Vickie's Viewpoint

In the previous blog we pointed out some of the recognizable characteristics of overweight women. For example, they eat to relieve stress or eat quickly or tend to be carbohydrate addicts. But what about the hidden traits? These are the characteristics that overeaters themselves my not even be conscious of.

Here’s Some Not so Obvious Traits of Overweight Women…

They might have a tendency to…

• Eat often unconsciously while reading or watching TV.

• Be scared of change.

• Feel guilty after splurging.

• Have no idea what their dreams are.

• Have a large capacity to tolerate, stuffing down every little thing instead of setting boundaries.

• Put others ahead of themselves.

• Have a hard time saying “no” when offered food. It’s difficult to disappoint others.

• Focus on getting a quick fix instead of working on their long term goals.

• Either under earn, over spend or both.

• Binge eat alone.

• Have a clutter problem.

Can you think of any others? I would love to get your comments.

Click here to see more information from Vickie Champion on weight issues.

I have been overweight most of my life. My weight has fluctuated from 20 to 100 in excess pounds. From experience, presenting numerous workshops (CA, WA, OR, CO, AZ, NV, TX, MO) and from my life coaching clients who have hired me to help them with their overeating, I’ve learned a bit about the shared traits of overweight women.

Here’s Some Traits of Overweight Women…

They have a tendency to…

• Eat more quickly.

• Emotionally eat to relieve stress and numb themselves.

• Do very little if any exercise on a regular basis.

• Hate to see food go to waste.

• Live or associate with others that are also overweight.

• Dislike their appearance.

• Be carbohydrate addicts.

• Use food as a reward or source of pleasure.

• Be in poor health like having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or heart conditions.

Sure there are exceptions. Maybe you are one of them. Drop me a note and share your experiences with weight with me.

Click here to see more information from Vickie Champion on weight issues.

A few months ago I searched the web for any information I could find on the hCG diet before trying it. I even read a couple of books about it. What I didn’t find is much info on the mental challenges that people experience and how we cope with that.

Just like any weight loss program, I think the hCG diet has it’s own set of mental challenges. What makes this diet different is the speed the weight comes off (1 to 2 pounds a day), the lack of exercise required, and the unforgiveness of the diet, if you cheat even slightly.

Here are Some of the Mental Challenges of the hCG Weight Loss Diet…

• Immediately having to replace emotional eating with another activity. Most diets fill this void with a lot of exercise.

• Dealing with the difficulty of socializing. Almost every event revolves around unhealthy or addicting foods.

• Handling the depression that can come when we hit a plateau and have days without weight loss. Again, this can be intensified on this diet more than others because of the speed with which we have been losing weight.

• Struggling with the guilt if we cheat. On the hCG diet one little slip can not only stabilize our weight, but might even cause actual weight gain, which magnifies the guilt.

• Contending with our rapidly changing self-image. Many of us have been overweight for so long, it takes some adjustment to see ourselves as “normal” or “thin.”

If you want help with overcoming the mental challenges of the hCG weight loss diet, contact Vickie Champion at 480-838-9866 or click here and leave a short message.

Everywhere we look we find information on ways to lose weight, but for a refreshing perspective let’s look at how to keep our excess weight and maintain that painful relationship we have with food.

Here’s How to Stay Overweight:

• Talk about your excess weight as much as possible. Mention how hard you try to change your eating and exercising habits, and don’t forget to point out flaws in your body others might not have noticed. This way you can get that much needed attention even if it’s negative.
• Think about food constantly: What should I eat? When can I eat next? How much do I eat? And, how will that affect my body? Of course, focusing full attention on food doesn’t leave much energy for thinking about other more creative pursuits like your dreams.
• Devote enormous amounts of time on food. Busy your day with hundreds of food activities: counting calories, weighing food, reading labels, shopping for specialty foods and devising healthy ways to cook. This allows little time to do anything enjoyable.
• Look for an easy fix, a miracle cure… maybe a pill, a little surgery, the latest exercise or a miraculous new diet. By looking for a fix outside you, the real cure stays safely hidden.
• Depend on food for emotional help. Use food for comfort, as a reward, to relieve boredom, to express anger or as a punishment. This is an excellent method for literally stuffing down life’s little situations.
• Constantly compare your body with others. This is a wonderful way to remind yourself that who you are will never be good enough no matter what you weigh.

These 6 approaches not only ensure that we stay overweight and maintain our painful relationship with food but will keep us exhausted. There is no telling how happy we could be or what we could achieve if we weren’t focused on food.

To read more about weight issues, look at these articles by Vickie Champion: Use Meditation to Improve Your Relationship With Food, Is Losing Weight Becoming Too Much of an Uphill Battle and Playing Your Part to End Your Child’s Problem With Food.