What to Do About Food Noise [Ep. 150]

WEBVTT

00:00:00.042 --> 00:00:00.762
This is Eat Well.

00:00:00.762 --> 00:00:05.711
Think Well Live Well podcast I am Lisa Salsbury and this is episode 150.

00:00:05.772 --> 00:00:07.692
What to Do About Food Noise?

00:00:11.364 --> 00:00:12.144
Welcome to eat well.

00:00:12.773 --> 00:00:19.373
Well, the podcast for busy women who want to lose weight without constantly counting, tracking, or stressing over every bite.

00:00:19.704 --> 00:00:26.614
I'm Lisa Salsbury, a certified health weight loss and life coach, and most importantly, a recovered chronic dieter here.

00:00:26.643 --> 00:00:30.184
You'll learn to listen to your body and uncover the reasons you're reaching for food.

00:00:30.393 --> 00:00:35.673
When you're not truly hungry, freeing you to focus on a healthier, more fulfilling approach to eating.

00:00:38.890 --> 00:00:45.280
So I didn't even really register until today that this was gonna be episode 150, which is like, so fun.

00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:48.280
Um, it's just, you know, little milestone things.

00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:50.649
So I was like, oh, I should do something special.

00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:58.659
But, um, I didn't have anything like new or unusual other than just like a really great episode if I do say so myself.

00:00:58.659 --> 00:01:00.429
I'm really excited to share this information with you.

00:01:00.429 --> 00:01:04.930
I've done quite a bit of research for this episode, so let's just jump right in.

00:01:05.030 --> 00:01:07.760
To understanding food noise, what is it?

00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:12.650
And, you know, what is this like nagging thing that, that we maybe have?

00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:22.790
So first I wanna define it, food noise is the persistent, intrusive thoughts about food, and it's often unrelated to physical hunger.

00:01:23.269 --> 00:01:28.700
So some examples of this would be like thinking about dinner while eating lunch.

00:01:29.424 --> 00:01:31.944
Not so much like, what am I going to have for dinner?

00:01:31.944 --> 00:01:38.094
Like, oh, we're gonna have Mexican food, so I don't want to eat a quesadilla for lunch, but like, when do I get to eat next?

00:01:38.484 --> 00:01:39.325
That kind of thought.

00:01:39.325 --> 00:01:40.194
See the difference there?

00:01:40.525 --> 00:01:44.545
It's um, constant food planning beyond meal planning.

00:01:44.575 --> 00:01:49.375
It's the background chatter and it's also questions like, did I eat too much?

00:01:49.765 --> 00:01:51.265
Um, I can't wait till lunch.

00:01:51.295 --> 00:01:52.435
When should I eat next?

00:01:52.435 --> 00:01:53.575
When can I eat next?

00:01:53.575 --> 00:01:56.305
When will the next time that food be available?

00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:58.590
Maybe there's something better in the pantry.

00:01:59.010 --> 00:02:02.430
These are the kinds of thoughts that would be considered food noise.

00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:13.530
You can differentiate it from normal appetite or interest in food because it's often like thinking about food while you're still eating And so.

00:02:13.586 --> 00:02:20.966
People without a lot of food noise can often go several hours without even thinking about food or when they'll eat again.

00:02:21.626 --> 00:02:32.276
A good friend of mine described this as like that siren call to the pantry at night when she was trying to wind down, and it's also often the first thing you think of when you wake up.

00:02:32.936 --> 00:02:34.705
So it's persistent.

00:02:35.225 --> 00:02:41.915
Even when you're not physically hungry, and it's kind of an ongoing background mental activity.

00:02:42.725 --> 00:02:49.265
So it can be tied to emotions, to habits, to mental load, which we're gonna talk about.

00:02:49.836 --> 00:02:52.175
It doesn't always lead to eating.

00:02:52.656 --> 00:02:57.455
This is an interesting kind of caveat, but it takes up a lot of brain space.

00:02:58.371 --> 00:03:00.290
So it's different than cravings.

00:03:00.290 --> 00:03:04.550
I wanna kind of differentiate the two between food, noise and cravings.

