What is moderation?

A few weeks ago, one of my great girlfriends, Chelle from Everyday Polish, asked me what my view is on moderation when it comes to dieting.

"What constitutes "moderation"? 1 bite of a cookie? 1 cookie? 1 cookie 

once a week? 1 cookie once a month? I feel like everybody can define 

excess and overindulgence but I've never come across good guidelines 

for practical moderation, which is very relevant this holiday season. "

                                                 Source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com via KandidlyKim @ Work It Out, Gurl on Pinterest

Although the holiday season is over, moderation is something that is beneficial to learn when it comes to eating in everyday life. My personal opinion is that you should look at how much you eat whatever that specific food or food group is on a regular basis and then try to cut that in half when you are trying to lose weight. If you find that you are having trouble reaching your goals, you may need to cut that half in half again.

One day when I was listening to SiriusXM Doctor Radio, one of the doctors noted that if you eat 1 pea a day and you can't lose weight, sometimes you must cut that single pea in half. That is how I look at moderation. If you are trying to lose weight, then you may need to exercise a stricter sense of moderation. If you are maintaining and/or not even watching your fitness and eating a cookie a day doesn't hurt you, then go ahead and eat it if you like. Of course, there are healthier options, but that's a completely different conversation. Moderation, in my opinion, depends on your goals.

My trainer always says that it can be the smallest things in your diet that prohibit you from reaching your goals. I was at the shake counter at my gym getting my usual chocolate protein shake with peanut butter after a workout, and my trainer walked up behind me and said, "You know, you may need to eliminate that dinosaur paste (peanut butter) when you are getting closer to your goals, right?" Of course I made a face because the peanut butter is the best part! But he went on to explain that when you are trying to lose weight, and your body is sensitive (like mine) sometimes you need to be more strict on your eating in order to meet your goals. Moreover, this dribbles into the topic of emotional eating because most of the time we know that we don't need that extra cookie... we just want it. There is a difference. I know that I don't need to have the peanut butter in my protein shake. I've drank plenty without it, but I just like it; despite knowing the empty calories that it is adding into my system.

How do you implement moderation into your diet?

All for the love of Food!

So this weekend I was definitely on a "seefood diet" I saw food and I ate it.

This normally doesn't happen because I work so hard to keep junk food and sweets (my kryptonite) out of the house. But this weekend was a little different I volunteered to make a cake and cupcakes for a party (big mistake). Of course I ended up bringing the leftovers home and somehow I found myself eating a cupcake nearly every time I opened the refrigerator door. Especially after being without power for so long after Sandy and then of course Thanksgiving, it has been way too hard to get it together. 

This past weekend definitely made me do some thinking, why in the world do I love food so much?? And then it hit me, food  has played such a huge role in my life ever since I could remember. Food has been associated with so many circumstances, that it seems that food is the go-to cure for everything. We use food for pleasure and comfort, we turn to food when we are sad, depressed and hurt. We use food to socialize, we use it as a reward, we eat when we are bored, and we turn to food when we are lonely. Food is around so much that it can become an obsession, sometimes we become obsessed with eating and at other times we become obsessed with not overeating, it may seem like a lose-lose situation!

After I actually sat down and thought about my relationship with food, I made a vow that this can no longer happen. I refuse to obsess over what foods I can eat, and what foods I can't eat, most of the time I feel like I spend more time thinking about food than living my life, and quite frankly I am way to young to be worried about food, that should be the least of my worries. 

So now my goal is to really begin to listen to my body and eat when I'm hungry instead of when I think I'm hungry. I know that one of my biggest pitfalls is that I never have the right foods around when I need them. I might have to turn into the girl that has an apple and a protein bar in her clutch, it may seem extreme but if that is what it takes then sign me up. Normally I get so hungry when I'm out and about and because I don't want fast food I don't eat which cause me to become a ravenous monster when I get home, and this is no good because I barely breathe while eating. 

