Lose Weight Find Life
Recent Posts
Topic: Looking for a roadmap to get back on track-LOL!
I am still struggling to get back on track after being sick for 2-1/2 weeks. It is so frustrating. It is strange how we can be so solidly and then have a hard time find our way back on track after a speed bump (for me, being sick). I wish I had a roadmap to get back on track easily.
I'm staying with it. At some point, I know my momentum will kick in and I'll be back on track. Until then, I'm keeping on keeping on!
How is everyone else doing?
Thanks for reading and allowing me to share with you.
Cathy
I'm staying with it. At some point, I know my momentum will kick in and I'll be back on track. Until then, I'm keeping on keeping on!
How is everyone else doing?
Thanks for reading and allowing me to share with you.
Cathy
Cathy
Want to get back on track or stay on track? Get Back On Track Together!
ColleenN
on 3/9/10 6:52 am
on 3/9/10 6:52 am
Topic: RE: The Ultimate Disconnect: Emotional Eating
Very well said! I've been working on "catching" my thoughts and feelings when I have an unexpected craving It is amazing when I stay aware, address the feeling and redirect thoughts! In fact I had such a "moment" right before I read your blog..... Great timing for the vital reinforcement I need.
Thanks Cathy !
:-) Colleen
Very well said! I've been working on "catching" my thoughts and feelings when I have an unexpected craving It is amazing when I stay aware, address the feeling and redirect thoughts! In fact I had such a "moment" right before I read your blog..... Great timing for the vital reinforcement I need.
Thanks Cathy !
:-) Colleen
Topic: The Ultimate Disconnect: Emotional Eating
I posted this on my blog but wanted to share here too:
When I emotionally eat, it reminds me of a commercial from a long time ago for Calgon - "Calgon, take me away." Cookie and/or chips, take me away. Take me away from my boredom, stress, upset, overwhelm, you-name-it!!!
Who's in charge? Our emotions or us? I don't know about you but I want to be in charge of myself and my life. Feelings are actually great barometers if we use them wisely. When we are triggered and want to emotionally eat, it is a good gauge for us to know something is going on with us that we need to pay attention to. Visualize yourself walking down a road and you get the urge to emotionally eat with your head hunger screaming at you. You come to a fork in the road - do you eat or do you pause, spend the time to deal with the uncomfortable emotion or situation? To lose weight and maintain the weight loss, it is imperative that we learn to deal with emotional eating. If we don't, we stay disconnected from our emotions and ourselves. Emotional eating results in a total disconnect from ourselves.
We need to stop allowing our emotions drive your eating habits. When we adopt healthy eating habits, that will drive our emotions, making us feel better. That emptiness that we feel cannot be filled with cupcakes and junk food as much as we'd like. If you are an emotional eater like I am, we must get to the root of our psychological problems without turning to food. In fact the answer is never found in food. It never is nor has it ever been. The answer is always found in each of us. If we take the time to stop eating and do some inner search we'll know this to be true. The gratification of food is instantaneous yet very short-term. The effects of the food are long-lasting in gaining weight and jeopardizing our health. The gratification of finding the answer in ourselves takes time, patience and some effort. However, that is the ultimate way to lose weight, maintain it and live a happy, fulfilled, our very best life.
To stop emotional eating, we need to be able to distinguish the difference between physical hunger cues and emotional (head) hunger. The main difference is that physical hunger cues build up over time. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly and usually craves something sweet, salty or crunch - normally an unhealthy food choice. A person is able to satisfy physical hunger by eating something, however, can never satisfy emotional hunger. Emotional hunger is like an empty hole that is never full or satisfied.
Usually when we feel the effects of emotional hunger, it is a craving for a specific food, that isn't healthy most times. We feel a burning desire that cannot be quenched by nothing else. We must have that food. Physical hunger, on the other hand, can wait and we can eat any food we have to make it go away.
