From the book “Diets Don’ Work You Do” by author Linda Louise Martin you can find incredible information on how to recover from an overeating addiction. She herself had a long history of yo-yo dieting and binge eating. She is now a petite, vibrant and energetic sixty something year old that will dress up a pair of jeans as good if not better than a twenty year old model. How did she do it? With a program of recovery that had little to do with dieting but instead included emotional, physical, and spiritual recovery. Once she had some of these issues resolved and some principals of living under her belt she could begin the actual food recovery.
We reference obesity as a body image issue because I believe most over eaters have totally lost touch with their bodies from their neck down. When you “take your body back” we ask to stand in front of a full length mirror and make notes about what they see. Most are totally resistant to doing this exercise because the denial is more comforting than facing the truth.
In order to be successful at food addiction recovery a lot of emotional work has to be done before the physical food management and exercise can be effective over the long term. The whole idea of dieting is a ridiculous one to begin with because of its restrictive nature. If I only restrict my intake and do not work on my emotional self I am destined to fail. I know if I deprive the needy child within me long enough she will have to act out and binge!
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We need to focus on the early messages we received about our bodies, how early we remember feeling shame about it and what we told ourselves about it. Questions to ask are: Was there constant focus on body image by a parent, especially the physical attributes and/or how much they ate or weighed? Was there a lot of family ritual around food? Was how they looked more important than who they were? Was a particularly needy parent always leaning on them for emotional support? Does obesity and/or food issues run the family?
This begins to help the over weight client to get in touch with the truth about how they feel about their physical self. It is generally a vicious cycle of I don’t like myself therefore I eat and I don’t like how I look when I gain weight so it effects how I don’t like myself. To break this cycle and the cycle of dieting is incredibly challenging. This is why we initially we are addressing the addiction to food and working to build the resiliency needed to tackle, really tackle the weight problem by make a lasting lifestyle change.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous
Speaking of addiction, the twelve step model of addiction and over-eaters anonymous is a free and helpful guide to understanding carb and sugar addiction and to work on the spiritual self. Use the steps as life skills while working on emotional underlying issues.
We will see that a number of them offer substantial solutions to the problem of being overweight. There is the fast track exercise video with a workout that only takes minutes. There are several diabetes videos showing the actual cure of what society thinks is an incurable disease. Why then do individuals not follow this good advice and get the weight off? I am famous for saying it is because it is “what is eating them not what they are eating” that causes the fat issue. Yes, we use the ugly word fat instead of the nice word overweight. Whether you are fat or not if you think you are fat it is an issue.
Foods That Can Help Achieve Good Health
1. Beans
Inexpensive, filling, and versatile, beans are a great source of protein. Beans are also high in fiber and slow to digest. That means you feel full longer, which may stop you from eating more.
2. Soup
Start a meal with a cup of soup, and you may end up eating less. It doesn’t matter if the soup is chunky or pureed, as long as it’s broth-based. You want to keep the soup to 100 to 150 calories a serving. So skip the dollops of cream and butter.
3. Dark Chocolate
Want to enjoy chocolate between meals? Pick a square or two of dark over the milky version. In one study, chocolate lovers who were given dark chocolate ate 15% less pizza a few hours later than those who had eaten milk chocolate.
4. Pureed Vegetables
You can add more veggies to your diet, enjoy your “cheat” foods, and cut back on the calories you’re eating, all at the same time. When Penn State researchers added pureed cauliflower and zucchini to mac and cheese, people seemed to like the dish just as much. But they ate 200 to 350 fewer calories. Those healthy vegetables added low-cal bulk to the tasty dish.
5. Eggs and Sausage
A protein-rich breakfast may help you resist snack attacks throughout the day. In a study of a group of obese young women, those who started the day with 35 grams of protein — that’s probably way more than you’re eating — felt fuller right away. The women ate a 350-calorie breakfast that included eggs and a beef sausage patty. The effect of the high-protein breakfast seemed to last into the evening, when the women munched less on fatty, sugary goods than the women who had cereal for breakfast.
6. Nuts
For a great snack on the run, take a small handful of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, or pecans. Research shows that when people munch on nuts, they automatically eat less at later meals.
7. Apples
Skip the apple juice and the applesauce and opt instead for a crunchy apple. Whole fruit blunts appetite in a way that fruit juices and sauces don’t. One reason is that raw fruit has more fiber. Plus, chewing sends signals to your brain that you’ve eaten something substantial.
8. Yogurt
Whether you prefer Greek or traditional, yogurt can be good for your waistline. A Harvard study followed more than 120,000 people for a decade or longer. Yogurt, of all the foods that were tracked, was most closely linked to weight loss. That doesn’t prove that yogurt caused weight loss, but it stood out among other foods.
9. Grapefruit
Yes, grapefruit really can help you shed pounds, especially if you are at risk for diabetes. Researchers at Scripps Clinic in San Diego found that when obese people ate half a grapefruit before each meal, they dropped an average of 3 ½ pounds over 12 weeks. Drinking grapefruit juice had the same results.
But grapefruit juice doesn’t have any proven “fat-burning” properties — it may just have helped people feel full.
Be careful: You cannot have grapefruit or grapefruit juice if you are on certain medications, so check the label on all your prescriptions, or ask your pharmacist or doctor.
Remember the goal is a life of health and wellness. And above all, learn to love and be patient with yourself. It is the key to all permanent weight loss.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
