Unlock Weight Loss

Practice a daily stress reduction technique—be that mindfulness, recognizing your triggers, or anything else that helps you feel in control.

Studies show that stress levels affect weight. There are a lot of reasons for this, but they all boil down to the fact that stress influences hormones that cause the body to store energy as fat.

Building techniques to identify and manage stress can decrease the production of these hormones, while also helping to cultivate awareness around situations that might trigger overeating.

Developing your own stress-reduction practice takes time, and everyone moves toward their Emotional Health Program Goal at a different rate. You might already have tools that work for you or these techniques might be totally new. Both are fine! We’re here to help you no matter where on your path you might be. In fact, that’s exactly how the program is set up. Deep breath. Now, release.

Ongoing

Track your daily energy levels in the app

At Calibrate, we use energy as a way to measure how you’re feeling overall. We keep it simple—no leads, wires, or fancy machines—but it’s incredibly important because when you look at these daily measurements over time, they can help you see how your actions (across all your pillars) are impacting your metabolic health.

Once a day, you’ll be asked to choose an emoji that represents your energy level for that day. The first few times you try this, what you choose might feel arbitrary. That’s okay. As you do it more, you’ll be able to use past days as reference points and start to get a real sense of not only the trajectory, but also what each option really means for you.

Level 1

Bring awareness to mealtimes through a food journaling exercise

Hunger and satiety signals are parts of complex hormonal pathways, but modern life (work, errands, your to-do list) makes it incredibly easy to miss them. Luckily, studies consistently show that journaling your meals leads to both weight loss and better health. It can also support a more positive relationship with food.

That’s in part because this practice helps you dip into mindfulness. By slowing down and focusing on the present moment, you can make decisions with more awareness, tune into how your body really feels, and truly enjoy the food you’re eating.

To keep things simple, rather than writing anything down, we recommend snapping a photo. Don’t worry—you don’t have to look at it again if you don’t want to. The point here is to start building the habit of pausing before meals.

You don’t need to do this throughout the entire program, but you can always jump back in when you want a tune-up. You’ll find the how-to, along with tips for eating with mindfulness right here.

Level 2

Practice one mindfulness activity each day

The immediate purpose of mindfulness is to become aware of the present moment without judgment, a practice that’s been shown to lower stress hormones (always a good thing). Lower stress hormones can not only make you less likely to store energy as fat, they can also make you less triggered to engage in stress eating.

Clearly, a few minutes of mindfulness each day isn’t going to solve all your problems—that’s not the goal here. Rather, just as exercise helps your body build muscle, working on getting to a state of calm once a day builds a path for managing stress as it arises. In addition, over the long run, those short moments of chill can actually shrink the part of the brain that triggers unhelpful stress hormones. So you’ll be less likely to get stressed in the first place.

You can practice mindfulness in a variety of ways: focusing on your breath, or getting into the flow of a gratitude practice, are just a couple. We expand on these, and a lot of other techniques in this guide, as well as this one. To build the habit, we recommend doing it at the same time each day.

Level 3

Complete an Energy Boosters and Energy Drains daily log

Broadly, energy is affected by your daily experiences and interactions, so sometimes it can be helpful to needle down on what’s happening overall. Yup, here again we’re asking you to track: this time, to find those places, people, and things that bring you high and low.

This exercise is simple: you’ll make two columns—Booster and Drain. Over two weeks, you’ll note situations that elevate you or knock you down, and enter them into the appropriate column.

You can do this as the day progresses (this tends to be the most accurate–and it just takes a second) or all at once before bed. Odds are, you’ll find some things you can adjust and other things that are tougher to change. That’s part of it; don’t worry.

Keep in mind, the expectation isn’t to resolve every single thing you uncover. Rather, it’s to arm yourself with awareness. Knowing even a little bit more about how and why situations arise can help you feel more in control and (over time) less stressed.

Like food journaling, this isn’t a forever habit for the program. But (also like the journaling) it can be a useful practice to dip into at regular intervals—like once a quarter—or when you notice downward trends in your energy tracking.

Level 4+

Keep your Emotional Health Program Goal up by identifying and practicing what supports you

Every emotional health tool we provide through Calibrate is backed by strong research. But let’s be real: each of us is different. You’ve reached your cruising altitude, and the key to holding steady is to focus on those elements that work best for you. This is the time to note the ones that have been most effective, and work on cementing these practices into your lifestyle, for your success now and in the future.