What makes emotional eating so dangerous to our health and waistline is the fact that after we eat we are still hungry. Emotional eating is irrational eating. It can never be satisfied and, in time, we will gain weight if we succumb often to emotional eating cravings. When we gain weight, we feel worse which, in turn, makes us eat even more. It is a viscious cycle of emotional eating - feeling badly about ourselves - since we feel bad about ourselves, we eat! It starts an unhealthy eating spiral that gets worse and worse as time passes.
If you are an emotional eater like I am, don't beat up on yourself. All that will cause is for you to feel badly about yourself and dive further into the cycle of emotional eating. Acknowledge that you are an emotional eater so you can get back connected to your emotions and yourself.
Here are some of the strategies I use to help me stop emotional eating:
* Learn to distinguish the difference in true physical hunger versus emotional/head hunger. Sometimes head hunger can be so strong that it masquerades as physical hunger.
* Make a list of distractions or things you can do to ride out the craving and urge of emotional eating. Some of mine are to call a friend, cruise the Internet for interesting, healthy websites, read a book, go outside to get out of the environment and change my perspective, brush my teeth, play a video game or my Nintendo DS, take a shower or anything else that comes to mind. I have a list that I add to for things to do instead of eating. Do anything else but eat!
* I imagine a tug of war - me versus the urge to eat. Who wants to lose tug of war to some food choice??
So much of losing weight and maintaining our healthy weight is in our head. It is a fantastic tool, along with our surgery, if we use it to our advantage. Food has no power - we hold all the power.
All the above methods work and will help you stop emotional eating. The best strategy of all to put an end to emotional eating is being true to yourself, checking in with yourself to manage your emotions before you supress and stuff them by overeating. Remember, you are more than any external cir****tances or emotions that can happen to you.
Cathy
When I emotionally eat, it reminds me of a commercial from a long time ago for Calgon - "Calgon, take me away." Cookie and/or chips, take me away. Take me away from my boredom, stress, upset, overwhelm, you-name-it!!!
Who's in charge? Our emotions or us? I don't know about you but I want to be in charge of myself and my life. Feelings are actually great barometers if we use them wisely. When we are triggered and want to emotionally eat, it is a good gauge for us to know something is going on with us that we need to pay attention to. Visualize yourself walking down a road and you get the urge to emotionally eat with your head hunger screaming at you. You come to a fork in the road - do you eat or do you pause, spend the time to deal with the uncomfortable emotion or situation? To lose weight and maintain the weight loss, it is imperative that we learn to deal with emotional eating. If we don't, we stay disconnected from our emotions and ourselves. Emotional eating results in a total disconnect from ourselves.
We need to stop allowing our emotions drive your eating habits. When we adopt healthy eating habits, that will drive our emotions, making us feel better. That emptiness that we feel cannot be filled with cupcakes and junk food as much as we'd like. If you are an emotional eater like I am, we must get to the root of our psychological problems without turning to food. In fact the answer is never found in food. It never is nor has it ever been. The answer is always found in each of us. If we take the time to stop eating and do some inner search we'll know this to be true. The gratification of food is instantaneous yet very short-term. The effects of the food are long-lasting in gaining weight and jeopardizing our health. The gratification of finding the answer in ourselves takes time, patience and some effort. However, that is the ultimate way to lose weight, maintain it and live a happy, fulfilled, our very best life.
To stop emotional eating, we need to be able to distinguish the difference between physical hunger cues and emotional (head) hunger. The main difference is that physical hunger cues build up over time. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly and usually craves something sweet, salty or crunch - normally an unhealthy food choice. A person is able to satisfy physical hunger by eating something, however, can never satisfy emotional hunger. Emotional hunger is like an empty hole that is never full or satisfied.
Usually when we feel the effects of emotional hunger, it is a craving for a specific food, that isn't healthy most times. We feel a burning desire that cannot be quenched by nothing else. We must have that food. Physical hunger, on the other hand, can wait and we can eat any food we have to make it go away.
