mind over eating

My name is Betty and when I started my weight loss journey I weighed 342 pounds and was on nine different medications. I also had diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. As of today, I weigh 185 pounds and don’t have any of these conditions anymore.  According to my husband’s insurance guidelines, it was mandatory that I take the mindful eating classes. Three months into the Mind Over Eating Program, I lost 28 pounds. In total, I have lost a 154 pounds in the last two years after having gastric bypass surgery.

The Mind Over Eating classes taught me how to have a healthy relationship with food. Some of my biggest perceptions I had to change were, “I don’t like the taste of water,” “I’m too busy to take the time to eat,” “I’m not a breakfast person,” “I don’t like breakfast foods,” and “I don’t have time to eat breakfast.” I learned that my thought patterns along with many others were controlling my decisions.
My pattern prior to the classes was to skip breakfast, and then around 11am I would start snacking and continue the process of eating all day long. If I was busy, I wouldn’t snack but if I had the feelings of boredom I would replace it with eating. Boredom was a very uncomfortable feeling for me and I had to learn that the feeling of boredom was ok. Instead of using the word “bored” I repositioned it as “down time” or I would find something to entertain myself with other than food. The key thing I learned in the classes was that I needed to be aware of why I was doing what I was doing and what was at the root of my actions. I realized through the classes that long-term weight loss is a lifestyle change because these are things I could use on a daily basis.

The surgery was a huge tool that I am so grateful I chose to undergo, but old patterns can always creep back. I believe in my heart of hearts that if it wasn’t for the Mind Over Eating Program and the tools and techniques provided that I would not be as successful as I am today. I now have the knowledge and confidence to know that this is a lifestyle change and I will keep the weight off.