In your effort to have weight loss success have you gone on a diet, only to feel like one of the Dwarves…maybe Dopey, but definitely a little Grumpy?
You are not alone!
Between feeling deprived and actually BEING deprived of certain nutrients, it is common that we get grumpy, or sad, or a myriad of other emotions.
Can anything be done about it?
Of course! Refusing to diet is part of the solution—because going on a diet we will feel deprived. Maybe not the first couple days or maybe even weeks, but at some point we just are feeling like we are getting the foods we want.
But declaring “I refuse to diet” does not mean that we don’t want to lose weight successfully. It just means that we make smart choices about our food intake and moving our bodies. These choices include honoring our feelings and getting the nutritional support needed to help keep our emotions balanced.
Foods to Choose to Improve your Mood:
Healthy Fats: especially the Omega 3 fatty-acids which include things like flaxseed; fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna; nuts, especially walnuts. These fats also help our body lose weight and help us to feel more satisfied, so be sure to include some healthy fat in your menu plan.
Vitamin B6 and C: These two are both critical for our bodies to produce serotonin, the “feel good” hormone. B6 is found in a variety of foods like red bell peppers (a personal favorite), spinach and nuts. Vitamin C of course is found in citrus but also in cantaloupe, strawberries, broccoli and those red bell peppers I love!
Vitamin B12: B12 is believed to combat both fatigue and depression. B12 is only found in animal products. You can get ample B12 by eating low fat dairy products but if you are vegan you will definitely need to take a supplement.
Vitamin D: depression is often a symptom of not enough Vitamin D. Most of us can get enough by getting out in the sun about 20 minutes (more or less depending on your coloring) a day without sunscreen.
Carbohydrates: carbs have gotten a bad rap in the weight loss world, many people think we need to cut them out completely, but if we do that we lose out on a lot of really good nutrition. And carbs really are the fastest way to fuel your brain and create serotonin. The problem is we generally grab SIMPLE carbs which just cause a rapid spike in our blood sugar which is followed by a big crash. We just can’t successfully lose weight if we are on that simple carb blood sugar roller coaster. Instead choose complex carbohydrates like whole grains.
Weight Loss Tip: to get the benefit of the carb and keep it working for you longer, always eat a small amount of protein with your carbs. My friend Dr. Linda has told me even a few almonds will do the trick!
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depression. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Weight Loss Challenge: Swinging on a Moody Star
An important factor to our weight loss success...one that people often forget about or totally disregard...is our mood or mindset.
How we feel about ourselves, our bodies and even how we feel about food directly impacts our ability to lose weight.
It is extremely common to gain weight when we are feel depressed and to lose weight when we are happy. While that may be common, there are many people who gain weight when happy and, like my mother, lose weight when depressed. This demonstrates that there is no one "diet" or eating program that will work for everyone...not even in the same family. We all react differently to different foods, moods, exercise programs--everything!
If you are the type of person who, like me, tends to gain weight when depressed or stressed (or mad, or sad...or whatever) there is a way you can combat the trend!
Believe it or not, the real problem is not the food. If it were the food, you wouldn't be able to have it around ever...you'd eat it and gain weight all the time, not just when you are depressed. The problem is eating food in response to the emotion.
That is why substituting a lower calorie version of your favorite food or even substituting a healthy food doesn't solve the problem, because, I repeat, the problem is not the food...it isn't the calories.
By eating low-fat frozen yogurt in place of ice cream when depressed you are not changing the eating in response to emotion behavior. The behavior you changed was the one in the grocery store! Now, not only are you eating when depressed, you are probably less satisfied, but feeling deprived and yet martyr-like so you actually might eat MORE than before! Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
Replacing the chips with carrot sticks doesn't work either. Sure it is a healthy food, but we are still reaching into the frig (or pantry) and stuffing down our problems, rather than reaching into our heads and hearts and working on the real issue.
Don't want to work on your "issues"...don't think you have any? Fine. Whether you are numbing your feelings with food or not, you are engaging in unconscious eating.