00:03:04.971 --> 00:03:09.890
Cravings are strong and often sudden desire to eat a specific food.

00:03:10.341 --> 00:03:15.830
You're probably gonna feel this in your body, like, um, that pole towards salty chips or chocolate.

00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:21.741
And it can be accompanied by physical sensations like mouthwatering or restlessness.

00:03:22.161 --> 00:03:27.080
Cravings tend, as opposed to food, noise cravings tend to be more acute.

00:03:27.561 --> 00:03:31.700
And specific I want ice cream, right?

00:03:31.881 --> 00:03:36.531
Whereas food noise is more of the background chatter for any food.

00:03:36.711 --> 00:03:38.031
When are we going to eat next?

00:03:38.061 --> 00:03:38.420
Right?

00:03:38.931 --> 00:03:48.061
Cravings tend to be triggered by um, emotions, restrictions, habits, and they are a little bit more easily managed with awareness or distraction.

00:03:48.091 --> 00:03:53.341
And of course, using some of my tried and true coaching methods for managing cravings, which.

00:03:53.841 --> 00:03:57.860
Is, you know, involves processing them just like any other feeling.

00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:08.531
So lots of episodes available on this for you, but cravings tend to sound a little bit more like an emergency, whereas food noise is that constant background.

00:04:08.651 --> 00:04:09.131
Hum.

00:04:09.566 --> 00:04:15.265
Okay, so that's a little bit of the definition and how it's different than cravings.

00:04:15.265 --> 00:04:28.016
I, so I hope that's clear and you can identify if this is something that you, um, that you notice in your life or if it's kind of, um, something that happens to you like in certain periods or certain times of the month.

00:04:28.045 --> 00:04:33.206
So it's not something that has to be, like, it has to be all consuming to be considered food noise.

00:04:33.475 --> 00:04:33.745
Okay.

00:04:33.745 --> 00:04:35.245
There's definitely different levels.

00:04:36.355 --> 00:04:38.935
Let's talk about how food noise can develop.

00:04:38.935 --> 00:04:43.766
So one way is that it could be an innate or on the biological level.

00:04:44.065 --> 00:04:48.685
So some people may have a brain that's more responsive to food cues.

00:04:49.045 --> 00:04:55.855
So there's obesity research that suggests that that those living at higher weights have a higher sensitivity in their reward pathways.

00:04:56.156 --> 00:05:00.055
Things like in the dopamine pathway, in the ghrelin pathway, those kinds of things.

00:05:00.925 --> 00:05:07.946
These studies also show that people with lifelong struggles with weight often experience more intense food thoughts.

00:05:08.396 --> 00:05:23.875
So when it comes to understanding why food noise shows up, for some people more than others, especially in those who struggle with overeating or with obesity, researchers have two main theories that seem almost opposite, but both can make sense depending on the individual.

00:05:24.250 --> 00:05:30.911
So number one is the hyper H-Y-P-E-R, hyper responsiveness theory.

00:05:31.451 --> 00:05:37.000
So this view suggests that for some people, the brain's reward system is extra sensitive to food.

00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:45.971
So when they see or even think about food, especially highly palatable processed foods, their brain lights up more than someone without that sensitivity.

00:05:46.761 --> 00:05:55.310
Imaging studies have shown that people with obesity often have greater activation in the brain's reward areas when they're shown pictures of food.

00:05:55.610 --> 00:06:10.370
And this might help explain why food thoughts feel more persistent or harder to ignore because the brain is responding to those cues more intensely, which could lead to more cravings, more food, noise, and potentially overeating.

00:06:11.396 --> 00:06:16.766
On the flip side, we have the hypo HYPO, hypo responsive theory.

00:06:17.305 --> 00:06:19.526
This one is a little bit of a different angle.

00:06:19.526 --> 00:06:25.826
It suggests that in some people, the brain doesn't respond enough to food once it's actually consumed.

00:06:26.305 --> 00:06:31.435
So while the anticipation of food might still be strong, the satisfaction or reward.

00:06:31.716 --> 00:06:33.336
After eating is blunted.

