Emotional Eating, Obesity, Bingeing: Do you believe you can change?

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."
- Henry Ford 

Sorry to give it all away in the first line, but it is worth reading on, believe me!

We often think that all we need to do is find the right diet, the right personal trainer, the right therapist and we will be able to overcome our unhealthy and unhelpful behaviours.  And, of course, that once we do we will be worthwhile and confident people.

However, so many of my clients say to me "is this going to work?" when we talk about making change in both thinking and behaviour.  In reality, the change agent is you, not the new method/diet/shrink.  When I first start hearing change talk emanating from a client, I do a little internal dance of glee - because that's a great indicator that they are on the path to success.  I would do an external dance of glee but that might scare people.

This article from The Age talks about how our beliefs influence us at a cellular level, the origin of these beliefs and how we can work towards changing them.

http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life/chemical-control-the-potent-power-of-beliefs-20130625-2ottb.html

The Gwinganna Believe and Be Well Program suggests:

-  Reappraising your circumstances and noticing how many of your thoughts are productive and pure versus unproductive and destructive. Notice that the levels may be different at home and at work.

- Ground yourself in your body with your breath. Diaphragmatic breathing takes us into the conscious pre-frontal lobe and out of the subconscious limbic brain.

- Respect where deeper beliefs originated and be gentle and kind to yourself.

- Weed out negative beliefs and cultivate nutritional thoughts and beliefs.

- Nurture yourself through stillness of body and mind, connection to nature and mindful living.

- Ask yourself what is the deepest longing of your heart.

REMEMBER:

"Whatever the mind of (wo)man can conceive and believe, it can achieve"
- Napoleon Hill.

AND

"I think I can - I think I can - I think I can.....I know I can - I know I can - I CAN - I CAN - I CAN!!!" - The Little Engine That Could.

As a follow up to yesterday's post, and Happy Friday!

Yesterday,  I posted about what we take for granted with our health, in our lives and how we often postpone positive, self-caring change.  You truly don't know what you've got 'til its gone.  So this is my more cheerful piece of encouragement for you to end the week, and perhaps start a new era in your life.....?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha04SVS3KMg

Doris Day singing "Enjoy Yourself:  Its Later Than You Think". And what a gorgeous '50's photo of her.

ENJOY YOURSELF.  And if you're not, do what you need to do to make that happen.

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans"

I am quoting John Lennon in my title but not happy about doing so.  Last Wednesday I swerved on my stairs to avoid stepping on my dog, Charlie, and broke my ankle.  Surgery last Sunday, home on Monday to my two-storey place.  Can't put any weight on my right leg for six weeks and limited mobility for another six weeks.  

As a result, I am taking three weeks off from seeing clients until the pain settles (not much, surprisingly) and I get more mobile on crutches.  It was indeed a shock to the system.

What does any of this have to do with eating, weight and emotions you might ask?  I spent three days in hospital, surrounded by injured, sick and dying people.  My problems are small fry compared to much of what goes on in a large, public hospital every day. (By the way, kudos to The Alfred Hospital - they do a lot with not a lot of money.)  But think about this:

• We tend to coast along through life taking for granted the things that are so important to us - health, mobility, access to our own home and so on.  

• We are frequently careless with our health and well-being, or we postpone the changes that will improve these essentials in our life.  

• We often go through each day without feeling any gratitude for what we have, just misery about what we don't have. 

• We generally live in a state of self-hatred about our perceived flaws (excess weight, binge eating behaviour, flabby thighs etc) 

To those of you recognise that you do any of the above actions, STOP RIGHT NOW!  Life is too short and our health too fragile to take for granted.

If you need to act differently, do so.  Get help for the bingeing.  Find better ways to deal with your emotions accept the discomfort of changing to a BETTER way of eating.  Put yourself first.  Be as compassionate and kind to yourself as you are to other people.

When I told a good friend of mine about the broken ankle, she said to me that "everything happens for a reason".  I'm trying that on for size at the moment, don't know yet how I feel about it.  But if that is the case, perhaps the reason is to appreciate health, appreciate life, appreciate daily ordinary things that are often taken for granted, and appreciate myself more with compassion and kindness.

