Overcoming My Concern of Starvation • Easy Nourished Residing
On this episode of Easy Shifts: Conversations to Gas Your Physique, Thoughts and Soul, Martha and Peter discover the themes of concern, notably the concern of starvation, and the way it can influence our lives. Martha shares her private journey of overcoming her concern of starvation, discussing the function of mindfulness and intermittent fasting in her transformation.
The dialog delves into the character of concern and nervousness, the distinction between emotional and bodily starvation, and the significance of understanding our emotions round meals. The episode encourages listeners to confront their fears and embrace a extra conscious strategy to consuming and dwelling.
Key Takeaways
- Martha describes herself as a ‘scaredy cat’ attributable to her fears.
- Concern is usually self-imposed and comes from our ideas.
- The concern of starvation can result in nervousness and overeating.
- Intermittent fasting helped Martha grow to be comfy with starvation.
- Mindfulness may help us perceive our fears higher.
- Starvation is only a feeling and doesn’t should be feared.
- Emotional starvation differs from bodily starvation in expertise.
- Constructing habits will be difficult however rewarding.
- Celebrating small victories is essential for behavior formation.
- Group and social interactions can improve private development.
Overcoming My Concern of Starvation Podcast
Video Transcript
Martha McKinnon (00:00)
Hello, welcome to Easy Shifts: Conversations to Gas Your Physique, Thoughts and Soul. I’m Martha McKinnon from the weblog Easy Nourished Residing and with me is my brother and associate, Peter Morrison.
Peter Morrison (00:14)
Good day Martha MacKinnon.
Martha McKinnon (00:16)
Good day, Peter Morrison, how are you right this moment?
Peter Morrison (00:18)
I’m doing good, how are you doing?
Martha McKinnon (00:20)
I’m doing very well. Truly I’m feeling sort of courageous as a result of I’m going to share I’m going to share a confession in right this moment’s episode. I’m going to speak about my concern. I form of label myself I’ve labeled myself by the years as a scaredy cat and my scare is my concern truly even prolonged to the concern of starvation in the event you can consider it or not. So I’m going to be actually sincere about that. However earlier than we speak about my concern of starvation and form of shifting past my concern of starvation.
What’s going nicely in your world? What are you actually enthusiastic about?
Peter Morrison (00:51)
I like that little juicy begin. You’re creating a little bit drama.
Martha McKinnon (00:58)
The little teaser, proper? Yeah. Proper. Yeah.
Peter Morrison (00:59)
Little teaser, that’s the phrase, yeah. Let’s see, what’s going nicely. Effectively, I’ve been fairly good. Some time again, I discussed the place I wasn’t actually attending to the health club, although I wished to, and really feel like as I become old, steadiness and power are essential, however I did begin doing pushups. They’re the not full on pushups, however from my knees. However I haven’t been doing them day-after-day, however I’ve been doing them, I perhaps miss one or two days per week over the previous couple of weeks.
Martha McKinnon (01:42)
Mm-hmm.
Peter Morrison (01:54)
And I’m liking the problem that it’s presenting and I’m doing an increasing number of and I’m up over 20 now, which most likely sounds pathetic to some folks, however I feel it’s good.
Martha McKinnon (01:56)
It’s essential to not examine.
Peter Morrison (01:58)
And it hasn’t fairly, yeah, yeah. And it hasn’t fairly led me to the health club but, however I really feel like it’s constructing in some way, like constructing me to need to do extra in that course. So I’m simply glad that I’m, like with this podcast, I’m glad I’m sticking with it. It’s exhausting at instances, it’s uncomfortable, and a few days I don’t really feel as sturdy as different days, however I’m doing it and it feels good, so.
Martha McKinnon (02:24)
Effectively, good for you. Good, good, good. That’s superior. That’s fantastic. That’s to be celebrated. So I’ve learn tons on habits and one of many ideas is that you just have a good time if you’ve truly executed on one in all your intentions. So have you ever included celebration in some way after you’ve accomplished your pushups for the day?