00:06:34.055 --> 00:06:43.596
So in this case, people may keep eating more than they need, not because the food is more tempting, but because their brain isn't getting that satisfied signal.

00:06:44.045 --> 00:06:56.375
Some imaging studies here show that people with obesity can have a lower activity in the part of the brain called the dorsal striatum, which plays a role in that feeling reward.

00:06:57.386 --> 00:07:01.386
So, it can have a lower activity there when they eat.

00:07:01.386 --> 00:07:10.685
So while these two mechanisms are different, the hyper and the hypo responsive one is about the brain lighting up too much in anticipation.

00:07:10.735 --> 00:07:13.045
And the other is about it not lighting up.

00:07:13.156 --> 00:07:25.755
Enough after eating both can contribute to overeating and a constant mental focus on food and either one could be a factor in why food noise feels so loud.

00:07:25.846 --> 00:07:30.255
For some people, it's like you think about food because it's so amazing.

00:07:30.495 --> 00:07:36.105
In the hyper responders or because you're just never satisfied in the hypo responders.

00:07:36.735 --> 00:07:41.615
So that is one way that, researchers believe that food noise can develop.

00:07:42.396 --> 00:07:46.175
Um, the second way is actually my theory.

00:07:46.386 --> 00:07:52.235
I have not like confirmed this other than anecdotally with other women.

00:07:52.966 --> 00:07:56.896
And especially I talked to a woman, um, who has been on.

00:07:57.310 --> 00:08:03.521
GLP one medication for about a year and a half, and she was like, a hundred percent.

00:08:03.521 --> 00:08:04.870
That is my lived experience.

00:08:04.870 --> 00:08:10.120
So, you know, my sample size is very small, but I'm gonna give it, I'm gonna give you this theory anyway.

00:08:11.321 --> 00:08:17.380
I think that food noise can be especially common in women who have been the food manager in their homes.

00:08:17.831 --> 00:08:23.620
If you hold the mental load of managing the food for the family, let's think about what that entails.

00:08:24.065 --> 00:08:27.636
I've been married for 29 years and my oldest child is 26.

00:08:28.175 --> 00:08:37.235
I was a stay at home mom, a home engineer, if you will, and one of my jobs was to keep everyone fed and this is what I feel like that entailed.

00:08:37.885 --> 00:08:44.875
Knowing the inventory of the fridge, the pantry, the freezer, making grocery lists and shopping for all the food, usually at multiple different.

00:08:45.105 --> 00:08:49.245
Locations, the regular grocery store, the Costco type grocery stores.

00:08:49.485 --> 00:08:57.046
Sometimes I even went to, um, a, like a cheaper place because of course, when we were young and had little ones, we were living on a budget.

00:08:57.436 --> 00:09:00.796
So keeping track of the staples as well as the perishables.

00:09:00.796 --> 00:09:14.385
You don't need flour and, you know, oats every time you shop, but you've gotta keep track of that inventory, remembering everyone's preferences and requests for food, knowing which kid likes Hammond mustard on their sandwich and which, which kid likes Turkey and avocado.

00:09:14.436 --> 00:09:14.796
Right.

00:09:14.796 --> 00:09:17.765
You gotta remember who likes what when you're out and about.

00:09:17.765 --> 00:09:19.025
Are the kids going to get hungry?

00:09:19.025 --> 00:09:19.985
Do I bring snacks?

00:09:19.985 --> 00:09:21.245
Will there be food when we get there?

00:09:21.245 --> 00:09:29.346
Will they like said food when we arrive at someone else's home, trying to make dinners that are healthy, affordable, quick, and liked by everyone.

00:09:29.375 --> 00:09:31.865
This is a impossible task.

00:09:32.375 --> 00:09:35.196
Figuring out what meals align with the schedule, right?

00:09:35.196 --> 00:09:42.125
We need quick dinners on practice nights, freezer meals for when I'm working late, remembering who's eating where and when.

00:09:42.660 --> 00:09:44.791
You've got kids that are eating at friends' houses.

00:09:44.791 --> 00:09:48.721
You have a partner that might come home late and not be available for dinner.