Why don't you try that on for size, too?

Lapband Surgery

I used to be against lap band surgery (or gastric bypass surgery) on the basis that I feel its important to address the causes of overweight, rather than focus on just the weight itself.  However, having recently seen documented evidence of differences in appetite and satiation responses in individuals, it appears that bariatric surgery can be appropriate for some people. 

The attached story is not typical, just possible.  The amount of pain and suffering this person has been through is significant and it is definitely true that bariatric surgery is not a panacea.

My message:  try addressing the causes of overweight PERSISTENTLY and EXHAUSTIVELY before resorting to a surgical intervention.  Remembering too, that there is an awful lot of adjustment in lifestyle to be made post-surgery.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/health-and-fitness/dl-wellbeing/is-lapband-surgery-worse-than-obesity-20130527-2n6qm.html

The lady in this article will be a guest on Insight tonight at 8.30pm on SBS where the focus of the program is the pros and cons of bariatric surgery.  If you miss it, try SBS On Demand.

Jennie Runk - Plus Sized Model

I've just re-found the article I referred to in my previous post about a plus sized model. Here is the lush and lovely Jennie Runk.  I really hope she doesn't turn into a plucked duck!

http://health.ninemsn.com.au/dietandnutrition/8659600/plus-size-model-why-i-upsized-to-get-into-modelling

Big Bottoms

I've just seen the picture of the roast duck in the Playboy pose that accompanied my last blog - that was supposed to be a picture of Dr Gabriel Weston who presented The Truth About Fat on SBS last week.  How she morphed into a duck is beyond me.  And  who would put a duck in that kind of full frontal pose - that's also beyond me!  Apologies for those of you who may have a naked duck phobia.

Moving on.  I read somewhere on the "electric interweb" recently about a model who was given a choice of constantly starving or becoming a plus sized model, and she chose plus size.  Plus size for her is 12 - 14 and she is voluptuous and gorgeous.  A big bottom is not a flaw, its a fact.  Life is not a beauty competition in which the smallest bottom wins.  There are far more important scales on which to rate oneself - kindness, integrity, sense of humour etc.

I have always been pear-shaped, whether I was 52kg or 88kg (yep - that's my adult range.  Thank goodness for my health that I'm now in the 70's).  One of my fondest memories comes from two decades ago - I was brave enough to wear a tight denim skirt to a disco (what the young whippersnappers of today call a club).  I had THREE different individuals say "nice bum" to me. It was a peak moment as my personal bottom rating was near the bottom of the scale.

Then just the other day I heard "Fat Bottomed Girls" by Queen on the car radio, and it reminded me of the seminal recording by Spinal Tap - "Big Bottoms".  So here's a bit of weekend "cheeky" fun.  Turn the stereo system volume up to 11 and sing along with David St Hubbins, Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qDgCmzh5ao



And if you are unfortunate enough to not know about Spinal Tap - go here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Spinal_Tap

And for those of you who can't live without Queen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMnjF1O4eH0

The Truth About Fat

I've written before about the beliefs regular weight people have about overweight people. Often these beliefs are shared by overweight people themselves.  Lazy, stupid, lacking in self control are bandied about.  The notion that excess weight is due to a character flaw.  Well, I hope they were all watching television on Monday night.

This documentary aired on SBS and it was an eye-opener, even for me.  The very slim doctor (Gabriel Weston) who presents it comments during the program "my assumption of a lifetime which was that I am the size I am because of my character, is wrong".  Music to my ears.  If for no other reason than hearing this comment, you MUST watch "The Truth About Fat".

It examines the science behind appetite and weight and how genetics influences both.  It also looks at how stressful life events can activate genes and lead to weight gain.  And how a gastric bypass can have a regulating influence on the brain in relation to appetite.  All good, interesting stuff.

This doesn't mean we are at the mercy of our genes, hormones or appetite.  What it does show is that excess weight is not a character flaw.  Its about time that this hurtful and damaging myth was laid to rest.


Dr Gabriel Weston

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/28413507570/The-Truth-About-Fat?utm_source=Lead-Marquee