Lorihere
A Tale of Deception, Betrayal and Manipulation, Oh My!
Sep 11, 2011
Hello world :)So I've just finished a book entitled "The End of Overeating" by Kessler, and I highly recommend it. It shares the psychology behind some of the food cravings we have and why we have them, as well as some strategies for dealing with it. I'm shocked at what the food industry has done to manipulate us into craving and wanting more than we need of not only food, but stuff that only tastes like food, but is really fake food...argh! as if we didn't have enough trouble managing weight!
Having lost, seriously lost, hundreds of pounds over my lifetime and gained them all back, and now finally having surgery, and praying that this works long term, I've gone through the mental and physical withdrawals from food, well, food that isn't good for me (sugar, sugar substitutes, caffiene, wheat, flour, alcohol. After about 3 weeks or so, I find I don't physically crave any of that stuff, but boy my mind still goes there sometimes. I don't know if it goes there so much because of the pleasure associated with eating those foods or the comfort or some combination. What I do know is that I have associated eating with feeling better when I'm down, feeling joy when I'm happy, and it's hard to separate fun activities from eating. i.e....go enjoy a movie? Sure....I miss the popcorn, though. Play games after dinner, sure....I miss the dessert or snacks though. Play bunco with the girls.....sure....I miss joining in on the snacking though....out for happy hour....sure....I miss the glass of wine, though. The list goes on and on....go to game,,,sure....I miss the beer and garlic fries.....sheesh, you get the picture. I'd sure like to figure out a way to really enjoy all of these activities and the company without missing the enjoyment of the food :)
The reality is that the affect of the food is another kind of lie. Unhealthy food (i.e chocolate) feels like a friend, there to boost your energy when you are tired, there to console you when you are down, there to celebrate with you when you are happy.......but it's all false and fake....it makes you feel better while actually hurting you both mentally and physically. It's a backstabber....nice to your face, but then causes you great pain. I'm trying to shift my view of those foods, I'm trying to envision chocolate as something ugly and distasteful.....like a beautiful woman, who is really a witch on the inside.....I need to envision it for what it is...not what it's dressed up to be....then would I really want to eat it? I mean if chocolate was really poison, that tasted super good, would we eat it? No.....but maybe that's what it ultimately is for me......and maybe I need to try to see it that way and get my mind in the right place.
I'm only 4 weeks out from surgery, so I don't have any cravings right now, and it's easier than it ever has been before, but like so many others, I'm petrified of failure, so I'm trying to think of ways to psych myself up and psych myself out for the long haul. If anyone has any ideas to share on this topic, I'd love to hear them :)
Lori