Managing stress and creating space for your emotional health is not a matter of flipping a switch or applying more discipline (sound familiar?). It’s a process of finding what works for you. Our expert-driven guides and worksheets are always here for ideas and support.

Mindfulness Techniques

Dip into this guide for the ABCs of meditation, including effective breathing techniques, mindfulness best practices, and some apps that can help you along the way.

Stress Buster Add-On

Writing down your observations, developing a gratitude practice, even just making a playlist–these can all help manage stress. Connect with powerful tools and tips through this guide.

What to Say When People Ask About Your Weight

As your weight changes, people will inevitably make comments. Learn effective approaches for responding (and respecting your own process).

Triggers and Avoiding Self-Judgment

The old saying “you are your own worst critic” rings uncomfortably true. Here you’ll find tips for identifying and overcoming the things, people, and situations that activate your self-critical side.

Two Powerful Tips for Sticking with Healthy Habits

We made this guide to give you two important ways to prepare yourself for the unexpected, and to deal with interruptions when they inevitably come your way.

Why Emotional Health Matters for Metabolic Health

Your brain and your body are inextricably connected, and your emotional health is tied in so many different ways to your metabolic wellbeing. Here, you’ll learn exactly why, and how to get the two aligned.

Mostly Good

Say goodbye to all-or-nothing with this Calibrate approach. When things don’t go as planned (which will happen), it’s important not to give up—that’s counterproductive. So instead of going for perfection, we go for Mostly Good.

Finding Your Baseline

We know that willpower doesn’t work, and that setting a tough baseline (No snacks, only kale!) can be a losing game. Instead of those unrealistic baselines, we create a guide to finding baselines based on your current reality, and then using acceptance to help maintain them.

Stress While Gaining Weight

Weight gain when you’re working on weight loss can be unsettling, but it’s also totally normal at different points throughout an entire program. Here’s how to manage those worries.

Looking for additional help in creating some space for yourself and getting on top of your emotional health? These are some products our coaches and Expert Health Council recommend.

Books

Anatomy of Anxiety by Ellen Vora, MD, Calibrate Sleep and Emotional Health Expert
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Emotional Agility by Susan David, PhD
How to Change by Katy Milkman
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Christopher Germer, PhD, and Kristin Neff, PhD
Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Rewire Your Anxious Brain by Catherine Pittman, PhD, and Elizabeth Karle, MLIS
Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditation for Extraordinary Performance by Emily Fletcher, Calibrate Sleep and Emotional Health Expert
Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer, MD, PhD
The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal, PhD

Controlled breathing

Journals

Gratitude

Meditation

Apps

Aura (paid, free trial available) Meditations, stories, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis, relaxing music, and more.
Balance (one year free here) An in-app meditation coach that helps you build a tailored practice over time.
Calm (paid, free trial available) Guided meditations, relaxing music, and mindfulness classes.
Headspace (paid) Guided meditations, courses, and mindfulness exercises.
Insight Timer (free, MemberPlus paid option) Guided meditations, music tracks for ambient noise, a meditation timer, and more.
Plum Village (free) Mindfulness meditations, a mindfulness bell, and guided contemplations from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Self-Compassion Meditations (free) Tap into self-compassion with leading researcher Dr. Kristin Neff.

Calibrate Meditations

My Most Perfect Day by Adam Rosante (free) Calibrate Exercise Expert Adam Rosante leads a visualization exercise to help you build on your Why.
Stress Less Guided Meditation by Emily Fletcher (free) Calibrate Emotional Health Expert Emily Fletcher leads a meditation where thoughts are not the enemy.
Wind Down Meditation by Emily Fletcher Calibrate Emotional Health Expert Emily Fletcher leads a meditation to close out your day.

Music tempo

Podcasts

Pillar Pages are your roadmaps for the Calibrate program. Explore them all: Food Pillar (+ Metabolic Jumpstart Page), Sleep Pillar, Exercise Pillar, and Emotional Health Pillar.

The Emotional Health Pillar

Emotional Health Program Goal

Here's Why

The Emotional Health Program