Through life experience as well as years of client consultations, I have learned there is so much more to food than just food. It’s a complex and emotional issue for many people, much beyond tastebuds, hunger and basic fuel.
If you are struggling to maintain a healthy weight, even more emotions may come into play. (And considerably more if you are trying to maintain an unrealistic weight.)
Wellness is such a deep well: honest self-assessment is required to get to the point where you can draw out the life-giving truth.
In researching long term weight management, I’ve regularly come upon the phrase “dietary disinhibition.” What does “dietary disinhibition” mean to you? Perhaps you’ve never heard or thought of the term. By definition, it describes a time when there is a lack of control over eating.
Those who have high levels of dietary disinhibition may be likely to lose self-control related to food intake after consuming a “trigger” or forbidden food, during a stressful or emotional time, or when consuming alcohol, for example. They are also more likely to eat quickly, have frequent episodes of overeating, have more disordered eating symptoms and higher ratings of perceived hunger.
There are consistent, strong correlations with these types of eating patterns and unhealthy weight gain, as you might expect. For many people, even satiety doesn’t tend to override the cognitive processes related to this type of disinhibited eating. In other words, though the feeling of fullness causes the unrestrained eating to stop for many, it does not for everyone.
The question to ask yourself based on this information might be: “what situations might set me up for waning self-control?” Only you can answer this question, and the answer may differ in various seasons of life. Would you take a moment to consider this?
Worth repeating…wellness is such a deep well: honest self-assessment is required to get to the point where you can draw out the life-giving truth.
Perhaps being too restrictive triggers overeating, or even binging, once the restraint wears off or once you are “sick of dieting.” Perhaps it’s a well-deserved vacation (a cruise for example), a laid-back Saturday, a late night when you’re too tired to think sensibly, or a time when alcohol is consumed and restraint is abandoned. Another instance might be an emotional state that leads you to look for comfort in food, but you find yourself feeling worse in the aftermath — regret quickly replacing the momentary enjoyment.
Once you have done some soul-searching in solitude, you can brainstorm and erect the proper guardrails to set yourself up for success. (If you are thinking you don’t need any, consider this: Does the Golden Gate Bridge need railings? I mean doesn’t everyone know not to drive off the bridge?!… Exactly). Everyone needs accountability for those moments of humanity when the unintended may happen. It’s not a sign of weakness to armor up for battle, is it? (Neither is it a sign of weakness to have a strategic splurge that is slowly savored and fully enjoyed. To be clear, the regret-producing losses of self-control are what the guardrails are engineered to prevent.)
As Mother’s Day weekend approaches, I am reflecting on one of life’s greatest privileges and how important this concept of guardrails is in so many different areas of life. Our little ones are taking cues from us as parents and they are more likely to do what we do than what we say (perhaps they occasionally conflict?). We can’t properly teach them the balance of their great potential for success and their equally great vulnerability, if we have not taken inventory of how well we are striking that balance ourselves…and setting up strategies where indicated.
Are you aware of your battlefronts or potential vulnerabilities? Despite my big ambitions and driven nature, I have been (slowly) accepting my humanity more and more each year. In doing so, I have learned to station loved ones at all of my life’s greatest battlefronts, where disinhibition of various sorts may tempt me, but where the significance is worth the strategy.
Literally, I have a friend waiting for an early thumbs up text from me each morning to signal that I am in my “Time-with-Jesus” chair — accountability I’ve requested to ensure I don’t sleep through the most critical appointment on my daily agenda. I have a loved one that awaits a happy face emoji each night confirming I stayed within my health-related guardrails. My husband of 19 years waits for me on the porch each Thursday night for our no-excuses 2-hour block of media-free, kid-free connection. I have 3 kids that would not even consider going to sleep without their one on one tuck-in-time with Mommy. People are the best kind of guardrails.
I’m okay with admitting I am better with accountability from every angle, even if my realization of my need for it may have been acquired the hard way. For all those blessed to “mother” others (whether born to you or not), let’s do the hard work of assessing ourselves and enlisting accountability. And not only because little eyes are watching: you are worth being Your Best version of you – even if no one is watching.
Happy Mother’s Day weekend. Enjoy your celebration (and your strategic splurge) with your nearest and dearest. Below is a recipe I’ve enjoyed at special occasions. Enjoy!
Special-occasion Corn Casserole
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 (12-ounce) bag of frozen mixed peppers and onions
2 eggs
½ cup Smart Balance, melted
1 (17-ounce) can of whole kernel corn, drained
1 (17-ounce) can of cream-style corn
3 (6-ounce) packages of corn muffin mix (Martha White brand)
16 ounces plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add pepper mix and stir for a few minutes, until browned.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Fold in cooked peppers. Pour into a 9×13 casserole coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until set. Makes 16 “side” servings.
Nutrient Information (Serving size: 1/16th of the casserole)
Calories 233
Total Fat 8g
Carbohydrate 33g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 6.75 (2g Added Sugar)
Protein 8g
If you want to download the E-book version of my Cookbook so you can learn how to make more delicious treats for your family, click here!