Peter Morrison (02:50)
My celebration exists of a pleasant stretch, like normally like youngster’s pose or one thing like that the place I’m down on the bottom and it simply, you recognize, loosen up your again. In order that’s it’s not like a joyous leaping celebration. It’s a it’s relaxed. Yeah.
Martha McKinnon (03:10)
It’s a aid. However aid is an effective factor, proper? I feel aid is a… Yeah, for certain. Effectively, good for you. That’s nice. And so is it one thing that you just’re attempting to do day-after-day or have you ever hooked up this to a specific time of day or a specific exercise to assist make it stick?
Peter Morrison (03:29)
It’s typically one of many final issues, I don’t know why, it’s one of many final issues earlier than mattress. It’s simply sort of a quiet time, the home is darkish and I’m simply, yeah. So.
Martha McKinnon (03:48)
Effectively, that’s, that’s all that’s nice. And proper earlier than mattress is a superb one, as a result of a kind of ideas is to make your habits so small that in the event you get to the tip of the day, you recognize, you’ll be able to nonetheless get it accomplished. I imply, and the reality is, you’ll be able to even I imply, this has occurred to me generally with my Duolingo, I truly am in mattress and I keep in mind, I didn’t do my Duolingo lesson right this moment, and I’ll rise up and get on the telephone and do it. So
Peter Morrison (04:16)
Hmm.
Martha McKinnon (04:18)
In order that’s nice. imply, it’s an effective way to start out constructing a behavior and to make it so small that you just actually can’t actually not accomplish it. And there’s actual energy in that as a result of you can begin to construct some momentum. So good for you.
Peter Morrison (04:29)
Thanks.
Martha McKinnon (04:31)
Alright, so would you take into account your self a fearful particular person?
Peter Morrison (04:37)
In some regards, sure. Have a concern of heights.
Martha McKinnon (04:41)
In some regard. You’ve gotten a concern of heights, however you leap, you bungee jumped.
Peter Morrison (04:46)
That is true. However yeah, it’s not logical. We had been on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon one yr and there’s all these mountaineering trails out and numerous them didn’t have any sort of railing or something and also you simply you rise up to the sting and it’s like simply straight down and that simply that’s actually that basically freaks me out.
Martha Mckinnon (05:16)
Okay. So, okay.
Peter Morrison (05:18)
However in the event you’re at, you recognize, in a skyscraper and there’s a railing and there’s one thing to carry onto, that’s much less, bothers me much less. So.
Martha McKinnon (05:31)
Okay, yeah, and also you’re proper. It’s not quite a bit. It’s not all the time logical Rod. I imply, as you say that Rod’s afraid of heights too, however he and he truly flew planes. I’m like, how does that work? However once more, he described it just like the best way you might be the truth that being being on the sting of just like the Grand Canyon or when Mac received married, we stayed at a high-rise resort in Madison, proper on the water, and it had these tiny little glass, like little patios proper off the room, but it surely was all glass.
Peter Morrison (06:02)
The ground was glass?
Martha McKinnon (06:04)
The ground wasn’t glass, however the partitions had been glass. And he was simply even actually hesitant about getting out on that and searching down, as a result of it simply didn’t appear very sturdy. Yeah, that’s concern. I imply, concern is a problem for us, proper?
Peter Morrison (06:20)
I’ve a concern of snakes.
Martha McKinnon (06:22)
Yep.
Peter Morrison (06:24)
So yeah, so I do, I wouldn’t say I’m a fearful particular person. Like I don’t get up afraid of nothing. I imply, there’s normally one thing that causes the concern. So I’d say I’m mildly fearful, cautious. I’m a cautious particular person.
Martha McKinnon (06:42)
Mm-hmm. Effectively, I imply…
Yeah, and I feel all of us proper, in the event you’re human and also you’re alive, I feel you might have you’ve had concern, I feel it’s constructed into us for survival. And I feel with out concern, I don’t suppose I feel it’s programmed for our survival. so it’s fairly widespread throughout humanity, proper to should have concern. And once more, it was wired in it makes good sense proper that for survival, in the event you’re within the presence of a rattlesnake, it’s finest to be fearful as a result of it could kill you. The place it will get a little bit loopy is when instantly simply the considered it could make us, proper?
