This is part 2 in the Weigh it Out: Caring for Your Body in 2021 series.
Did any of you try to eliminate sugar and flour as we talked about in part 1 of our caring for your body series? I hope your withdrawal hasn’t been too rough!
As I mentioned before, in addition to being a Master Coach and Psychotherapist, I am also a Certified Weight Loss Coach. I thrive on helping people with weight and body image. And we’re not talking diets here—we are in it to win it with total mind shifts and lifestyle changes. No matter where you are in the process, I can help.
Types of eating
Now that we’ve talked about the effects of excess sugar and flour, let’s move on to more basics, the basic types of eating and (eating your) feelings.
EATING TYPE 1: FUEL
The most basic type of eating, when you’re eating food that’s nourishing and fueling your body because you’re physically hungry.
EATING TYPE 2: JOY
This is when you don’t eat to fuel your body, but for pure enjoyment. If you plan for this type of “exception” to your fuel meals and make space for it in your eating plan, you can truly, guiltlessly enjoy every bite! And keep the weight off. Eating foods that are more caloric/fat or different than your normal fuel foods can keep your metabolism on its toes which is also good for losing and maintaining weight loss.
EATING TYPE 3: THE FOG
Ever eat from a bag of something while watching TV and not know how in the world you finished the entire bag? That’s fog eating, when you eat with no awareness. In this zone, you’re basically unconscious and eating to escape/disassociate.
EATING TYPE 4: THE STORM
Most people call this binge eating, where you’re almost eating against your own will in a frenzy. This happens quickly, and you feel unable to stop yourself. You totally know what you’re doing, and you want to stop, but you keep going.
Knowing these different types of eating and recognizing which “zone” you’re in each time you eat is key to fueling your body properly. Otherwise, you can get stuck in the numbing, emotional side of eating, which leads us to…
FEELINGS
Many of us have learned to numb-out and dull our feelings with food. Much of our programming is to give in to urges, to indulge! You only live once, right? Or every day every meal.
But if we give in and eat every time we have a whim, even when we’re not actually hungry, we inadvertently create more programming that rewards urges. So an important thing to learn is how to be present with an urge, to allow it, so there’s no tension, resistance, or rebellion. We can have control, but it takes practice and time. It’s totally possible.
Here’s a snapshot from a relevant section of the workbook my clients get when working with me on weight and body image:
If you think you need more guidance and might want to work on these issues with me, you can schedule a mini session here to get started. I hope you’ll benefit from this series on caring for your body.
