Post by Brittany Gowland

Just like so many of my fellow Americans, I partake in the guilty pleasure of reality TV, usually with a smile on my face, but I can’t stop myself from becoming saddened by the television shows that chronicle the weight and body image struggles of celebrities like Carnie Wilson and Kirstie Alley. Many people can relate to these women and feel relieved knowing that even when you’re famous, you can fall victim to a fad diet and experience yoyo-like weight loss and weight gain.

Carnie Wilson underwent gastric bypass surgery to “solve” her weight problem, only to have gained weight in the end, and is now struggling (in front of millions of people) to try to figure out what to do.

Kirstie Alley has been in the spotlight for years, always because of her weight. After losing 75 pounds and becoming the spokesperson for Jenny Craig, she regained that weight plus some. Recently, Kirstie Alley has vowed “to lose 100 pounds again!” which I suppose she will attempt to do with the help of a weight loss product that she is currently endorsing.

The missing element in both Wilson and Alley’s solution is that they do not address their underlying relationships with food, weight, and body image. This portrays the message to all individuals watching that they too can ignore their own food issues. Newsflash: No weight loss plan/diet/exercise regimen, etc will ever be successful without first resolving other issues.

Carla Wolper, a researcher at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York, states exactly what I’m thinking when she says, “It would be nice if there was somebody out there doing it the right way”. But then again, I guess that wouldn’t make for a very interesting TV show.

On the contrary, I commend actor and comedian Jeff Garlin who wrote about his struggles with food in his new book “My Footprint”. It is not very often that a male, especially a famous one, speaks out about his insecurities. I applaud his honestly as he discusses his compulsiveness with food and his never-ending diet plan. It is comforting to those suffering to know that anyone, regardless of gender, can face these issues that he has identified, and will hopefully overcome.

I just watched Geneen Roth on Oprah, discussing her new book Women, Food and God. Bravo to Oprah for addressing the real reason people struggle with weight and eating. Finally she is getting off the diet roller coaster and getting to the source of the problem.

I just read this book last week.  It was a very enjoyable read.  I’ve long loved Geneen Roth’s work, as she has written many books on the topic of overeating.  She declares this book to be the culmination of the message she has been trying to convey for years.

While she does not address her ‘guidelines’ throughout the book, she slips them in at the back of the book for reference. The meat of the book is really looking at why we use food. Food is the drug of choice for many people in this country, largely due to the fact that it is not actually an illegal substance, so we can easily get away with using it to alter consciousness.

She doesn’t discuss how food makes us feel better, but anyone who has used it for reasons other than hunger knows its effectiveness all too well.  There is an actual neurological response to food that promotes feelings of calm and pleasure. It can activate Serotonin in the brain (just like Prozac), as well as endorphins, etc.  So it actually is an effective tool for soothing ourselves.  Except when it becomes the primary method of doing so, which often leads to weight gain and self-loathing.

Her guidelines are as follows:

1. Eat when you are hungry.
2. Eat sitting down in a calm environment.  This does not include the car.
3. Eat without distractions.  Distractions include radio, television, newspapers, books, intense or anxiety-provoking conversation or music.
4. Eat what your body wants.
5. Eat until you are satisfied.
6. Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others.
7. Eat with enjoyment, gusto and pleasure.

Someone commented on my last post that I just seem to bash all healthy eating advice, but offer no solutions.  Actually, I have written extensively on my main website, linked to this blog, about the non-diet approach I use with my clients and in my own life.  I do bash typical healthy eating advice since it does not seem to be helping anyone.  In fact, as the traditional healthy eating chatter has grown louder, there has been a steady increase in obesity as well as eating disorders of all kinds.  That makes it pretty bash-worthy in my book, and to do otherwise would be unethical.

Ms. Roth is one of many voices of the non-diet movement.  Early adopters included Jane Hirshmann and Carol Munter in Overcoming Overeating and Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole in Intuitive Eating.  This approach is the only effective treatment of eating issues I have seen either in research or in practice.  This method allows people to normalize their relationship with food, which greatly decreases binges, overeating, and non-hunger eating. This can allow the gradual process of the body moving toward its set-point weight.  Weight loss is not the focus or the goal, but rather it is the relationship with food that is the problem to be solved.

I can tell you that there are many days where I still marvel at the fact that I can (and do) eat whatever I want, and my body maintains a stable, natural set-point weight. I do not have to think about food, weight or my body.  I can enjoy the pleasure of eating, but it does not rule my world.  In the past I was certain (because of the pervasive message in our society) that I would have to actively manage my weight for my entire life.  I thought my body was some untamed beast ready to spring out of control with exponential weight gain if I lost vigilance for even a moment.

