Struggling With Food

STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES

Are you telling yourself , “I can’t lose weight because I love food so much.” This is very common and you are not alone. There is a solution to this problem.

John (name changed) was on the diet merry-go-round, he would start a diet every Monday morning and by Tuesday afternoon be back into the junk food. He would beat himself up and his self-esteem would take a nose dive. Does this story sound familiar?

One day he decided enough is enough and started looking for professional help. One of his friends suggested he hire a Diet Coach. The next day I received a call and we started working together. During our sessions together John discovered he was telling himself constantly, “I love food so much, it makes me feel better and I can never lose weight.” We started exploring his story and discovering what was behind it. John was unhappy in his job and instead of focusing on finding a new job he ate to make himself feel better. Once John discovered the real reason for his food obsessions he could take the steps to find a new job and lose weight at the same time.

Working together John realized he really loved working with people instead of sitting behind a desk and writing computer programs. We devised a plan where he would start talking to other computer programmers. What John found there was a need to help people understand the new software programs they just bought. John researched different companies that hired software trainers. While conducting an informational interview with a software company he was offered a job as a trainer.

During this process, John stopped focusing on the food and put all his attention on finding a new job. A miracle happened, he was able to eat healthier meals, give up the junk food and to his amazement he lost weight.

What is behind your story that you can’t lose weight? I invite you to try the following exercise:

1. Write down all the things that are making you unhappy.
(Example: 1. Neighbors are not very friendly.
2. There is no place within walking distance to walk my dog, etc.)
2. Rate them from 1 to 5 (1 not important and 5 very important)
3. Determine which of the items you rated a “5” is the most important.
(Example: Neighbors are not very friendly.)
4. Write why this item is stopping you from moving forward in your life.
(Example: I feel alone and worry if I have an emergency no one will help me.)
5. Decide what action steps you are going to take to solve this problem.
(Example: I am going to start saying hello and talk to my neighbors.)

Please let me know what you have discovered while completing the exercise above. Once you have uncovered what is behind your story you can take the steps to make the changes and stop focusing on the food. I can be reached by leaving a comment on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.com