Food Cravings

I thought I would share this blog post from Dr Judith Beck regarding what to do when food cravings surface:

"This past week, I met Jon socially, at a party. We had known each other slightly. He told me he had read my cognitive therapy books on dieting and wanted me to know which technique had helped him the most. It had been emailing his "diet buddy," when he was tempted to eat something he wasn't supposed to. With his permission, I cut and pasted below an old email he forwarded to me.

Okay, I really want to eat the pizza in the kitchen. Everyone (okay, not everyone) in the office is having some but I already had lunch. My sabotaging thoughts are back....It'll be okay. I'll make up for it later.
But I really know it's NOT okay. Not if my goal is to lose weight. I don't want to fall back in to the habit of eating extra food just because it's there. It's what I used to do.

Hey, it happened again. The craving went away as I was typing this email. I'm actually fine. I feel like...it'd be nice to eat the pizza. But I know I won't. Back to work.

It was important for Jon to email his diet buddy like this. After doing so about ten times in a row (over the course of several days), he really learned that cravings do go away. He doesn't have to eat. Now he doesn't need to email his diet buddy very often, either. He knows that telling himself, "No choice. I'm not eating this [food] I hadn't planned" and engaging in a compelling activity makes his cravings go away, every time."

I think we often have people that we ask for permission from when it comes to skipping a workout we know we really want to do or eating something we probably will regret. Perhaps we can start forging relationships with people who will support us in our healthier efforts and encourage us to avoid those donuts in the lunchroom, as opposed to saying "go for it, it's okay, you ate healthy yesterday."

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

There's not much I love more than Mexican food, so the idea of a day established to celebrate that culture and cuisine, sounds awesome to me. Then the questions arises, if I go out tonight, how do I make it an experience I do not regret tomorrow? Avoiding margaritas and chips with salsa is not an option, I'm sorry.

I was reading the Biggest Loser website last night on how to survive eating out at restaurants. I was dismayed when they suggested avoiding the chips and basically any tortillas. Their solution for everything seems to be "make it into a salad." They even recommended avoiding guacamole! Again, not an option for me. And avocado is so good for you!

I do not have any magic solutions, but I do have some tips. I have not decided yet if I will follow these because Cinco de Mayo is only once a year, after all. However, it is easy to justify a reason to overdo it any day of the week, I've found. I need to mentally prepare myself for it being my sole responsbility to moderate myself. My husband seems to have an innate ability to be moderate with food, and on the off chance that he is not on this particular day, it will not have the least affect on his waistline or self esteem.

First of all, decide prior to going, whether it will be a one or two margarita kind of night. It is much easier to order a second after the first one has already made it's way through your brain. Deciding ahead of time can take the responsibility off your somewhat-alcohol-muddled mind. If they automatically bring out chips, decide how many you will eat and put them on your plate. It is too easy to mindlessly go back to the basket chip after chip. While you're eating them, try to pay attention to the taste and the enjoyment they give. Take breaks between the chips, sip your drink, breathe deeply. Check in with yourself a few times while eating. Are you breathing at a normal rate? Are you scarfing or savoring the food?

When you get your entree, it may be a good idea to put half of it in a to-go box right away. Chances are, you're not starving by this point because of the chips and margarita. You could save this food for lunch tomorrow or even a snack later. It is better to split up meals into smaller portions as opposed to gorging yourself. When I am eating Mexican food, I try to avoid eating every last piece of tortilla and if there's a side of rice, I usually avoid it. At least in my opinion, the cheesy beans, guacamole, and salsa are the best parts. Decide for yourself, what are your priority foods and how do you best enjoy them? Have fun!

The Dreaded Yearly Check Up

I am not sure why I view it with such trepidation - I've never had a particularly bad experience or menacing news from my doctor- but I still would prefer to not go. The visit always involves something uncomfortable and violating, which we are taught to view as necessary to monitor our health...and I am not just talking about the physical part of the exam.

The first step in the appointment is to get weighed. No comments are made about my weight...it is jotted down quickly and we move on to get my height. Yes, I am still short. That has not changed in the last year. My blood pressure and temperature are measured, and I appreciate that the nurse tells me what these are and that they are normal.

When the doctor finally comes in she asks me how I have been eating, drinking, and exercising, even though I already wrote these pieces of information on the yearly update form when I first arrived. I do not know if I am projecting, but I get the impression that my doctor is hoping I have no concerns and that I just say I'm being healthy. Don't get me wrong, I like my doctor. She doesn't pry too much and is matter of fact about what she does. It is possible that some people feel more able to tell their doctors when something is concerning or that they need help with their eating or exercising. I do not, however, feel that able to share this with someone who I see once a year and I know is in a hurry to get to her next patient.

