Comfort Eating

Comfort Eating

Comfort Eating

Comfort eating can be a problem to some people who are trying to reduce their waist lines.

The problem is it can be a very hard cycle to break with very deep underlying reasons for the behaviour that needs to be addressed or it can continue.

Have you ever found yourself eating treats even when you are not hungry?

Or just eating far too much without wanting to stop?

Have you ever hidden food or been a secret eater?

At the time this can make you feel good, some people even get a buzz from what is an out of control feeling. So why would people like the feeling of being out of control? I have found that most people live a normal life are can control other aspects of their lives perfectly well but not their eating. The main problem is they are after a quick fix or lift in mood bought on by the sugar rush from the food. As a general rule, calories are not our enemy. The fat stored in our bodies does not come from ingesting more calories, it comes entirely from eating foods rich in sugars and carbohydrates which score high on the Glycemic Index.

So let’s look at sugar a little closer.

Simple sugars are just a few molecules of sugar molecules strung together. Sugar is in a lot of things and can affect us in many different ways.
Complex carbohydrates a many hundreds of different sugar molecules strung together
Starches – the most sugar molecules strung together
Simple sugars are lowest on the GI, Complex next, starches highest – all are however high on the GI
Carbohydrates are just long chain sugar molecules and are not necessary for human life
Saccharides is another word for carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an immediate source of energy – useful for immediate needs in sports
Average human stores 1500g glycogen enough to run around 20miles
Fruits are best for providing the quick bursts of energy we may require such as for sport.

The problem arises normally after eating such foods. At the time of eat we often justify it or just eat and worry about it later. The thing is later comes all too soon! People can have feelings such as guilt, embarrassment, shame, low self-esteem to name a few. These feeling are worth looking at, at a deeper level with a professional therapist who will help you to explore them and understand them in a much fuller way. It is only when we look at these issues that people normal can address them and move on properly with a greater knowledge and understanding of themselves and their behaviors.

The cycle goes feel bad, eat to feel better, feel better, feel bad about eating, eat to feel better again. The thing is the feeling better will only last a very short time whereas the negative emotions can last a long time.

It can often be linked to low self-confidence and esteem or sometime to food being a comfort at an early age during difficult times in their life. For some clients I’ve seen they have said it was the one thing that never let them down and was always there for them. They had very strong associations with food and comfort eating. Food was their drug of choice.

The thing to start to thinking about is that once the negative associations are broken then food can still be enjoyed but they can cope with life in a much more positive way and yes still enjoy a treat !

Contact me for a free consultation 024 75098634 or click HERE.

Adam

www.blhypnotherapy.co.uk


Weight Management

Weight Management

This subject wieght management that has been covered and covered but I think some people still miss one important point about this, especially clients that I see.

It’s not about diets, exercise but the psychology……….

I prefer to use the term “Weight Management” because the term “Weight Loss” implies you have lost something and people usually want to get back something they have lost. People lose things, usually, by mistake. As long as you think of ‘losing’ weight you are making life difficult for your mind to deal with. Instead, think of “Managing” your weight.

So what happens normally?

Here is the thing, people get to a certain weight and then they hit their weight fresh hold they then diet, exercise and lose some weight for a while…… put weight on again but this time their fresh hold may slightly be more i.e. they put more weight on than the last time because they are slightly more desensitised to the extra weight before they know to do something about it!

So something happens for them so they don’t see the extra weight until it is too late and in their mind they go … Oh no!!!   This is a classic yo yo dieting strategy. My job is to help the client break this cycle and get a new positive one instead, make the client aware of what and how they are eating.

As long as the client is educated and made more aware of their eating habits they will often make the shifts and changes themselves often this is done at an unconscious level. Clients often report back to me that they can remember an event or the reason they started over eating after a session while they are back at home, this is something I don’t do in the first session but often they tell me what I need to know to help them move forward or to address in another session if they want to.

I get the client to fill in a meal diary and be totally honest with it. Some clients I found didn’t realise they ate the snacks they did between meals, what I call graze on snacks and rubbish all day still having some healthy meals, they say ” but I eat healthy and exercise but can’t shift the weight” not even being aware of all of the calorie filled snacks in-between their meals.

Some client are so used to big portions that they think it normal to have a plate piled high with food, but if someone who hasn’t got a weight issue dished up a portion to them they would think it was not enough but the fact is it would be a normal meal size.

There is no big mystery to weight management but at the same time it is big business for the clubs and they make a lot of money from seeing the same people go to the meeting week in week out. They not doubt help people and offer a valuable service but if they can’t get a person’s psychology right then they will keep repeating the old patterns time and time again year after year.

Yes I run a business also but I see clients for around 3 to 4 sessions for this and give them enough tools to deal with the problem for life, I don’t want to see them for months on end because that would mean in my eyes I haven’t done my job correctly by offering a duty of care to my clients by helping them make the shift in their life they need to in order to keep the weight off .

NHS Healthy weight link.

If you are interested in one to one help then I provide Weight Management Hypnotherapy in Coventry.

If you need any help contact me HERE

Regard

Adam

www.blhypnotherapy.co.uk