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Archive for the 'Head Hunger' Category

I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing!

November 27th, 2008, 11:28 am by Michelle May, M.D.

How to Prevent and Deal with Holiday Overeating

 

(Excerpt from Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don’t Work)

I love the holidays. For weeks, our family has been planning for the significant meals we’ll share. We’re each assigned to bring the traditional dishes we’ve become known for—and with our large family, there’s always plenty. During the blessing my uncle always gives thanks for the food that nourishes our bodies. Then the nourishment begins!

 

I know these types of gatherings take place all over the world, year after year. The comments are as traditional as the food. “Honey, this is the best turkey you’ve ever made. Please pass the potatoes and gravy again.” “I can’t eat another bite or I swear I’ll explode.” “Alright, just a little sliver of pie then.” After dinner people are sprawled out in front of the television, occasionally groaning or dozing off.

 

As much I love these special occasions, I now know that there’s an invisible line that I can cross if I’m not mindful. That line separates a great celebration with wonderful food from an afternoon of discomfort and regret. I constantly remind myself I live in a land of abundance where turkey and potatoes are available year round and food will always taste good. So why eat until I’m miserable? Why not enjoy the event and still feel good when it’s over? 

 

When you live in a land of abundance, deciding how much food you need to eat is critical for lifelong weight management and health. As importantly, when you eat the perfect amount of food, you’ll feel satisfied—just right!

 

Just Right

 

Think for a moment about how you feel when you’re satisfied. If you’re mindful, you’ll notice that as you become full, the flavor of the food goes from fabulous to just OK and it gets harder to give food and eating your full attention. You are content, fulfilled, and happy. You feel light and energetic and ready for your next activity.

 

When you eat more than you need, you’ll feel unnecessarily uncomfortable, sleepy and sluggish. Eating too much causes you to feel low energy so you may not want to be active. Of course your body will have no choice but to store the excess as fat. It can also lead to feeling guilty which often leads to even more overeating.

 

So what can you do to prevent overeating – and what should you do when it happens anyway?

 

Prevention is the Best Medicine

 

  • Before you start eating, decide how full you want to be when you’re done. It’s fine to decide you want to be stuffed, as long as you’ve thought about the consequences.
  • Estimate how much food you’ll need to eat to reach that level of fullness. Prepare, serve or order only as much as you think you’ll need; if you were served too much, move the extra food aside.
  • Before you start eating, visually or physically divide the food in half to create a “speed bump.”
  • Eat mindfully and check your fullness level when you hit that speed bump in the middle of eating, at the end of your meal, and again 20-30 minutes later.
  • If your goal is to feel satisfied and comfortable, it will help to move away from the table or move the food away from you to signal that you’re done as soon as you are get even close.

 

Am I Full?

 

Some questions you might want to ask yourself to help you determine how full you are:

 

·         How does my stomach feel? Can I feel the food? Is there any discomfort or pain? Does my stomach full, stretched, full or bloated?

 

·         How does my body feel? Do I feel comfortable and content? Do my clothes feel tight? Is there any nausea or heart burn? Do I feel short of breath?

 

·         How is my energy level? Do I feel energetic and ready for the next activity? Or am I sleepy, sluggish, tired or lethargic?

 

·         What do I feel like doing now?

 

If you’ve overeaten, sit quietly for a few moments and become completely aware of how you feel. Don’t beat yourself up; just focus on the sensations so you’ll remember them the next time you’re tempted to overeat. You may be less likely to repeat the mistake if you think through the consequences first.

 

Don’t Miss the Lesson

 

When you realize you’ve eaten too much, ask yourself, “Why did it happen?”  and “What could I do differently next time?” Turn your mistake into a learning experience.

 

There are a lot of reasons people eat past the point of satisfaction: habits, learned behaviors, past dieting, and mindless eating. For example:

 

“It was a special occasion.” You’re more likely to overeat if you only give yourself permission to eat enjoyable foods on special occasions. You don’t need an excuse to have a wonderful meal—so why use a special occasion as a reason to overeat? Ask yourself, “If this occasion is so special, why would I want to eat until I feel miserable?”

 

Here are some of the other holiday triggers you’ll learn how to handle in chapter 7 of Am I Hungry?

 

I felt obligated.

It tasted good so I just kept eating.

I wanted to taste everything.

I was afraid I wouldn’t get that food again.

I saved the best for last.