Peter Morrison (07:17)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Martha McKinnon (07:19)
In order that’s attention-grabbing. So, however I do, and I’m engaged on it, however I consider myself as form of as a self-described scaredy cat. I really feel like I’ve had numerous concern in my life, numerous nervousness.
Peter Morrison (07:35)
Would you say that that’s self-imposed or like from an outdoor supply?
Martha McKinnon (07:40)
Effectively, what I’m coming, what my present teachings, like what I’m coming to know is that numerous us consider that it comes from an outdoor supply. However the true reality is that it comes from inside, it comes from our ideas. And that’s been, that’s been an actual shift for me. In reality, I all the time form of self-described as, you recognize, introvert as like, I’ve all the time had very, lot of social nervousness.
And the idea was steered to me not too long ago by some a number of the research I’m doing, this complete idea of it’s only a thought – you’re not afraid you simply suppose you’re afraid – it’s simply that you recognize you’re not anxious you simply suppose you’re anxious and it’s it’s actually form of been very enlightening for me as a result of I’ve been capable of embrace that and see it, know, see how your excited about one thing will be that highly effective.
And if you change your considering, if you change the way you see it, then that instantly I really feel like numerous the concern that I’ve had, numerous the nervousness is sort of simply evaporated as a result of I’ve simply, it’s actually, a few of it’s unexplainable actually.
So I do suppose it, like from this most up-to-date understanding, I do consider that the majority of it, all of it’s coming from inside. We simply don’t realize it due to the best way we’re programmed, you recognize, due to the feelings and ideas and chemical compounds and biology. It occurs so quick you suppose it’s coming from the skin, but it surely’s actually coming from the within.
Martha Mckinnon (09:29)
So, starvation. manner again within the day, starvation was one thing that was on my, like, my concern listing. I used to be afraid of, I used to be afraid of being hungry. And, I don’t know, I imply, I can’t clarify why. I imply, why, why, however I feel it’s, I imply, I feel it’s widespread. I feel it might be widespread amongst dieters. I feel it might be widespread amongst individuals who actually form of obsess about meals. I feel it’s widespread perhaps for individuals who use meals, you recognize, to consolation and to self-soothe. I don’t suppose for second that I’m alone on this form of concern of starvation.
Peter Morrison (10:12)
Do you keep in mind having that concern in your childhood or was it one thing that took place as an grownup?
Martha McKinnon (10:24)
I don’t actually keep in mind, like, I don’t keep in mind having a, I don’t keep in mind labeling it that manner or having that consciousness, like as a child.
Peter Morrison (10:34)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Martha McKinnon (10:36)
However I do, I did know of it as, as an grownup once I was capable of begin making my very own choices. And what I discovered was, you recognize, I discovered myself consuming, consuming, like getting, getting nervous when it’d be begin to be close to a dinner time. Like that instantly, my gosh, I’d, I’d get hungry and if I get hungry, what would possibly occur or consuming for prevention?
Like I higher, I higher eat one thing now as a result of I’ve received to enter this lengthy assembly and I’m going to get, I’m going to get hungry. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t perceive what I, what the concern of getting hungry meant. Um, however there was this like this stress or this nervousness round, Oh my God, if I get hungry, then what’s going to occur? Um…
Peter Morrison (11:19)
Hmm.
Martha McKinnon (11:21)
So once more, there’s not all the time logic, once more, so consuming preventatively turned form of quite common, proper? Or ensuring that I all the time had a snack with me to be sure that I wouldn’t expertise starvation. It’s simply form of avoidance, avoidance of, and I assume generally within the weight-reduction plan world, proper? There’s numerous messages that come by – like that in the event you get too hungry it’s harmful to get too hungry. I imply suppose that generally that is the place the consuming each couple of hours got here from, this thought that in the event you in the event you get hungry in the event you wait too lengthy, then instantly you’re gonna you recognize overeat and that’s a nasty factor, so I feel it received labeled as a perhaps a nasty factor or a harmful factor or one thing to be prevented in the event you’re in the event you’re attempting to love actually keep in management.