00:09:49.052 --> 00:09:58.293
I know my spouse traveled quite a bit for work, so my meal plans were different based on if he was home or if he was not home when they were little.

00:09:58.538 --> 00:10:01.477
I made breakfast and lunch also plus snacks.

00:10:01.477 --> 00:10:04.597
And if you're not a stay at home mom, you're packing all of that stuff.

00:10:04.597 --> 00:10:08.768
So you've gotta make all of that food ahead to send with them to daycare or school.

00:10:08.768 --> 00:10:12.307
And maybe it's taken care of at some, but not always.

00:10:12.878 --> 00:10:15.967
Um, then you have to keep track of the leftovers from the dinner you made.

00:10:16.043 --> 00:10:17.393
Make sure those don't go bad.

00:10:17.423 --> 00:10:19.102
Make sure we have left overnight.

00:10:19.102 --> 00:10:20.692
Are there things that need to be used up?

00:10:20.962 --> 00:10:28.793
Like you have ingredients that you used a partial amount for, something that you purchased and you need to plan something else to use it up before it goes bad?

00:10:29.482 --> 00:10:37.942
All the while trying to feed yourself and trying to model healthy eating while managing your own relationship with food.

00:10:38.423 --> 00:10:40.312
Are you exhausted listening to that list?

00:10:42.148 --> 00:10:47.398
This can continue into midlife even after these responsibilities lessen and kids leave the home.

00:10:47.658 --> 00:10:50.467
Because this is so ingrained in what you have done.

00:10:51.008 --> 00:11:03.278
If this wasn't your lived experience, maybe because you didn't have children or your partner really split the food manager role with you, then that's great, but this is just one way that I see food noise showing up for my midlife clients.

00:11:04.072 --> 00:11:13.102
This kind of mental rehearsal around food day in and day out can absolutely condition your brain to keep food top of mind.

00:11:13.222 --> 00:11:22.192
And over time, this contributes to your own personal food noise, even when you're not actively hungry or needing to make all of these decisions.

00:11:23.341 --> 00:11:23.672
Okay.

00:11:23.672 --> 00:11:25.761
What could make food noise worse?

00:11:25.812 --> 00:11:32.562
So let's say you have what you consider food noise, but you notice that some days it's better, some days it's worse.

00:11:32.591 --> 00:11:32.922
What?

00:11:32.951 --> 00:11:33.851
What's going on there?

00:11:33.971 --> 00:11:34.211
So.

00:11:35.397 --> 00:11:45.726
I know you're gonna be like, not at all surprised when I tell you this list, but obviously stress, poor sleep, those are gonna be top of list for making food noise worse.

00:11:46.147 --> 00:11:48.667
Also, over restriction and diet mentality.

00:11:49.417 --> 00:11:49.447
I.

00:11:49.537 --> 00:12:04.267
So diet mentality specifically here is, um, well, it's a lot of things that I talk about on this podcast, but think about things like labeling food, good or bad, believing that some foods are off limits or special occasion foods, earning foods with workouts.

00:12:04.326 --> 00:12:09.697
Um, the constant feeling of needing to start over because you had one like off limit food.

00:12:10.116 --> 00:12:12.937
Those kinds of diet mentality thoughts can make food noise.

00:12:13.121 --> 00:12:14.142
Worse.

00:12:14.322 --> 00:12:17.861
Um, another thing that can make it worse is exposure to food cues.

00:12:17.861 --> 00:12:25.751
So things like ads, social media, constant availability of food, just driving by your favorite donut place every single day.

00:12:26.261 --> 00:12:36.192
Um, or on a closer to home example, walking by the pantry that you stock with what you're calling kids specific snacks, but of course you love them as well.

00:12:36.922 --> 00:12:41.961
another thing that can make it worse is like emotional triggers or boredom.

00:12:42.381 --> 00:12:50.121
So this can be a big one, and that is also like that, that sort of siren call to the pantry at eight 30 or nine o'clock.

00:12:50.152 --> 00:12:52.432
It's not, it can be a craving.

