Obsessed With Food? Get the Mindset Right!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I was on the path to write a totally different post today BUT after my weekly walk with my friend Paula at her lunch hour today, reading Diet Blog's post on Jenny Craig and then remembering the post from Diane over at Fit to the Finish that I read very early this morn, I decided to change directions for today's post.
Losing weight is no easy battle. I think we all know that. Many have been on & off the rollercoaster ride for years before they ever get it right. Others have tried every diet there is like: the grapefruit diet, the starve yourself die, the cabbage soup diet, low fat diet, high protein diet, low carb diet, South Beach, Zone, Atkins, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, the cookie diet and yes, I could go on & on! Some of the previous diets even have some decent principles behind them. Some may offer too few calories though.
Listen, I am all for whatever you need to get started as long as it is safe & a well rounded program like Weight Watchers & I am sure others out there I don't know about. I am not fond of the very low calories ones though because I found out the hard way that eating too few calories actually backfires on you.
The key as I always say is to find something that works for you. What actually got me started on this was my friend Paula has a friend that got weight loss surgery. She was obese & had tried many times to lose weight to no avail. Now, I am not a fan of this surgery & rather see people do it the "right" way from the start by eating healthy & MOVING. BUT for some, it may be the way as long as it is researched & you know all the facts.. AND you know that you still have to MOVE and eat better even after the surgery.
The thing about this friend above is that she did the surgery BUT DID NOT CHANGE HER MINDSET. She is not exercising and she is totally obsessed with food. Since she never really went thru the process of understanding what it takes to lose weight by changing not only your food choices BUT how you actually think about food, well, she never got it & still does not. Every waking moment is all about food to her. Also, she did not exercise before & seems to find an excuse not to now. If a person had lost the weight on their own, they would already know that you need to both change your food choices, change your thought process & you have to MOVE AROUND.
I know for me, that mental process of understanding what it takes & what it took to lose weight was crucial. Also, yes, buying food may be a need for some that are very busy & can afford this BUT you still at some point need to understand about the food & what is & is not healthy & how to get a rounded diet with all the vitamins, minerals & fiber needed by a body. I even had to learn that late as I did a lot wrong in the first few years... a problem with that MINDSET of mine. Again, getting it right mentally is so key!
I was on the path to write a totally different post today BUT after my weekly walk with my friend Paula at her lunch hour today, reading Diet Blog's post on Jenny Craig and then remembering the post from Diane over at Fit to the Finish that I read very early this morn, I decided to change directions for today's post.Losing weight is no easy battle. I think we all know that. Many have been on & off the rollercoaster ride for years before they ever get it right. Others have tried every diet there is like: the grapefruit diet, the starve yourself die, the cabbage soup diet, low fat diet, high protein diet, low carb diet, South Beach, Zone, Atkins, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, the cookie diet and yes, I could go on & on! Some of the previous diets even have some decent principles behind them. Some may offer too few calories though.
Listen, I am all for whatever you need to get started as long as it is safe & a well rounded program like Weight Watchers & I am sure others out there I don't know about. I am not fond of the very low calories ones though because I found out the hard way that eating too few calories actually backfires on you.
The key as I always say is to find something that works for you. What actually got me started on this was my friend Paula has a friend that got weight loss surgery. She was obese & had tried many times to lose weight to no avail. Now, I am not a fan of this surgery & rather see people do it the "right" way from the start by eating healthy & MOVING. BUT for some, it may be the way as long as it is researched & you know all the facts.. AND you know that you still have to MOVE and eat better even after the surgery.
The thing about this friend above is that she did the surgery BUT DID NOT CHANGE HER MINDSET. She is not exercising and she is totally obsessed with food. Since she never really went thru the process of understanding what it takes to lose weight by changing not only your food choices BUT how you actually think about food, well, she never got it & still does not. Every waking moment is all about food to her. Also, she did not exercise before & seems to find an excuse not to now. If a person had lost the weight on their own, they would already know that you need to both change your food choices, change your thought process & you have to MOVE AROUND.
I know for me, that mental process of understanding what it takes & what it took to lose weight was crucial. Also, yes, buying food may be a need for some that are very busy & can afford this BUT you still at some point need to understand about the food & what is & is not healthy & how to get a rounded diet with all the vitamins, minerals & fiber needed by a body. I even had to learn that late as I did a lot wrong in the first few years... a problem with that MINDSET of mine. Again, getting it right mentally is so key!
What do you guys think of all the program diets out there or weight loss surgery? Are you or do you know people so totally obsessed with food that they set themselves up for failure or delay their progress? Did you get that mental stuff down first or did it come later like me? I think it is an ongoing process. It still is with me!
Jody! Thanks for the mention in this really important post. You know that I agree with you 100%. Unless we change our attitudes towards food, then we can't really learn to live with the day to day food temptations that will come our way.
I've heard so many stories just like the one you shared of people who choose to have surgery, but aren't able to make the change in their minds. And sometimes it is possible to gain weight after the surgery. That's what is doubly sad to me.
Great post, and a lot of wonderful food for thought.
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Ye, Diane, people DO gain weight back. If you don't change the mindset & your lifestyle, all the surgery in the world is not going to help!
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Changing the mindset is the only way! May I recommend the book "Fit From Within" by Moran, who changed her mindset after a lifetime of food obsession. I'm reading a chapter a week--now I'm on chapter 35 out of 101. Slow and steady! thanks for this post.
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Foggy, thx for visiting & commenting. That book sounds like an interesting read! Thank you!
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Jody, I know I joke a lot, but I really do not understand food obsession from a serious standpoint where it ruins your quality of life. I do believe it exists, but just can't comprehend how it has such power over people.
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Josie, I think for some, this obsession starts early by seeing what happens in the home. For others, food may take the place of a loved one or a bad experience or more. It is out there though & a person needs to face it head on to get past it.
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I have two friends, a man and a woman, who will never change. They are both very obese, have suffered many physical ailments and losses from their conditions. The woman will not allow me to be helpful. The man will listen to me, politely, and change nothing but his verbiage. My only choice is to enjoy their friendship the beat I can until some catastrophic event renders them totally incapacitated. I cannot save them from themselves
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Dr. J. Thank you for sharing & very sad indeed!
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My feelings about weight loss surgery are right up there with yours. I know a handful of people who underwent this and a couple stuck to it, but the rest went back to their obsession with food, did not exercise and even gained a new obsession: alcohol.
They don't understand the reality of it and think they can just go back to normal and eat/drink/do what they want. So many don't understand that losing weight and keeping it off is a lifestyle change...you can't have your cake and eat it too (no pun intended)
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Amanda, yes, weight loss is a lifestyle change that often needs to also include changing that mindset. We all have learned that! Thx for your comments
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Ah yes this is so, so true. If the food obsession or other problems aren't dealt with then weight loss won't be permanent. Which is so sad to see people have surgery then gain it back because they thought it was a quick fix and didn't deal with a single issue behind the problem.
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