What makes emotional eating so dangerous to our health and waistline is the fact that after we eat we are still hungry. Emotional eating is irrational eating. It can never be satisfied and, in time, we will gain weight if we succumb often to emotional eating cravings. When we gain weight, we feel worse which, in turn, makes us eat even more. It is a viscious cycle of emotional eating - feeling badly about ourselves - since we feel bad about ourselves, we eat! It starts an unhealthy eating spiral that gets worse and worse as time passes.
If you are an emotional eater like I am, don't beat up on yourself. All that will cause is for you to feel badly about yourself and dive further into the cycle of emotional eating. Acknowledge that you are an emotional eater so you can get back connected to your emotions and yourself.
Here are some of the strategies I use to help me stop emotional eating:
* Learn to distinguish the difference in true physical hunger versus emotional/head hunger. Sometimes head hunger can be so strong that it masquerades as physical hunger.
* Make a list of distractions or things you can do to ride out the craving and urge of emotional eating. Some of mine are to call a friend, cruise the Internet for interesting, healthy websites, read a book, go outside to get out of the environment and change my perspective, brush my teeth, play a video game or my Nintendo DS, take a shower or anything else that comes to mind. I have a list that I add to for things to do instead of eating. Do anything else but eat!
* I imagine a tug of war - me versus the urge to eat. Who wants to lose tug of war to some food choice??
So much of losing weight and maintaining our healthy weight is in our head. It is a fantastic tool, along with our surgery, if we use it to our advantage. Food has no power - we hold all the power.
All the above methods work and will help you stop emotional eating. The best strategy of all to put an end to emotional eating is being true to yourself, checking in with yourself to manage your emotions before you supress and stuff them by overeating. Remember, you are more than any external cir****tances or emotions that can happen to you.
Cathy
Cathy
Want to get back on track or stay on track? Get Back On Track Together!
Topic: RE: Support Equals SUCCESS
Hi Colleen,
Thanks for joining my OH Group. It is nice to see your beautiful avatar on this group too.
Cathy
Thanks for joining my OH Group. It is nice to see your beautiful avatar on this group too.
Cathy Cathy
Want to get back on track or stay on track? Get Back On Track Together!
ColleenN
on 3/8/10 8:47 am
on 3/8/10 8:47 am
Topic: RE: Support Equals SUCCESS
Thanks for the invite Cathy. I love your blog - and the insight and thought behind it!!! :-) Colleen
Thanks for the invite Cathy. I love your blog - and the insight and thought behind it!!! :-) Colleen
Topic: Support Equals SUCCESS
I've returned to posting on my blog. I have spent most of my time on my other OH Group and wanted to return to my OH Group of Lose Weight Find Life and also my blog.
I've found for myself that whenever I post and blog support to other members that I feel so much better and stay on track. When we give, we receive for ourselves as well.
I've been on track for quite awhile. I recently became sick for 2-1/2 weeks and got off track. I think I need a roadmap as I've lost the track (LOL).
How are all of you? Do you need support, motivation or just to post? If so, feel free to do it here. One of the great things about OH and OH Groups is that we understand each other whether pre-op or post-op, we share the common bond of morbid obesity and wls.
Thanks, Cathy
I've found for myself that whenever I post and blog support to other members that I feel so much better and stay on track. When we give, we receive for ourselves as well.
I've been on track for quite awhile. I recently became sick for 2-1/2 weeks and got off track. I think I need a roadmap as I've lost the track (LOL).
How are all of you? Do you need support, motivation or just to post? If so, feel free to do it here. One of the great things about OH and OH Groups is that we understand each other whether pre-op or post-op, we share the common bond of morbid obesity and wls.
Thanks, Cathy
Cathy
Want to get back on track or stay on track? Get Back On Track Together!
Topic: Viruses in our Salmon
I hope this topic of interest to this group ... it just struck me as crazy that there are viruses that kill salmon, that we end up eating.
Farm raised salmon from Chile have had problems because of all the chemicals they throw at these fish -- the FDA has had to investigate them because of it.
Farm raised fish from other areas, Scotland, Norway, US ... don't have the same problems that the Chilean salmon do.
The FDA says that there is no evidence that our eating fish-killing viruses is bad for us!! Is it me, or is this just absurd?
