Secret Eating

Do you wait until you’re alone to gorge on food?

Are you looking for a way to break this habit?

Secret eating habits can be hard to move past.

Some people use food as a way of asserting control over their lives, while others seek comfort in eating.

Whatever the reason, secret eating tends to carry with it feelings of shame and regret.

And as the compulsive cycle continues, it has a negative effect on the quality of your life.

Living a secret life

Secret eaters often become highly skilled at hiding their eating; only eating a little when around others, waiting for that time later on when you’re alone and can stuff yourself with unhealthy food.
That way, you maintain a façade of health.
But it’s not easy to hide for long. Because secretly gorging yourself on food can affect your life in many different ways, such as:
* Weight gain
* Ill health
* Low self esteem
* A general dissatisfaction with life
* A desire to be alone more and more often.

Meditation for long term success

I’ve discovered that the successful clients who lose weight and keep it off are the ones who do the inner work. They’re ready to confront their thoughts, feelings, love for self and how they perceive themselves. They’re willing to dig up emotional triggers and past traumas that have manifested into an unhealthy weight and/or their relationship with food.
Sitting quietly allows them to sift through their thoughts, challenge their limiting beliefs and raise their standards of what they want for their mind and body.  For example, a relaxed and welcoming state allows you to ask yourself questions about your health and the habits that hinder and promote it.

But I haven’t got time to meditate.
meditation can be done in as little as 2 mins a day but if the thought of forcing yourself to ‘relax’ causes you a ironically raised level of anxiety then don’t worry.
Start by being more mindful throughout the day. It can be really useful to write down your daily habits around food.
Those habits surrounding breakfast. Grabbing bites of toast whilst trying to get the children ready for school, the coffee grab as you arrive at work. The cake someone has brought in to the office because it’s their birthday. Lunch could be a quick supermarket trip for a meal deal or a local coffee shop.
Dinner could be anything you’ve got in the fridge or freezer.
The glass of wine when you get in from work.
The few pi cks whilst you’re preparing dinner.
The late night snacks sat in front of the TV.

None of this is right or wrong but being aware of it and writing it down can be the first step to changing those behaviours.

Just change one thing

Perhaps look to change 1 of those things such as slowing down when you eat or writing down what your eat (everything you eat). Sometimes we don’t want to write it down because that would be admitting to ourselves that we had eaten it.

Then build up that awareness. Perhaps make a coffee at home and take it with you. This will save on money too.
Did you know that a shop bought coffee a (working) day can cost us

If someone has never meditated before and is really just into losing weight, what’s the best first step in taking a more holistic approach?

Not to worry!  The best way to integrate a holistic approach to weight-loss is to understand that like traditional weight loss programs, it’s not a one-size-fits-all practice.

First, if you’re resistant to meditation, you can start by trying to become more mindful during the day or even just slowing down, especially while preparing meals, eating, and moving. This will help you start becoming more aware of any unhealthy habits and triggers that don’t serve your weight loss goals.