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Intuitive Eating. Health At Every Size Doctor

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mindset

Do I Trick or Do I Treat?

October 20, 2022 by Kerri Fullerton

Halloween can be a tricky dilemma for families, especially now when sugar and carbs are vilified by diet and wellness culture. Some believe we’re teaching our children to binge eat and that Halloween is unhealthy. At the same time, others believe that it is a childhood rite of passage.

Can you create healthy eating patterns for your children and participate in Halloween? I’ve heard of a few different strategies.

• Let your kids go collecting and limit how much they eat each day.
• Not restrict. Just let them have at it.
• Let them experience collecting candy but not let them eat it. Allow them to trade it for toys or cash.
• Not let them go. Take them to a movie instead.

My experience with Halloween was troubling as a child. I loved it! Up until we had to hand over our candy, and it was doled out in rations. It was stressful picking the one or two pieces I was allowed each day.

The best way to add value to anything is to restrict it. This is true in all areas of life. If everyone and anyone can get something, it’s not valued. If it’s rare, it’s revered, and its value increases. We want what we can’t have. And we know now from research that food restriction leads to disordered eating and secret eating. That is precisely what happened to me.

We are teaching our kids that candy is so special and rare. For some kids like me, this turns into a habit of secret eating and food hoarding. These children feel ashamed because they know they “shouldn’t,” but they can’t help themselves. They will ‘steal’ food and scarf it back as fast as they can before anyone catches them. This often leads to intrusive and obsessive food thoughts.

Perhaps it would be easier if you did not allow your kids to go trick-or-treating. Could that be a solution? Then there would be no candy to worry about. Unfortunately, being left out is hard on a kid’s self-esteem. Halloween is discussed on TV shows, at school, and with friends. It’s a big conversation – What will you go out dressed up as? What candy did you get? So as a parent, this wasn’t a solution for our household.

We’ve allowed my son to go out and get his loot. Of course, we go through it to ensure it’s safe to eat. Then when he is going to eat his candy, he eats with attention paid to the candy itself. At first, he wasn’t allowed to eat the candy mindlessly while watching TV or playing video games. He could eat at the table or sit on the floor with his candy spread out. Now, we don’t enforce the mindful bit as much. He’s learned to eat until he’s done.

What’s happened in my house using this approach is that candy is never gone. Every year there is always leftover candy getting tossed out the following September. Only the candy that is tasty and satisfying gets eaten. Over the years, there has only been one big tummy ache from overeating candy. That stomach-ache wasn’t enjoyable, so he hasn’t done it again.

If this is too scary, consider putting some candy out at a few different snacks and mealtimes throughout the weeks. Put it out with the rest of the foods that you’re serving. Let them decide what order they will eat their food in. If they know it’s regularly coming and can eat it without judgement, it’s much easier for them to listen to their bodies.

Remember, they’re going to be exposed to sugar in life. I see our job as parents to help them feel confident and competent in managing whatever food is in front of them. Trust is built through experience, so I believe that they need to experience a lot of different foods in different ways to see what feels good for them.

Filed Under: Blog Post Tagged With: antidiet, food freedom, Halloween, intuitive eating, mindset

When you’re brain just won’t stop

July 23, 2021 by Kerri Fullerton

Back in February Patrick got Covid. Since he had to isolate we decided to let Moose spend the two weeks upstairs to keep him company. Normally Moose is not an upstairs dog. He’s a big hairy beast and upstairs is carpeted so he’s only allowed up to cuddle right before bed ie: he’s only allowed up when he’s invited to do so.

Well, after spending two weeks up there with Patrick, he kinda took a shine to being an upstairs dog. So he started to wander up there at any time of day – with or without invitation. It didn’t matter that Patrick was back at school and not up there – Moose liked being upstairs.

It took a few weeks of consistently sending him back downstairs before he understood that the rules had gone back to before. During that time this 100 lbs dog was like a ninja – he tried every which way to get upstairs without our noticing.

This is what it’s like to train your brain. 

YOU decide when you’ll worry NOT your brain. That won’t stop your brain from trying every which way to ferret it’s way in. Just like Moose kept trying to sneak his way upstairs.

It takes time. It’s annoying and frustrating.
You’ll have to be vigilant for while.
And in time, just like Moose, your brain will learn to follow the rules.
Most of the time 😉
Just like Moose, it’ll need reminders from time to time. 

Click here to read the step by step training instructions on how to train your brain to stop worrying at 3am.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: mindset

You can do everything ‘right’ and still not get the outcome that you desire. That makes it hard to stay in the game. So what if you changed your focus to what is within your control?

July 16, 2021 by Kerri Fullerton

We’ve been told that all we need is grit and will power and we can have any outcome that we desire.

Guru’s abound with the secret formula for weight-loss, list-building, six-figure launches…you name it, it’s out there.

