Are Your Weight Issues Affected by Your Relationship With Food?

Being a Holistic Health Coach I am always researching for my clients. Many of them are looking for ways to lose weight. Just finished listening to an audio book “When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair: 50 Ways to Feel Thin, Gorgeous, and Happy (When You Feel Anything But)” by Geneen Roth. This is one of the best books I read on weight issues and relationship with food.

Why it’s hard to lose that last 10-pound even if eating healthy?

In my experience it’s not the food they are eating but it’s how they feel about themselves makes them struggle with their weight. Some of them are healthy eaters, they know what they should or shouldn’t eat. Many of them have removed all junk foods from their house and very careful when they eat out. Of course, their friends think they are “health nuts” and not so much fun to hang out with. Still they have hard time losing that last 10 – 15 pounds.

Decadent chocolate treat – are you kidding?

I met with one of such clients in a café in a late morning and ordered some herbal tea and decadent chocolate treats for both of us. She told me that she loved chocolate but she felt guilty eating those mini treats and only accepted one.

Aren’t you going to give me a list of Do’s and Don’ts?

I think she was surprised by my choice of snack. May be she was expecting to hear a list of do’s and don’ts or tips on calorie counting or follow a strict diet plan or using some self-discipline or will-power around food. She hired me as her Health Coach after all.

90-10 Rule works?

I told her I follow 90-10 rule. I eat healthy 90% of the time and give myself permission to enjoy dessert or some “not-so-healthy” food 10% of the time, especially while networking or hanging out with family and friends. Also while traveling I may only be able to follow 80-20 or even 70-30 rule and that’s ok.

We continued the program and…

She lost a few pounds within next few weeks. She stopped following a rigid “diet” plan and started following 80-20 rule, enjoyed going out with family and friends and not feeling guilty eating “not-so-healthy” food once in a while. She is motivated to exercise regularly and so on.

What really worked for her?

She gave herself permission to enjoy her life! She learned to love and accept herself and stopped getting consumed by dictates of food rules – low fat or low carb or no sugar and such.

Geneen Roth talks about her own experience with perpetual dieting and her emotional relationship with food in the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for practical easy steps regarding emotional eating and weight issues.

Please share if you read this book or your favorite book on emotional eating and body image/weight issues.