00:12:52.642 --> 00:12:59.902
Sometimes it's like a specific thing you're heading for, but often it's just this underlying need to go get something.

00:12:59.902 --> 00:13:02.572
I have to have some food.

00:13:03.397 --> 00:13:04.417
So, okay.

00:13:04.476 --> 00:13:09.366
I think we've pretty well established what it is, what, what causes it, what makes it worse.

00:13:09.366 --> 00:13:13.236
Let's talk about some solutions for managing the food noise.

00:13:13.807 --> 00:13:20.496
Some of these are gonna sound similar to managing cravings, so that's why I wanted to be clear about the differences in the beginning.

00:13:20.496 --> 00:13:32.527
Even if some of these solutions tend to sound the same, they, um, they are some of them, but they also can, there's also some things that we're gonna be talk that I'm gonna give you that are specific to food noise.

00:13:32.947 --> 00:13:40.417
Also, remember, there are different levels of food noise, and not all food noise is problematic in terms of weight for a person.

00:13:40.417 --> 00:13:42.216
So not all people with obesity.

00:13:42.412 --> 00:13:51.731
Struggle with food noise and conversely, There are people of normal weight who do struggle with it and can do some managing of it through some of these solutions.

00:13:52.091 --> 00:13:55.331
Okay, so number one would be awareness and self-monitoring.

00:13:55.692 --> 00:13:58.751
So journaling when food thoughts come up.

00:13:59.636 --> 00:14:02.547
If it's a constant chatter, we can't be writing all day.

00:14:02.667 --> 00:14:11.547
So if you are on like the lower end of food noise where you're hearing it, but it's not super intrusive, you can journal at the end of the day about some of these thoughts.

00:14:11.547 --> 00:14:15.356
It's not like in the moment having to do it, you know, journaling in the moment I.

00:14:16.106 --> 00:14:20.456
There is a new tool called the Food Noise Questionnaire to assess patterns.

00:14:20.966 --> 00:14:24.687
This just came out in a study that was published in January of this year.

00:14:24.687 --> 00:14:32.427
So I have not personally incorporated this into my practice yet, but there is some evidence that it could be used going forward.

00:14:32.606 --> 00:14:40.706
So this would be something on the self-monitoring aspect where you would take it and then several months later after doing some work, you would take it again.

00:14:41.246 --> 00:14:42.777
It was shown in the study to have.

00:14:42.792 --> 00:14:48.371
Excellent internal consistency and strong test, retest reliability.

00:14:48.371 --> 00:14:54.432
So it, that indicates that it consistently measured the construct of food noise over time.

00:14:54.642 --> 00:14:58.481
So that's kind of how this study read like this was kind of their, their.

00:14:58.937 --> 00:15:00.767
Uh, conclusion, if you will.

00:15:00.767 --> 00:15:07.517
So it could be a good tool for self-monitoring, um, right now to see if what you're doing is working.

00:15:07.996 --> 00:15:10.427
I just, like I said, I haven't incorporated it.

00:15:10.427 --> 00:15:14.596
I, I didn't even find like a ready to go one that we could use.

00:15:14.866 --> 00:15:19.726
So, um, this is kind of like one of those, like possibly on the horizon kind of thing.

00:15:20.476 --> 00:15:20.981
Um, but.

00:15:21.491 --> 00:15:28.715
Until we get that, using your journal to just be like, noting down how you are feeling can be really helpful.

00:15:29.345 --> 00:15:33.485
So there's also some cognitive and environmental strategies, so.

00:15:34.264 --> 00:15:39.754
Simply like pausing before eating, managing stress and sleep.

00:15:39.845 --> 00:15:41.644
Obviously I said those made it worse.

00:15:41.644 --> 00:15:48.095
So managing stress and sleep and then reducing exposure to unnecessary food cues.

00:15:48.095 --> 00:15:50.075
So this is some environmental strategy.

00:15:50.375 --> 00:16:00.245
Sometimes my clients and I talk about not just not bringing certain foods into the house when we're working on cravings because it just requires so much extra work.

00:16:00.394 --> 00:16:00.605
Right.

