The Next Shift 30-Day Weight Mastery Process begins January 21st—
The Shift-in-a-Box will be available soon!!!
Dear Shifters,
Here we are on Halloween and the amount of sugar whirling around out there in the universe is mind blowing. In fact it’s more than mind blowing, it’s mind warping. Actually, let’s call a spade a spade—it’s just plain mind altering—and can lead to tailspins into addictive eating patterns.
I would love for us all to have a great Halloween that embraces the ghouls but leaves the “gateway” foods at the door and far away from our easily addicted brains and bodies.
What are “gateway foods”? Remember the term “gateway” drugs?—which referred simply to the idea that by starting with using a softer drug (like marijuana) would eventually lead the user to taking harder drugs (like crack cocaine). A friend of mine gave me the name “gateway” foods. She got it from a friend of hers who at a party turned down a glass of Sangria claiming it was a “gateway” food to eating much more of many other fattening foods there at the party—like potato chips and cake. If she stayed away from the “gateway” food she would stay away from the other stuff too. It makes perfect sense!!
For instance for me a “gateway food” is a Margarita—drinking a Margarita always leads to eating a bowl of chips and way too much cheesy nonsense and more Margaritas when eating out at a Mexican Food restaurant. If I stay away from the Margarita the chips and cheese are usually a non-issue for me. So for me it’s bye bye Margaritaville.
As many of you know, during Halloween, my “gateway food” is candy corn. If I eat so much as a couple of innocent little candy corns—something in me happens both in my mind and body and I turn into a non-discerning-- all types of candy eating—especially tootsie roll and candy corn sucking Vampire sugar monster. However, if I stay away from the candy corn I can eat a piece or two of the other stuff and am usually fine. That is how candy corn warps me—and is my “gateway’ so I stay far from the gate.
What are your “gateway” Halloween candies and how will you keep them from the gate of your mouth this year??
If you do get seduced this week--let’s take a look at how we get addicted to certain gakky foods and how our Inner Coach can use certain strategies to move us out of that addiction cycle.
Many people who struggle with weight feel addicted to food. We can become fixated on food both mentally and physically and emotionally.
Mentally we habitually seek out certain foods at certain places and at certain times of the day. The brain comes to expect the food and becomes agitated when it doesn’t get it.
Emotionally we come to rely upon particular foods to comfort ourselves during stress or emotions. Usually these foods are more refined, fattening, and comfort foods.
And physically because sugar, fat, alcohol and salt and even cheese and dairy products can create addictive neural patterns in the brain similar to heroin addiction. People who struggle with their weight tend to be more sensitive and become “hooked” more easily to foods containing these ingredients. These foods are often what we call “gateway foods”.
You don’t have to be owned by your relationship to food. Here are some weight master’s strategies to start putting you back in the driver’s seat.
1- Eat More fiber, whole foods and protein: In order to physically “unhook” addictive eating it will serve you to create a food plan that is low in sugar, salt, fat and refined floury foods and high in fiber, fruits and vegetables and lean protein.
2--Know your refined food/ sugar and starchy carbohydrate “set point”: As I mentioned earlier--every “body” is different and can tolerate a certain level of starchy or refined sugars and carbohydrates before they start feeling “hooked”—it will be your mission to discover what your set point is and to make sure that you stay under that point on a daily basis. For many this is about 2-3 servings a day.'
3-Tune into your body after eating refined food—some foods have worse impact than others (think “gateway food”) and for many the rule of thumb is to avoid eating gak on an empty stomach as that sets off raised blood sugar levels but also creates a bigger impact on the brain—and it starts looking around for more gak. It is best to eat gak (if and when you do) with other food.
4-Think of refined starches and gak like cocktails—only to be had after 5pm! The earlier in the day we eat refined food the earlier we begin wanting more!!!
5-Learn trigger times and emotional triggers for compulsive eating and use your Inner Coach to come up with other ways of comforting yourself other than food.
6-Find healthier alternatives for those times that you have gotten used to reaching for the more “addictive” foods.
7—Take steps for addiction prevention.
Addiction Intervention
Remember long term permanent weight release is not about being perfect—it is about embracing imperfection and consistently finding solves and strategies that allow us to stay connected to ourselves and moving forward –“showing up for ourselves” rather than hitting the “eject” button on ourselves and our weight release when we get off course. There are times during our journey to weight mastery that we will find ourselves eating a “gateway food” and getting “hooked” which will lead to more gakky food and the addictive cycle—it happens—so be prepared.
Take action as quickly as possible and engage in the following strategies and you will become unhooked in no time:
First take a break from all starchy and refined carbohydrates for three days (or limit to one).
Next up your protein intake—this will stabilize your blood sugar and stunt the false hunger that is being caused by your out of whack blood sugar levels.
And up your intake of vegetables and whole food—the more healthfully you eat the less your body craves the junk.
Drink water which flushes it all from your system.
And move your body and exercise.
Note: Starchy Carbohydrates can range from whole grain bread to the most refined sugary candy and alcohol. Even though starchy carbohydrates from whole foods give you more nourishment than candy and donuts and more refined carbs—some people have a low tolerance level and can overeat even these “healthier” foods. Part of your Shift Process “loving scientist” project is finding out what amount is right for you.
Have a great Halloween—embrace the ghouls and avoid the “gateway” foods!
oxoxRita
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