Sunday, May 1, 2011

~Emotional Eating~

At yesterday's seminar, held at Des Peres hospital in conjunction with the My New Self Bariatric program, therapist Stephanie Timko led a seminar regarding this topic! Needless to say it was a packed house because I think it is something many of us deal with and part of the reason we put on the weight in the first place!

First off, here's a power statement for you: YOU CAN NOT CHANGE THE WAY YOU FEEL UNTIL YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK!

Broken down, what does that mean; basically it means when you make one bad choice, don't think to yourself, screw it, the entire day is f'd up, I can just go ahead and eat whatever I want now! Come on admit it, that's exactly what goes thru your head! If not yours, that is my exact thought when I do it! Instead you need to remind yourself that it was one misstep and correct it next time.As Stephanie stated, it is not the event that brings on the negative emotions, it is your interpretation of the event itself!

So all that being said, how do you fix it? COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING! You first have to change your thoughts before it becomes a negative behavior. I will tell you that this is an area I am struggling with and why I was excited about Stephanie's seminar. Beyond the fact that she has helped me tremendously and is an amazing behavioral therapist, she knows her stuff! My problem is what I stated above, I slip up once and I let the entire day go to pot! Anything from work stress, physical ailments, bad weather, you name it can trigger it in me! So here is what Stephanie recommended:
  1. Interpret the event
  2. Analyze your attitude towards the event
  3. Reframe the event (find the silver lining)
Example: You or someone else tells you that you are fill in the blank. Ask yourself where the proof of that is? The go about disproving the negativity of the statement. Then reframe the belief.

Remember that a negative emotion is a cute to stop & think! Stop & think before you react to the situation! If I did that, I wouldn't be running to find Peanut M&M's!

The number one reason for a relapse and weight gain is NEGATIVE EMOTIONS! Those negative emotional lead to negative behaviors which lead to the snowball effect and before we know it, the number on your scale goes up and your clothes get tighter! I'm over here with my hand high in the air saying "yep, I'm right there!" With starting a new job and trying to find my niche in a new environment and new industry the negative emotions have creeped back up! Who thought that after two years this would be an issue, but sorry to say I think until we learn to change the way we think, this could continue to be a problem for many of us ongoing!

So there are two words that need to come out of your vocabulary permanently: SHOULD & ONLY!  Should is a word that brings on negative connotations always. We use it toward others and ourselves and always in a negative way. It also brings on feelings of guilt when spoken! For instance: I should have gotten up and exercised this morning, I should have eaten breakfast at a decent time.  One of my favorite things Stephanie quips in support group is "Should, should, should! So how's that working for yah?" Instead of telling yourself what you should be doing it is time to tell yourself what you are going to do to fix it!

And on to my biggest pet peeve-the word ONLY! So many times I hear people say, "Well, I've only lost 40 pounds." Do you know what putting the word only in front of that did? It negated the fact that you lost 40 pounds. Or I hear I was only able to run 2 miles today. In my world that is reason to celebrate! Instead of putting that word in front of things when you are describing them, try celebrating all that you do! Keeping track of your NSVs (non-scale victories) will help you stay positive when you feel you've reached a plateau or you haven't seen your scale move in a long time! Sit and make a list of all the things that you are able to accomplish now that weren't possible before you started your journey! I guarantee that list will put a smile on your face! And make sure you are constantly adding to that list too! As you are continuing and growing so should that list!

I hope that the above is able to help those of you beginning your journey or struggling in your journey. I enjoyed our discussions around this topic very much and know that this is an area that I continue to work on! Share your thoughts and how you cope!

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