{"id":4279,"date":"2012-11-08T10:43:24","date_gmt":"2012-11-08T15:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/ourladyofweightloss\/?p=4279"},"modified":"2012-11-08T11:19:52","modified_gmt":"2012-11-08T16:19:52","slug":"are-you-touch-starved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/ourladyofweightloss\/2012\/11\/are-you-touch-starved.html","title":{"rendered":"Are You Touch Starved?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"When I heard that neuroscientists found that touch activates the brain\u2019s cortex, which is linked to feelings of reward, my weight loss bells<\/a> and whistles went off.<\/p>\n

People tell me (and back in the day, before I permanently removed over 50 pounds, I said it too), \u201cI had a hard day; a seriously hard day!\u00a0 And I deserve to eat whatever I want to eat, without limitations.\u00a0 I need, I want, I am going to give myself a reward!\u201d<\/p>\n

Does the \u201creward food\u201d ever really do \u201cit\u201d for you? How\u2019s that \u201cI deserve\u201d mentality working for you? Maybe \u2013 just for a minute, while the sugar, salt and fats are making their way across your taste buds, the food soothes \u2014 but afterwards?\u00a0 How do you feel then?<\/p>\n

Touch is a sophisticated system.\u00a0 It is basic and key to our species. In the absence of touching and being touched, we weaken and grow \u201ctouch-starved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Could it be that you are not in need of cake, ice cream, fried Twinkies or the \u201creward food\u201d of your choice?\u00a0 Could it be that you are hungry for touch?<\/p>\n

Based on the concept that in order to receive what you need, you need to give it first.\u00a0\u00a0 And, based on our collective experiences, we know that giving is better than receiving, how about we give what we need.<\/p>\n

In other words, instead of throwing a pity party because there aren\u2019t enough warm hugs coming your way, how about you reach out and touch somebody\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n