Instead of eating, come up with a list of things that you can do that will help you feel more joy without getting you into the vicious cycle of eating and then gaining weight and therefore feeling bad again...which makes you want to eat, etc!
Everyone's list will be different...mine includes enjoying the sunrise, spending time in my studio, reading, doing puzzles, going for a walk and enjoying the fresh air, riding in the country...it could be playing with animals, playing on a swing, listening to music...the list can go on.
Write down YOUR list and keep it on the frig or the pantry...wherever the food you tend to reach for is stored...to help you remember your goal and give you some choices. It totally puts you in control...rather than eating unconsciously you begin to eat thoughtfully and that makes all the difference.
How we feel about ourselves, our bodies and even how we feel about food directly impacts our ability to lose weight.
It is extremely common to gain weight when we are feel depressed and to lose weight when we are happy. While that may be common, there are many people who gain weight when happy and, like my mother, lose weight when depressed. This demonstrates that there is no one "diet" or eating program that will work for everyone...not even in the same family. We all react differently to different foods, moods, exercise programs--everything!
If you are the type of person who, like me, tends to gain weight when depressed or stressed (or mad, or sad...or whatever) there is a way you can combat the trend!
Believe it or not, the real problem is not the food. If it were the food, you wouldn't be able to have it around ever...you'd eat it and gain weight all the time, not just when you are depressed. The problem is eating food in response to the emotion.
That is why substituting a lower calorie version of your favorite food or even substituting a healthy food doesn't solve the problem, because, I repeat, the problem is not the food...it isn't the calories.
By eating low-fat frozen yogurt in place of ice cream when depressed you are not changing the eating in response to emotion behavior. The behavior you changed was the one in the grocery store! Now, not only are you eating when depressed, you are probably less satisfied, but feeling deprived and yet martyr-like so you actually might eat MORE than before! Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
Replacing the chips with carrot sticks doesn't work either. Sure it is a healthy food, but we are still reaching into the frig (or pantry) and stuffing down our problems, rather than reaching into our heads and hearts and working on the real issue.
Don't want to work on your "issues"...don't think you have any? Fine. Whether you are numbing your feelings with food or not, you are engaging in unconscious eating.
Instead of eating, come up with a list of things that you can do that will help you feel more joy without getting you into the vicious cycle of eating and then gaining weight and therefore feeling bad again...which makes you want to eat, etc!
Everyone's list will be different...mine includes enjoying the sunrise, spending time in my studio, reading, doing puzzles, going for a walk and enjoying the fresh air, riding in the country...it could be playing with animals, playing on a swing, listening to music...the list can go on.
Write down YOUR list and keep it on the frig or the pantry...wherever the food you tend to reach for is stored...to help you remember your goal and give you some choices. It totally puts you in control...rather than eating unconsciously you begin to eat thoughtfully and that makes all the difference.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Pain Management and Weight Loss Success
Recently I wrote about pain and how I had been letting my physical pain keep me from working out as much as I normally would.
Maybe I'm naive but I was surprised that this concept would stir up any sort of controversy! But, I got messages from people who think maybe my pain isn't real or that I'm dismissing people who are in chronic pain.
Since that is certainly not the case, I thought I'd follow up with some information I read this weekend about ways to reduce your pain...because I DO know that being in pain can seriously hinder our ability and willingness to move our bodies...and even to eat right. When we are in pain (physical or emotional) we seek comfort and sometimes food gives us that comfort, albeit temporary, and we can then ADD to our pain by increasing our physical weight.
This comes from Doctors Oz and Roizen...the title is "Mindfulness meditation conquers stubborn pain" (Click the title if you want to see the entire article)
So how do you do it? Here are 3 different methods to try from the good doctors:
First, find a quiet place where you can sit or lie down for 10-15 minutes
Mindfulness meditation:
This technique works by distracting you and helps ease pain similarly to meditation.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation:
Maybe I'm naive but I was surprised that this concept would stir up any sort of controversy! But, I got messages from people who think maybe my pain isn't real or that I'm dismissing people who are in chronic pain.
