Falling Off the Wagon

I recently got an email from someone on the Mars/Venus Solution and she mentioned that she was on a business trip and "fell off the wagon." I know this is a common way to looking at our eating behaviors--I've said it often enough myself.

When you feel this way, be sure to be gentle with yourself about "falling off the wagon"...it can happen. Remember, we are making life changes, this is NOT a diet. Therefore there really isn't any falling off the wagon! How liberating is that?

For many of us, losing weight is a multi-dimensional challenge. I believe that people may become overweight because they simply like to eat more calories than they can burn off. I also believe that those of us who have become obese or extremely overweight get that way in large part because of the emotional triggers and habits we have developed. In other words, we are using food as a way to self-medicate. For me, ice cream was my drug of choice.

I don't know if any of this will resonate with you--I used food (in particular, but not limited to ice cream) as a way to numb out the world. It was a way that I could not feel what was going on, but not endanger others by driving while intoxicated, and not participate in any illegal behavior. For someone who likes control, overeating was a way to exert some control over my life when I was feeling completely out of control.

Therefore the challenge comes in changing my behavior to better suit my health goals.

The Venus Solution helps with that because by balancing my brain chemistry, the cravings are gone--or when not completely gone--they are manageable because I can now recognize that they are emotionally triggered and their strength/power is greatly diminished.

It is not that I never want to eat foods that are fattening and/or "comfort foods". It is that I am better able to be in the driver's seat rather than just being pulled this way and that.

This has made all the difference for me.

Did this happen immediately, day 1? No. It did happen pretty quickly however.

It is also important to acknowledge that changing habits takes time. So let the Venus Solution assist you so that you don't have to struggle and at the same time, be aware of your feelings and the food that you take in. The awareness, now supported by balanced brain chemistry, will allow you to change your habits of eating for emotional reasons and thereby break the cycle.

Come back tomorrow and we'll talk about a plan of action for when we are feeling emotionally challenged!