Fear of Food Keeps the Obese Obese
As I introduce my new obese clients to my fast weight loss methods based on eating real whole food, they panic. I was the same way. At 256 lbs, depressed to the point that I was worried for my safety I made an appointment with a naturopath. I told her my concerns for my health, my history of obesity and a lifetime of dieting. She wasn't much help, but allowed me the blood tests to prove my thoughts on what was wrong with me. The following year after I had lost 136 pounds with a raw foods diet, I returned for my final blood work. It was then that she shared with me the note she made on our first visit: "Patient views food as poison."
For the woman I was when I first met her, that statement was very true. After working with so many other obese women, I have learned that is actually a very common idea. Food has been our lover and our enemy. Most of us don't really know how we feel about it, but we all fear our relationship with it. The most common complaint I hear from dieters on why they quit most diets is that they just wanted to eat like a normal person.
For those of us who have grown up with obesity or entered the dieting world early, we have no idea what "normal" eating is. All we know is how to diet or not diet, and the not diet has nothing to do with eating right. We have proven to ourselves over and over again, that we have no control over the food we eat except when on a structured diet, and then it is only until we can't do it anymore.
The obese have no clue how to eat like a regular person or even how much food we can eat to maintain our weight. When I tell new clients they are going to start their program on a 1800 calorie diet they want to turn and run. All we seem to know is starvation and deprivation as methods to lose weight. The thought of eating that much food and not be in overeating mode seems unrealistic. It takes me a good two weeks to convince them that 1800 calories is still slightly in weight loss mode for most.
That first week almost everyone of my clients feel lost. They try to eat, but when I go over their food lists with them it is obvious they are living on typical diet foods and quantities, and most don't get even close to the 1800 calories. I always say, obese men and women are experts in starving. Where we have no experience is in eating to maintain our weight. By the second week I have them eating better whole foods, but still with apprehension. It isn't until the third or even fourth week before they start to trust the process and open their minds to how great it can be to eat foods that taste good and satisfy their daily appetites as well.
We are all different. Our bodies respond to different types of food and our personal likes and dislikes are highly varied. Some people can lose weight with higher fat, some people can't. Some people have no problem eating lots of salt, others like me, have to be cautious. Some people need fewer, larger meals to feel sated, others need to graze through the day. Understanding who you are as an eater becomes paramount in defining a diet that will bring weight loss and then let you adjust it for life-time maintenance.
That fear of eating that has been hammered into us all these years has to be tackled. The only way to do that is to eat. Sounds simple enough, but in my experience I have found it is harder to get people to eat then it is to get them to diet. Why? Because all we know is deprivation or guilt.
When I start a new client on this program, their first week proves how true the above statement is. They eat tentatively. The foods tend to come from their dieting history, the amounts minimal. I pick out these dieting foods and ask why they chose to eat them. Their answer is surprising. Not only was the food not satisfying, but oftentimes they ate food they didn't like because that is what their dieting brain told them was the only acceptable choice. Now, there are diets out there on the market that promote lots of eating choices. They work for some, but the problem is they are small amounts for the calories, and most obese men and women need bigger servings, and when they eat higher fat, sugar, or salted foods, cravings dictate that one serving is never enough. That creates more fear of food, and that fear limits viable choices in their idea of what they can and cannot eat for weight loss. I make it clear, I do not want to see those diet foods in their menu again. Panic ensues.
It takes time and effort to move into a healthy diet, one that is satisfying and can last a lifetime, but it is worth it. Anyone can be successful if they open their mind and fight the fear and guilt associated with eating. Once I convince them that they can eat real food to maintain their weight with real food, shedding the pounds is easy.
For so many years the obese have fought their inability to control their weight and take responsibility for their relationship with food. That loss of control makes food the enemy for some, and an abusive lover for others. But food is only as powerful as e make it. The obese must open their eyes to the true value of food. It is nutrition for the body. Like gasoline for a car. There is no need to fear it, there is only a need to build a solid relationship with it where we are the ones in charge. - 17274
For the woman I was when I first met her, that statement was very true. After working with so many other obese women, I have learned that is actually a very common idea. Food has been our lover and our enemy. Most of us don't really know how we feel about it, but we all fear our relationship with it. The most common complaint I hear from dieters on why they quit most diets is that they just wanted to eat like a normal person.
For those of us who have grown up with obesity or entered the dieting world early, we have no idea what "normal" eating is. All we know is how to diet or not diet, and the not diet has nothing to do with eating right. We have proven to ourselves over and over again, that we have no control over the food we eat except when on a structured diet, and then it is only until we can't do it anymore.
The obese have no clue how to eat like a regular person or even how much food we can eat to maintain our weight. When I tell new clients they are going to start their program on a 1800 calorie diet they want to turn and run. All we seem to know is starvation and deprivation as methods to lose weight. The thought of eating that much food and not be in overeating mode seems unrealistic. It takes me a good two weeks to convince them that 1800 calories is still slightly in weight loss mode for most.
That first week almost everyone of my clients feel lost. They try to eat, but when I go over their food lists with them it is obvious they are living on typical diet foods and quantities, and most don't get even close to the 1800 calories. I always say, obese men and women are experts in starving. Where we have no experience is in eating to maintain our weight. By the second week I have them eating better whole foods, but still with apprehension. It isn't until the third or even fourth week before they start to trust the process and open their minds to how great it can be to eat foods that taste good and satisfy their daily appetites as well.
We are all different. Our bodies respond to different types of food and our personal likes and dislikes are highly varied. Some people can lose weight with higher fat, some people can't. Some people have no problem eating lots of salt, others like me, have to be cautious. Some people need fewer, larger meals to feel sated, others need to graze through the day. Understanding who you are as an eater becomes paramount in defining a diet that will bring weight loss and then let you adjust it for life-time maintenance.
That fear of eating that has been hammered into us all these years has to be tackled. The only way to do that is to eat. Sounds simple enough, but in my experience I have found it is harder to get people to eat then it is to get them to diet. Why? Because all we know is deprivation or guilt.
When I start a new client on this program, their first week proves how true the above statement is. They eat tentatively. The foods tend to come from their dieting history, the amounts minimal. I pick out these dieting foods and ask why they chose to eat them. Their answer is surprising. Not only was the food not satisfying, but oftentimes they ate food they didn't like because that is what their dieting brain told them was the only acceptable choice. Now, there are diets out there on the market that promote lots of eating choices. They work for some, but the problem is they are small amounts for the calories, and most obese men and women need bigger servings, and when they eat higher fat, sugar, or salted foods, cravings dictate that one serving is never enough. That creates more fear of food, and that fear limits viable choices in their idea of what they can and cannot eat for weight loss. I make it clear, I do not want to see those diet foods in their menu again. Panic ensues.
It takes time and effort to move into a healthy diet, one that is satisfying and can last a lifetime, but it is worth it. Anyone can be successful if they open their mind and fight the fear and guilt associated with eating. Once I convince them that they can eat real food to maintain their weight with real food, shedding the pounds is easy.
For so many years the obese have fought their inability to control their weight and take responsibility for their relationship with food. That loss of control makes food the enemy for some, and an abusive lover for others. But food is only as powerful as e make it. The obese must open their eyes to the true value of food. It is nutrition for the body. Like gasoline for a car. There is no need to fear it, there is only a need to build a solid relationship with it where we are the ones in charge. - 17274
About the Author:
Carlene Jones helps the obese lose weight fast on a food and exercise based diet program. Since losing 136 pounds in 9 months back in 2005 she has been helping others do the same. Her workbook Fat Brain Lies helps the obese face the reality of their obesity and their relationship to food.
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12:57 PM
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