Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much (27 page)

Go to a gardening center and ask a lot of questions about which crops grow best where you live. They will help you learn about soil, mulching, staking your tomatoes or other climbers, and how to keep the critters out of your garden. Talk to your neighbors about what vegetables and herbs grow well for them. You can start with seeds, but you don't have to—pick up seedlings at gardening centers and farmers' markets to give you a good start.

And although you might roll your eyes right now, loving your plants, playing calm and beautiful music when you plant the seedlings, even praying for them, creates happy, healthy, good-for-you food! Research shows there is such a thing as bio communication between all life forms. Remember the experiment I mentioned in Chapter 2 described in Lynn McTaggart's book
The Intention Experiment
? It seems logical that being loving and kind to the plants you eat would have a positive effect on them, too.

Author Denise Linn and her amazing chef-daughter Meadow Linn have a beautiful, inspiring book called
The Mystic Cookbook
that is becoming a classic on conscious eating and the sacred connection we have with the food we eat. It has some delicious recipes that are so good, perfect for people who feel too much, and includes suggestions on beautiful sacred rituals and prayers for food.

OBSERVING WHAT YOU EAT AND WHY YOU EAT IT

Did you know that keeping a food journal have proved effective in helping people lose weight? You might want to create such a journal on paper or online (many websites offer you the option). In the journal, you record
everything
you eat, including portion sizes and condiments, for a few days or a couple of weeks; this gives insights into what you are eating, how much you are eating, and when you are eating in a disordered way. Then you can journal about the patterns you've noticed.

For example, do you nibble mindlessly just because food is in front of you? If your bank has cookies and coffee in the lobby or the receptionist at work has a candy jar, be conscious of that and make a point of not indulging. Does your journal reveal that you are overeating in the evening and eating very little for lunch and in the afternoon? It's harder for your body to process food effectively late at night, so eat your meals and snacks long before you go to bed.

Often, people who feel too much also obsess about food and eating, so don't use a food journal for more than a week if you find yourself constantly thinking about snacks, calories, and whether you are eating too much. Be very aware of the detour of perfectionism; don't let your food journal become an excuse for focusing all your attention on food and avoiding dealing with your feelings. I would rather you journal about the emotional experiences of eating. That said, when I knew I had to write everything down, I was less inclined to put things in my mouth unconsciously. Mindfulness is what we're aiming for. Are you eating what you are hungry for, or are you skipping the step of tuning in to your physical emotional needs before lifting up your fork? What is your relationship with noisy foods? Are you constantly creating dramas around them? Can you imagine a way you could “eat just one” and not think about it anymore, or can you imagine not even wanting to eat even one chip or cookie and no longer thinking about it? What's stopping you from saying no to noisy foods? What foods do you crave, and why do you think that is?

Some food cravings have a physical component. Blood sugar fluctuations can cause you to crave sugar, and adrenal fatigue can cause you to crave salt. Hormonal imbalances can cause cravings, and eating too many fats can make you crave more fats. Your brain's pleasure centers are triggered by certain foods, particularly sweet, fatty foods, so any memories of feeling good while consuming certain foods can exacerbate cravings. If you felt good not just because the cake felt pleasurable in your mouth but also because eating it made you feel grounded, or because cake reminds you of the birthday cakes your mother use to make for your special day, that only makes it harder to resist a physical craving for the sweet-fat-carbohydrate combination in cake. If you reduce your stress, stay on top of your hormone levels (particularly after adolescence, giving birth, or going into menopause), and avoid foods you know will trigger disordered eating, you'll have an easier time controlling your cravings.

SOCIAL PRESSURES THAT AFFECT YOUR FOOD CHOICES

Sharing meals is part of our emotional heritage as human beings. We are not meant to eat alone, yet shame can drive us to eat privately in order to avoid having others comment on our eating. Isolating ourselves to avoid empathy overload can drive us to eat by ourselves most of the time, too. As I said before, eating in front of a television is a habit, and it's associated with being obese, probably because when you're focused on what you're seeing on the screen, you're not focusing on what you eat.

In the past, you may have been shamed by others because of how you ate. Maybe you were ridiculed for being a picky eater, or for overeating, or for insisting on separating foods from each other so they don't touch (this is a common behavior among people very sensitive to food textures). Maybe you didn't like the traditional foods you were served at home, and were told you were being inauthentic for not appreciating mom's cooking. If you left behind your social class or your ethnic neighborhood and began eating around people with different traditions and practices, you may be embarrassed by what your tastes are, or feel pressured to eat as your friends do instead of how you would like to eat.

Journal about these experiences. How often did they happen? How likely is it that people you would eat with today will criticize you the way Grandma or your father did? Are you carrying over old hurts into new situations and assuming that eating alone is the only way to avoid being scrutinized for what you eat and how much you eat?

Most of us have experienced social pressure to eat a certain way, or to eat particular foods when we didn't like them. If you were a member of the “clean plate club” and your mother expected you to eat everything you were served—and she doled out the portions—you learned not to be in touch with your own hunger and tastes. My mother insisted I eat until I saw the roses on the china plates, no matter if I liked the food or not. To this day, I cringe when I see an antique plate with a multiple rose pattern!

It can take time to relearn how to listen to your own body when eating. Remember to check in to what you are hungry for before you sit down to a meal or a snack, as described in Chapter 3. If you are going to eat with others and are afraid they're going to judge you, set boundaries with them. Make your weight and eating habits subjects that are off limits to them so that you can enjoy meals with others without feeling you have to defend yourself or sneak off to eat the way you'd like to eat.

