“Fat” is NOT a Feeling
By Lisa Delaney, RD, MS, LD/N, a dietician with experience counseling clients with eating disorders. She is in private practice, doing business as Healthwise.
· How much time do you spend thinking about food, your body size, or specific body parts?
· Do you battle with food thoughts?
· Do you put food into good and bad categories or healthy verses unhealthy categories?
Well, it’s time to stop! In today’s world, food has become so multipurpose and complicated,unfortunately, to the demise of many of us. Connecting food to feelings sets up a reason for eating based on an attitude or a judgment, which gets totally removed from the basic ingredients of nutrition. All of a sudden, food is created into a false sense of security or insecurity. To be judged on what one eats from the outside looking in seems very prejudiced and unfair. Many times, what one is eating at a particular time has nothing to do with what’s going on inside. Hence, begins a secret and potential for disordered eating behaviors.
Food is the only energy source for your “whole” body. Foods have no feelings. They don’t feel calm, stressed, sad, or happy. They are pretty simple, they consist of basic ingredients like: flour, eggs, milk, oil, etc...
However, in society we have linked food to emotions. As a result I have heard several clients share with me how they feel guilty when they eat a cookie. And although, food can symbolize a feeling of nurturing, togetherness, or love, it tends to be misconstrued and overrated. We as individuals have not addressed the underlying cause for what is the feeling we might be having or missing. Therefore, this is how easily foods get falsely interpreted as being emotionally fulfilling. This is a definite mistake perhaps even a manipulation, a rationalization, or a justification.
There are a few basic principles of weight management that have not changed since the beginning of time. If you eat more than your body needs, you will gain weight, and the reverse is true. So the key is to figure out your amount of food you need to accomplish your goal. The connection between physical hunger and satiety needs to be perfected in all of us in order to free ourselves from having eating issues or even from developing an eating disorder.
I challenge all readers to be more mindful and conscious about when their hunger begins and when they stop at being full. I can almost guarantee that you will see a difference in your eating patterns, frequency, and portion size.
A few tips:
· Each meal should contain a protein, carbohydrate, and a fat (PCF combo).
· After eating your meal containing the PCF, then it should feel a sense of physical satiety for as short as 3 hours and no longer than 5 hours - I call this the 3-5 Rule.
· Avoid wearing loose fitting clothing while eating.
· Find a balance, make sure you are both full and satisfied after each meal. Does full=satisfaction? If not, what does that look like?
Now that you have heard that “fat is not a feeling,” what are you feeling? Start making a separation between fat and feelings. Give me your feedback at any time. You can contact me at 786-543-1044 or e-mail me at healthwise454@bellsouth.net.
I have been practicing as a dietician for 21 years. I have seen big changes in people’s relationship with food. A gradual and consistent path to change is absolutely possible. I currently have a practice in Florida, serving Aventura and Boca Raton.
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