Dr Hope - 2nd appointment
Dr Hope, General, Low Stress Weight Loss November 21st, 2007Ok, Dr Hope still gets to retain her title. I saw her again last night.
On my homework, apparently the correct answer to the many questions is FALSE for all of them (a calorie is a calorie, you should only eat when you’re hungry, etc). Except the dreaded #27… #27 is ” To lose weight you need to eat everything you like in smaller quantities ” and the answer is TRUE.
You know what that means? Yes, MODERATION. Attention. Thinking. Risk. No hiding behind diets, no pre-measured portions that I can eat all of. I knew #27 would be my dragon to slay!
So, I have more homework for Dr. Hope this week. I am to eat anything I want, IN MODERATION. If I knew how to eat in moderation would I weigh 202 pounds? But, it’s true, I’d like to be able to eat normally in the future and be way less stressed about food. So, I’ll try it.
I’m to pay attention to my hunger. Hunger scares me. When I am very hungry I don’t usually make good choices. When I diet I try to eat healthy food often so that I don’t put myself at risk. Now I’m supposed to get hungry.
And I’m supposed to stop eating before I get too full. I’ve never been able to do that. I hate to leave food on my plate. It’s not about starving children in Africa, either, it’s that it’s MY FOOD. Apparently it’s a pretty common “hoarding” reaction for those who have a broken relationship with food. So I’m supposed to work on stopping eating when I don’t feel hunger anymore. Okay, this will be another challenge…
Finally, I am supposed to make sure I enjoy my food. Eat butter if I want it, dessert if I want it, but make sure I really enjoy what I eat. And don’t eat it if I don’t enjoy it. This will be kind of new to me. I mean, I do enjoy food and eating, but how much is enjoying the ACT of eating vs what I’m actually eating at the time. I mean, do I actually ENJOY the zucchini, or do I eat the zucchini because I know I can eat a lot of it and fill up my tummy for few calories. This too will be a challenge.
I am to keep three columns for each meal - how I ate (time, place, people), how hungry was I (scale of 0-6) and what I ate.
It’s actually a lot to pay attention to, but it seems like it might be worth the effort, so I’m giving it a go.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:17 pm
I hoard food too. I know it was all started when my sisters and I would fight over the good stuff. Now I think it is because itf I dodn’t eat it all NOW, my kids will and I won’t get any. I gotta tell myself, who cares if I don’t get any. There will always be more food.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:36 pm
One thing that helps me with portion control when I am eating whatever I want is to use a smaller plate. I have one set of dishes that have a smaller dinner plate and you can fill it up, still clean your plate (I have that mindset too) yet still practice some sort of portion control.
Good Luck, I am liking Dr. Hope!
November 21st, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I understand the hoarding food thing. I grew up with 2 younger brothers & if I wanted any of the good junk that Mom bought, I had to either eat right then, or hide it in my room for later. Plus, we had this thing about who would get the bigger piece (cake, pie, etc.). Each of us always wanted the bigger piece, kind of like a status thing. Even now that I’m married, I still go through that with hubby. I have to eat it or I may not get any. I have to take up that attitude of “there will aways be more food”.
Dr. Hope’s advice seems good. We all should probably be more conscious of when we eat, how we eat & enjoying what we do eat.
November 21st, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I love Dr. Hope’s directive to, “Enjoy your food.” I look cooking and trying new things. Yet, when I’ve really enjoyed my food, I realize that I don’t want to screw up the enjoyment with a stomachache from eating too much of it.
It sounds like Dr. H is giving you a lot to process, but you are obviously smart and motivated. Also, know that you are stronger than your fears - of hunger, failure, whatever they may be. Best of luck to you as you try out your good doctor’s suggestions this week.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I agree Dr Hope seems to give you alot to process. Although from reading your previous posts you seem to do well with spreadsheets and such. It just wouldn’t be a good fit for me. Ahhh hoarding food. That’s just something I do for me. ME ME ME. and that me has got to go. Oh Dr. Hope has given me such a thought filled week. I feel we should send you funds or something “round”. You must keep going to Dr Hope
November 21st, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Wow. Enjoy your food and lose weight? Amazing actually - moderation? I’m the feast or famine chick so I’m very interested in how this goes for you….
Sounds wonderful!
Happy turkey day to you!
November 21st, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Hi Round, I’m excited for you! Thank you for your comments about me being a wise one but I’m learning just like you are and it seems Dr. Hope is a woman after my own heart. I’m trying to follow the same principles and finally get to the root of the problem. Please keep posting what you learn from her because it is so helpful and I know you will be successful with your weightloss. I was thinking last night that we need to love ourselves enough to make our dream of good health and vitality come true. We ARE worth it! I wish you a great Thanksgiving holiday and if we enjoy a little bit too much of something (for me, it will be pumpkin pie slathered in real whipped cream), we will refuse to beat ourselves up about it. Talk soon!
November 22nd, 2007 at 5:25 am
Sounds like a nice plan. Good luck. Oh and thanks for the Get Well wishes on my blog. Im feeling a little better today. ((HUGS))
November 22nd, 2007 at 4:24 pm
This sounds a lot harder than going on a diet! But it does all make sense. Thanks for sharing what you’re learning — some of it is good food for thought.
November 23rd, 2007 at 10:28 am
Moderation is something I’m trying to apply as well, and I find it to be good and wise advice–if only because it’s evident that we will never be able to control our food perfectly every single day of our lives, so when we’re faced with a choice of pizza or nothing at friends’, well… Apart from starving ourselves, all that is left is moderation or overeating, after all. I hope you will find your middle-ground in this.
One this that has helped me in that is, like ncdeb, using smaller plates. It helps to put back things in perspective. Or measuring to start with, assess if it’s enough for me (=feeling hungry afterwards is only ‘hunger head’), or if I’m really, genuinely still hungry, period. It was hard to go straight to the point of assessing ‘naturally’. I had to resort to tools in the beginning all the same. But heh, whatever works…
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Wow. Your homework assignment made me take a step back and look at what I’ve been eating for the last 3 months. To be honest, I’ve been choosing foods that allow me to stay within my calorie limit, and that means eating a lot of things that I don’t really enjoy at all.
Maybe it would be a good idea for me to mix in more enjoyable foods here and there. Heaven forbid I allow myself a real dessert as opposed to a low fat fudge bar or sweetened low-fat ricotta cheese
Thanks for sharing another thought-provoking assignment. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Maia