This whole journey has been an emotional roller coaster, but now its time to stop talking and start doing. Looking back at old posts I remember when I was on it, and lately I just have not been on it. Like seriously its time for me to share my "how did you do it" and I think this time its for real. Although this weekend was rough I am proud to say that I still managed to go to the gym. Now if I could just eat right and exercise at the same time I would be in business. But hey how would you know what success feels like if you don't fail!

Am I the only one that feels like this????

Emotional Eating with Christie Inge: Your POWERFUL Mind

If you haven't been following along with the Emotional Eating series with Christie Inge, and would like to start from the beginning, please start HERE or on her blog HERE.


This is the section I feel benefits people the most. The mind controls all of your actions, including overeating. Have you ever heard the quote about changing your thoughts and you will change your life? Well, that is what this section is all about. If you are able to acknowledge that you need to work on a certain area in your life, but you remain unhappy, frustrated, and are behaving in ways that yield the opposite results; in most cases, you need to work on what's going on inside of your head.

The first step in this process is recognizing what your thoughts are. Just like the last section, Christie gives us a few questions to answer. There are 7 in her e-book, so I will answer 3 for you today.

1. Do you believe that food, weight, and your body image has to be a struggle? Not at all. In short, if I felt like it had to be a struggle, I would just accept it and not attempt to work on making it better. 
2. Do you "fight" against cravings and wanting to eat "forbidden" food? Why? Yes. Yes. Yes. I fight with myself because I know that I do not need to have certain foods in my life. It is not necessary and I know I eat certain foods because they feel good, not for their nutritious value. For instance, when I crave salt my mood changes when I do not have it. I get cranky and irritable. Once I indulge in a salty snack (usually chips), a calmness comes over me. I know that I should not get calm from eating a chip. That is ridiculous and probably borderline crazy... but it's the truth. 
3. What do you believe it says about you that you struggle with food and your body image? It tells me that I have a lack of self control in that area. This is a constant discussion I have with my friends. I feel that I have been able to overcome obstacles in many other areas of my life, but weight loss and food is the area that I struggle with most. It is mind boggling to think that I was able to do so many other things that I would have thought were far more difficult, but I can't lose weight. And since I can't lose weight, I don't have a very positive body image. I covered this a little bit in the last post in question # 1& 2.

Reading the answers back to myself really makes me think. In my counseling classes, they talk about replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. OR developing a mantra to state whenever you have feelings like this. Just by reading my own responses, I can see my own cognitive distortions. Now, I just have to work on replacing them with positive thoughts.

If you are looking for the book, just go to Christie's site and download it. There should be a link on the right hand panel. The next section we will cover looks at your spirit (not in reference to religion).

Emotional Eating with Christie Inge: Your BRILLIANT Body

Last week I stumbled across the amazing Christie Inge and I decided to use her getting started guide to help me combat my emotional eating. So today, I will get started with going through the first exercise in the "Your BRILLIANT Body" section. First, let me just say that I totally agree with the title for this section. I believe whole-heatedly that when given the chance and adequate tools, your body knows what it needs and what to do. It's only when your emotions take control that you are craving chips over carrot sticks.

Christie gives you 10 thought provoking questions to answer in this section. I don't want to completely spoil you going ahead and downloading her guide yourself, so I will answer 5 for you right here on WIOG.

1. When  you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you say to yourself? I tell myself that I am tolerable. Not beautiful, gorgeous, or traffic stopping. Tolerable. I am/feel average. I know this is bad... I don't think that my self-esteem is completely low, but it definitely is borderline somedays. I constantly worry about how I look and what others will think of me. So, when I look in the mirror, I tell myself that I am tolerable to avoid potential disappointment or someone letting me know that I am not fly.
2. When you say those things to yourself, does it feel good? How do you treat yourself when you talk that way to yourself? Of course it doesn't feel good. I tell myself that it keeps me humble. I don't indulge myself very often, so it keeps me in check. I tell myself that I don't deserve XYZ until I XYZ. Once I get there, I will be able to get XYZ. Terrible, right? And most of the time, I "don't deserve" something because I am not seeing progress with my weight loss journey. BUT then again, I will self-sabotage myself and eat Pringles because I feel like my life is over and I can't lose weight. Such a vicious circle. 
3. Do you eat for reasons like boredom, stressed, tired, even happy? DEFINITELY! Sometimes, I just want a snack... Like, I want to chew something. I am not hungry, I just want to eat something. My mood will even change if I don't get the snack and then, what is worse, is that I feel "calmer" after I indulge in that snack. Normally something crunchy and salty. 
4. Does your body hum with energy, vitality, and aliveness? No? Why do you think that is? My body feels slow, sluggish and worn down most days. I crave to have more energy to get through my super long days, but sometimes, I just can't. I can force myself to do what needs to be done, but there is a countdown happening in my head until the moment I can climb into bed and relax. AND I am only 24 years old! I should be bouncing off the walls still. I really worry about what my energy levels will be like when I have children.
5. Are you really ready to make true and lasting peace with food and your body? YES! I feel like I must make a change. It is now or never. I even feel like I know what I am doing wrong on most days, but I just don't gave the energy to do it right. 

