What is Your Weight Loss “Heart-Set” and Why Does it Matter After 60?
As a registered dietitian, the clients and patients I see are usually struggling with health issues such as overweight, obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and more.
Why Can’t I Do It?
And here’s the question I get asked nearly every day . . .
“Karen, I know what I’m supposed to do, so why can’t I do it?”
It really doesn’t make sense. Most people these days know about carbs, proteins, fats, and fiber. Many of my clients could write a book on the subject! But the reality is that even with all that knowledge, they are not able to make the changes they desire – and thus aren’t able to reach their goals.
Are You Stuffing Your Feelings?
Take Mary, for example. She was referred to me by her doctor for diabetes. After a couple of nutrition sessions, I knew there was more to the story.
Mary’s husband worked while she stayed home and took care of their five children. She spent most of her life caring for others, but she was never really happy.
She stuffed her emotions and ate her way to over 300 pounds. She shared with me that she had tried every diet under the sun but no matter what she did she couldn’t keep the weight off.
Experts say as much as 75% of our overeating may be in response to our emotions rather than to our physical hunger.
Until I knew how to fix this, I was definitely a part of these statistics.
I can still remember way too many nights, sitting on the couch, binging on Netflix or mindlessly scrolling on my phone, with my hand in a bag of chips, not even tasting them anymore.
Or eating a carton of cookie dough driving home from work, and stashing the empty container in the bottom of the outside garbage can where nobody would find it. Or having corn chips for a little snack – 15 minutes after breakfast.
Sound familiar?
Maybe This Sounds Like You
Food is your “drug of choice.” You want to stop “using” but you don’t know how. You know better logically but it doesn’t seem to matter.
Eating is a battle – whether it’s big portions, stress eating, mindless bored eating, or constant confusion about what’s “good” or “bad.”
Your fridge and pantry are stocked with “healthy” options, but you somehow manage to find the “treat” stash, and before you know it, you’ve eaten the entire bag, box, or carton.
Trust me. I’ve been there, done that.
But I have good news! It’s not really about the food.
Of course, nutrition is important, but the real problem is your heart-set.
What Is Your Heart-Set?
So what the heck is a heart-set? Well, your heart-set is your emotions. It’s how you feel. And how you feel plays a huge role when it comes to your food and body issues.
The bottom line is, your emotions are triggering your cravings, binges, and overeating.
But why is this good news? Because you can heal your heart-set by resolving the underlying feelings and emotions that are sabotaging you. That’s when you get the results you are looking for and deserve.
When you know how to manage your emotions, everything changes! You’re free from stuffing and tranquilizing your feelings. You no longer have to fill the void with empty carbs that make you feel better in the moment but have disastrous effects when it comes to the scale and your wellbeing.
If you’re ready to feel better without self-medicating with carbs, I warmly invite you to watch my free online training:
I’ll share with you the same five steps I teach my clients when it comes to losing the weight and keeping it off – without diets and deprivation. Oh, and by the way, Mary lost over 100 pounds and has kept it off for years!
What is your heart-set? What have you done to minimize your weight problem? What strategy has worked for you? Please share with our community.
