The Oxygen Diet-Try it on yourself first!

I’m not a frequent flier but each time I have been on a plane I’ve been struck by the following flight attendant speech: “In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will drop down from above you.  If you are traveling with young children, secure the mask on yourself first. Then place it on your children.”


What? Place the oxygen mask on myself first, not on my kids? What are they thinking? As a mother, it seems so counterintuitive to meet my needs before my children’s. How could my safety and wellness come before theirs?

Well I finally get it. It’s not that my needs or my survival is more important than theirs.  On the contrary. It’s just that in order for me to be of any use to them I need to have my oxygen. I would be in no position to care for my children and make the decisions necessary for their care and wellbeing if I am without oxygen.

Now let’s substitute food for oxygen. Unless you are well fueled you are not in the best position for taking care of others—your kids, needy family members or even close friends. Maybe no one relies on you in this way. But perhaps you babysit, or work in a service profession, where others are dependent on you and your good judgment. If you are restricting your intake it becomes a challenge to make wise decisions and to be successful in whatever you do.

Sounds like I’m just speaking to my eating disordered readers? Think again. Even those of you who do not fit that category can set yourself up in the same way. Perhaps you’re overweight and struggling to move to a healthier place. You may find yourself restricting your food intake, going long periods without eating. You may feel low energy, even a bit foggy headed as a result. And certainly we have all experienced the irritability of the restrictive dieter.

There are two key messages to leave you with.

1) Struggling to motivate, to get healthy for your own sake? While making change for you is ideal, you may find it challenging. Consider finding the strength to make change for the sake of those you care about and may even care for!

2) Changing your weight, even if it is appropriate and necessary for health reasons, doesn’t require suffering. Change, yes. But not suffering. And it shouldn’t compromise your wellbeing. You should not be feeling cranky, lethargic or starving. And if that’s what you’re experiencing, you need to be tuning into your hunger, trusting it and responding to it better!