Feeling compelled to EAT THE WHOLE CONTAINER of... whatever
Hi Heather! In Karolina's 8th Coaching Call, Karolina described how she scooped a single portion of ice cream into a bowl with strawberries and put the rest of the ice cream container back in the freezer. She was feeling great about herself! But then her lower brain kicked in, saying "Oh you need to finish it, you need to finish it, you need to finish it", and she finally gave in to her lower brain and ate the rest of the ice cream container. As she was eating the rest of the container, she noticed that she wasn't eating it for the flavor, and she wasn't eating it because she was enjoying it .... she just felt so compelled to FINISH IT. It was an old habit loop that she fell into, where she quote-unquote "needed" to finish whatever she was having. My question is this: My lower brain tricks me into believing that same message sometimes, too. How would you suggest I deal with those thoughts the next time my lower brain tries to convince me that, "You just need to FINISH IT !!!"??? --Elle in Ontario, Canada
Plateau at 6 lbs?
Hello Heather and thank you for helping me out through your words of wisdom. I have been following your program and seriously trying to lose weight since August 28. Now, after almost 2 1/2 months, I am plateaued at 6 lb loss. I use happy scale and I see the same 1-2 lbs go back and forth. I see my calories have gone up a bit from 1900 to 2100. I aim to walk 8,000 steps a day and get that done at least 5/7 days a week. Besides aiming to keep at 1900 Calories and target 8,000 steps every day, is there any other advice you can give me to boost my loss?
Changing Maintenance Calorie Range
Hi Heather! I started lifting heavy about a year ago and I noticed that my average weight was sitting at a higher range (155 - 160 vs 150-152) but my clothes were fitting the same. I'm wondering if my maintenance range is being affected by the strength training. I know you strength train and was wondering if you experienced something similar? I've been trying to lose about 5 lbs this past year to get back to my lower range but recently decided to find my maintenance calories again because I never reached a permanent 5 lb lose. Any advice would help. Thanks for all you do!
A note of thanks
Hi Heather, I want to thank you and all those who participate in your show. Special thanks to Katerina! I loved being a premium member before hearing her interviews because there's so much great content at Halfsize me. But Katerina's interviews are reason enough to support your fantastic podcast. Her journey has been equal parts fascinating and inspiring. I admire Katerina for her courage and candidness about her experience. What a generous soul! Equally, I am always amazed by your ability to hear what she is saying, empathize, and help her find solutions to her problems. That's a real skill. I've listened to all of Katerina's interviews at least twice, not just because they're beneficial to anyone with a tendency to binge eat but because they help me address other compulsive behaviors. Understanding that the behavior will happen again, despite our having dismissed the urge many times, is empowering. I don't beat myself up these days when I give in to an urge. I accept it's part of the process, let it go, and lovingly speak to myself, secure in the understanding that this is how I will move forward. It's so healing. Thanks for teaching me that knowing my maintenance calories is crucial. I tracked for a couple of months and gained a better understanding of how my food choices impact my weight. When I decided to take a deficit, I discovered that tracking to lose weight caused me a lot of anxiety. If I neared my calories too early in the day, I gave up and spent the rest of the day eating with abandon. Here's where your other guests come in: someone said that numbers freak them out, so tracking calories and stepping on the scale is problematic. Your advice to track food without tracking the calories and to use our clothes instead of the scale to gauge weight loss really hit home for me. I realized that calorie counting and aiming for a particular number on the scale had always underscored my desire to lose weight quickly. I embraced the idea that my ideal weight would be within a range instead of an arbitrary number, and I decided to weigh in once a week instead of daily. I also gave up tracking calories. I bought a pretty little notebook that fits in my purse, and in it, I wrote down whatever I ate, whether it was an almond I popped in my mouth while prepping a salad or two pieces of pizza and a chocolate chip cookie I grabbed while out shopping with a friend. The upshot was that I could look at the data and without even knowing calories I could see where I needed to tweak things. The almond for example: Did I need it? I didn't. Eating while prepping food was among my worst habits. I stopped doing that, and within a short time, my clothes felt looser. When I got on the scale, I was down five pounds. I've been listening to your show for a while now, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it has changed my life. I am no longer interested in quick-fix diets or reaching a number on the scale. Your advice has enabled me to look at myself and my situation and create a plan that works for me. It's so freeing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will be 60 in January, and instead of obsessing about being a certain weight for my birthday, I am looking forward to celebrating a new stage of life, confident that my body will take care of me if I take care of it. Best wishes to you, Heather, and to all your wonderful guests. Hettie.