Since that is certainly not the case, I thought I'd follow up with some information I read this weekend about ways to reduce your pain...because I DO know that being in pain can seriously hinder our ability and willingness to move our bodies...and even to eat right. When we are in pain (physical or emotional) we seek comfort and sometimes food gives us that comfort, albeit temporary, and we can then ADD to our pain by increasing our physical weight.
This comes from Doctors Oz and Roizen...the title is "Mindfulness meditation conquers stubborn pain" (Click the title if you want to see the entire article)
people who meditated for just 20 minutes a day saw their pain tolerance rise
Meditation doesn't work because your pain is "all in your head." Chronic pain is all too real...When pain won't quit, stress and worry kick in, boosting levels of stress hormones, which tricks your brain into thinking the pain is worse than it is.
De-stressing with meditation or similar mind/body techniques dials back stress hormones which in turn diminishes pain.
meditation eased pain by helping your brain to stop anticipating it...Less stress and less pain also can mean better sleep, more motivation to exercise and even less depression, all of which also make you relax more and hurt less.
So how do you do it? Here are 3 different methods to try from the good doctors:
First, find a quiet place where you can sit or lie down for 10-15 minutes
Mindfulness meditation:
- Close your eyes to help you stay focused
- Breathe in and out slowly & naturally
- Acknowledge your thoughts, feelings and the physical sensations in your body but don't get wrapped up in them
- Keep gently returning your focus to your breathing
- After 10 minutes begin to notice your surroundings as you breathe calmly
- Then plan to go about your day with this feeling of calm awareness
This technique works by distracting you and helps ease pain similarly to meditation.
- Shut your eyes and imagine an idyllic "happy place"
- Use all of your sense to put yourself in that place
- Remember scents, colors, the air, mood, anything that makes it come alive
- Stay there, relax and enjoy
Progressive Muscle Relaxation:
- Breathe slowly from your abdomen
- Isolate and tighten each muscle group without straining for 7-10 seconds
- Release the muscles abruptly
- Rest 15-20 seconds
- Start with your fists
- Move to your forearms, biceps, face, neck, shoulders, upper back, chest, stomach, lower back, buttocks, thighs, lower legs, feet.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Having a Big Sweet Tooth is a Big Weight Loss Challenge
Having a big sweet tooth is a big weight loss challenge. We know that eating sweets isn't in our best interests...but they taste soooo good. We are constantly being bombarded with the message that we have to not eat sweets if we are going to lose weight successfully. So why is it that everything that tastes good seems to be bad for us?
What a lot of people don't realize is that it is completely natural for human beings to like things that taste sweet. This is something that is part of our evolutionary makeup.
You see, one of the ways people used to know if it was safe to eat foods was by taste. Things that taste sweet were generally safe to eat. It seems our bodies had a built in defense mechanism against toxic foods--that tasted bad.
We don't need to rely on taste buds for our safety in that way any more--thank goodness. And it seems that some of us prefer sweets more than others. I wondered why that might be. After all, not everyone is a chocoholic.
A study done recently by the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia links a preference for sweetness with depression and alcoholism. The study is not suggesting that because a child likes sweets they will become depressed or an alcoholic as an adult. It just showed a correlation between children who exhibit symptoms of depression and/or have an alcoholic family member and a preference for very sweet tastes.
Nothing was conclusive and raised many questions in my mind. For example, is the preference for sweet tastes something we have from birth? And if it is, is it because of the "food" we got during the gestation process? Is the preference for sweet tastes due to hormonal imbalances? Do we put our bodies into a hormonal imbalance if we eat more sweets, or do we eat more sweets because of an existing imbalance.
Interesting food for thought...none of it is to say that we are victims here. We do have control, we make the choices...but what if learning the causes for these preferences helped us to feel like we were "okay"...or if it helped parents with their kids so we had fewer obese/depressed/alcoholic children and future adults out there?