I have a video on this, too, here if you're interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taAacECtVRs
Would love to get your thoughts.
Will Clower
Farm raised salmon from Chile have had problems because of all the chemicals they throw at these fish -- the FDA has had to investigate them because of it.
Farm raised fish from other areas, Scotland, Norway, US ... don't have the same problems that the Chilean salmon do.
The FDA says that there is no evidence that our eating fish-killing viruses is bad for us!! Is it me, or is this just absurd?
I have a video on this, too, here if you're interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taAacECtVRs
Would love to get your thoughts.
Will Clower
Topic: Dads, Daughters and Body Image (article by Mary Jo Rapini, LPC of Big Medicine)
Hi Group Members,
Through my position at OH, I have had the pleasure of knowing and enjoying a friendship with Mary Jo Rapini, LPC. She is so in touch with the issues of morbid obesity and weight loss surgery that I am constantly amazed. Mary Jo does excellent work on behalf of weight loss surgery patients.
Mary Jo shared an article with me that was very right on the mark for me. It helped me a lot because I had issues with my father that are contained in the article.
DADS, DAUGHTERS AND BODY IMAGE
From the moment she says "dada", she is under your influence. Dads give their daughters many things, security, confidence, but perhaps the most important gift (or lack of gift) is their body image. They do this by what they focus on, what they do non-verbally, but most intensely by what they verbalize. As soon as your little daughter is placed in your arms her sense of who she is as a girl and later as a woman will be greatly due to what you have said to her.
I work in a weight management clinic at the Methodist Hospital in Houston. I hear story after story of "defected tapes" that daughters can recite at the age of 52 years like they heard them only yesterday. These tapes sound like this "If you don't lose weight you'll never find a man who will have you". Or they may sound like this, "If you don't quit eating so much you will look like your mother (or aunt or sister..who is obese)", but perhaps the most hurtful is the dad who decides he won't engage with his daughter at all since she doesn't reflect what he thinks is important for a woman "BEAUTY".
Although your daughter will grow up, and she may have a successful career and family she will always carry these hurtful tapes with her, and in her heart she will always be full of anger toward you, her dad for not loving her or accepting her for who she really is. No father wants to hurt his daughter. He wants her to grow up and become successful, find a person to share her life, raise a family, and overall be happy. Yet, they continue to have a standard for beauty and although their sons may be overweight, they seem to be more harsh and insensitive with their words when it comes to their daughters. The problem is daughters already have so much pressure to be thin and beautiful so when dad starts reminding them that he too wants this for them they feel unworthy, but more deeply "unloved". Every daughter who is overweight knows she is overweight. You don't have to remind her, nor do you have to warn her that boys may not date her due to her weight. This isn't rocket science. What an overweight girl may not know and need to hear from you are the following:
1. How you felt the first time you held her? How she was so perfect, and how you felt so proud to be her dad. This is a good time to tell her that you knew your life would never be the same because of her.
2. To help her avoid using food as a way of comforting herself, teach her other healthy coping mechanisms. What do you do when you are stressed? Do you shoot hoops, or go running? Ask her if she would like to take a walk, shoot hoops, or find something she enjoys doing and that you can participate with.
3. Your daughter is not you, therefore she may not enjoy doing things you do. Find out what her world is like. When she is small she may enjoy activities that leave you feeling left out, but always stay engaged. As she grows older take an interest into her activities, become curious, expose her to things she enjoys and always, always tell her what you find interesting about her.
4. Dads are physical and very in tuned with how people look. You will only hurt your daughter by commenting on her looks or her friends looks. Most girls grow up with intense pressure with looks, and body image. You lessen that when you focus on her interests, her activities and her achievements.
5. Most girls who feel a strong need for a boyfriend at an early age have been "groomed" to think the approval of a boyfriend is very importan****ch your words, and your body language. A girl should have the freedom to become all that she can be, including her own interests and developing her own skills without feeling like she is unworthy unless she has a boyfriend.