00:16:01.384 --> 00:16:06.154
When you have a craving for something that's readily available in the house, it's, it's just more work.

00:16:06.184 --> 00:16:16.235
And so it's not that we can't do that work to process the urge, it's just about making the early part of doing this work when you're really working on the change part a bit easier.

00:16:16.235 --> 00:16:18.424
So same with food noise.

00:16:18.485 --> 00:16:22.355
You can just choose not to have certain foods in the house.

00:16:22.804 --> 00:16:26.705
Or another way if you're like, well, I have to have like.

00:16:26.855 --> 00:16:32.434
A cheese cracker for my kids, like choose snack foods for other members of your household that don't interest you.

00:16:33.034 --> 00:16:41.164
I, I'm not like a huge cheese cracker person myself, but I have half my family like Cheez-Its, and the other half like goldfish.

00:16:41.404 --> 00:16:54.485
And so if you were like part of my family, if you were just like, okay, well I don't have any interest in goldfish, like that would be a solution for you to just like choose the goldfish for the kids and then you're not interested if you're like a Cheez-It fan.

00:16:54.544 --> 00:16:54.845
Right?

00:16:54.845 --> 00:16:57.245
So, um, just trying to choose snack foods.

00:16:57.264 --> 00:17:03.144
That you, that might not interest you as much as, um, some of the ones that might be more of a trigger for you.

00:17:03.865 --> 00:17:09.174
And then another thing you can do on the like cognitive environmental strategy side is to set up.

00:17:09.605 --> 00:17:15.244
Structured predictable meals to reduce the constant decision making.

00:17:15.365 --> 00:17:17.015
Ah, I love this one.

00:17:17.464 --> 00:17:17.944
I love it.

00:17:17.944 --> 00:17:21.575
It's the core behind my go-to meals free ebook.

00:17:21.875 --> 00:17:26.434
I eat the same breakfast like 95% of the time because I just don't wanna think about it.

00:17:26.434 --> 00:17:28.654
And it really does help reduce that.

00:17:28.654 --> 00:17:30.275
Like, what am I gonna eat for breakfast today?

00:17:30.275 --> 00:17:34.444
Food noise for me when I wake up, because I already know it's already decided.

00:17:34.674 --> 00:17:38.934
It's a go-to meal, so if you don't have that, be sure to download that.

00:17:38.934 --> 00:17:41.575
It's, um, that link is always in the show notes.

00:17:41.605 --> 00:17:47.575
It's been a free resource for years and years for my clients and, and future clients, so that's always available to you.

00:17:47.575 --> 00:17:57.714
But yeah, just getting a structured, predictable meal plan going can really help so that you can just reduce some of that decision making, if that is one of the causes of your.

00:17:57.940 --> 00:17:58.569
Food noise.

00:17:59.470 --> 00:17:59.769
Okay.

00:17:59.769 --> 00:18:02.170
And then we have the emotional work side.

00:18:02.470 --> 00:18:10.630
You might need to address some emotional attachments and roles tied to food, especially, uh, if you have this as a caregiver.

00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:16.660
So taking a look at that mental load that you may have carried over time, if that is still affecting you today.

00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:19.690
Um, so coaching or therapy.

00:18:19.714 --> 00:18:22.295
It could possibly help unpack some of this.

00:18:22.345 --> 00:18:26.275
Maybe you could call it over responsibility for others' food needs.

00:18:26.785 --> 00:18:33.894
Um, there also might be some scarcity feelings here, especially if food was not plentiful for you as a child.

00:18:34.164 --> 00:18:40.795
So if you grew up in an environment where there was food insecurity, that most likely would be a good thing to work through.

00:18:40.795 --> 00:18:50.059
With a therapist that is some emotional work that could be contributing to your food noise and that would be a good thing to get worked out, in therapy.

00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:58.490
Just, and I, and I say that because therapists are much better equipped than coaches and the way I was trained to work on childhood issues.

00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:01.099
Um, okay, so.

00:19:01.535 --> 00:19:03.365
A couple more things we can do.

00:19:03.454 --> 00:19:05.615
Um, nutritional interventions.

