{"id":278,"date":"2008-12-30T08:34:58","date_gmt":"2008-12-30T08:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/12\/emotional-eating-3-step-cure.html"},"modified":"2008-12-30T08:34:58","modified_gmt":"2008-12-30T08:34:58","slug":"emotional-eating-3-step-cure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/12\/emotional-eating-3-step-cure.html","title":{"rendered":"EMOTIONAL EATING: 3-Step Cure"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the single most common, biggest, most overwhelming and likely to occur challenge when it comes to weight loss?
\nEmotional Eating! <\/strong>
\nIt takes more than a good plan, good intentions, and basic nutritional information to override the emotional tsunamis that roll over and through us without turning to food.
\nManaging difficult situations and feelings effectively is a big part of what we are doing here. Emotional eating has all to do with the mind; little to do with the food.
\nThere are many proactive measures that we can take to get a hold of our emotions and ground ourselves. These actions range from relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, breathing to turning to our message board for support.
\nHowever, these actions take time. After all, you don’t always have the time to take a hot bath or a long walk in the middle of emotional upheaval.
\nHere follows a 3-step CURE!<\/strong> Yes, follow these three easy steps and you can get past the emotional roller coaster, hold your ground and learn something about yourself in the process.
\nStep 1: Stay Grounded<\/strong>
\nEmotional eating happens when you lose your connection to your grounded self.
\nNine times out of ten, emotional eating is triggered by a ‘mind storm’ of thoughts. Chances are that your mind is caught in a web of worst-case scenarios, projections into the future, and misinterpretations of a situation. In addition buttons have been pushed, and who knows what else. You are in overdrive.
\nThis emotional tsunami turns what may have been a relatively simple challenge into something that feels overwhelming. Feelings of fear or shame can surface. All of which can send sending you running into the kitchen or the vending machine.
\nThe objective is to stay grounded in the moment of stress, thus giving you space to get a grip and move away from food.
\nHere are a few simple things you can do at a moment’s notice that can help to keep you grounded the next time your switches are flipped, your buttons are pushed and\/or you are spiraling out of control.
\nBREATHE. <\/strong> Take in a few deep breaths. It is truly amazing how powerful breathing can be.
\nLOOK.<\/strong> Take a look around, noticing and naming the colors and shapes in the space around you. Thus, occupying your mind long enough for you to calm own.
\nNOTICE PHYSICAL SENSATION.<\/strong> You might note that your jaw is clenched, or that your stomach has that all too familiar sinking feeling.
\nIt is a simple technique, and it works. If you stay in your body and in the moment, you are no longer inside your head and you can ground yourself.
\nStep 2: Reality Check<\/strong>
\nNow that you are calm enough to think clearly and productively you can make note of your thought patterns, and when necessary, turn them around.
\nBlack and White Thinking<\/strong>
\nExample: You go over your calorie limit and\/or eat something that you theoretically “should not,” and then you decide to keep eating because you’ve already “blown it” for the day. You are on a downward spiral, feeling guilty, not liking yourself.
\nReality: Weight loss is not a one-day event. If you stop overeating now, you’ll gain less and have less to re-lose later. That’s something to feel good about!
\nYour Interpretation:<\/strong> Reading your own thoughts into someone else’s words.
\nExample: Someone made a remark that feels critical or unsupportive, and you begin to unravel and feel distressed, distraught and devastated.
\nReality: Did the other person mean to be critical? Or was it your own feelings about yourself surfacing? Are you overreacting? When you are secure and happy with yourself, what others say won’t matter nearly as much.
\nFeeling Badly for Others<\/strong>
\nExample: Something is going badly for someone you care about, and you feel responsible, or pressured to fix it.
\nReality: It’s not up to you to fix things. You are responsible for your own life.
\nStep 3: Putting Things Into Perspective<\/strong>
\nOne of the most valuable tools you can learn in weight loss and life is to keep things in perspective.
\nMost common problems that you face in everyday life are much easier to handle when you keep them in perspective.
\nHere are some questions you can ask yourself to make sure you aren’t in the mountain-making business:
\nDoes this problem fall into the “this too shall pass” category? Or Not? If it does, GREAT! If not, you’ve got a real problem!
\nDo I need to make a decision about this right now? Or can I let it play out a bit, giving me enough time to get perspective?
\nAm I worrying about something that may not even happen?
\nDo I have all the information I need to decide how to respond to this?
\nDo I really know what’s going on here, or am I making assumptions?
\nAm I worrying about things that might not even happen?
\nWhat do I need to check out before taking action?
\nIs there anything I can do right now that will change or help this situation?
\nAm I trying to control something I can’t, like what other people think, say, or do?
\nHave I really thought through this problem, and broken it down into manageable pieces I can handle one-at-a-time?
\nUse this approach whenever your thoughts or situations begin to feel overwhelming, and you’ll quickly find that the mountains that seem impossible at first can quickly morph into what they really are–manageable hills that you DO have the ability to climb. All it takes is three little minutes of your time.
\nSpread the word … NOT the icing!
\nJanice
\n———————————————————–
\nJanice Taylor is a Life & Wellness Coach<\/a>, author, seminar leader and 50-pound-BIG-Time-LOSER!
\nFor more motivation and inspiration, join the Kick in the Tush Club: Beliefnet Chapter. <\/a>
\nPick up a copy of Janice’s latest: All Is Forgiven, Move ON ~ Our Lady of Weight Loss’s 101 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltesville<\/a>!
\n” . . . . kooky genius ~ see if her idiosyncratic diet plan will work for you.” ~ O, The Oprah Magazine<\/em>
\n\"ART<\/span> <\/a> about Janice<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the single most common, biggest, most overwhelming and likely to occur challenge when it comes to weight loss? Emotional Eating! It takes more than a good plan, good intentions, and basic nutritional information to override the emotional tsunamis that roll over and through us without turning to food. Managing difficult situations and feelings…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[156,177,2,3,1],"tags":[3831,3833,671,3826,3827,690,3825,8],"class_list":["post-278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-emotional-eating","category-healthy-living","category-inspiration","category-motivation","category-weight-loss","tag-emotional-eating","tag-healthy-living","tag-how-to-lose-weight","tag-janice-taylor","tag-kick-in-the-tush-club","tag-life-lessons","tag-our-lady-of-weight-loss","tag-weight-loss-coach"],"yoast_head":"\nEMOTIONAL EATING: 3-Step Cure - Our Lady of Weight Loss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/12\/emotional-eating-3-step-cure.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EMOTIONAL EATING: 3-Step Cure - Our Lady of Weight Loss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is the single most common, biggest, most overwhelming and likely to occur challenge when it comes to weight loss? Emotional Eating! It takes more than a good plan, good intentions, and basic nutritional information to override the emotional tsunamis that roll over and through us without turning to food. Managing difficult situations and feelings…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/12\/emotional-eating-3-step-cure.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Our Lady of Weight Loss\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-12-30T08:34:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/files\/import\/ART%20heart.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Janice Taylor, Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"EMOTIONAL EATING: 3-Step Cure - Our Lady of Weight Loss","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2008\/12\/emotional-eating-3-step-cure.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"EMOTIONAL EATING: 3-Step Cure - Our Lady of Weight Loss","og_description":"What is the single most common, biggest, most overwhelming and likely to occur challenge when it comes to weight loss? 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