In Weight Loss We Have to Become Creative and Inventive

Emotional eating - the mother of invention

 

Recently while running some emotional eating workshops in the Sutherland Shire for the ladies participating in the Curves Women's Fitness Centres, Weight Loss Challenge, I was approached by a woman who voiced to me her desire to change her relationship with food. She told me of an incident that had happened earlier that week, where she was so desperate to stop the cycle she had done something she feel was truly embarrassing. I relate the story below.

She had fed her children and was wiping down the table when she noticed a plate with a crumbed calamari ring still on it. She found herself about to pick it up and eat it out of habit when she realised she didn't want to and in desperation she sprayed the calamari with the Spray and Wipe she had in her hand to ensure she wouldn't eat it. She was very embarrassed by this behaviour, while the rest of the group applauded her and laughed out load at her inventiveness and their admiration at her thinking outside the square. This was the start of changing the brains neural pathways and her discovering new ways to help her with her weight loss.

In weight loss, as in any other avenue in our lives where we wish to promote change, we have to become creative and inventive in how we first facilitate change and to nurture it along until it replaces old habits and behaviours.

I asked her if it was OK if I told her story to the group without using her name and she said yes, even though she felt really ashamed of what she had done. Once I related this story to the group they were amazed at her inventiveness and some of the ladies said they wished they'd thought of it and where now going to follow her example if they felt they needed to.

I admired the Spray and Wipe lady for her creativity and inventiveness as well as her courage to have her story told to everyone in the group. Bravo!

 

About the Author

I am a qualified, registered & insured counsellor practicing in the southern suburbs of Sydney Australia. I have been seeing individuals, couples and families for a variety of difficulties from relationship and communication issues to self esteem and grief problems.