Can we have a little sweetness in our lives...without feeling destined to be fat for the rest of our lives? And can we enjoy a sweet tastes without becoming depressed? After all, a "little spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"...
Maybe it just depends on the size of the spoon! (Save the shovel for yard work!)
What a lot of people don't realize is that it is completely natural for human beings to like things that taste sweet. This is something that is part of our evolutionary makeup.
You see, one of the ways people used to know if it was safe to eat foods was by taste. Things that taste sweet were generally safe to eat. It seems our bodies had a built in defense mechanism against toxic foods--that tasted bad.
We don't need to rely on taste buds for our safety in that way any more--thank goodness. And it seems that some of us prefer sweets more than others. I wondered why that might be. After all, not everyone is a chocoholic.
A study done recently by the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia links a preference for sweetness with depression and alcoholism. The study is not suggesting that because a child likes sweets they will become depressed or an alcoholic as an adult. It just showed a correlation between children who exhibit symptoms of depression and/or have an alcoholic family member and a preference for very sweet tastes.
Nothing was conclusive and raised many questions in my mind. For example, is the preference for sweet tastes something we have from birth? And if it is, is it because of the "food" we got during the gestation process? Is the preference for sweet tastes due to hormonal imbalances? Do we put our bodies into a hormonal imbalance if we eat more sweets, or do we eat more sweets because of an existing imbalance.
Interesting food for thought...none of it is to say that we are victims here. We do have control, we make the choices...but what if learning the causes for these preferences helped us to feel like we were "okay"...or if it helped parents with their kids so we had fewer obese/depressed/alcoholic children and future adults out there?
Can we have a little sweetness in our lives...without feeling destined to be fat for the rest of our lives? And can we enjoy a sweet tastes without becoming depressed? After all, a "little spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"...
Maybe it just depends on the size of the spoon! (Save the shovel for yard work!)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Eat Fat to Lose Weight and Beat the Blues
Do you eat because you feel depressed?
Even having lost 125 pounds and fought off the demon of depression, I still have strong urges to grab a pint of comfort when stressed or depressed...in my case the pint is usually Ben & Jerry's.
I know from personal experience that eating all that sugar only temporarily helps the feeling of depression.
Well a study done in Spain indicates we can actually eat foods to help prevent depression in the first place!
The famous "Mediterranean diet" appears to be the answer--eating an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats is olive oil, nuts and fish.
It may be the fats that have the biggest benefit--olive oil has oleic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids from fish give our serotonin levels a boost. Serotonin is the feel-good hormone, and is what many anti-depressants target.
This is another important reason why we shouldn't just eliminate or drastically cut back on all fats. Keeping some good, healthy fats in our diet is important for our moods, our mental abilities...and it also helps your insides stay regulated and your skin feeling smooth.
Eat healthy fats as part of your plan for losing or maintaining weight. It is a healthy part of any successful, permanent weight loss program.
Even having lost 125 pounds and fought off the demon of depression, I still have strong urges to grab a pint of comfort when stressed or depressed...in my case the pint is usually Ben & Jerry's.
I know from personal experience that eating all that sugar only temporarily helps the feeling of depression.
Well a study done in Spain indicates we can actually eat foods to help prevent depression in the first place!
The famous "Mediterranean diet" appears to be the answer--eating an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats is olive oil, nuts and fish.
It may be the fats that have the biggest benefit--olive oil has oleic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids from fish give our serotonin levels a boost. Serotonin is the feel-good hormone, and is what many anti-depressants target.
This is another important reason why we shouldn't just eliminate or drastically cut back on all fats. Keeping some good, healthy fats in our diet is important for our moods, our mental abilities...and it also helps your insides stay regulated and your skin feeling smooth.
Eat healthy fats as part of your plan for losing or maintaining weight. It is a healthy part of any successful, permanent weight loss program.
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