I thought about this and realize that for a lot of people the primary care doctor is the only regular access to someone who may be able to help in this area. That is what your doctor is there for! So forget about the other patients that may be waiting and look out for yourself. Ask for a referral to someone who may be more able to spend the time with you or ask your doctor what she knows. My visit next year may be longer, but at least I will have more control in what occurs.

Feel Better About Yourself Today!

I think we often use food and exercise to punish or reward ourselves. Self deprecation may be the way we connect socially with people. Neither of these practices serves to improve one's often fragile self confidence. In the following article is featured a list of methods for bettering your self image. http://shine.yahoo.com/event/makeover/simple-non-cheesy-ways-to-make-over-your-self-image-1335396/

A lot of the techniques I have suggested to clients before and they have reported to me that they help. I had a client that swears by affirmations, but you have to say it to yourself several times a day, and say it like you mean it, even if you're not yet convinced that it will work. Every time you catch yourself indulging in negative self talk, try one of the skills listed in the article to counteract the ways you put yourself down. Don't put it off until a better day, start now!

Skinny Chicks

I often read books about fitness and nutrition because there is usually something of value I can pull from them. One of the books I have enjoyed (but also wanted to throw across the room a few times) is called "The Secrets of Skinny Chicks: How to Feel Great in Your Jeans- When It Doesn't Come Naturally." The book profiles the diets and workout plans for several women who are very thin and work very hard at it.

What I like is that it stresses that even women who are very thin treat themselves to glasses of wine and chocolate; they just factor it into their daily calorie count. It is also interesting to see that women to whom we may think being skinny comes so naturally, well, in reality, it may not. The women in this book work quite hard at remaining thin.

That said, it is a frustrating book as well. Most women are not going to have the time to devote 4 hours a day to working out. It also often is not the best choice to subsist off 1200 calories a day. What I pull from this is that I need to make a choice about what it most important to me.

Do I want to avoid my favorite foods most of the time and spend most of my free time working out? No. I do not. I enjoy food and socializing outside of the gym too much. When I feel bad about myself, I try to remind myself of this choice and be satisfied with how I choose to live my life.

Eating Disordered Behaviors

I found a study on cnn.com about eating disorders. The article explains that, because of the strict criteria required to give a person an eating disorder diagnosis, many insurance companies will not pay for the treatment a person may need. Many people may not meet the actual criteria for an eating disorder, but that doesn't mean that a person's relationship with food isn't harmful.

Severely restricting fat and protein intake is unhealthy. If you have irritability, dry skin, fatigue, dull and brittle hair and nails, digestive complaints, and an inability to lose weight, you may be suffering from essential fat deficiency. Add some avocado, nuts, seeds, salmon, or other healthy fats to your diet! Protein deficiency is indicated by fatigue, difficulty building muscle, loss of hair, and mood swings.

Chronic dieting can also be very stressful for one's body. One may notice difficulty losing weight despite low calorie intake and frequent exercise. Sometimes the body holds onto fat stores and slows the building of muscle when calorie intake is not high enough. One may also have vitamin deficiencies and brain chemistry imbalances. If you have trouble allowing yourself to eat more, you may benefit from a counseling relationship to help you work through this resistance.

Fight depression: Every day tips

This is a pretty good article I came across today at www.health.com: "10 No-Cost Strategies to Fight Depression." It details a few simples steps to take that may help diminish mild depression. One of the tips is to maintain a routine. I know that if I have a few extra days off or I'm home sick, it seems so much more difficult to go back to my regular work and exercise routine. Of course one needs to take care of herself when sick, but sometimes forcing myself out of bed in the morning and going about my day as if I'm feeling 100 percent can lead to me actually feeling happier and more like myself.

Exercising is another good tip. I would add that it helps to find exercise that you truly enjoy. I know that it can be hard to get myself to work out sometimes, but just getting changed into my workout clothes is often the most difficult step. Once I'm changed and ready to go, I do it and I feel so good (most of the time). Afterwards I feel great. If I dreaded every workout and hated it throughout the entire session, it would be so much more difficult to continue to do it! Look into yoga classes, dance classes, walking with a friend, doing push ups while you watch TV...anything that you might actually keep up with and enjoy.