I ate food I didn’t enjoy.

I wasn’t paying attention as I ate.

I ate too fast.

I mindlessly picked at the leftovers.

I had too much on my plate.

I was keeping up with someone else.

I wanted to get my money’s worth.

I hate to let food go to waste.

 

I Ate Too Much! Now What?

 

Even people who eat instinctively sometimes overeat. However, although they may feel regretful and uncomfortable, they don’t typically feel guilty. They don’t think, “Well, I’ve already blown it; I might as well keep eating then start my diet tomorrow.” Instead, they just listen to their body and return to eating instinctively by allowing hunger to drive their next cycle. By listening to your body’s wisdom, you can compensate for occasional overeating.

 

After you overeat, wait and see when you get hungry again. Rather than continuing to eat out of guilt or by the clock, listen to your body. It probably won’t need food as soon so you may not be hungry for your usual snack or even your next meal.

 

When you get hungry again, ask yourself, “What do I want?” and “What do I need?” Don’t punish yourself or try to compensate for overeating by restricting yourself. If you try to make yourself eat foods you don’t really want, you’ll feel deprived and fuel your eat-repent-repeat cycle. Trust and respect what your body tells you because it’s likely that it will naturally seek balance, variety and moderation. You might notice that you’re hungry for something small or something light—maybe a bowl of soup or cereal, a piece of fruit or a salad.

 

Lastly, don’t use exercise to punish yourself for overeating; instead be active all the time and use the fuel you consume to live a full and satisfying life.

 

Eat Mindfully. Live Vibrantly!

Michelle May, M.D.

Posted in: Head Hunger • Healthy Attitudes • Intuitive Eating • Mindful Eating • • | Post a Comment »

12 ways to keep from loosening your belt while you tighten it

October 26th, 2008, 1:40 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

You’ll pay a steep price when you respond to eonomic / financial (or any other source of) stress with overeating and inactivity. You’ll likely see a decrease in your energy and productivity and an increase in the cost of healthcare and incidentals like new clothing. But enough doom and gloom. By becoming more aware of your reactions, you can choose to respond in more effective (and economical) ways. 

Here are a dozen ways to keep from having to loosen your belt while you tighten it:

1.      If you’re facing a financial (or any other) challenge, use it as an opportunity to reassess your priorities. Isn’t your health your most valuable asset?

2.      Practice mindful eating; you’ll eat less by enjoying it more. For more on mindful eating, see my article “Leave the Stuffing for the Turkey” http://amihungry.com/pdf/newsletter-11-07.pdf

3.      Treat yourself to small quantities of high quality foods; for example savor one square of imported chocolate instead of scarfing a whole bag of a bargain brand.

4.      Learn to cook or teach someone else how to. It costs less and it’s a great way to spend time with your family passing on valuable skills to your kids. (Shameless Plug: You may be interested in my daughter’s brand new cookbook called Veggie Teens at www.VeggieTeensCookbook.com.)

5.      Try new healthy recipes. Surf the Internet for recipes for ethnic foods, use of new ingredients, or new ways to prepare familiar foods.

6.      Don’t skimp on healthful ingredients.

-      Fruits and Veggies: Buy in season; shop farmer’s markets; join a co-op; grow your own; buy frozen; add plenty to soups, stews and pastas to stretch your meal and your nutrients.

-      Whole Grains: Buy brown rice, oatmeal, cereals and other whole grain products in bulk or economy sizes. Shop for whole grain breads at bakery outlet stores and club stores (bread freezes well).

-      Low Fat Dairy: Buy generic/store brands or buy name brands on sale; buy economy size yogurt and transfer to single portion containers as needed; shred your own cheese.

-      Lean Protein: Experiment with a variety of dried beans and lentils; buy lean cuts of meat on sale and freeze for later.

7.      Take your lunch to work. You’ll save money and calories.

8.      Entertain at home; light candles, put on beautiful music, and use your best dishes. Follow dinner with a long walk, a great DVD, or game night.

9.      When you eat out, share meals or take half home for a second meal. Most restaurant serving sizes are large enough to make every meal two-for-the-price-of-one.

10.  Maintain or start a balanced fitness program. It’s a great stress reliever and will increase your energy and improve your outlook.

11.  Exercise doesn’t have to be expensive. A few ideas: walk with friends, bring your dusty exercise equipment in from the garage, check out fitness DVDs from the library, or take a yoga class at a community center.

