In my work as a Mind-Body Nutrition Coach, the one aspect I see consistently amongst clients is how their emotions impact their eating, and yet many times they are completely unaware of it.
When people approach me about working together, they almost always cite their lack of exercise and overeating as to why they’re overweight, yet it's fascinating too how naïve they are about why they’re doing what they’re doing, or not doing.
Figuring out your core emotional drivers is absolutely essential to losing weight. Without knowing how your brain is currently programmed, or how to reprogram it, will keep you stuck in the same loop you’re in over and over.
Here is the pattern I used to repeatedly sink into that you might find familiar:
1. Find a new diet and become convinced that this time was different!
2. Plan a day to begin, and charge out of the gate with intense drive and renewed enthusiasm (but refuse to tell anyone in case I failed).
3. Do GREAT for a week! Maybe two. Three at the most.
4. Crave chocolate.
5. Deny chocolate.
6. Pretend I was happy, knowing I was doing the right thing.
7. Crave more chocolate.
8. Restrict and look away.
9. Develop a complex about myself and my inability to control my cravings.
10. Feel miserable.
11. Continue to crave chocolate.
12. Justify reasons why it made sense to eat it.
13. Eek out the few remaining drops of willpower I could muster and deny myself once more.
14. GIVE IN!
And even if they do, it doesn’t last long because none of their subconscious programming has been reprogrammed in order to prevent the behaviors that made them gain weight in the first place, hence the reason you tend to "fall off the wagon."
My own weight issues stemmed from the fact that I used weight for protection, not so much because I couldn’t control myself around food. No matter how much willpower I had, my subconscious always won out because I was programmed to believe that being at my ideal weight wasn’t safe, so every time I lost weight, I gained it right back, typically within three months.
No amount of Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers was ever going to fix that. I had to work on my subconscious programming first, which is where all learning and change takes place, so that my new habits became my new subconscious.
For example, it was easy for me to down an entire box of Girl Scout cookies in one sitting, or a chocolate pie, or a pint of ice cream, because in my mind, the more weight I had on me, the safer I was, which is a belief I developed as a teen and carried with me well into adulthood, until I realized I was doing it.
Once I did, I was able to change it, and now my mind understands a new belief which is that I can use my mind instead of my body to protect myself. I don’t need fat to tell someone that I don’t want to date them, or that I’m afraid to get close to them because they might hurt me, or that I’d rather be left alone.
In other words, I use my intellect now to keep people away instead of fat.
Your mind is so powerful and has the ability to fill you with all kinds of false messages and beliefs which prevent you from getting the very things you want most in life, all because of a limited belief system that was imprinted on you most likely as a kid, which is based on other people’s beliefs and still dictates the decisions you make today.
One client, Myrna, is a classic example of how this works. Until we started working together, she was in a reactive pattern with her mom when it came to food. When she was a child, her mother was very restrictive with her food in an attempt to regulate her weight, but Myrna felt deprived. Therefore, as an adult, she unconsciously rebelled against her mom by eating anything she wanted, whenever she wanted, and wound up 60 pounds overweight.
Ultimately the pattern she was in only ended up hurting her and kept her from what she wanted more than anything – to settle down, get married and have kids as how she looked and felt robbed her of any confidence she had dating. Her resentment toward her mom is what is known as a take away emotion in that it took her away from her desires, and hurt her self-image at the same time.
In helping Myrna reprogram this pathway in her mind, she was easily able to let go of eating behaviors that weren’t serving her and in the process, drop the weight that was preventing her from having the confidence to get back in the dating world so that she could ultimately find the right man to marry.
Which she did.
Every action begins with an emotion, including how and when you eat, and why. When you overeat, there is first an emotion that triggers your overeating, and in order to change it, you need to understand the emotion and why it was triggered. Otherwise, you’ll never access that part of you that needs changing in order to manifest your goal weight for good.
Breaking free from emotional eating is truly a life-changing, empowering experience that will permanently course correct fluctuating weight cycles and give you back your confidence, freedom and motivation to live life to the fullest. Any other attempt at weight loss will leave you feeling broken and defeated like so many millions of other women.
My best advice: Work on emotions first, then weight loss will follow, naturally.
Grab a copy of my free eCourse on how to stop emotional eating here and never struggle with weight loss ever again!
Angela Minelli is an author, speaker and founder of Angela Minelli International, a heart-based global business serving purpose-driven everyday women and entrepreneurs whose self-image and weight issues are inhibiting their confidence and blocking them from pursuing their life’s passion.
Angela's joy is in taking a stand for women who are living less than ideal lives, stopped by fear and doubt, which prevents them from stepping into their innate power and delivering their God-given genius to the world. Her coaching programs and products are designed for women with busy lifestyles yet allow for powerful transformation to take place within a small segment of time.
As a natural health practitioner and digestive health specialist, Angela specializes in helping people overcome weight and energy issues through holistic, non-invasive protocols that address the root cause of their conditions, including adrenal fatigue, candida, thyroid disorders, and more.
Explore the ideals that are the cornerstone of her work at angelaminelli.com.