Food Addiction Recovery Has Arrived to Hilton Head Health

 



Hilton Head Health is a very successful business by many standards. You can’t remain in business for 35 years without offering a superior product or service. They have withstood the test of time while changing countless lives for the positive. I am thrilled to be a part of this very functional family.

However, my arrival here did not come without some hesitation and some pretty substantial scrutiny by the H3 staff. Likewise, I had to do some soul-searching to make sure the job they ultimately offered me (after a month-long, very demanding interview process) was a good fit for me. You see, they don’t let just anyone work here. They have a clear vision for how to help others enhance their health and are not derailed or distracted by health-enhancing fads or waves of popular research. The employees at H3 walk-the-walk and don’t promote the profuse number of quick-fix solutions that inundate all of us on a daily basis.

When I shared my story of recovery from food addiction during my interview process, the H3 staff responded positively to my experience but was apprehensive about my use of the term, “food addict.” Their concern with me referring to my struggle with food as an addiction, and my ultimate desire to share this label with H3 guests, was that it would create a negative stigma, or defeatist tone that might be counterproductive to the healthy lifestyle strategies they promote. It took some convincing on my part, and a lot of trust on the part of H3, to allow me to stick to my principles. I would move forward with my position as the new Director of Behavioral Health with aspirations of expanding the concept of food addiction within the H3 curriculum.

Fast forward seven months, I’m still here and the concept of food addiction has seamlessly made its way into several of my lectures. In fact, it has been enthusiastically embraced by many of our guests and has provided them with a new perspective on their struggles with weight. The dialogue has begun, and although it may only apply to a specific few, it may very well be life-transforming for those individuals. No longer do they have to look at their inability to control food as a defect in character or a complete lack of willpower, both of which produce shame and pervasive feelings of failure. Food addiction can be regarded as a flaw in the brain reward system, just like any other addiction, and can be managed quite successfully just like diabetes or heart disease. Fifty pounds lighter, six years now, and I can say with certainty that food addiction is treatable.

Now that the door has been opened, if you are interested in learning more about food addiction and its treatment, join me for an intensive three-day Food Addiction Recovery (FAR) workshop in June. Please take a look at the flyer and sample schedule for more details.

The Motherhood Transition

As I move well into my 3^rd pregnancy, it’s amazing to think about all the changes that have happened around me, and inside of me, over the past four years.  I started off as a career-driven young woman who was petrified to have children.  The labor process was especially frightful to me, and on top of that, seeing how much time and energy children took—it was one more reason to doubt I would want any of my own.  Apparently it was in the stars for me anyway, and now that I have 2 sweet angels of my own, I wouldn’t change it for the world. The nurturing and love for your child is something greater than you could ever believe.  They can brighten my day in an instant through a simple smile, hug or funny phrase.

Let’s be real though, it’s not all sunshine and roses.  The body changes and schedule changes alone can throw anyone for a loop.  Change happens in areas you never even imagined. The guilt you can also feel if your child is sick or hurt can be hard to bare. Although reality tries to reason with your thoughts to help you understand you do not have complete control over everything, it rarely wins the battle.  The transition back to work, what you feed your child, how you discipline, how you interact with your spouse in front of your children…so many new challenges and the strongest desire not to fail you’ve ever felt… all happening at the same time. 

For many women, the greatest struggle with motherhood is learning how to create the right balance between providing care for your kids and care for yourself.  Whether you have young children like me, you’re facing those challenging teenage years, or your children have grown and started their adult lives, I know you can relate to this challenge of self care. With that in mind, I am excited to share with you the anticipation of a new workshop we are developing for 2012.  The workshop will be for Mother’s to unite together to discover and practice self care. Developed in collaboration of myself and H3’s Director of Behavioral Management, Lisette Volz (mother of 2), this workshop will feature group support around issues like Wearing all the Hats, and Wearing them Well, A Mother’s Body Image, Finding Peace in Hectic Schedules, Fitting in Fitness, Life’s Cycles: Hands-on Cooking, and the much needed Girls’ Night.  Whether it’s baby weight, emotional weight, the pressure of time or managing the total load, we are planning a weekend focused on health, fitness and relaxation that any Mother needs.

I am very excited for the opportunity to work with this woman’s only workshop.  If you also share an interest in this topic, please share any ideas or areas you would like to see addressed!  Stay tuned for dates and more information for this workshop coming in Fall 2012!

**Official Workshop dates have not been set. If interested, please call (800) 292-2440 to speak with a program consultant.

 

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Taking Charge of Your Health

Last week – Jessica Lynn wrote a really great post addressing the why’s of weight loss.  Because many of the H3 Daily readers are H3 alums – I wanted to share a new workshop that addresses that exact message.  If you have ever said ‘I know what to do, why can’t I just do it?’ – this workshop might be of interest to you!

This March, one of our favorite guest presenters Johanna Smith-Ellis will return to facilitate our newest workshop – Personal Responsibility: Taking Charge of Your Health.  Our attitudes, relationships, communication skills and time management all play a vital role in our health, while excuses and blame can lead to the very unhealthy behaviors we’re trying to eliminate. She will help you rediscover your priorities and design a plan from the inside out that will build the foundation for sustaining your health habits. Take charge of your health—you own it.

A few sample sessions include:

Personal Responsibility - Explore your unique personal history and how it influences your present concept of what it means to be responsible.

Finding the Right Attitude - How do our attitudes affect our emotions and behavior? Can we change how we act by changing the way we think? Identify your attitude errors.

A No-Nonsense Approach - Think of motivation and behavior change as the chicken and the egg—which comes first?  What motivates you?

Priorities to Practice - Identify your priorities and develop time management skills to accomplish what means most to you in your life.  Most importantly, learn how to put it into action.

If you want more information – you know how to reach us!