I was surprised to learn that lack of sleep can affect weight gain. This became clear to me as I watched Dr. Oz's intervention with an overweight couple. They both looked much younger after changing some lifestyle habits which included getting more sleep. And they both lost weight as well. This has motivated me to put getting enough sleep high on my list of priorities. The first thing I do when I wake up is see what time it is and calculate how close to eight hours its been since I went to sleep. I give myself big points when I get to seven or eight hours in a night! And my body feels so much better as well.
Another factor is why we eat. Do we eat because were hungry, because were feeding our emotions, or for some other reason. I have experienced a range of emotions during the past ten years as I've recovered from the accident, and some years I just decided to allow myself to enjoy food because there wasn't much else that was fun in my life. That was okay for awhile, but only temporarily. Continuing that habit long term just wasn't going to be good for me physically.
During the past two years I've done alot of writing. This required some creative thinking that was new for me, and I tended to gravitate toward something crunchy like crackers when I was trying to birth new ideas. Somehow it did seem to help the process along. But again, I've chosen to make that temporary, though it would have been easy to continue that habit! It's funny ... a couple of times I've gone back to try those crackers again and they just don't have the same appeal. Luckily!!! I seem to have shed some of those old cravings, and I'm going to stay on this road and find healthy ways to satisfy cravings.
Speaking of cravings, another factor in obesity can be addiction. It's possible to use food as a way to deal with emotions we have, or just to feed a habit of addictive behavior. Maybe we stopped drinking or smoking and now we've turned to food to replace the substance that got us in trouble in some other way. It's probably a smarter strategy to look at ways to deal with the underlying addiction. There are Twelve Step programs and medical programs that can provide guidance and support during this process. Even though changing a habit that's so deeply engrained in our way of life can give us the impression well lose our whole support system as we know it, and perhaps look as though life will be no fun at all, this doesn't. have to be the case. Many people who have the courage to take this path find an even more interesting and fulfilling life post-addiction.
Best wishes,
Marilyn McLeod
Marilyn@PersonalizedHealthCoach.com
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