These questions really got me thinking. I can see the patterns of my thinking that make me emotionally eat. So if I can see it, then I should be able to change it, right? Well, we will see how I feel when I finish the e-book. If you are looking for the book, just go to Christie's site and download it. There should be a link on the right hand panel. 

Emotional Eating with Christie Inge

Emotional Eating is something that I can definitely say that I struggle with. I have written about this topic in the past (all emotional eating linked posts), but I do not feel that I was able to really follow through and do the necessary homework to actually work on this issue. Lately, I feel that my cravings have been out of control and they truly alter my mood. Unlike most people who crave cake, cookies and sweets, I love salt. Over-salted crunchy goodness! Or, even more weird, I completely lose my appetite and I will not eat anything at all if my emotions are really high. Yea... not good.

So when I was on one of my blog reading rants, I stumbled across the wonderful, hopefully life-saving Christie Inge, Intuitive Eating and Body Image Coach. If you visit her website, on the right hand side there is a free e-book (The NO BULLSHIT Getting Started Guide for making peace with food and your body.) that she offers to help her readers confront their emotional eating dilemmas. I downloaded it, and hope to gain some insight out of it. While I know that a 27pg book cannot solve all of my woes, I am going to give it a far shot. Here is a breakdown of her book taken right from the table of contents.

Introduction

How to Use This Guide

Your BRILLIANT Body

Your POWERFUL Mind

Your SOURCING Spirit

Your WISE Emotions

OK, What Now?

Ready for More?

Meet Christie

On WIOG, ya'll know that I frequently change what I am doing. Sometimes I don't even share it because I know I changed my method from the last week and I am afraid of being judged for not being as consistent as some of my other blog friends. Anywho, one of my main goals in life when it comes to food, weight loss, ect it to be comfortable in my own skin at a healthy weight AND be able to eat intuitively without measuring or counting calories. I know what is healthy to eat and what is not healthy. I surprise myself when I have spoken to nutritionists and I get answers to questions that I already knew. I just cannot implement my knowledge 100% of the time. Food still has emotions attached to it and I fail to see it as solely a source of fuel.

After reading the first 2 sections of the book, I will say that Christie is no joke. She has had some real life experiences that have helped her to get to the place inside herself that she has gotten to today. She is also not for everyone. After reading her About and the Contact Me pages, you can get a sense for who she is, and if you don't like it, then reading her books and material may not be comfortable for you. I normally stay away from bloggers who use profanity when they are writing, but her explanation of using it on the contact page and after reading the first few pages of her book have made me okay with it. That being said, I know it is okay for me, and may not be okay for you.

I will be going through the exercises right here on WIOG so we can chat and discuss it. Everything will be taken right from the book written my the honorable Christie Inge and I claim no rights to the info. Just writing about it and hope to inspire some of you to take a look at yourselves in the process if you have similar struggles.

Do you really need a snack?

Chances are when you are in a snacky mood, you probably don't really need to eat anything. If you are anything like me, you love the chewing sensation. I know that sounds terrible! But it's so true! Sometimes, I just want to chew something... for no reason. If you have done any reading on emotional eating, a lot of times when you have the sensation to chew, it is because you have conditioned yourself to need to chomp on something when you are angry or frustrated. Hence, the chewing sensation where you literally chew away your problems. So you crave something crunchy, like potato chips, or even something gummy, like gummy bears, so you can chew aggressively.

