Meg Cline

June 22, 2009

Feed the Hunger

I mentioned Oprah’s Best Life Week in a long ago post and I wanted to talk about a statement she made in her interview on Monday of that week that I keep on thinking about – almost half a year later. As she talked about her own struggles with weight, she said “Anybody who struggles with weight is hungry for something else.”

I’ve been entrenched in the world of weight loss, professionally and personally, for almost a decade. I’ve heard a lot of things said about people who struggle with their weight, most hurtful and a far cry from the truth. Oprah, no big surprise here, knows what she’s talking about. For about 20% of the people I work with, weight loss is merely a matter of understanding how many calories they need and how many calories are in the foods they eat. They get the formula, the book, the log and off they go. For the majority, eating in excess (and a deficit of activity) may indeed be one part lack of knowledge, but is a greater part emotionally driven. It’s not about willpower, about being lazy, about being stupid or all the other things we’ve all heard said (probably most often from none other than Yourself) – it’s about discovering and understanding, as Oprah, said what you’re really hungry for.

It could be as simple as more sleep or as profound as more love. It could be as benign as a cure for boredom or as complex as a cure for low self-worth.

Many people fear being hungry when they’re trying to lose weight, but the fact is that stomach growling hunger is much easier to deal with then love-hunger, security-hunger, self-worth-hunger, companionship-hunger, peace-hunger, calm-hunger, or whatever else you are starving for. Feeding that hunger with food – food that is so readily available and inexpensive in our country – is a learned habit. Can you un-learn a habit? Of course… but not without support, introspection, determination and the choice to build a new habit.

Oprah has bared her hunger and declared herself willing to try and feed it in a way that supports her health. Are you ready to find and feed your hunger?

More articles on emotional eating:
Stress Eating
Cravings

February 25, 2009

Say No Once

You’re trying hard. You’ve eaten great all day, bringing your brown bag lunch to work, having your fruit for a snack, skipping dessert at dinner. But it’s 9 pm, Ryan Seacrest is on the background, you’re snuggled up in your jammies…relaxing…. When all of a sudden it hits you: that craving for a little something something. Sweet or salty, creamy or crunchy, hot or cold… each person’s craving is different.

Like the tractor beam on the Starship Enterprise pulling you, you find yourself drawn to the pantry or freezer. Despite the “you shouldn’t do this” warning in your head, you find your hand reaching forward to grab….

Nothing.

Nothing? Wait a second, that’s not how this scene played out for the last few years. There was always something there – some chips, some ice cream, maybe that secret stash of chocolate you don’t think your spouse knows about. Why is there nothing now?

There’s nothing there now because you set yourself up for success. How did you do that? By saying no at the grocery store. By saying no at the grocery store, and not bringing your tempting foods into your house, you set up an environment that makes you successful in times that you would have otherwise struggled: when you’re tired, bored, relaxing, anxious, worried…. You reach for your comfort food only to find it’s not there.

You’re not really hungry. (If you were, you’d be reaching for a quick salad or a piece of fruit, not the jar of cashews.) There’s something else at play here, and until you deal with the root of the cravings, the quickest course to success is to Say No Once and make your environment a no-fail zone.

Like taking away a child’s security blanket, the absence of food will help you become more aware of what you’re using that food for. This may mean you have to feel those emotions – boredom, fatigue, worry – but allowing yourself to feel and endure those emotions is the first step in healing emotional eating. Say No Once, and succeed many times.