The trouble is, outcomes are not within our realm of control.

We can do all of the right things and still not get the outcomes that we want.

An athlete can train right and still not make the olympic team.
A musician can do all the right things and still not make it big.
An entrepreneur can follow the script and still have a launch fall flat.
You can exercise every single day and not need smaller pants.

There are too many variables outside of our control to guarantee a particular outcome.

This is why I focus on behaviours.

Behaviours are within my realm of control (my OWN behaviours anyway 😆)

This shift in focus allows me to celebrate my success based on whether or not I performed the behaviour, not on whether or not it produced a predetermined result. I can define my own parameter of success.

By not being single minded in my outcome (ie. lose xyz by such and such date), I’m able to see the many other beneficial outcomes from said behaviour. This motivates me to stay in the game instead of my self-esteem being chipped away. I’m far less likely to say eff it and let the pendulum swing way too far the other way.

This is the heart of weight-neutral care. It allows the space to focus on behaviours. After all, it’s the long-term behaviour changes that actually improve health outcomes. No one has ever achieved a long-term benefit from a week long behaviour 🤷‍♀️

Let’s chat

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: mindset, weight loss

Tips for getting through change

January 12, 2021 by Kerri Fullerton

Even though we knew lockdown was coming, it’s still not easy. Change is hard, even when it’s expected, because it disrupts our routines. Things get uncomfortable. We have to think about things that were automatic only yesterday and our focus gets scattered. This is normal and expected.

a sprout grows out of a crack to represent change
A young plant growing out of concrete. Concept of break through

Now that we’re into week two of at home learning, we can revisit our routines, schedules and expectations, in order to make adjustments. Remember the 3 D’s: Delegate, Delay and Delete.

Some of the routines worthy of our attention include: sleep, meals, and socialization.

Sleep

When our schedules get out of whack, sleep is often neglected. This is unfortunate at sleep has such a tremendous effect on our mental well-being, our hormonal response, and our intellect, specifically our focus and memory.

 It’s also important to recognize that we may need more sleep during times of high stress so now is hardly the time to be skimping.

Do your best to keep a consistent bedtime. Set an alarm to GO to bed instead of (or as well as) an alarm to get up.

Meals

Mealtimes contribute to our circadian rhythm. They help our bodies find the flow to the day (especially helpful when it’s cloudy all day and dark so early).

Stress can interfere with our ability to hear our intuitive body signals of hunger. So while we’re juggling all of the things we may not notice that we’re hungry. Top that off with caffeine, another interference for body cues, and we may find ourselves tired, unfocused and grumpy instead of ‘hungry’. In that state we’re far more likely to make food choices that don’t feel aligned with our bodies.

Feeding our bodies at  regular times can help curb that vulnerability later in the day. It can help us use pleasure foods for comfort instead of trying to make a meal out them.

You may decide to set alarms so that you don’t forget to remember. And keep it simple. This is more about eating regularly than what you’re eating. Remember that any food is better than no food.  

One final thought on food: it’s okay that food is a comfort right now. Lean into that so that you can do it with intention and compassion.

Socialize

Humans are social creatures. We NEED to connect with others. Now more than ever we need to be creative and intentional with how we socialize. Plan get togethers with friends by taking an online fitness classes; talk on the phone while you walk; plan watch parties (where you watch a show together-but-apart online or even on the phone); have lunch over Zoom.

I know that it’s not the same. It will be different. It’s like when I eat dairy free cheese; it’s not the same and I don’t expect it to be.

A couple of other things to make sure go into your schedule:

Laugh

This can be with the socialization piece but it doesn’t have to be. Find some funny YouTube channels (lots of comedians have these) or a find a series on Netflix or Prime that makes you laugh.

**Pease share your favourites in the comments so that I can check them out!

Mental health check

It’s okay to need help to get through this. If medication isn’t your jam then rest assured that there are some great herbs and amino acids that can help with stress, anxiety and melancholy. Things like St. John’s Wort, gaba, theanine, and ashwagandha to name a few. Please check with a professional to see what’s right for you. Natural does not mean safe. This is especially true if you have medical conditions or take medication, even birth control.

A conversation with a professional or support group can go a long way. It’s important to know that you’re not alone in how you’re feeling.

You could also check out some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs online. Many of these programs are covered by OHIP.

Everything that I’ve mentioned here isn’t a luxury. These are basic human needs. Sure your circumstances may require a modified version of implementation, that’s okay. Nuances are part of life. If I can help you tease that out, I’m happy to help.

I know that you’re tired. Be gentle with yourself. Beating yourself up will not lead to lasting change. After all, you can’t hate yourself healthy.

Until next time,

Click here to book at time to chat

Filed Under: Blog Post, Respect Your Body Tagged With: intuitive eating, mindset

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