Wanting to binge
Hi Heather! Six years ago I lost 30 pounds bringing me to a healthy weight range, and have kept it off since then (except briefly during my pregnancies) eating approximately 1800 to 2000 calories daily. I have a very all or nothing mindset but am usually in the “all” category and find I can happily restrict “unhealthy” foods most of the time without a second thought. However I have occasionally over these years (maybe once every couple of months typically and up to once a week in more stressful times) found myself binging them. I’ve been listening to your podcast for awhile and have wanted to try bringing in “binge foods” once a day in normal portions to see if it reduces the urge. However when I think about just eating three Oreos or a single pop-tart or whatever it is I have no interest in it. It’s not the food I really want it’s the experience of a binge. There’s no particular food that triggers a binge for me. If anything, I am triggered by feeling like the day wasn’t perfect so I might as well just go crazy to make it worth the guilt I’m going to feel already that it wasn’t perfect 😅 (surprise, it’s never worth the guilt) an example might be if I grabbed a handful of my kids goldfish snacks I’ll feel like I might as well eat the whole bag since it didn’t fit my plan anyway and now todays shot so let’s just order pizza etc etc (or even if I just ate more of whatever food I always eat then I had planned it can lead to the same pattern). I’m a really disciplined person so this experience is on the rare side hence why my weight is probably unaffected for now, but I hate that it happens and don’t want to model that for my kids, and don’t want to see it increase On days when I talk myself out of going overboard after one “slip up” I still feel just as bad about the slip up the next day as I would have felt about a full binge, so it just reinforces that “might as well” feeling Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to help work on this mentality and behavior? Do you think bringing in a “less than perfect” food daily would still help with this problem? Thanks in advance! Your podcast is a gift!
Needing reassurance that I’m on the right path
Hi Heather, first off, you are amazing. Let me repeat that, not just amazing but A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Your approach is like no other, it’s filled with self love, support and personalized. Thank you so much for being real. Now, unto my question or moreover, me needing reassurance that I’m on the right path. Through the podcast premium and the Karolina coaching I learned to rid of binging and overeating. It’s been 8 months that I focused on that. Now, I feel so ready for weight loss and consequently unto Sara’s coaching calls. I started with your paper/pencil method and have now graduated to both paper/pencil and tracking on lose it. I am at ease with both. My question is as follows. I have lots of friends on Ozempic, all looking to lose 50-60 pounds and doing so quite quickly. I myself want to lose 20 pounds. I’m 5 feet 0 inches, 145 pounds, perimenopausal at 48 years old and I haven’t really struggled with weight my whole life, only after having my kids 17 years ago. I eat 3 meals , 1 snack and 1 treat daily. I do not feel deprived and I’m in a calorie deficit having lost 1 pound this week as per Happy Scale, this week is also week 1 of my weight loss phase but I can’t shake off the feeling that my friends are losing weight so quickly while eating multiple treats, albeit ridiculously small bites, and here I am slowly losing weight. My question is more of needing reassurance that I too will lose weight while still eating treats. My head is playing games with me saying that I’m not losing fast enough. I know I don’t want to go on the path of restriction, been there, done that and NEVER want to go back but I value your opinion so much and just want reassurance and to hear you say that “yes Nora, you are on the right path” and I too will lose weight if I keep going the way I am. I just need to hear it from you Heather because I know you have such a great, honest, loving heart and I want to know that I’m on the right path for me and Ozempic is just a quick fix solution for me. Sorry to be rambling on and on but this Ozempic and seeing people close to me lose weight so quickly is really making my lower brain chatter have a party in my head. Thank you again for all the time and knowledge to give to us. Like I said, you really are an AMAZING woman 💕
Elevated ldl cholesterol?
I exercise and eat a healthy diet but had an elevated ldl cholesterol result at my physical. I have 15 more pounds to lose to enter a healthy BMI range. Id love your take on how to lower it. I am reading a lot about fiber and it’s importance that it can also help lower cholesterol.
Food scarcity and in-laws
Hi Heather, I have been listening to your podcast since December 2022, and I have learned SO much! I finally feel equipped to tackle weight loss with sanity, taking small steps and focusing on habit change so that I can achieve my goals without angst or bingeing! I am so proud of all of my habit change thus far, and in general it feels easy and sustainable, because my weight loss plan is perfect for me and me alone. One of my big lower brain issues revolves around food scarcity, and the paper-pencil journal has been an absolute game-changer in helping my lower brain calm down and stay quiet all day long, because I have already looked in my pantry and fridge and I have a clear plan about how I will feed and nourish my body every day. However, this food scarcity issue has been triggered hard core in the past when I visit my in-laws. We live far away, so my family stays with them for a week or more at least once a year, and we usually time our visit to coincide with a family reunion, which involves a LOT of different opinions, preferences, and spontaneous outings. I have very little control of my family's schedule during our visits, which makes my lower brain freak out since I truly don't know when our next meal will be or what it will be. Packing lots of our own snacks from home helps me calm my lower brain down, but I would love to hear if you have any more tips for how to write my paper-pencil journal each morning in this situation as well as how to generally keep my lower brain relaxed so that I do not fall into bingeing as a result of *feeling* restricted while on our visit. I logically know that I will always have enough food, but my lower brain does not know this, and when we do eat meals or even when we get home from our visit, I end up way overdoing it to help soothe the panic and fear that arises from this childhood food scarcity issue. Thank you for your advice!!