00:19:06.154 --> 00:19:10.265
So from the nutritional side, making sure you're getting enough protein.

00:19:10.265 --> 00:19:13.984
And this obviously goes back to some of those like go-to meals.

00:19:13.984 --> 00:19:16.204
All your go-to meals are going to be high protein.

00:19:16.474 --> 00:19:19.625
And so you don't have to think about to, am I getting enough protein?

00:19:19.625 --> 00:19:24.394
Because if you're designing these meals around protein and um, fiber.

00:19:24.964 --> 00:19:26.434
You are going to be getting enough.

00:19:26.434 --> 00:19:28.805
So making sure you're getting enough protein.

00:19:28.835 --> 00:19:35.734
And I define this by the way, as 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight.

00:19:36.125 --> 00:19:38.795
So there are online calculators that can help you with that.

00:19:38.795 --> 00:19:43.295
You don't need to go all the way up to the gram per pound of body weight.

00:19:43.295 --> 00:19:44.704
That is a bigger number.

00:19:44.974 --> 00:19:46.085
that's going to be a lot more.

00:19:46.444 --> 00:19:51.484
That's that number when you see that one out in the world in online spaces.

00:19:51.690 --> 00:19:54.329
Is typically for muscle building.

00:19:54.509 --> 00:20:03.569
So if you're trying to really put on pounds of muscle, that's when you're looking at a pound, or sorry, a, a gram of protein per pound of body weight.

00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:15.269
Um, but to maintain muscle as well as to get just kind of be in that I'm getting enough protein to help calm my brain, 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight.

00:20:15.984 --> 00:20:19.015
second nutritional thing you can do is limit added sugars.

00:20:19.015 --> 00:20:27.444
Of course, this is not including the sugars found in dairy or fresh fruits and vegetables, but limiting, adding, um, added sugars.

00:20:27.444 --> 00:20:31.404
So these are, you know, sweet treats, cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins.

00:20:32.244 --> 00:20:34.015
So those are really the two.

00:20:34.075 --> 00:20:45.234
There's, there's other things that we could do nutritionally, but just, just for starters, these are the two main things that are going to really help from the nutritional aspect.

00:20:45.865 --> 00:20:46.194
Okay.

00:20:46.194 --> 00:20:47.005
And lastly.

00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:51.369
solutions for managing food noise is of course, medications.

00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:58.690
So the GLP one, medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide have been shown to reduce food noise.

00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:02.170
Remember, these medications are not approved.

00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:11.109
They're not FDA approved to reduce food noise, meaning you can't go in with a diagnosis of food noise and get these medications, however.

00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:16.490
There's very, very good data that this totally works.

00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:17.960
It's not a magic fix.

00:21:18.230 --> 00:21:26.299
These definitely lower hunger signals and reduce mental preoccupation, but they don't erase the emotional or habit driven food thoughts completely.

00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:38.690
Basically, the food noise quiets think about turning down the volume on the soundtrack, but they don't automatically make you not habitually head for the kitchen when you arrive home.

00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:39.920
Like that's just your.

00:21:40.289 --> 00:21:42.210
Body's gonna just do that automatically.

00:21:42.269 --> 00:21:42.720
Right?

00:21:43.109 --> 00:21:53.880
So it's important to pair these medications with coaching or other therapeutic support for long-term success because these medications don't lose the weight for you.

00:21:54.180 --> 00:21:56.279
They give you the mental and physical space to.

00:21:56.345 --> 00:22:00.184
Build the habits that actually will end up changing your life.

00:22:00.394 --> 00:22:22.894
So they just allow you to be in a space of quiet so you can actually do the activities like prioritizing protein, like I mentioned, like making those nutritional changes, um, you know, and getting some movement in, whereas before you maybe knew what you were supposed to do, but like the food noise was so distracting, it was just really hard to make.

00:22:23.255 --> 00:22:25.204
You know, quote unquote good decisions.

00:22:25.565 --> 00:22:29.984
So, remember also that medication is not the first line of action.