Lastly, a dad should always remember that there is a good chance that his daughter will be one of his caretakers when he is an old man. Wouldn't you rather have a daughter who sees you as someone who always loved her, for who she was, rather then a daughter who views taking care of you as a "duty"? If you have made mistakes tell her you are sorry now. Mjo
Through my position at OH, I have had the pleasure of knowing and enjoying a friendship with Mary Jo Rapini, LPC. She is so in touch with the issues of morbid obesity and weight loss surgery that I am constantly amazed. Mary Jo does excellent work on behalf of weight loss surgery patients.
Mary Jo shared an article with me that was very right on the mark for me. It helped me a lot because I had issues with my father that are contained in the article.
DADS, DAUGHTERS AND BODY IMAGE
From the moment she says "dada", she is under your influence. Dads give their daughters many things, security, confidence, but perhaps the most important gift (or lack of gift) is their body image. They do this by what they focus on, what they do non-verbally, but most intensely by what they verbalize. As soon as your little daughter is placed in your arms her sense of who she is as a girl and later as a woman will be greatly due to what you have said to her.
I work in a weight management clinic at the Methodist Hospital in Houston. I hear story after story of "defected tapes" that daughters can recite at the age of 52 years like they heard them only yesterday. These tapes sound like this "If you don't lose weight you'll never find a man who will have you". Or they may sound like this, "If you don't quit eating so much you will look like your mother (or aunt or sister..who is obese)", but perhaps the most hurtful is the dad who decides he won't engage with his daughter at all since she doesn't reflect what he thinks is important for a woman "BEAUTY".
Although your daughter will grow up, and she may have a successful career and family she will always carry these hurtful tapes with her, and in her heart she will always be full of anger toward you, her dad for not loving her or accepting her for who she really is. No father wants to hurt his daughter. He wants her to grow up and become successful, find a person to share her life, raise a family, and overall be happy. Yet, they continue to have a standard for beauty and although their sons may be overweight, they seem to be more harsh and insensitive with their words when it comes to their daughters. The problem is daughters already have so much pressure to be thin and beautiful so when dad starts reminding them that he too wants this for them they feel unworthy, but more deeply "unloved". Every daughter who is overweight knows she is overweight. You don't have to remind her, nor do you have to warn her that boys may not date her due to her weight. This isn't rocket science. What an overweight girl may not know and need to hear from you are the following:
1. How you felt the first time you held her? How she was so perfect, and how you felt so proud to be her dad. This is a good time to tell her that you knew your life would never be the same because of her.
2. To help her avoid using food as a way of comforting herself, teach her other healthy coping mechanisms. What do you do when you are stressed? Do you shoot hoops, or go running? Ask her if she would like to take a walk, shoot hoops, or find something she enjoys doing and that you can participate with.
3. Your daughter is not you, therefore she may not enjoy doing things you do. Find out what her world is like. When she is small she may enjoy activities that leave you feeling left out, but always stay engaged. As she grows older take an interest into her activities, become curious, expose her to things she enjoys and always, always tell her what you find interesting about her.
4. Dads are physical and very in tuned with how people look. You will only hurt your daughter by commenting on her looks or her friends looks. Most girls grow up with intense pressure with looks, and body image. You lessen that when you focus on her interests, her activities and her achievements.
5. Most girls who feel a strong need for a boyfriend at an early age have been "groomed" to think the approval of a boyfriend is very importan****ch your words, and your body language. A girl should have the freedom to become all that she can be, including her own interests and developing her own skills without feeling like she is unworthy unless she has a boyfriend.
Lastly, a dad should always remember that there is a good chance that his daughter will be one of his caretakers when he is an old man. Wouldn't you rather have a daughter who sees you as someone who always loved her, for who she was, rather then a daughter who views taking care of you as a "duty"? If you have made mistakes tell her you are sorry now. Mjo
Cathy
Want to get back on track or stay on track? Get Back On Track Together!
Topic: RE: Welcome to LOSE WEIGHT FIND LIFE!
Hi My name is Deborah and I will be having my surgery in the next few months. Hate to ask the obvious, but how do you join this group?
