Food Noise - What is it and what can we do about it?

I first heard this term recently while listening to Oprah's 'State of Weight' interview where she is discussing Ozempic and other weight loss medications as it relates to obesity and how these medications work. 

This interview included the CEO of Weight Watchers and several other leading experts in obesity, psychology etc. 

I had never heard this term 'food noise' but I knew instinctively what it meant. I knew because I have experienced food noise my entire life. 

I have always known that my relationship with food was not the same as my sisters for example. I get that we are all wired differently and we all have a different relationship with food.

I learned a lot listening to this interview about the science behind it all...why some of us legitimately struggle to maintain a healthy weight, or to eat in moderation. I agree with the idea that obesity is a disease. The panel of experts explained that or some there is a malfunction in how the body functions and much of this has to do with pathways in our brain. 

They explained that some people's bodies will defend a leaner set point (a weight at which your brain will always work to get you back to) while others have a much higher set point. This has everything to do with how much we take in and how much gets stored as fat. They refer to this person as an 'adipose holder'. An adipose holder is a person who is predisposed to store more fat! 

This all makes perfect sense to me. Not only that we are all built and wired differently, but that some of us...growing up in the same house, same meals, same environment....can have such different experiences with not only their relationship with food, but the with the ongoing STRUGGLE with their weight. 

My name is Skye, and I am an adipose holder ;)

One expert explained that for people who experience what they call 'hungry brain, hungry gut' these weight loss medications help both with feeling full longer (slowing down the GI track) while also quieting the 'food noise'.

There was input from a man in the audience that is currently on Ozempic that has been successfully losing weight. He describes how the medication quieted the food noise in his head. He explained that his whole life it has been an obsession, having all consuming thoughts of food throughout the day. 

He explained that taking the medication felt as if a peace came over him with food, completely changing his relationship with food. He said hadn't realized how constant this food noise had been his whole life. He said it was as if the food noise just quieted down. 

I get this 100% because I have experienced this myself over the past 3 years BY CUTTING SUGAR!

I went through a sugar detox and cut out all of the processed food in my diet for a period of time. It was exactly as he said, it quieted the noise and forever changed my relationship with food. I wasn't thinking about my next meal as I was eating a meal. I wasn't triggered to binge when I intended to just have a small serving or a bite of something.

Do I still consider myself to be an adipose holder? 

Absolutely. But here is the kicker. I love to eat, and I still enjoy food. But sugar is addictive. It is scientifically PROVEN to be 8 times more addictive than cocaine. Processed foods are  ENGINEERED to be addictive (ultra processed foods such as chips, frozen pizza, fast foods, Twinkies, even cereals etc.).

That being said, for someone like me who is predisposed to having addictive behaviors surrounding food (malfunctioning pathways in the brain) it makes sense that I should stay away from sugar and processed foods.

It's been really upsetting to me that throughout this entire interview, none of this was even MENTIONED. Where were some of the top experts in nutrition during this interview? Where was Mark Hyman or another naturopathic type doctor that understands the role that nutrition plays when it comes to eating behaviors?

I agree that we should each be entitled to make our OWN choices most definitely! And WITHOUT shame or judgement. But no other options other than pharmaceuticals were brought to this table. 

There needed to be a conversation about the effects of sugar and all of the processed foods that are normalized as a part of our Standard American Diet (SAD). THAT ARE ADDICTIVE. THAT KEEP OUR BLOOD SUGAR SPIKING AND CRASHING ALL DAY LONG...THUS CAUSING NEVER ENDING CRAVINGS?

I know many think that cutting sugar and processed foods is unrealistic and I would have agreed until I went through a detox process and it improved not only my relationship with food (practically overnight)...it improved my quality of life! 

I deal with autoimmune conditions that bring on intense joint pain and this was GONE. I had more energy, I started dropping weight, I STOPPED OBSESSING ABOUT FOOD! 

It was absolute FREEDOM from the 'food noise' I have dealt with all of my life (I'm 51). 

So is it challenging to stick to a more whole foods diet? At first definitely, but in a pretty short time you recognize how much better you feel! It makes it worth the effort and it starts to get easy. 

Trust me, when you eat like crap, you feel like crap. 

Think about the health risks all of these people are taking who are on these medications, maybe even LONG TERM. Why? Because they feel as if there are no other options, or that they have tried everything and nothing has worked. Many times the fact is we struggle to stay consistent when fighting ongoing cravings from these types of foods. 

I have heard of some pretty serious side effects of these medications besides the normal nausea, anxiety, insomnia and diarrhea. I believe it is Ozempic that has shown to cause stomach paralysis in some people even after they stopped taking it. Yet it was never mentioned in this interview.

The experts admittedly said that during studies, the majority of these people began gaining the weight back almost immediately once they stopped taking the medication. So now they are experimenting with medications that can be taken long-term. Yikes.

This will ALWAYS come with risk.

Towards the end of the interview the CEO of WW stated that moving forward, they want to better help their clients as they move forward and  that "It's not about the weight people lose, but about the health they gain". 

You will NEVER get healthy by taking pharmaceuticals. It's just not possible. You might lose weight (that in my experience WILL come back) but you will never build health. 

I am so passionate about this topic, because I've been there. I was stuck in a horrible cycle of dieting, losing/gaining weight for over 20 years. I was 298 lbs at my highest and I couldn't figure it out. I was depressed and dealt with a lot of anxiety. I will mention also that I took Phen Phen back in the day...this was OUR 'magic pill' in the 90's that was soon recalled as it was causing permanent heart damage and strokes.

I truly want to help others to see there are ways you can lose the weight, get healthy and QUIET THE FOOD NOISE naturally. IT IS 100% POSSIBLE FOR YOU.

I've done it, my husband and my daughter have done it. I have lost 120 lbs (this was 13 years ago, but now maintain my weight loss and benefit greatly by cutting sugar) but my husband is down 43 lbs my 26 year old daughter is down 47 lbs! One client of mine had her Dr. recommended Ozempic or gastric bypass but she came to me and said she wanted to do it naturally. She has lost over 100 lbs now.

Going through a lifetime of struggle with my weight and my relationship with food and FINALLY figuring this out is what brought me to helping others to do the same. NATURALLY. It gives me so much purpose knowing how life changing this can be, and I'm just getting started!

If you have never experienced how much better you can feel, challenge yourself to eat nothing but whole foods for 10 days...I promise you, you will get it.

I'm not bashing the interview or Oprah (she is the queen!) but I think there needs to be a follow up conversation on how people can quiet the 'food noise' naturally. 

I will say with Oprah being SO influential, and WW being so mainstream, that I do feel that they are doing a HUGE disservice to give such limited options on this topic. It affects the decisions we make about our health and the the health of our loved ones.

I have written to the show to express my feelings on this topic. Feel free to email them as well! Tell them that people deserve to hear ALL THE OPTIONS! 

[email protected]