12.  Instead of reaching for food, build your inventory of other coping strategies such as journaling, talking, reading, playing music, painting, praying, and meditating.

 

You may not be able to control economic inflation – but you can prevent your own!

 

Copyright 2008 Michelle May MD

Posted in: Head Hunger • Healthy Attitudes • Healthy Families • Mindful Eating • • • | Post a Comment »

Food Lovers’ Meeting Tip: Choose consciously

July 3rd, 2008, 6:16 am by Michelle May, M.D.

My travels began with a three day meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians Commission on the Health of the Public. Nice opportunity to consider my OWN health while discussing issues and initiatives important to the American people!

Since we had nearly three weeks of travel ahead, I decided to try to stick to my usual eating habits as much as possible when possible and save my “eating for fun” for when it mattered. I held my breath as I surveyed the breakfast offerings. All too often conference breakfasts consist of just Danish and coffee. That always struck me as odd since they need attendees to be alert and productive all the way until lunch. Luckily at this meeting there was a nice spread of other breakfast choices each day including eggs, fresh fruit, cereal and skim milk so that meal was easy.  

They did an equally good job with lunches – salad with chicken one day and pasta with a nice tomato-based sauce loaded with vegetables the other. Even the dessert was a light angel food cake with strawberries. However, it’s still easy to overeat at conference banquets unless you stay conscious. They serve warm rolls with butter while you’re waiting to be served. They spoon way too much dressing (if you don’t say “enough!”) on your salad topped with croutons, cheese and bacon. The servings are usually too large, especially the inexpensive fillers like pasta and rice. And the icing on the cake (literally) is some type of dessert (though I love it when it’s already on the table rather than surprising me with it when I am already full!).  

I don’t know about you but that’s way more than I usually have for lunch. So why would we suddenly throw our common sense out the window? Because meetings and conferences are loaded with triggers for overeating. You sit through long meetings so you may subconsciously feel like you’ve “earned” it. Then suddenly there’s all this free food just sitting in front of you. When you become distracted by socializing or networking during the meal, you lose track of how much you’ve eaten.

Meeting Tip: The key to handling the abundant food at meetings and conferences is to remain selective and mindful. Don’t abdicate the responsibility for how you’ll feel all day to the meeting planner or hotel staff who selected the menu. Choose the items and the portions that nourish you rather than mindlessly eating whatever is offered. That doesn’t mean “Don’t eat the roll and butter.” It means decide consciously. If you eat the roll, all the pasta they serve you, AND all of the dessert, how will you feel in an hour? Probably uncomfortable, drowsy, and foggy. But don’t worry; you’ll probably wake up in time for the afternoon cookie break!

For more, read my article “Three Questions to Make the Perfect Food Choice Everytime.”

Posted in: Head Hunger • Healthy Travel Tips • Mindful Eating • Nutrition for Non-Dieters • Uncategorized • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

What You Resist Persists

May 23rd, 2008, 6:59 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

Even healthy doctors end up on the other side of the stethoscope sometimes. No worries; I’m fine now but the experience was a wonderful reminder of how valuable it is to be able to “sit” with discomfort rather than trying to push it away.

Recognizing that I needed to have surgery, I found myself dreading the pre-op clear liquid diet. A person who names her company “Am I Hungry?” wouldn’t intentionally ignore her hunger signals, would she? As I stocked up on tea, Jell-O, and bullion, I realized that I actually felt anxious about going 36 hours without food. The anxiety reminded me of times in the past when I automatically reached for food to make other uncomfortable feelings go away, like boredom or feeling overwhelmed.

When I made the connection between how I felt just anticipating the discomfort of hunger (which I knew I would survive) and the discomfort of stress and other triggers (which I also knew I could survive), I realized that I had been given a gift. I had an opportunity to mindfully experience something I wouldn’t have voluntarily chosen but had no choice but to endure. The moment I stopped resisting the idea and began to embrace it instead, my whole perspective shifted.

I became alive and in tune with my body and everything that was going on around me. I had previously considered canceling my morning hike because of the fast ahead, but now I relished every step, knowing it would be several weeks before I could climb my favorite trail again. Afterward I treated myself to one final yoga class and settled easily and deeply into “corpse pose” at the end of my practice despite the audible grumbling of my stomach.

