Summary
In this episode of Weight Loss for Food-Lovers, Molly shares the story of how she cut back on alcohol and the positive impact it had on her life. Growing up, wine was the culture of Molly’s family. It wasn’t just a way to relax. It was a constant topic of conversation and a source of pride. While Molly didn’t drink until she was older, she began to learn the ‘lifestyle’ of alcohol at an early age.
These habits compounded during her 20’s and 30’s, as Molly continued the tradition of daily ‘wine time’ and added a few extra glasses of her own. As a chef and sommelier, wine dominated Molly’s professional and personal life. For a while, it felt like her purpose.
Then, during her 40’s, she became increasingly dissatisfied. Digestive issues, chronic anxiety, insomnia and irritation were only a few of the problems that plagued her daily life. While she would not define her past as alcoholism, Molly began to realize that her alcohol habits were affecting her in a negative way. They even contributed to overeating.
Initially, Molly didn’t tell anyone about her desire to change. It was hard to reconcile her life with what it needed to be. Then, she was introduced to life coaching. Molly learned how alcohol triggers an intense dopamine response in the brain. This creates the need for ‘more’ and inhibits the ability to lose weight.
When Molly began to reduce her consumption, her mood lifted, her energy and focus increased and her desire for food went down. Everything changed. She finally understood that drinking is a learned habit that many people use to solve a problem, or fill a void.
Molly states that this need must be solved in another way. Remind yourself that drinking doesn’t always make you feel good. Change is not an all-or-nothing situation. By altering your thinking, you can learn how to drink moderately. With the right tools, this can be as easy as it is rewarding.
Next week, Molly will share the steps she took to change her relationship with alcohol.
Topics Covered
- Drinking as a culture
- The connection between alcohol and overeating
- Overconsumption is a learned habit
- How to solve your ‘void’ in a new way
- Why you should reject the ‘all-or-nothing’ approach
“The culinary culture is very steeped in this idea that food is better with high quality wine and that wine and food are a match made in heaven.”
“This was the one domino in my life that if I was able to tackle it, it would impact every other area of my life.”
“Sometimes we can have an inkling of the direction we need to be heading into to create the version of our lives that we want. We can have that inkling, but not really feel ready to step into it.”
“What I discovered when I changed my relationship with wine was that I really had so much less desire for food.”
“There was a period in your life where you probably didn’t like the taste of alcohol. There was a period of your life when you were a child where you were able to have fun without drinking. You need to remember that. This is a habit that you created.”
“In order to really change the habit you have to understand how it benefits you.”
“You don’t have to have an ‘all-or-nothing’ approach if you want to change your relationship with alcohol. You can drink moderately. You don’t have to completely give it up.”
Links & Resources
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