Breathe and release

A couple of months ago, I was talking to a client about why he always “Shoots himself in the foot” when it came to his weight loss. He said that he knew that when stressed, worried or whatever he ate and kept eating, and he knew that this was because food comforted him. It relaxed him and made him feel better and he knew why. His childhood had been sometimes stressful, except at mealtimes. Meals were stress-free, there was no anger, there were feelings of being loved. This had carried on to his life as an adult: he (over)fed friends and family. He spent hours planning special meals and cooking huge amounts. He conveyed his love by bringing people together around his kitchen table. It is important to know that he has a wonderful relationship with his long-time partner, a career he loves and a lifestyle that is exactly what he wants.

We talked about how he might start to tackle these feelings, break these habits, and stop allowing these to undermine his weight loss efforts. We agreed a plan of action that included having a piece of paper in his kitchen that asked the question “Are you hungry or are you stressed?"?he committed to himself that he would write the answer every time he found himself in front of the fridge when it wasn’t mealtime.

Last week we had one of our weekly 1-2-1s and I asked how it was going. He said it was going great because he had found this process stopped him from eating when he wasn’t hungry, and he had learnt a lot about why he eats. He said he had also started to say “Breathe and move on” In other words he released his stress by breathing deeply and then he moved on to the day. He said he had also begun to accept that he was no longer a child, he could take?control of his eating habits, just as he had taken control of his life. He had begun to tell the voices in his head to “SHUT UP”. (See https://www.glenyschatterley.uk.com/food-is-never-the-answer/)

The result? He’s lost more weight; a pair of his trousers had started to fit better and he is more relaxed. In fact, he has found his way to balance and manage his weight…he has a plan!

Would you like some help starting your weight loss story? Go to:

https://www.glenyschatterley.uk.com/free-steps-to-success/?and download my

7 Stepping Stones to success.

Have fun, stay safe.

Glenys