Archive | November 2009

Food Addiction is Painful

Nov24

I read a quote tonight that caught my eye. Unfortunately, the author was unknown so I can’t give credit where credit is due.

This is the quote: “Pain is inevitable: suffering is optional.” What a great statement. While pain can be physical or emotional, suffering is always emotional.

By using food to stuff down our feelings, we choose suffering. Food addiction and emotional eating each create their own kind of pain. Self-rejection and shame jumpstart the suffering.

Acceptance and forgiveness do wonders to short-circuit a food addiction.  Since that dynamic duo sometimes doesn’t come from family and friends, it’s up to you to make them work for you.

Rescue yourself from a triggering event by accepting the situation in the moment, embracing it, and then letting it go.  Then forgive yourself for thinking that you have to be perfect to be worthy of acceptance. You’re worthy just the way you are.

Acceptance will help you deal with the pain. Forgiveness will teach you how to end the suffering.

Finding the Right Therapist to Help You With Your Food Addiction

Nov23

Food addiction is usually tied to some deeply rooted emotional trauma. I say usually only to give the benefit of the doubt.  Personally, I’ve never seen a case that wasn’t.

In my own experience, I have found that a psychotherapist can be a great resource.  When you are ready to delve into that dark place and retrieve the faceless memory that is sabotaging your abundance, talking with a professional can be very helpful.

The new moniker is “talk therapist”  which I suppose does sound better then “psychotherapist”.  But don’t let the generic term fool you. There is nothing small about talking your feelings out.

I prefer a psychologist, a Ph.D. because of their educational background, but a licensed mental health counselor can do a good job too, and at a more economical rate. It can be a tough decision, but the key is finding someone with whom you feel comfortable.

Here are three things to consider:

1. Education and Background:  Where did they go to school? How long have they been practicing? What is their specialty? Do they have experience working with people with food addictions?

2. Location: Is the office close, comfortable and convenient? This is important because you will be spending time there unraveling and and reweaving parts of your life, which may be painful.

3. Do they instill a sense of trust? This is the most important consideration of all. If you are to discover or uncover the hidden feelings behind your food addiction, trust must be the basis of the relationship.

That said, go at your own pace. You’ll have to take some risks. You didn’t contract your food addiction overnight and it won’t go away overnight. And that’s okay.

Risks are a part of life. Just seeking a solution for a food addiction or an emotional problem that has led to a weight problem, is a big risk. Good on you for taking it.

5 Tips for Keeping Your Food Addiction in Check on Thanksgiving Day

Nov22

Here are five things you can do to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner without giving in to your food addiction.

1. Don’t limit your eating to Thanksgiving Dinner. You’re going to have leftovers anyway, so why not start on them early?

Instead of stuffing yourself at the dinner table, eat just enough to stop feeling hungry and go back for more when you feel hungry again.

2. Stay away from your addictive foods. You know which ones they are. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Just do what you need to do.

My big addictive food is bread. I don’t even keep it in the house. If it’s a choice between pumpkin pie and rolls, the pie wins every time. I don’t know why but it’s not addictive for me like rolls and bread are.

3. Always save room for dessert. You know you’re going to eat it so don’t let the guilt rob you of that simple pleasure. Eat it and enjoy it and let it go at that.

4. Don’t give in to snacking. Eat a real meal, at least some protein and carbohydrates,  something that will satisfy you for 2-3 hours. One of the problems with snacking is that it seems to go on forever. A meal should have an ending.

5. Give your body some time to process the food you’re taking in. That way you’ll have enough energy to play a little football, go to a movie, or take a nice walk.

Thanksgiving Day is not a time to be worrying about emotional eating, food addictions, or losing weight. That takes all the enjoyment out of it.

Overeating is common but it doesn’t have to be. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re not, and be thankful you have enough food to worry about overeating.

Food Addiction Alert: Fats Have a Face

Nov21

Don’t let the word “diet” mislead you when watching this YouTube video. For food addicts, emotional eaters, and anyone struggling to lose weight, the information about how to recognize fats is priceless.

Zoe Harcombe is an author, Nutritionist & Obesity Researcher, and founder of The Harcombe Diet. I am blown away by the brilliant analogy she uses to identify fats and distinguish them from carbohydrates.