I didn’t know this was a problem, and I lost many years to this belief.  Those years were lost because all thoughts were about food and body.  I couldn’t enjoy being present in my world.  It was only when I woke up to the idea I could trust my body that I found the freedom to really live again. I am constantly grateful for this liberation, and I work passionately to help others liberate themselves.  So a great big, juicy Thank You to Geneen Roth and the power of Oprah to spread this word to the masses.

Sometimes you have to lose 10 lbs. or 200 lbs. to realize the skinny dream is nothing but a fantasy.  Much like its cousin, the rich dream, skinny doesn’t equal happiness. For those who are below a healthy weight, there are often behaviors in place that make them down-right miserable.  But that is another story.

The focus of this article is looking at the reality of weight loss.  Many people hold off on life until they ‘lose the weight’. This provides a protection, in many ways, from taking risks in life.  If you have an excuse (I’m too fat, my nose is too big, etc.), you do not have to do all the big things you wish you could do.

If only I could bottle the hope and excitement of the person who declares “I’m going on a diet!” The wistfulness is palpable as you see them drift off into the fantasy of what will be.  They will likely find Mr. Right, get their dream job, and on and on.  Oprah was brave enough to do all of the things she wanted to do despite her weight (thank goodness she didn’t put things off until she was skinny).  The sad part is, you can almost feel she is still resting true happiness on the hopes that one day her body will be different than it is.

This level of enthusiasm  for the Next Great Diet is only there for the first few tries, though.  After that it is almost a joke as you reach for more of whatever it is you will not allow yourself to eat on the diet.  At some point even just the thought of dieting leads right into a binge.

For those few people (2% of all dieters) who actually keep the weight off over time, the reality is harsh.  Often there is a hyper vigilance with food that is all consuming.  Life is not so much fun. But worse than that, all of those promises of what it would be like to be thin (the sky opening up to angels singing from the heavens) are not fulfilled.

Now you don’t have your fall back excuse for not having the life you want. Now it is all on the real you–not the facade.  It always was about the real you, but now you cannot deny it anymore.

What if you pretend your body is not going to be different.  Assume your body will be as it is today for the rest of your life. Nothing you eat (or don’t eat) and no amount of exercise will change your body.  Now, what do you want to do?  Love your body as it is (every single part) and get on with your real life.

My views on nutrition were not always like they are now. I was a hardcore health nut for many years.  There is even a term Orthorexia, which I would say accurately describes my past.  That fanaticism is why I chose to be a dietitian in the first place.  As I went through school, my attitudes began to shift.  This was largely due to the fact that it seemed unethical to put people on diets, knowing 98% would regain their weight.

So it’s late, and I’m too tired to come up with major wisdom right now. However, it seemed neglectful for me to not start posting on my blog.  I didn’t want it to be naked.  This is where you come in. Ask me a question–anything related to a healthy lifestyle.  Well…you can ask me about anything. I just want you to take responsibility for forcing me to make stuff up if it is outside of my areas of expertise.

If you don’t have a question, you can just tell me something delicious you’ve eaten lately.  Please not anything about barley, salads, or dry tuna–that is not how we roll around here.

Q:  So 2 years ago I stook to a weight watchers type diet, and got down to 117 and was very happy. I would fluctuate 3-5 bi-weekly, but then lil by lil my bad habits took over again and I’m back at my heaviest 140! ((( You used to love me please help, Lol… Should I try the weight watchers again? At my now weight, the book is allowing me 19 points a day with every 50 cal(s) being a point, plus 35 points allowance a week to use at my leisure. Sounds smart? It worked last time, will it again?

A:  All programs like that typically result in weight loss…in the short term. So while you say it worked, it really didn’t–statistics show 98% of those who lose weight in this way will regain it (usually within a year). They artificially restrict your intake, but do not address the real issues with food. Weight gain is caused by non-hunger eating…

Q:  Hey, I started my food journal today. Do I have to write absolutley everything down? Like even the sample bite of red velvet cupcake that I had at Starbucks this morning when I was picking up my triple shot latte and the 2 or 3 “New Moon” conversation hearts (one of which said I heart E.C.) that I popped in my mouth on the way to a meeting??

A:  No–it is not a guilt food journal–it is used as a tool to determine if you need to make any changes in your typical day. So if you go 6hrs between lunch and dinner and then overeat all night–that is a clue you need an afternoon snack. And if the snack doesn’t hold you, you can look at your journal to see you need to add protein, etc. If you do think you are taking lots of little bites and it is an issue, then you might think of saving those things until snack or when hungry. People emotionally eat, but don’t feel emotional–it just is soothing through the day to snack, it eases anxiety.