As the day progressed, I simply noticed the details of each level of hunger as I passed through it: hunger pangs > growling > emptiness in the pit of my stomach > distracted by thoughts of food > headache > difficulty concentrating > irritability. Why does every commercial seem to be about food? And why is my husband eating in front of me?

Since eating anything more than a cup of broth was not an option, I remained calm and introspective. Other than feeling less energetic than usual, nothing bad happened. The hunger would subside then come back stronger awhile later to remind me that I was still ignoring it.

All too often, we resist any sort of physical or emotional discomfort. As soon as we notice loneliness, anger, fear, stress, pain or other unavoidable suffering that comes with being human, we turn on the tube, shovel food in our mouths, have a glass of wine – or sometimes all three simultaneously. It’s as though we believe we can tune it out, shove it down, or drown it. Sooner or later, it comes bubbling back up to the surface, so we reach for our next quick fix.

What’s your fix? Shopping? Work? Sex? Chocolate? Exercise? Dieting? Perfection? It doesn’t matter; none of them work for long because what you resist, persists; and the longer, the stronger.

In our “gotta feel good all the time” culture, we’ve been taught that buying more, eating more, or achieving more will keep us happy all the time. This is the greatest lie ever told and perhaps it is keeping you trapped in an endless quest to avoid feeling anything at all.

To be clear, your emotional and physical feelings (both wonderful and painful) are your body’s way of communicating your needs with you. Rather than pushing them away with food or some other quick fix, practice observing them, accepting them, even embracing them. Here are some ways you can sit with your feelings when you’re ready to try it:

• Become aware of your breathing.
• Watch your feelings ebb and flow naturally.
• Write your feelings down, unedited, using a journal, computer or even a scrap of paper.
• Complete the sentence: I feel… or I am… For example, “I feel lonely,” or “I am angry with my boss” or “I am worried about my children.”
• Discuss your feelings with a trusted friend or family member.
• Seek the assistance of a counselor or therapist if you feel overwhelmed, scared or unable to identify or work through your emotions.

When I woke up in pain after surgery, my first impulse was to tense up and somehow try to make it go away. From somewhere, the lessons I learned during my fast emerged. I took a few deep breaths, asked for a back rub, and was soon back asleep. Sixty hours passed before I ate again (who knew hospital eggs could taste so good!).

I am grateful for the experience and to be honest, glad it was only temporary. I absolutely don’t advocate fasting for weight loss and I’m not convinced that it’s necessary for cleansing despite all the crazy claims out there. However, that feeling of peace in the face of discomfort helped me finally understand why people fast for spiritual reasons.

It also left me more convinced than ever that asking yourself, “Am I hungry?” when you feel like eating is a wonderful first step for tuning into your true needs. But next time, instead of rushing in to make yourself feel better, simply remain present to the experience and the lessons you might discover in that moment.

To read the full article, go to http://www.amihungry.com/pdf/newsletter-05-08.pdf

Copyright 2008 Michelle May, MD

Posted in: Head Hunger • Uncategorized • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

“The Secret” to weight management

April 6th, 2008, 4:17 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

You’ve probably heard of the Law of Attraction. This universal law has been recognized by successful individuals for centuries and is reaching millions of people through the viral-like spread of the movie “The Secret.”

Essentially, the Law of Attraction states that like attracts like. In other words, where your attention goes, your energy flows. You attract into your life whatever you are thinking and feeling. You create your own circumstances by the choices you make—and those choices are fueled by your thoughts. Therefore, your thoughts are the most powerful tools you have for creating the life you want.

So how do you apply the Law of Attraction to one of the most challenging problems many people face: managing your weight?

First, recognize that significant change entails far more than just “positive thinking.” It involves replacing old ineffective thoughts about eating and exercise with new powerful thoughts that lead to remarkable changes in behavior. Over the next several days, I want to share some simple but powerful food for thought to transform the way you manage your weight.

Food for Thought: I have the instinctive ability to manage my weight effortlessly.

Life wasn’t meant to be a struggle - and neither was fueling your body. So forget restriction and deprivation. Instead, trust your body to let you know when and how much to eat by relearning to use hunger and satiety to guide your eating - just as you did when you were a young child.

Just ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” whenever you feel like eating. While this may seem too simple, the simplicity is what makes it so effective - and makes it a great place to start changing your mindset. Just don’t confuse simple with easy; eating on autopilot can be a challenging habit to break so be consistent and patient with yourself.