So I can’t completely wrap my mind round the place all that got here from, I do know that’s a few of what would come up for me round it. So this was truly so extreme that, I imply, there was a time once I traveled for work. I imply, I used to be doing consulting work and I traveled on planes fairly repeatedly and I used to be on a flight coming from the East Coast to the West Coast, so I used to be scheduled for a 5 hour flight and I get there and instantly they’re saying, you recognize, there’ll be no meals, you recognize, there’ll be no meals served on this flight.
And it despatched me right into a panic. And so I ended up getting, you recognize, discovering a meals concession to queue as much as get a sandwich or a salad to tackle the aircraft with me in order that once I received hungry, I’d be ready for that and I wouldn’t endure and so I queued up and the road was lengthy and I misplaced monitor of time and once I received to the once I received to the gate I imply the gate had shut. I imply the door was shut and and I couldn’t get on the aircraft, so I truly and searching again on it now, I imply, as a result of I’ve performed with my starvation, I look again on it now and it looks like incredulous, proper? That I truly, that I truly, you recognize, I don’t, I truly missed a aircraft as a result of I used to be queued up in line for a sandwich as a result of I used to be afraid. You realize, it’s okay, you’re my brother you’ll be able to chortle. I do know you’re not laughing at me. I do know you’re laughing with me. You’re laughing with me, proper? And also you’re laughing with me.
Peter Morrison (13:53)
I’m laughing with you.
Peter Morrison (13:56)
I’m simply picturing you standing on this line and…
Martha McKinnon (14:02)
With my paper, like now I’ve received this good little bag, proper? This good little paper bag with the good deal with, like, and I get to the gate and it’s like, my God, I imply, the aircraft is gone. So, and it’s so, you recognize, I imply, even in that…
Peter Morrison (14:19)
So did you save that? Did you save your meal to your subsequent flight?
Martha McKinnon (14:24)
No, most likely not. No, I most likely I most likely didn’t. So I imply, I had to return and, you recognize, recheck right into a resort and get rescheduled and, you recognize, present up house a day late due to this. And naturally, you’ll be able to think about just like the disgrace, just like the disgrace, the embarrassment, like, my goodness, like what, you recognize, what’s occurring right here? How can this?
However the concern of starvation didn’t evaporate in that second. It’s nonetheless one thing that continued on for fairly some time till I actually suppose it was you who steered Intermittent Fasting to me. And I feel it was that have of taking part in with intermittent fasting which helped me get comfy with starvation and begin to expertise it. And that is the instructing round concern. I’m watching, truly watching, participating in a little bit mini course proper now by the Happier app the place it’s about nervousness and concern and there’s this complete idea of titrating and getting comfy in small methods along with your discomfort to be able to work your manner by it and to maneuver past your fears and anxieties.
And within the episode, the host, Dan Harris, has a extreme nervousness and panic round elevators. And they also’re truly taking him by that means of getting within the elevator and seeing how he feels and form of working. And so numerous the instructing in mindfulness is that as a substitute of attempting to keep away from these fears or perceived fears that you just truly begin being extra conscious and paying extra consideration to the precise sensation of it and that that may be very liberating.
As a result of as soon as you actually expertise it you come to know that once more the concern was form of in your thoughts it wasn’t in actuality it wasn’t almost what you thought what you had you recognize made it as much as be and and that was what inter that was one of many items that intermittent fasting gave me was it gave me the chance to sort of play with and get comfy with the sensation of starvation.
What precisely is starvation? What does it really feel like? And within the physique. And I feel there might be numerous us who battle with weight to have this, you recognize, have this concern, have this aversion the place they’re attempting to keep away from starvation. They’ve some sort of concern round starvation. And they also eat, they eat in extra to attempt to keep away from that feeling when the reality is that it’s only a sign.
It’s only a feeling, it’s only a sensation. It doesn’t actually imply something in and of itself. It solely means one thing with what you assigned to it. Should you say that it’s dangerous, then it’s dangerous. Should you say that it’s good, however in and of itself, imply, a sense of starvation is only a feeling. It’s simply impartial. In order that’s been very empowering for me. I don’t should eat breakfast. The world is not going to come to an finish. And I understand how starvation feels in my physique, that it form of comes and goes like in waves and it doesn’t.