I found this litte chart on Pinterest to help you distinguish what action really needs to be taken when you feel like snacking.

                                                                 Source: eatwisedropasize.tumblr.com via j on Pinterest

Emotional Eating Part 3

"It doesn't take a traumatic event or a bad childhood to get hooked into eating for emotional reasons. But at some point, you probably faced a difficult situation and thought, 'If I eat something, maybe I'll feel better.' And you did." Linda Spangle

That is the quote that made me to decide to read Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy by Linda Spangle. Earlier this week I had been choosing between a few books (see post HERE), and this one seemed to really resonate with me. Throughout the book, the author inserts personal quotes from people who are struggling with emotional eating. Not to say that I am hoping to find the end all and be all cure from reading a simple book, but I am hoping to gain some clarity as to why I feel the way I do about food. Coincidentally, Amber and I started a detox on Monday, so I am really working hard to restrain myself from eating all of the foods I love. Perfect timing, I know.

Anywho, when I finish the book, probably by the end of the week, I will write a full review.

Emotional Eating Part 2

Ways to Combat Emotional Eating

After my last self-disclosed post about emotional eating and about the notification signs of emotional eating I thought it would be a GREAT idea to actually post some information on simple ways to manage it. I am still very much in my blog obsession phase, and through all of my noisiness/research I am finding that the biggest way to combat emotional eating is to distract yourself. 

Yes, it is supposed to be that simple. Just distract yourself. By doing any activity besides sitting there and contemplating how amazing that yummy food would be if you were actually consuming it right that moment.

Pick up the phone and chat with a friend.

Read a book, magazine or blog.

Dance to your favorite song.

Excercise.

Brush your teeth.

Do housework.

I find that when I am at work and I know I cannot leave the office to grab something fatty, the craving will go away after about 30 minutes of intense agony. I just have to force myself to get back to work and avoid thinking/dreaming about the food I am desiring. So I know that this makes sense... it is just hard. 

I will report back when I finish some more reading on this topic.

Emotional Eating Part 1

After an almost near tear experience last week because I "desperately" wanted an unhealthy snack after I had a filling lunch... I am pretty sure that I am an emotional eater. I recently got an iPad at work, and since joining the book club I am now an e-reader and LOVE to download books on the free Nook application. I recently downloaded samples of  But I Deserve This Chocolate by Susan Albers and Life Is Hard, Food Is Easy by Linda Spangle; which both talk about emotional eating. (Whichever one I like more I will purchase and read the full book.)

But in the meantime, I spent some time on WebMD to see what characterizes emotional eating from real hunger. Sometimes I truly feel like I cannot tell the difference. According to WebMD you can distinguish emotional eating with the following characteristics:

How to Tell the Difference

There are several differences between emotional hunger and physical hunger, according to the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center web site:

1. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly; physical hunger occurs gradually.

2. When you are eating to fill a void that isn't related to an empty stomach, you crave a specific food, such as pizza or ice cream, and only that food will meet your need. When you eat because you are actually hungry, you're open to options.

3. Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly with the food you crave; physical hunger can wait.

4. Even when you are full, if you're eating to satisfy an emotional need, you're more likely to keep eating. When you're eating because you're hungry, you're more likely to stop when you're full.

5. Emotional eating can leave behind feelings of guilt; eating when you are physically hungry does not.

And a quote that hit home most for me was : " When emotional hunger rumbles, one of its distinguishing characteristics is that you're focused on a particular food, which is likely a comfort food." For me that is yummy, salt filled, crunchy, delicious snacks! (like Cheetos!)

I am seriously debating going 2 routes with this new self-discovery. A) seeking professional help by means of a therapist to work through this an some other issues OR B) really trying out some of the tasks and suggestions given in one or both of the books I spoke about earlier.

Has anyone else reading this ever struggled with emotional eating?

Information for this post was quoted directly from the Web MD website from THIS article.