What are you really eating for?

What is your mindset when you eat? What are you really eating for? Here are some other questions you might want to ask yourself before you take part in over or under eating. How will you feel 10, 20 60, minutes after? What will you look like in the next few weeks, if this continues? Will you have health problems as a result (years down the road)? Do you think of food as impacting the rest of your life? Most of us don’t think about these questions however, when you have an eating disorder that can range from over to under eating, these questions can really hit home. Eating can be enjoyable and does not mean you should deprive yourself but you should be aware of eating problems and understand what eating should involve and not involve. Allowing family and friends to dine with you verses eating solo can help you take part in healthier eating habits resulting in better health.

Eating does involve making good nutritious food choices and satisfying your hunger. However, eating can be more than that. Over the years I’ve worked with a variety of people that have had various eating challenges that range from emotional eaters, over eaters, boredom eaters, control eaters and people who have been brought up to use food as a coping mechanism. This list goes on. I want to take a few minutes to shed some light on the different types of eaters and hopefully help you understand your eating habits and recognize negative eating patterns.

Emotional eaters are those who find comfort in eating during bad times, and good times. This can depend on the individual. In this situation a question to ask yourself is why are you eating? If your eating because you’ve had a bad day, a better choice would be to fill that time doing something that will benefit you such as exercise or even calling a friend or relative to vent. Understanding your emotional food trigger and having a plan in place can help you change this type of behavior.

Over eaters are individuals who eat past satiety and in some cases never really feel full. This could be due to a medical condition and may need medical attention. On the other hand, it may be a matter of just slowing down to allow yourself time to get full. I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “you should wait 20 minutes before you decide to eat more,” this is true. This allows hormones to kick in and do there job. Meals should be enjoyed with family and friends. During mealtime you should use this time to enjoy one anothers company and socialize rather than eating solo in front on the television where you’re liable to overeat.

Boredom eaters are eaters who eat regular meals but also eat recreationally and have a tendency to snack excessively. This can be avoided by filling in that time gardening, going for a walk or doing some house chores.

Control eaters are individuals who may have suffered from a loss or abuse in one form or another and use food to cope or have control. Control eaters are sometimes people who resort to anorexia, bulimia or orthorexia (overly healthy eating).What’s important in such a case is to recognize that you have a problem and get help. This in not something that can be changed by oneself. People who suffer from bulimia or anorexia have a distorted view of themselves and perceive their mirrored reflection as not thin enough or fat. These types of eating disorders can entail binging and purging or excessive exercise without replenishing energy stores. People who suffer from orthorexia don’t necessarily want to be thin but want to be chemically free or healthy and pure and they obtain this by not eating foods that contain preservatives, animal products or fats, they might even eat only raw foods. The problem with this eating habit is the lack of nutrients in the long run that can lead to health problems or even death.

Food is nourishment for the body and way back when, was food to the soul. Mealtime was a time when family and friends gathered to share foods and enjoy one anothers company. It was also a time when each individual would reflect on their day and impart the goods and bads. As a result, our ancestors suffered less from obesity, metabolic diseases and stress. If you feel you suffer from an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, overeating or orthorexia, I encourage you to get some support by visiting the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Other Eating Disorders at www.anad.org

Trans Fats

What exactly are trans fats? In technical terms, trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids that contain a minimum of one “trans” double bond in their structure that allows for the hydrocarbon chain to be straight verses a “cis” arrangement that forms a hydrocarbon chain that is not straight. In terms we can all understand, trans fats are naturally found in (small amounts) whole milk products, butter and meats. The trans fats that you find in processed foods are from a type of hydrogenation processing. For example, partial hydrogenation is a process that will reconfigure vegetable oil by adding hydrogen atoms. As a result, vegetable oil is no longer in it’s natural form but a trans fatty acid that at room temperature becomes a solid verses a liquid. These trans fats are then used as preservatives to create shortening and margarine. Shortening and margarine are used in preparing fried foods, pastries and frostings etc... Foods that contain trans fats have better storage and a longer shelf life compared to foods that don’t. If a food contains a trans fat and has gone rancid, it will be clear by it’s taste and smell. The problem with trans fats is it increases low-density lipids (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, thus contributing to coronary artery disease. Interesterified oils are another type of trans fat and can be found in prepackaged and processed foods. Interesterified fat was thought to be a better substitute for hydrogenated fat but it to increases the risk of CVD. Researchers have found that this type of fat decreases high-density lipids (good cholesterol), increases blood glucose (contributing to diabetes). Although researchers are still studying the effects of these fats, I would avoid them as much as possible. Trans fats are not needed by our bodies to function, however we do need to increase good fats such as monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat to decrease the risk of CVD and for cell function. If you’re in doubt as to what foods contain transfat, read the ingredients and don’t take the “transfat free” label as the final word.

A Lack of Sleep Could be Sabotaging Your Weight Loss

Has the lack of sleep been sabotaging your weight loss lately? Do feel more hungry, tired or both? Each one of us has hormones that our bodies produce called Ghrelin and Leptin. People who are thinner produce a greater amount of Ghrelin during sleeping hours and people who are overweight produce less. Part of the reason for the difficulty sleeping is due to the extra weight. As a result, overweight people have an overproduction of Ghrelin and that can increase the urge to eat. Too many sleepless nights can inhibit the production of Leptin (acts as an appetite suppressant) and can contribute to hunger. Ghrelin and Leptin work together by controlling sleeping and eating patterns (to some degree). Both hormones are sensitive to eating and sleeping conditions. For example, not eating a sufficient amount of calories (based on a healthy weight) can decrease Leptin and lower your energy level. Leptin is an adipose hormone that is felt by most people after finishing a meal produce a feeling of being full. I believe that people who eat at a fast rate are less likely to feel satisfied and as a result they continue eating past satiety, thus gain weight.

Your body is not just a machine that you put a coin in and get it to work. It’s more like: eat right, exercise, SLEEP and be good to yourself. In return, you will reap a longer, happier and healthier life.

Can Hard Struggles Become Easier?

Once again I was inspired by a quote that was told to me and that is “an athletes job is to learn to do hard things easily.” How can that apply to me, or anyone who is not an athlete? It does, take a few minutes and think about how that quote can apply to your everyday life, whether it’s getting into better shape, managing life’s daily task, marriage, food etc… Here’s my take on that quote, 2 months ago I had a client come to my with weight loss stars in her eyes and by the tone of her voice she was determined to loose weight and was destined not to fail another “diet plan.” After about 2 weeks the stars begin to fade and her attitude changed. She came to the conclusion that she was just meant to be fat and that’s how it was going to be for her. I asked, “what makes you think that?” and she said that exercising is too hard to fit in her already cluttered life and eating healthier required too much work. After asking some questions and listening to her for a while, she came to the realization that going to a healthier lifestyle was indeed tough, if not “hard.” I also asked some questions about her work and what it was like when she first started compared to where she is now. Her reply was, “it was tough in the beginning but got easier as she got into a routine.” At that point she definitely saw how this applied to her current weight loss delima.

Nothing in life comes easily, not even winning the lottery (you have to deal with the IRS). Going from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy lifestyle will be challenging, frustrating and you might not get the support of your family. However, the end result will be that “hard time” has now become easier and you reap the benefits of better health, more confidence, more energy, a better outlook on life and best of all your “hard time” will now be an inspiration to others who are struggling down that same path.