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

I could write an entire book on how nutritious it is to eat a plant-based diet with healthy oils and sugars (such as real maple syrup or the sugars in whole fruit), in moderation. You can help prevent cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other diseases and conditions by eating well. I don't think it's the best idea to obsess over fiber counts, antioxidants, minerals, and so on. If you focus on micronutrients, you'll go crazy and get confused by food packaging. I've seen cereal boxes with labels like “No fat or cholesterol!” Well, of course, it doesn't have fat or cholesterol. No grain does. What it won't say is “Ridiculously low fiber content and preservatives!” They're not going to brag about that.

The more nutritious the food you eat, the healthier you will be. You'll feel better and look better. You might start noticing that your hair, skin, and nails look more vibrant, or that you have more physical stamina. Maybe you'll be less irritable or anxious now that you rarely have to run to the bathroom because of a digestive problem and your mild heartburn has gone away. Of course, if you have a specific condition, such as an autoimmune disorder or asthma, there may be specific foods you have to avoid. For instance, the foods in the nightshade family—such as potatoes and tomatoes—can trigger flare-ups of arthritis, but you may be able to get away with different versions of certain foods (such as plum tomatoes). Listen to your body and notice when you're not feeling right. Think about what you've eaten that might have triggered the response. There are so many healthful foods that even if there are some you can't enjoy, there are plenty you can.

And, of course, I suggest getting some tests done for your unique profile to find out what supplements you need to best support your overall well-being. One of my Master-certified Weight Release Energetix coaches, Dianne Solano, is also a specialist in
orthomolecular nutrition
. That's the science of how nutrients interact with our genes to help turn on or off messages of health and disease. All living species have survived on nutrients since the beginning of time; however, we have unprecedented evidence that human health has been deteriorating over the years, owing to nutrient-poor food production and environmental toxicity. Orthomolecular nutrition restores optimal amounts of nutrients through the practice of proper food choices and supplementation to provide the best cell environment for optimal health.

Science has proved that what you eat directly affects how you think and feel. The most energy-dependant system in the body is the brain. Studies show that a day of intense concentration and emotional stress is equivalent to running a marathon, and this intense firing of brain neurons can leave us in a state of depletion. People who feel too much are especially prone to this form of exhaustion. Lowered food-nutrient status and emotional, physical stress has left us in a deficit, resulting in impaired cognitive function, sleep disturbances, weight gain, anxiety, depression, and other imbalances. Brain function, stress, and your emotions are a whole-body phenomenon.

Orthomolecular nutrition is an approach to creating a healthy mind and body. It's no longer about counting calories; it's about nutrient density. Dianne's suggestions are well documented by others in the medical profession. For people who feel too much, these supplements work especially well in conjunction with this program. Of course, see your doctor before taking any supplements.

THE TOP FOUR SUPPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND EMPATHY OVERLOAD

The goal of providing this list is to simultaneously promote health, weight loss, and cognitive function:

1.
EPH/DHA Omega-3 Essential Oils
Unlike omega-6 and omega-9, omega-3 is the least available in our food supply. Its direct link to weight loss is as follows:

• increases protein building by 20 percent; more muscle means faster metabolism

• balances hormones resulting in a more balanced physiological response

• is considered “brain food,” as it helps with mood and cognitive function

Always buy top-quality of this supplement. Fish accumulate toxins in their fat tissues, also known as bioconcentration. Look for products that are third-party certified assayed pure.

2.
Dehydrated Plant Nutrients
Critical for their amazing ability to maintain proper pH, these promote alkalinity in the body, as we all naturally tend be acid. All hormones and enzymes are very pH dependent, and the research is starting to show that some bodies may need double the amount of a hormone at a new pH set point. As such, there is a big link to imbalanced hormone activity, such as thyroid function; this is a key player when it comes to weight and health imbalances.

3.
Probiotics
These friendly bacteria offset the bad bacteria that circulate in all our systems. Fungi and yeast like
Candida
pose a real threat to overall health and energy. If these microorganisms exist systemically in high numbers, your cravings for sugar and carbs go up significantly.

4.
L-carnitine
Amino acid that has a direct link to fat burning.

CALMING NUTRIENTS AND HERBS

•
St. John's wort
—An herb that usually comes in tincture form and can increase the amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Helps with anxiety, sleep challenges, or depression.

•
Kava kava
—The root of a plant that potentiates “Gaba,” a neurotransmitter in the brain that gives you a sense of relaxation and calming. It is available as a powder, tea leaves, or tincture.

•
Magnesium
—Eighty percent of overall body processes use magnesium, therefore people can have a deficiency. Magnesium is great for muscle contraction; it also provides a soothing, calming effect. Magnesium can also aid in proper bowel function, as it supports strong muscle contractions, thus reducing the body's burden and toxicity—a direct benefit to weight loss and alleviating other health challenges.

•
Camomile tea
—A flowering plant prepared as a tea can help with sleep and relaxation. Known as a calming, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agent.

HEALTH FOODS TO SNACK ON

When we are in emotional overload, we can teach ourselves new health-promoting habits, as opposed to sticking to old patterns that no longer serve our physiological state. These new snacking habits can include:

•
Raw nuts and seeds
—Give you the crunch if you are anxious and feeling too much and you just want to put something of substance into your body. In a raw state, nuts and seeds can be very health-promoting, as they are nutritionally complete, made up of protein, carbohydrate, and good fats.

•
Healthy dips
—Soothing to the soul and health promoting, dips can be tasty and fun. Go with what you like, but keep it clean. Choose fresh veggies such as zucchini, broccoli, celery, carrots, or sweet peppers, as opposed to chips. And remember, the more color, the better when it comes to veggies. Dips to try and store in your fridge include hummus, guacamole, and tahini.

•
Nut bars—
Easy to find and store at home, or take with you when on the go.