No matter where you are with your health, consider today your fresh start – even if you are already active and eat well, each of us can stand to “kick it up a notch.”  Today, you can begin a journey that has no destination; it is a journey of discovery and action – a healthy way to lose weight.

I was a compulsive eater out of my mother’s womb. The youngest of eight children in an abusive home, and I used food to feel safe. I overate every day, hated myself for it, and yet could not stop.

Melbourne, Australia has a lot of things going for it – beautiful scenery, warm people, crazy accents. But for my partner, Kathleen, one draw eclipsed all others – Roger Federer.

Kathleen feels about tennis the way other people feel about motorcycles or wine  – it is a way of life for her. And Roger, as we call him, is the crown jewel of that passion. So when Kathleen came to me in December and pled her case (“Roger might retire soon! This may be my last chance to see him play!”), I couldn’t say no. So we packed up, hopped an 18-hour flight, and staked out Roger’s favorite restaurants when we weren’t watching him on the court.

But for all the amazing things Melbourne has going for it, our two-week excursion had the potential to derail the self-care routine I’ve been dedicated to for years.

Judgment: the dictionary defines it as “the ability to . . . make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, esp. in matters affecting action; good sense.” But for many of us, judgment is anything but objective and wise. It’s instead about anger or fear: will my friends judge me for this?Will my partner or mother? Am I judging myself for my thoughts and actions? The word ‘judgment’ frequently carries deeply negative connotations.

And yet humans are by nature judgmental! Our powers of logic and discernment are what got us to where we are, evolutionarily speaking. But the self-doubt and hatred associated with our social judgment – that’s not serving any purpose except to pit us again each other and ourselves.