It’s not an enormous, and really it could, such as you mentioned, I feel I’ve gotten to the purpose the place it could truly really feel good. I imply, you’ll be able to truly begin to be comfy along with your starvation and know that if you do eat, it’s going to style so significantly better since you’re truly, you’re truly prepared. Your physique’s prepared for meals the place in the event you’re consuming forward of starvation, then you definitely by no means actually, you by no means actually get that very same, suppose, expertise of simply how scrumptious form of quenching your starvation will be.
Peter Morrison (18:31)
That’s the place I’ve landed with the instances, the times that I do play with intermittent fasting is simply, every part is heightened. The meals, the meal you’re gonna have, you do have tastes so significantly better.
Martha McKinnon (19:01)
Yeah. Proper?
Peter Morrison (19:02)
I don’t want quite a bit once I’m hungry and it varies. However I normally don’t, I’ve by no means, I hear what you’re saying concerning the concern of starvation relating or contributing to attainable overeating since you’re attempting to make up for one thing. I’ve personally not, that’s not a priority or concern of mine for me personally, however once I,
like my first meal after going a interval with out consuming. don’t, once more, my eyes are greater than my stomach. I typically don’t even want as a lot as I feel I ought to want as a result of it tastes good. You’re consuming it in a superb atmosphere. You’re sitting down, you’re respiratory, you’re chewing, you’re truly within the second. I’ve had these instances once I’m hungry and perhaps gone a little bit too lengthy and also you do are inclined to eat with out respiratory or considering and that by no means sits nicely with me. However 9 instances out of 10 if I’m capable of be in the best atmosphere sitting down on the desk then it’s an exquisite expertise.
Martha McKinnon (20:28)
And also you’re proper. I imply like something these are tips. They’re not absolutes, you don’t need to go too lengthy and also you don’t need to get to the purpose the place you’re ravenous You don’t need to get to the purpose the place you’re uncontrolled and also you’re simply scarfing down like a Huge Mac whilst you’re driving in visitors. I imply, that’s not a spot you need to be what you’re describing is, you recognize sitting down and actually being a part of and being attentive to your meals Which I feel is large in our world.
I feel that that’s one other place the place you recognize, we endure from the realities of simply fashionable life and shifting actually, actually quick and double multitasking and probably not getting the identical enjoyment from our meals. If we’re consuming, you recognize, frantically whereas we’re doing three different issues, it’s not going to be as satisfying. And that may trigger and result in overeating and consuming past the purpose the place you’d have been comfy. And so.
Peter Morrison (21:20)
Proper.
Martha McKinnon (21:22)
So there’s quite a bit to form of take into account and unpack right here, however I feel the fundamental point out, the fundamental suggestion could be for people who do share what I’ve skilled to begin to play and to begin to experiment. And if you begin to discover your starvation, if you begin to tune into it, it additionally helps with this complete idea of figuring out actual true bodily starvation versus emotional starvation.
As a result of in the event you don’t let your self get hungry, then it’s tougher to understand these variations and people nuances the place in the event you began to expertise your starvation, then it’s simpler when folks speak about head starvation versus physique starvation to know how that presents in your physique.
And I can know that mechanically now having accomplished the intermittent fasting, having skilled actual bodily starvation, know that how bodily starvation feels, it sort of comes and goes, it step by step will increase. And you recognize that if you’re actually, actually bodily hungry, like an apple sounds scrumptious, proper? The place emotional starvation could be very totally different expertise within the physique. It comes on instantly and intensely and barely, hardly ever, hardly ever does an apple sound like the answer. And so for me, I can readily know based mostly on these experiments whether or not I’m experiencing, I’ve a style for that. I would like that, which isn’t true bodily starvation as a result of now I’ve felt that in my physique. So I feel that’s been useful too.
Peter Morrison (23:03)
Would you say like if you’re, when you might have extra of an emotional feeling that you just’re, it’s extra of, I need a brownie or a cookie or it’s one thing.