Visit http://www.amihungry.com/ for tools to help.

Posted in: Head Hunger • Uncategorized | Post a Comment »

You’re not the boss of my body!

February 22nd, 2008, 6:52 am by Michelle May, M.D.

I received this hysterical email from Karen who ordered Am I Hungry? as an e-book that comes with a complimentary Journal.

“I made the mistake of printing out a couple of pages of the Am I Hungry? Journal at work. My boss happened to pick it up off the printer. Here’s what happened.

My Boss: Did you print this? (She handed me the blank food journal that said, “Am I Hungry?” at the top).
Me: Yes, it’s something my weight loss coach recommended to me.
My Boss: You’re eating a donut.

So I finished eating the donut and sat there thinking about all the things that I wish I’d said. I sent an email to my friends asking them to pick their favorite reply:

  • Oh no. I thought it was a carrot! Quick! Get a stomach pump!
  • Here. Here’s my food journal. Would you just keep track of it for me from now on?
  • Yes, that’s my new food plan. One donut in the morning and nothing else all day!
  • Didn’t you eat one?
  • I’m sorry. I thought the donuts were brought in for everyone. Someone should have told me I wasn’t allowed to have one.
  • Yes, it’s the new Police Officer Diet.

Might as well laugh but it didn’t feel funny at the time.”

Karen’s boss’ mistaken assumptions about what it takes to reach a healthier weight highlight many of the reasons diets don’t work: 

  1. If you’re on a diet, you’re not allowed to eat anything that tastes good
  2. Everyone else can have a donut but you can’t
  3. If you’re overweight, everyone has the right to comment on what you eat
  4. If you eat one donut, you’ve blown it for the day
  5. The 200 calories in an occasional glazed donut causes more weight gain than the 200 calories in a bowl of cereal with skim milk and blueberries
  6. Only thin people can eat donuts in public

Ridiculous! Long term weight management doesn’t require deprivation or perfect eating. That approach only causes shame, guilt, hunger, and rebound overeating. Instead, take charge of your decisions, including enjoying a donut when you really want one. Karen, you are the boss of your body.

For more about weight management without deprivation and guilt, visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

Posted in: Head Hunger • Intuitive Eating • Mindful Eating • Nutrition for Non-Dieters • Uncategorized • • | Post a Comment »

Dealing with Food Pushers

December 14th, 2007, 1:44 pm by Michelle May, M.D.

‘Tis the season for Food Pushers bearing goodies. Eating out of feelings of obligation can occur simply because there’s food on the table or your plate, because you paid for it–or it’s free, or because someone made it for you. Obligatory eating will account for some of your holiday weight gain if you’re not mindful.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is dealing with friendly Food Pushers. Well-meaning family members, co-workers, neighbors, and hostesses feel they are doing you a favor by giving you permission to abandon common sense and eat more than you need. Remember, you’re not a kid anymore; you don’t have to eat something just because your mother said so.

The most efficient way to deal with Food Pushers is a polite but firm, “No thank you.” If you’re concerned about hurting their feelings or they wan’t take no for an answer, here are some gentle ways to wiggle out of eating something you don’t want:

“It looks beautiful but I’m really not hungry right now.”
“That was delicious! I can’t eat another bite.”
“No thanks but would you mind sharing your recipe?”
“I’m full now but can I take a little home for lunch tomorrow?”
“Thank you but my stomach is a little upset.” (It will be if you eat more.)
“Thanks but I am allergic.” (You don’t have to say to what.)
“I’m saving room for dessert.”
“Mom, I know it makes you happy to see me eat, but I’m happy just being with you.”
“Grandma, you are a wonderful cook. I’m done for now but next time I’ll come early and you can show me how you make this.”
“I can taste the love you put into this. I just don’t want to feel it on my hips tomorrow!”
If all else fails, take a little and hide it under a lettuce leaf or feed it to the dog. 

If you are a bit of a food-pusher, stop it! And finally, don’t use other people as an excuse for overeating (as in “I wasn’t going to but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings!”). Eat responsibly.

Want to learn to manage your weight without restriction or deprivation? Join me for an 8-week Am I Hungry?® Workshop at Banner Desert Medical Center. Email info@amihungry.com for more information or read more about our program at http://www.amihungry.com.

Posted in: Head Hunger • Healthy Families • Healthy Travel Tips • Uncategorized • • | Post a Comment »
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