How many times have you lost and gained back the same weight?
TEDx Talk presenter, Renée Jones, admitted she yo yo dieted for
40 years!!
When she figured out she was emotionally eating and not eating because she was hungry, her new mantra became:
“Face your stuff
Don’t stuff your face”
Good one, eh?
Short-term restrictive dieting isn’t helping you figure out WHY you overeat or eat too much of the wrong things, or why you turn to sugar when you’re bored, sad or stressed.
Now at the same time that I criticize the programs that have failed you by giving you a diet that doesn’t work long-term, I also want you to feel no regrets in doing them. Trial and error is how we learn. You had to have tried them and failed in order to accept that one of the things you need to do to reach your healthy weight and stay there, is lose weight slowly (0.5 to 2lbs a week).
So if this year you're currently on a restrictive diet that you won’t still be doing in November...
In 11 minutes and 10 seconds, Renee will give you some insights that may help you figure out if you’re emotionally eating and how to start taking the steps to stop doing this.
Here she is:
The next time you find yourself reaching for food when you’re not hungry, do NOT go in the kitchen, and figure out what is driving you to reach for that food.
If you discover it’s chronic stress from a childhood trauma, long-term anger, depression and other concerns, you may benefit from counselling, so talk to your medical doctor about referring you to a therapist. My sister and father are therapists, so you can also send me an email at getfitwithjolo@gmail.com and I can send you their contact details.
If it’s a temporary stress - like lack of sleep, work or current life demands - then here are 3 tips to help you avoid emotional eating (especially high calorie, low nutrient foods):
1 - Call that one person that you can talk to about what you’re feeling. Shed tears if necessary, as that is often what we need.
2 - Go outside and walk around the block for fresh air and a bit of exercise, as that sometimes is enough to calm us down at that moment.
3 - Start the habit of reaching for herbal tea as soon as you realize you’re heading to the kitchen because of your emotional state. Think “I’m going to ‘soothe myself’ with an herbal tea that’s good for me”. Green tea, matcha tea and white tea apparently contain an amino acid called L-theanine that may help reduce stress levels. Click here for a good article on healthy teas.
There’s healing in self discovery, so the more you think about and understand the reasons why you’re an emotional eater, the more chances are you'll end up finding a better relationship with food, like Renee Jones, and find yourself at your healthy weight…for GOOD.
If you haven’t started the 6 steps in my Ultimate No B.S. Weight Loss Guide for Moms over 40, go to my home page and download it now. I tell you exactly what healthy habits you need to incorporate into your life in order to become happy and fit...for life!