How I Lost Five Pounds with JER(R)I

 I’m gonna come clean about my own weight … I WEIGH 179 POUNDS AND EAT TOO MUCH!  I’m Jill and I’M A FOODAHOLIC!  HI, JILL … If you’re in recovery or have seen Intervention, you probably know that this is the way addicts introduce themselves at (whatever) Anonymous  meeting they’re at.

And I DO think I have enough practice to FINALLY lose this 50 pounds I gained when I started my private practice and sat down for 20 years.  I’ve always felt guilty about being overweight while helping my clients lose up to 80 pounds.  Y’ know what they always say … “Physician, heal thyself”!

And then Jer(r)i showed up.  I have no idea how to spell her name because she keeps changing the spelling on me.  But I DO know what she looks like.  She’s older, sexy, and wears fishnet stockings.  I tried to find a picture like her to put on my refrigerator door and carry in my phone.  But every hosed image I found on the internet was of an adolescent, anorexic, suggestive-sex-object girl … I guess no one over twenty and a size 0 can wear fishnet stockings.  And the only full-figured female dolls or sculptures I could find were labeled “fat”.  I’m appalled but not surprised.

I DID find the doll above and e-mailed the artist to see if she could customize it for me … Jer(r)i’s gotta have fishnet stockings.  And yes … of course … she labeled her this way … “fat lady dumpling plump person” … UGH!  But she is kinda size-OK sassy.  So more and more I’m leaning toward having a local artist sculpt me a Jer(r)i to sit on a shelf in my office.

Why is all this important for you?  Well, I think stopping when your full is the key to maintaining a weight that works for you.  You can enjoy whatever you want, feel great about eating, and still maintain a size that feels good to you.

And I also think that if your fullness shows up, you need to listen to her. Jer(r)i has given me so many good ideas to reach my true weight … whether it’s 5 or 50 pounds from now.  Gee … I’m 71 … and I don’t know very many women my age who are still the same size they were at 50 … even my sister, who’s been slender and athletic since she was born.  So I don’t know right now where I’ll end up.  But I trust Jerri.  And, most of all, I trust the process.

OK … if me telling you that my fullness has shown up as an actual person that I can imagine in my mind’s eye and told me what to do has freaked you out … listen up!  I do a lot of guided imagery, self-hypnosis, active meditation, and other processes geared toward understanding myself.  I also do that with my clients as healing becomes much faster than just talking about their problems and modifying what they eat.

So it’s not uncommon for me to ask my clients what their overeating self looks like or have their friendly dragon’s fiery breath melt their bad feelings; imaging is very powerful because the mind doesn’t know the difference between actual happenings and images that you feed it.  And it’s much more vivid … and a lot more fun …. when you attack serious issues in this way.

So Jerri showed up … and here are the changes I’ve made since I “met” her …

1. I’ve mostly quit drinking. If I sound like a lush, I’m not.  But I DID enjoy one or two glasses of wine with dinner.  So now I don’t drink at all in the house.  And, when I go out, I limit myself to one glass.  I feel better, have more energy, and I’m sure that drinking less, even though the calorie change is minimal, has contributed to this few-day five-pound loss.  And feeling better is my ultimate goal anyway.

2. I’m mostly eating at home and making foods I love. I just know I eat too much when I go out.  And, quite frankly, like to eat at ethnic restaurants where the food can be really heavy.  I’m also not very great about sticking to my gluten-free regime when I’m craving Indian naan or a fresh-baked baguette.

So I made my faves gluten-free quiche and split pea soup this week … both of them are in the recipe section of my website.  And just polished off both today (there’s also more soup in the freezer if I’m craving it).  I’ve got some Chinese pork tenderloin marinating that I’ll make tonight and use in a stir-fry.  And also make some vegetable fried rice … mine is full of flavor without so much fat.  I’ll get some other things to make this week when I go to the store.  And will include some vegetables and fruit to round it all off.

I’m not ruling out eating out.  Or drinking a glass of wine a couple of times a week.  But when I make foods I love that are also good for me how can I resist?

3. I’m asking Jerri about my fullness. Look, I used to teach the hunger scale … and encouraged people not to start eating until about 3 or 4 and stop eating at about 7 on a 0 to 10 scale.  Problem was most people couldn’t do it … they had a hard time personally identifying their fullness with those numbers.

 Then I heard at a recent symposium that this tool we’ve been using forever wasn’t a good idea … that it was just better to rate your FULLNESS.  I tried it … it didn’t work for me.  Or for any of my clients for that matter.

Now, I’m just asking Jerri.  All I need to do is imagine her around, ask her in my mind “Am I ready to eat?” or “Am I full?” and she instantly answers me.  And I take her word for it.  I guess the part of me that overeats interfered too much with the hunger ratings.  So entrusting these decisions to the part of myself that seems to take care of me better than I can take care of myself makes sense to me.  Even if that part DOES wear fishnet stockings.

I’m a firm believer that, when you’re ready to make a change, you will.  You need a lot of knowledge, which I have.  And a lot of support, which I do.  It’s never a perfect thing … but eating isn’t perfect … and who would want it to be.  Because appetites are very complex.  But it seems that I’ve given over my well-being to the best part of myself.  And that’s a totally comforting thought.

Leave Your Comments About FEEL your Fullness Below

How do you feel your fullness?  Or how do you know when to stop when you’re full or satisfied.  Do you have another mechanism in place to stop eating when you’re full?