How can I feel full? Suggestions on losing weight for a menopausal woman? Do you recommend any mediation support app?
These and other questions are answered this week by our food-addiction expert, Bitten Jonsson, RN:
Tricks to feel satisfied/full
I struggle with food addiction. However, I will go months without binge eating or self-sabotaging, but as soon as the idea comes up regarding a healthier diet, I find myself feeling hungry, restless, and easily tempted into "sneaking" a candy bar. In fact, weirdly enough, I will sneak these foods and hide to eat them. I am 33. Who am I hiding it from, me?
Sorry, in short, is there any type of food you would suggest that will create that feeling of being full?
Aubrie
Dear Aubrie,
The best food's to help satisfy our cravings are fat and protein. Any carb might trigger cravings, and so does fasting for us sugar addicts. We have very few tools to manage cravings, unless we learn as much as we can about our addicted brain and start collecting many different tools and practice changing behavior. The symptoms you mention are all from a fluctuating blood sugar and if you end up eating sugar, it will only be a merry-go-round and the "faulty" signal (from biochemistry) will be to "charged" and we end up experiencing constant severe cravings. I suggest you start by reading Dr. Vera Tarmans book Food Junkies, in order to understand about the brain and also join our support group on Facebook where we share many tools about recovery and where you will receive support.
Welcome, Bitten
Can't lose any weight
Hi, I'm Jaynie, 59 years old, in menopause and having a terrible time trying to lose 8 pounds. I have been on keto for about five weeks, a few tiny cheats and haven't lost a pound. I always take a long time to lose a pound on other weight loss programs. I exercise a lot and I am really frustrated. Suggestions?
Jaynie
Hi Jaynie,
First, five weeks is a very short time. It sounds as you have been dieting several times in your life and that is a problem. The more times we have been on-off, the harder it gets to lose weight. Menopause and your age doesn't make it easier. I suggest you take a really hard look at yourself. You say that you really want to lose weight and still you "cheat" which in my world sounds like loss of control over certain foods and you have made several attempts. Eight pounds is not a lot of overweight either, so could it be that you are too focused on weight loss? Obsessing about weight creates stress and stress hormones also make it more difficult for the body to release excess weight.
If you are a sugar addict, you need more knowledge about our addicted brain to stay off sugar/flour. If you are not, you need to think about keto to be about lifestyle changes and focus on other important health factors than just weight. Making friends with your body for instance and enjoy life without being on a diet. I suggest you go to my website and read more about sugar addiction to see if that's where you should start learning more.
Wish you the best,
/Bitten
Any mind/meditation app or programme to help keep a positive mind and be motivated to achieve a weight-loss goal?
Hi Bitten, my mind is the biggest culprit in sabotaging my goal of trying to lose weight (especially around the 7-8 week mark). Talking to others trying to lose weight is not something that I find as a supportive mechanism to keep me focused. Do you know of any type of mind/meditation app or programme that helps with maintaining that focus to stick to the goal at hand? any guidance would be sincerely appreciated.
Thank you, Sandy
Dear Sandy, I hope you focus on other health factors too than just losing weight. Being too focused ( maybe obsessed ? ) adds stress to our body which is counteractive. It also sounds like you have tried before and had stumbled around 7-8 weeks. If you are addicted to sugar, that's when the addicted part of our brain starts "complaining" wanting us to go back to our drug, sugar/flour. If so, you need many tools but most of all knowledge about addiction. I suggest you start reading "Food Junkies" by Dr Vera Tarman and join our support group on Facebook to learn more. One of my absolute favorite tools for food cravings is learning how to breathe correctly. I advice you to go to this website and learn more. You will find my story there too.
Wishing you great recovery, Bitten
19-year-old daughter at college?
First, I want to say thank you for the outstanding videos. I am convinced that my 19-year-old college daughter has a sugar addiction. She has struggled for many years and when she was home I repeatedly found hidden wrappers in her room. How realistic is it for her to fight her addiction in a college environment when she relies on dorm food? Any advice on the best way to approach this with her. I plan on showing her your videos.
Robin
Dear Robin,
Thank you for feedback on the videos. That is a tough struggle, relying on dorm food since that is mostly sugar/flour. She needs support of course, and lot's of knowledge in order to make better food choices and withstand peer pressure.
After she has seen the videos, maybe she is willing to read Dr. Vera Tarmans book Food Junkies to understand more about this and join our support group on facebook. We have more and more young people asking for help and planning to start online group teaching and support. If she is interested in that, ask her to send me an email at bitten.jonsson@bittensaddiction.com.
Warm regards to both of you,
Bitten