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Food, Feelings, and Holidays

Nov14

The holidays are just around the corner. There will be a lot of eating going on between now and the first of the year.

So what kind of advice will you be listening to this time around? Whatever it is, try not to take it too seriously.

Of all the times to worry about overeating, the holidays are not the time. They are meant to be happy times and there is always food.

You can’t escape it so you might as well relax and enjoy the food, festivities, and the feelings that the holiday season brings.

Remember, food addictions make you stuff down feelings. While the holidays can be stressful, there is no need to favor the stress over the joy of the season.

What can you do? Besides eat, that is. Having some fun is always a good idea. Get some extra rest, relax with a holiday movie. There are quite a few good ones and many are on TV now.

Cook or bake something. Your house will smell spicy and warm. You won’t have to worry about all the extra sugar and fat because all the best recipes don’t require all that junk. And there’s nothing like homemade cookies, pies, and breads.

Get to sleep early or take naps. Don’t let fatigue trick you into eating when you are actually sleepy and not really hungry.

Laugh as much as possible. It’s great for the stomach muscles. Check out fat blockers and enzymes at the health food store to help you deal with the richer foods.

Drink plenty of water. Get outside in the fresh air. Walk, jog, play on the swings in the park. Do something. Do everything but think about food addictions and emotional eating, and how much weight you have to lose.

Most of all, be happy. Everyone can think of something to be grateful for and happy about. Everyone. And nobody ever stuffs down happiness.

How the Food Industry Creates Food Addicts

Nov13

A few days ago, I wrote about a book by Dr. David Kessler titled The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.

Here he is in a YouTube video that offers us a look into the ways the food industry manipulates us. Great information for everybody, not just food addicts and emotional eaters.

You Define Your Food Addiction

Nov12

You will hear experts talk about food addiction defining it in ways that usually relate to the treatment these experts provide.

The common thread in food addiction is that it is triggered by emotional stress, usually something buried deep inside. Regardless of what the experts say, unless they themselves have struggled with food addiction, trust yourself first.

In the case of women, the compulsive eating or overeating is often associated with issues of sexuality, including abuse.

This is not the only reason for the driving force behind a food addiction. Trauma of many varieties can trigger this kind of irresistible urge to stuff down feelings.

Releasing the emotions and feelings associated with the trauma is imperative if one is to overcome the addiction and return to a healthy emotional state, not threatened by food.

When evaluating the advice of an expert, consider these three things:

  1. Does it ring true to you? In other words, does the treatment “feel” right and make sense to you?
  2. Do they listen to you without interrupting and answer your questions without discounting or invalidating them?
  3. Do you feel comfortable?

Just those three questions. If you feel comfortable with your answers, then you’ve chosen the right person to help you.

Trust is essential in any relationship, so make sure that when you define your food addiction, it matches the definition of the person or persons you have enlisted to help and support you.

What Role Does Sexuality Play in Food Addiction?

Nov11

Tonight  I was listening to an interview with Sheila Kelley, an actress, author, filmmaker and dancer. Tricia Greaves with Heal Your Hunger was interviewing Sheila as part of a teleseries on Weight Loss From the Inside Out.

You may have seen Sheila pole dancing on Oprah or read her book, The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman. If not, then you’re missing out on something very special.

It isn’t often that women get to hear another woman speak so passionately and frankly about the beautiful nature of women and how it is often hidden in an effort to fit into a man’s world.

“Validate and celebrate” she says of the female body. Sheila spoke eloquently about making peace with your sexuality and embracing everything about being a woman.

Sexuality and food are very closely linked in women. Excess weight is commonly traced back to early sexual experiences and the shame that is frequently imposed on young girls by their well-meaning mothers.

The world of today’s women, especially those dealing with food addictions and emotional eating challenges, is much different from that of our mothers who gave us strict orders about the opposite sex without any explanation.

Self-judgment and shame can consume a young woman when innocence is punished with threats and confusion. Many turn to food for protection without ever knowing what they are trying to protect themselves from.

Shame is a powerful emotion and when embedded early on in the female psyche, keeps a woman from being all she can be.

Once that shame is released and the female form is “validated and celebrated” in its own right, a woman can handle being a woman without those extra pounds. No diet necessary.

If you’re in the L.A. area on November 21st, Ms. Kelley will be part of a Weight Loss from the Inside Out event in Santa Monica, presented by Heal You Hunger.

Visit www.healyourhunger.com for more details on the event and to register, and check out The Original Pole Dance Workout on Sheila’s website at www.sfactor.com.