00:22:30.255 --> 00:22:39.045
If you are someone that is, feels like food noise has been kind of a recent development or you feel like it's something that you're just kind of recently recognizing in yourself.

00:22:39.315 --> 00:22:43.065
It's not that I like recommending that you go to medication as a first line.

00:22:43.365 --> 00:22:44.744
It's a great line.

00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:45.970
Of action for sure.

00:22:45.970 --> 00:22:57.039
But before you go and think that your neighbor who finally lost some weight was lazy up until the moment that she took that first shot, and now she tried eating right and exercise for the first time, like that's just not true.

00:22:57.490 --> 00:23:02.980
Most people that choose to go with medication have tried and tried hard.

00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:09.759
And GLP ones finally give them the peace to be able to make the habits stick.

00:23:09.789 --> 00:23:13.809
And that's why I support my clients that want to go this route.

00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:27.099
So if you feel like you have tried some of these other solutions, you have tried the coaching, you have tried the, the, um, nutritional interventions and it's just not working, just know that GLP ones.

00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:29.670
Do help calm this food noise.

00:23:29.880 --> 00:23:40.859
So if food feels like it's just taking up way too much real estate in your brain, if it's the background hum, you can't turn off, you're not broken and you're not alone.

00:23:41.789 --> 00:23:45.869
We talked today about how food noise might show up because of lifelong patterns.

00:23:45.869 --> 00:23:52.079
The mental load of being the food manager, or even just brain chemistry that responds differently to food cues.

00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:55.529
And we looked at how food noise is different from cravings.

00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:58.269
So this, remember, it's not just wanting a cookie.

00:23:58.599 --> 00:24:03.460
It's thinking about cookies all day long and cake and muffin.

00:24:03.809 --> 00:24:04.710
And chips.

00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.210
So the good news is there are ways to quiet the noise.

00:24:09.809 --> 00:24:12.660
Go back and listen to that section if you need some help there.

00:24:12.660 --> 00:24:14.279
They are really valid tools.

00:24:14.279 --> 00:24:17.970
And then, yes, medication is on the table for some people as well.

00:24:18.299 --> 00:24:21.180
The key is finding what quiets your mind.

00:24:21.474 --> 00:24:24.654
Not just your appetite, okay?

00:24:24.654 --> 00:24:32.214
If the things in this episode hit home for you and you want support working through that constant chatter around food, I would love to support you.

00:24:32.515 --> 00:24:35.545
I have two free resources right now that I know will help.

00:24:35.694 --> 00:24:39.625
So first, download the What to Do When You Overeat Course, if you find yourself.

00:24:40.075 --> 00:24:44.095
Overeating too many times in a week to see lasting weight loss.

00:24:44.365 --> 00:24:50.365
You'll get the reset and recover guide and figure out how to reduce overeats and not beat yourself up about it.

00:24:50.845 --> 00:24:56.214
Or number two is you can grab my brand new GLP one Success Starter kit.

00:24:56.484 --> 00:25:00.775
This is for anyone already on GLP ones from like their primary care physician.

00:25:01.144 --> 00:25:12.551
That don't have any support or structure around what to do, or maybe if you're just getting them from an online pharmacy compounded, uh, you know, you might not have the kind of support that I offer.

00:25:13.011 --> 00:25:17.092
this also is for you if you're even remotely considering medication.

00:25:17.152 --> 00:25:20.182
Grab this so you know what to expect.

00:25:20.662 --> 00:25:33.501
You can also schedule a free consult session to see if my Premier 12 week one-on-one coaching program is right for you, or my brand new GLP one confidence method that I have recently developed is the perfect fit.

00:25:33.531 --> 00:25:39.531
So all the links are in the show notes for both of these free resources as well as the link to schedule an appointment.

00:25:39.531 --> 00:25:40.096
With me.

00:25:40.547 --> 00:25:42.376
Remember, it's not just about the food.

00:25:42.376 --> 00:25:46.307
It's about empowering yourself with the choices that truly serve You.

00:25:46.547 --> 00:25:52.457
Have a great week and as always, thanks for listening and sharing the Eat Well Think Well Live Well podcast.