Eating the Moment

I recently read a book called "Eating the Moment" by Pavel Somov, Ph.D. The majority of the book addressed emotional eating and prompted the reader to find out WHY they eat.  There are three types of hunger according to the book:

1. We eat out of physical hunger (the need for food).
2. We eat out of psychological hunger (stress and emotional triggers) 
3. We eat out of habit (it's 6pm, I should eat even though I'm not hungry) 

The book asks the question, Why do we overeat? The answer: because we aren't mindful. [pg 8]

*Mindless of environmental triggers.

*Mindless of the process of eating.

*Mindless of sensations of fullness.

*Mindless of emotional eating.

What is eating out of Habit? Here is an example: you go to the movies with a friend. Even though you just had lunch and aren't really hungry, you get a large popcorn with butter (400-1200 calories) and an even larger soda (500 calories) because that's what you do at the movies. (On a side note, MSNBC reports that movie popcorn + soda = 3 burgers and 12 servings of butter!!! http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34023406)

What is eating because of Emotional Triggers? Emotional triggers could be anything from watching TV, people you associate with food or eating (like the girlfriend you always go out to pizza with) or even the weather (it's a cold,  rainy, winter day = let's eat comfort food!). The easy part is making a list of what your emotional triggers are. The hard part? Changing the behavior. 

I am very much an emotional eater--and always have been. When I was 250, I was going through some difficult times and I "medicated" myself with food. Ice cream and pizza were my absolute favorites. And to this day, those are the two "trigger foods" for me that can spark an emotional response. My decision to stop eating those two items for 2 years was crucial to me losing weight and staying motivated.

Now that I've lost the weight, I've slowly started eating those two things again. Of course I eat them in moderation now and not all the time. But I still get a feeling of anxiety at the prospect of eating ice cream or pizza. 

Question: Do you continue to eat even though you are full? Do you know what full feels like?

Email from my brother

When I shared my blog with my brother, he sent me this wonderful email! He gave me permission to share it.
"Hey Lisa,
That is absolutely fantastic! I don't know that I ever said much about your amazing accomplishment but I couldn't help but smile and feel a huge sense of pride looking at the picture of you holding of your old pants. You look fantastic, you are happy and healthy. I cant tell you how happy I am for you. Hopefully I can take a page from your book and shed a few pounds as well.

I have a terrible habit of once I start exercising I feel that I do
not have to worry about not eating certain things (hey, I'm burning it
all off right? probably not) and whenever I try to cut back on how
much I eat for meals I turn into the starving guy looking for snacks
anywhere I can find them. I know I serve larger portions than I should
for dinner. How did you manage that overwhelming sense of hunger when
you started eating the "right amount" of food for meals?
Andy"

Before I answer Andy's question, I just want to say that many times I slipped during the two years of losing weight. I'd get overwhelmed with hunger and make really bad choices. It's hard. For me, especially after exercising, I go into "starving, crazy maniac mode". I need FOOD! The important thing is to make good choices. I have sliced cucumber in the fridge and some hummus for a quick snack. I take yogurt or granola to work in case I get the hunger pains.

Honestly, once you start limiting your food and only eating what your body NEEDS, you will find that your stomach gets smaller. It doesn't take as much food to fill it up. I'm so used to eating a Lean Cuisine and a salad, etc, that eating copious amounts of food just makes me sick.

The other suggestion I have is to drink a lot of water. It's easy to confuse hunger with being dehydrated. Something else you can do is to wait 15 minutes after eating to see if you're still hungry. If, after 15 minutes, you're still legitimately hungry, then get a little more food. But not Cheetohs or a candy bar!

Also, just because you exercise and burn a lot of calories, doesn't mean you can stop on the way home from the gym and get a Big Mac, fries, or a chocolate shake. Losing weight is about creating a deficit. You burn calories = you lose weight.

If you are feeling extra starving after exercising pretty hard, you need to look at WHAT you are eating. Is it the right KIND of food? Are there carbs in it? Carbs are NOT evil! You need carbs for fuel. Are you eating protein? (Cottage cheese is my favorite super food!) If not, change what you eat!

The above picture is of me at my brother's wedding. A week before, I reached my first goal of losing 50 pounds! I was 200 pounds in that picture.