Just Make It Better

This is part 3 of my series on weight loss.

As I said before, I used to be twenty pounds  heavier and would like to share what I learned from losing it. I’m not professional in any sense, just an experienced person who has applied a realistic method to losing weight and keeping it off.  Unlike other sites which may list ten tips for good abs, similar to the Crap Detox series, this is designed to create a basic understanding about weight loss, food and lifestyle change. One that should, if you’re open to it, create a paradigm shift with regards to weight loss and its entities.

Part one covered food.  Part two covered fitness. This post will cover food addiction and emotional eating.

Photo by colros

Food, our emotions and minds. Is there a connection?

If you eat an American diet, yes probably. Whether you’re aware of it or not.

Let’s explore the idea further, shall we?

Think about what you’ve eaten today. Write it down or flash it in your mind. Think about yesterday too.

Did ANY of it come from a wrapper, bag or box? Was it purchased in a vending machine, conventional grocery or corner store?

Perhaps it was your dinner’s side dish. Maybe it was some chips with lunch. Either way, unless the ingredients list was only a few words long, it was likely filled with sodium, sugar and chemical-based ingredients that help keep you addicted.

Conclusive evidence has proven that processed foods – which likely make up the majority of your diet – are designed to stimulate our brains and bodies in ways that have us craving and eating more of it.

Have you ever had to negotiate with yourself over another chip, snack or cookie?

I’ve literally stood in grocery stores, reached out in temptation and said to myself, “what are you doing? You don’t need Chips Ahoy. You’ll eat them incessantly for three days!”

I’ve even paused, gripped with my sugary desires, contemplating my internal devil’s counter argument.  It’s been a long time since those days. I no longer have these urges as I’ve grown to find the fake taste unfulfilling.

And if you caved and made the purchase:

Have you ever sat with snack in hand, unsatisfied, wanting more, mindlessly munching the entire sleeve, bag or box?

When we put food into our bodies, it’s important to understand why they affect us the way they do.  Foods we’re being sold are developed to sell more so companies can make a profit and please their shareholders. Regardless what it says on the packaging, their integrity and our well being is not their number one priority. Public food companies (which means all the big ones) have a legal obligation to their shareholders to turn a profit.  And since that is what matters, it isn’t hard to believe they would use their funds to devise ways to increase consumption. Keep that in mind when researching your favorite brands.

Okay, Now what?

This is the part that can get tricky. This requires consciousness and self-awareness, two things people struggle with everyday, let alone when blissfully avoiding life through food.

But you can do it. Here’s how.

It starts with baby steps. Get over the idea of starting a new leaf on Monday. Like everything else in life, practice makes perfect when trying to be present. I recommend heading to the grocery store and do your shopping as you normal would. (Hopefully by now you’ve started your own research on understanding ingredients and food labels. You probably found recipes or good takeout in your area. I’m sure you starting taking the stairs too right?  Riiiiiight.)

You’re at the grocery store. Focus on how you’re feeling (it better not be hungry) and when your instincts have you throwing donuts in your cart, ask yourself what had you doing that.

Photo by lanuiop

Habit? Someone else’s influence? Stressful day? “Ohhh donuts” crept into your mind when you weren’t paying attention?

Read the labels. Every single label. Until you’re familiar with certain brands don’t assume it’s good based on packaging. “Vitamins & minerals” or “high in fiber” slapped on the outside does not make a healthy meal. Bring a cheat sheet if you need a reference for servings. Don’t buy blind.

Don’t buy things for the kids. There is no such thing as “kid food”, only food marketed to kids. Children old enough to eat a fruit roll-up can eat whatever an adult eats. The only reason kids insist on the other crap is because of commercials, Dora being on it or because you actually cave and buy it. Studies have proven kids will like a food better, whether it be carrots or chicken nuggets as long as it is branded. There are plenty of healthier, fun snacks that you both can share and unless you’d like to seal them your fate, teach them differently. They’ll eventually come around – you can put up with the complaining. Besides we all know when we buy it for the kids, it ends up our treat too.

Give the check-out a once over. As you pile your items onto the conveyor, notice how much of it is natural or from the store’s perimeter.

Is it a rainbow of colors?

These kind. Photo by superbez

Not these. Photo by yomi995

This is an overview of how you stock your home. If I ran up to you and went through your items, would you feel proud of your choices? If you’re not sure, then the answer is no. If no, then consider why. Do you still have trouble understanding what is better for you? Are you overwhelmed? Are you emotionally connected to some foods? The answers are there if you commit to finding them.

Cravings.

When you get home ready to eat your daily bread, each time you have an urge for something, think about what else is going on with you.

My downfall is stuff like this:

Photo by xsomnis

It wasn’t until I lost the weight that I understood my desire for sugar was more than physical. I used to pander around my kitchen looking for something, knowing full well I should leave the room. As I journeyed into a more conscious existence I recognized my feelings needed the sugar too. When I was working at my old horrible corporate job, I would come home and munch on ice cream, waiting for the dopamine to make my bad feelings all better. Unconsciously choosing these foods was relative to my emotional state. When I was in high school, I was often very sad. It was a time when I ate the most junk food and given my state of mind it isn’t hard to see why. I still knowingly give in to this urge on occasion, aware I am indulging rather than dealing, but I too am learning to grow and be better. Most of the time I eat it because I want too, not because my emotions insist on it.

The receptors that go off when we indulge in food is usually a catalyst for overeating. Low self-esteem, depression and stress can make us victim to the deliciousness of food. Then a crash follows, as well as sluggishness and like a druggie we need more to recuperate.

Breaking that cycle is difficult but possible. The pressure to improve overnight is a huge problem. “Lose weight with this product or that machine” is touted as the answer to losing our fat. There are no shortcuts. Get over it being easy. It’s not, and trying to make it so keeps you where you are.

Be willing to start a long journey that may remain for the rest of our lives. Understand, every choice we make is our responsibility and ever opportunity is a chance to do something different.

Give yourself credit. Maybe you didn’t buy the soda and Stouffer’s. This is the time to start acknowledging what steps you are taking. Maybe you’ve started walking. Or last week you remembered to opt out of the French fries. What have you done? Every day is a new chapter to make new choices. Even just one. I still eat sweets, pasta, cheese and bread. When I am pushing it I get back on course and do better next week. The stricter you are the faster you see results. The smaller the steps, the longer the journey takes. It’s your choice and all within your control.

It’s been a long five years from where I was but with patience and taking each day as anew, I’ve come into a nice balance.

And so will you.

Can you share any breakthroughs you’ve had about the way your mind and eating?

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