MelissaMcCreery

Often, emotional eating happens when people are trying to fill unaddressed gaps in the rest of their lives. Emotional eaters tend to be some of the most giving people on the planet--to everyone but themselves. Taking control of emotional eating also involves taking a close look at the rest of your life. Are you giving yourself what you need? Are you feeding your mind? Your body? Your spirit? I promise it will be much easier to avoid the munchies if you are feeding yourself high quality stuff in these other areas. Do you dream big? Do you dream at all? I talk to so many people who have been jolted by the realization that they've been so busy chasing their lives and doing everything that's "expected," that they've stopped moving towards creating what they really truly desire. So many people have wonderful dreams that are buried just beneath the surface--a book they'd love to write, a business venture they'd like to pursue, a race they'd like to sign up for, or a trip they want to take. If only. If only they had: more time, more motivation, more get-up-and-go. If only they weren't so busy, or if only they had--more money, more connections, more support. If only they could get organized, or if only they could get some time to think. If only they could figure out the first steps. Here's what I know: 1. The bigger we allow ourselves to dream, the more we accomplish and the more we start to see what is possible. 2. We don't have to be any more amazing than we already are to do amazing things. 3. We don't have to know exactly how we are going to make our dream come true in order to start pursuing it. But we do need to HAVE the dream. We do need to have to have a clear intention that we're going to do whatever-it-is and we do have to create space in our life for our dreams to emerge. 4. Big dreams usually don't require immediate big steps. Small, steady, consistent steps tend to create the most solid and enduring results. My coaching challenge for you: 1. You've heard this from me before--set some goals. It is vitally important to put what we want into words. Set goals that are concrete and goals that you can get excited about--both short term and longer term goals. Think about what you WANT to do, not what you think you SHOULD do. Choose goals that make you smile when you think about achieving them. 2. Ask yourself how and when you can commit time to your dreams. If you need to create some space, ask yourself what you can give up, say "no" to or delegate. Even if you only have fifteen minutes a day or one Saturday afternoon a month, claim your time. Schedule it for you and write it in your calendar. 3. Ask yourself what you need to get started. Do you need a boost in motivation or some inspiration? Do you need an actual place to work on your dream? A supporter or a mentor? More information? Don't expect yourself to solve this problem in one fell swoop. Try to define one small step you could take towards obtaining what you need. Write the step down and set a date by which you'll accomplish that piece. 4. Take Action. Sharing our goals is one of the most powerful steps you can take. Add a comment and share your dream or your goal and your first concrete step. Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. is a Psychologist and the founder of Enduring Change Coaching. She helps her clients create and live their very best lives and specializes in helping bariatric surgery patients maximize their success after surgery, offering powerful group, and individual programs and retreats for weight loss surgery patients. Melissa is the creator of the Emotional Eating Toolbox , a 28-Day Self-Guided Program for Taking Control of Emotional Eating and Moving Beyond Dieting. Learn more about the programs she offers and claim a free five session audio e-course, at her website.

Lap Band patients are often surprised to find old habits with food creeping back into their lives over time. Here's the hard truth: habits related to food, especially the habits of using food to care for emotional needs, are hard to break, but overcoming these habits and acquiring new tools for coping is an essential part of weight loss surgery success. Here are important steps to follow if emotional eating (eating when stressed, bored, lonely, anxious, overwhelmed, etc.) is an issue for you: 1. Identify it Name it for what it is. If you are eating because you are tired, angry, bored, sad, anxious or excited the first important step is to notice that this is what is happening. Try to get into the habit of assessing how physically hungry you are before you eat. Learning to pay attention to hunger cues is an important skill even if weight loss surgery has altered them and you are required to eat when you do not feel physically hungry. 2. Be a detective Sometimes this is most easily done by working backwards. If you have a day of eating that feels out of control, take some deep breaths afterward and do some detective work. Hold your judgment at bay and cultivate your curiosity. What was different about this day then the one before it? What led you to eat more? How were you feeling? When did you start thinking about food? 3. Learn your triggers As you practice the first two steps, you will begin to identify some "triggers." These are feelings or situations or circumstances that tend to lead you down the path of eating when you aren't physically in need of food. 4. Pay attention to your "basic needs" We all have basic needs for sleep, physical activity, stress release and relaxation, time alone and time with others. Take the time to know your needs in these areas and make sure that you are fulfilling them. As a weight loss surgery patient, you also need to pay extra attention to nutritional needs. Letting things like supplements, Protein and Water slide will affect your energy level and can drastically affect your eating (not to mention your health). 5. Start to develop a plan of attack As you learn to identify your emotional hunger and you start to develop an awareness of what triggers your emotional eating, you can start to develop alternate coping strategies. "What can I do instead of overeating?" and "What else can I start to do when I am feeling (fill in the blank with your trigger)?" are some of the most powerful questions you can start to ask. Don't feel defeated if you don't know the answers to some of these questions. Make a note of them. These are the areas where you will really want to start collecting more tools, strategies, and support to help you. 6. Be patient You didn't become an emotional over-eater overnight and you aren't going to overcome it in one fell swoop. Be gentle with yourself and keep working these steps. They will make a difference. Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. is a Psychologist and the founder of Enduring Change Coaching. She helps her clients create and live their very best lives and specializes in helping bariatric surgery patients maximize their success after surgery. Melissa is the creator of the Emotional Eating Toolbox , a 28-Day Self-Guided Program for Taking Control of Emotional Eating and Moving Beyond Dieting. Learn more about the programs she offers and claim a free five session audio e-course, at her website: www.enduringchangeafterwls.com.