big for a lady just 5″5 tall, but don’t really want to pass away anytime soon. What do you suggest for me Caryl. I am currently seeing a “Health Coach” at my local Health service, and I am also having regular “counselling” about stopping the urges and bad food choices, it seems to be going ok, but I still break out, and it’s just like I keep saying to myself, it’s like a “knee-jerk” reaction to go for the bad stuff. Like today for instance, I had 6 mini cucumbers with dip, the dip wasn’t lite or low-fat. See what I mean??? Anyhoo, what do you suggest for me in particular and maybe some books I need to read or something on Self Help for a Food Addict. Many thanks Caryl from Diane.
Hi Diane,
It does sound as if you are a food addict which is really a behavioral addiction to food. .you’re in the habit of eating even though you are lonely or tired or bored, but clearly not hungry. As you mentioned you use food to make yourself feel better. . only problem is you don’t feel better. . And the pattern becomes more and more frequent and you eat more each time . . This is why it is a progressive disease. The ratio of nourishing food to non-nourishing food is lopsided .. there are all kinds of benefits to gaining control of this addiction.
If you’d like a free no-obligation consultation, we could make an appointment about when would be the most convenient for us both. I’m not sure how many hours ahead of New York is Austrailia but I’m sure we could work it out.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation, email Caryl@ConquerFood.com and we could arrange something.
Have hope.
You can conquer this.
Onward and downward,
Caryl
well, everyday I say to myself that this is the last day that I am going to binge and Tomorrow I am going to eat healthy. I can sometimes hold it together for a couple days and occasionally weeks, but then the switch flips and I am right back where I started from…………. today is the last day,,,,,,,, I might as well make the best of my last day of eating crap( unhealthy food), and start eating healthy tomorrow. This has been going on for close to 20 yrs I am guessing. I have been referred to a counselor for help with my addiction in the past but only went a couple of times. I am sick and tired of being fat unhealthy and sick and tired. I want help, what is the magic answer. I am only 5’3 and I weigh close to 190 lbs. I don’t want to pass my unhealthy behaviors on to my children. Maybe I am feeling that I am lacking control in my life or maybe the bingeing is filling a void.
Hi Kim,
You’re using food instead of a different kind of drug . .And you need to create a new automatic response to replace the old one of putting food into your mouth when you’re feeling some other emotion other than hunger. Of course there is an underlying reason why you’re using food to comfort yourself. But it’s not working. The type of the behavior you mention is very progressive . . it gets more and more frequent and the portion escalates too . . Your children are already watching how you eat and use food inappropriately. You think that bingeing is filling a void but you cannot use a physical substance to quell an emotional discomfort becasue you eventually build a tolerance to the “drug” . .you can’t get it often enough and you can’t get enough of it. Your 190 will become 192, 195, and eventually you’ll hit 200 pounds..
You might want to call for a free no-obligation consultation to learn how The Program works. . . you can email for a day and time. The key is, there is no change without change. Are you ready?
Enjoy this lovely day,
Onward and downward,
Caryl
Hello!
I am a chef and I have an addiction to food. I always have, ever since I hit puberty. How can I quit something when I am around it 40 hours a week and need it to live? It is my passion and I am in love with all aspects of food, be it the texture, colour, smell and of course the taste. HELP ME! (I may be a little dramatic, but I fear for my health.)
Jill
Tell me a little more about yourself . . A lot of food addiction is about managing anxiety and pressure and stress; though it distracts you for a moment, the underlying problem is still there. You have an automatic reaction to a lot of life’s stressors by using food . .some people get into alcohol, or drink a lot of coffee each day, or they smoke every time there is a shift in their surroundings.
In order to turn this around, you want to change the way you’re doing things. The first step would be to identify when you eat the most. . when is it most out of control. One woman I taught talked about smoking every time she returned to her home and right before she left it. . becuase in New York City you’re not allowed to smoke in any office building or in any restaurant, sports facility, and her home was the last bastion of smoking. Once she saw that she proceeded to do other things like brush her teeth and listerineing before she did anything else. The number of cigarettes has diminished greatly as she identifies when she wants one and then changes the outcome. You can too.
I find I am most out of control at night. Its almost like its my last chance to get as much food in me before the day is over. I think it is mostly boredum and once I get the thought of food in my head, I struggle to think of anything else. Or right after work it is a “destresser” for me.
I have been a food addict since childhood. I started working out and exercising at the age of 16 to counteract the thousands of calories I ate every day. Now I am 36 and the exercise is not enough. I need to overcome my food addiction and binge eating, but I am unsuccessful doing it on my own. I need guidance.
It is my belief that you are using food to manage your anxiety. Your anxiety could be various things: because you are lonely, or tired, or bored, or afraid of not fitting in, or because you’re angry. You just as easily could be drinking beer and doing drugs. It’s all the same except your drug of choice is food.
To change your habits you need to identify your patterns. You want to keep a food log. And get on the scale first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Do those things for the next two weeks (honestly and without fail) then send another email and remind me of this one and I’ll give you the next step.
Let me hear an I Can Do It!!
Onward and downward,
Caryl