In order to lose weight and keep it off, you’re going to need to know why you’re fat. Imagine you’re hooked on pain pills. You decide you want to get off the pills. You stop taking them, the pain starts to come back, and you sit there, gripping the edge of your chair with white knuckles, moaning because of the pain, unable to function or enjoy your life.
How long are you going to last?
Do you think this scenario might have a better outcome if you look around, realize you have been taking the pain pills because of the hammer that’s hitting you in the head every five minutes, and stop the hammer?
You need to stop the hammer. Otherwise, you’re just trying to push an impossibly large boulder up a hill every day. Eventually you get worn out, slip and fall, and the boulder pushes you face-down into a plate of Twinkies and you regain all the weight.
Some introspection and the right application of effort can avoid this. I’ll discuss this in more detail later, but for right now, let’s start with the big picture. What kind of fat person are you?
Are you an emotional eater? A compulsive overeater? A stress eater? A bored eater? A partier who can’t say no when others are indulging? Addicted to junk food? A “foodie” who just can’t get enough of things that begin life with a roux? Trying to hide from men/attention/abuse? Someone who hates dealing with food and so eats too much once or twice a day, and your body is in starvation mode all the time?
If you were fat because of a legitimate medical issue, you wouldn’t be reading this book. You’d be following your doctor’s plan and getting your weight back on track. So let’s don’t waste another second of your life pretending you’re just big-boned or have a slow metabolism. If you didn’t have some sort of a problem with food, you wouldn’t be fat.
Normal people, when they gain a few pounds, eat less. They take those pounds right back off. Their pants fit, all the time. We are not normal people. When our pants stop fitting, we squish into them, and then buy stretchy pants.
What is it about food for you? What makes it more important than health, mobility, an active social life, a longer lifespan, and being able to see your own junk? You need to know this. I’m not saying you have to have all the answers before you start, but you’d best start now on identifying the hammer and figuring out how to get it to stop hitting you in the head.
OK, so I'm an emotional-, stress-, compulsive overeating foodie who is addicted to junk food, and can't say "no" when others are indulging. Now what?
ReplyDeleteWell, I would say if you're looking to lose some weight, you'd want a plan without a lot of flexibility. If there are compulsive overeating issues, then you don't want a plan that allows unlimited anything, even celery. Medifast is great for that because absolutely everything is regimented.
ReplyDeleteThen there's addressing the emotional and social aspects. I found my therapist to be extremely helpful in identifying the roots of my overeating and starting to turn that around. So I'd say therapy, or working through a 12-step program, or self-help books for compulsive overeating recovery. Something along those lines.
Before any of that, though, would be making sure you're ready to make a change. I had to hit bottom before I could start to change my life for good. When you're really ready, you'll commit yourself to a new life and seek out the wisdom, support, and tools you need.
Good luck, dear!
I know I eat foods that are bad for me...because I am afraid I may not ever have them again.
ReplyDeleteWe were poor and food, good food & fast food, were a treat. Treats went away quickly.
I still eat a Wendy's spicy chicken and think, I could go without this....but what if I can't afford one next week? I should eat this one....
Destry