Martha McKinnon (23:14)
Yeah, it’s a style for a selected sensation. I would like one thing chilly. I would like one thing creamy. Or might be a selected meals. You realize, I’m craving pizza. I actually have the style for pizza. Or I’ve the style for a potato chip. Or I would like one thing crunchy. Yeah, so these are normally indicators of one thing that you just’re wanting to make use of meals to appease some sort of emotional concern. Yeah.
Peter Morrison (23:46)
Do you continue to take into account your self afraid of being hungry?
Martha McKinnon (23:56)
No, and that’s why I wished to share this. As a result of like something with time and openness, I actually really feel like we will overcome, you recognize, we will transfer be our transfer past these experiences and are available out on the opposite facet simply extra extra understanding like of ourselves and of different people and yeah.
Martha McKinnon (24:20)
So no, I don’t take into account myself… I take into account myself quite a bit much less of a scaredy cat than I did even a number of weeks in the past because of my new understanding round how considering works.
Peter Morrison (24:38)
So do you continue to take into account your self an introvert?
Martha McKinnon (24:44)
I’m actually taking part in with that too. I’m actually staying open as a result of it’s like, does that basically imply? And so it’s once more, it’s the way you outline it, it’s the way you interpret it, it’s sort of like a narrative you inform. A few of the instructing is that as an introvert you’re feeling extra, you achieve your power by being alone and being in quiet, you recognize, and that as an additional extrovert you replenish your battery, you achieve your power by being with folks.
And I all the time felt as if being out and about with folks drained my battery. However I’m unsure that that’s essentially true. I feel a part of it was the social nervousness that I had round you recognize, assembly new folks. Or all of that considering that went on inside my head that, I’m not adequate or I’m going to embarrass myself or I don’t know all of these tales, all of that considering. I don’t know what to say, you recognize, I don’t know easy methods to make dialog, all of that story. And that may after all drain you.
Peter Morrison (26:01)
Mm-hmm.
Martha McKinnon (26:03)
So I’m simply, and I feel we’re most likely all, I feel all of life is a continuum. I imply, it’s like, we’re all like form of, there are only a few absolutes. So, so I’m, I don’t actually, I do like, I do like quiet. I do like peace. I do like stillness. As a result of I really feel as if it’s from that place that, that I can achieve like, understanding.
And I feel there’s one thing actually peaceable about having a like a extra quiet form of thoughts. However I don’t know, to be to be decided, as a result of it was all the time the very best story that I’ve advised. I’m going to be 62, like, quickly. And so it’s a narrative I’ve advised myself for a very long time. And so I’m unsure. I’m simply not as certain as I was. That’s for certain.
Martha McKinnon (27:00)
I’m actually having fun with this group right here. I’ve been way more social these previous few months on this group the place my husband and I, you recognize, Rod and I are spending the winter exterior of Ensenada, Mexico. And it’s simply been way more social and I’m having fun with it. I’m actually having fun with it and I’m genuinely having fun with assembly folks and in a manner that I don’t even know if I knew I used to be able to. So it’s been enjoyable. Yeah.
Peter Morrison (27:28)
No, that’s superior. Very cool. Yeah.
Martha McKinnon (27:34)
So, I might encourage folks in the event you’ve suffered like I do, I imply, and I feel, like I mentioned, I’m not alone I don’t suppose. I’m human and different people, I feel most likely additionally share this concern. And in the event you do, I encourage you to only sort of begin taking part in with it in ways in which really feel secure to attempt to simply and to tune in additional than simply attempting to keep away from and simply see for your self what starvation truly seems like and it may not be as scary as you suppose it’s.
Peter Morrison (28:08)
And also you may not miss your aircraft.
Martha McKinnon (28:10)
And hopefully you gained’t miss your aircraft. I feel extra folks know and are ready this present day the place meals is far much less widespread on planes, persons are extra ready. So hopefully, hopefully you don’t should miss a aircraft to study the lesson.
Peter Morrison (28:23)
True.
Martha McKinnon (28:25)
Alright on that word, we’ll give it a wrap for right this moment and in the event you loved this we’d love so that you can like, share, subscribe and please tune in quickly. We’ll be again in per week or so.
Peter Morrison (28:40)
Have an awesome day.
Martha McKinnon (28:41)
Bye bye, take care.
