JuJuLieLie
11-12-2003, 08:20 PM
Hi.. thought I could contribute an article that I have found meaningful to change my attitude on eating.
Best wishes to all
---
Why Do I Eat When I'm Not Hungry?
Why is it we eat when we are not hungry? Why do YOU eat when you are not hungry? Here are several reasons:
I'M BORED. You're sitting there, at your desk at work, or on the sofa at home and you suddenly think, "Hmmmmm, I'd like some food, I NEED some crisps, chocolate, fries". You go and get them, you eat them, and then you need, "Oh, just a bit more." Are you really hungry or are you just bored? Sometimes we eat food as a way to curb our boredom. Think about whether or not you're hungry - is your stomach growling? If not find something to do - knit, sew, read a book, clean - anything to take your mind off food!
IT'S TASTY. Yes, it is! But be careful how much you eat. If you're not hungry but you really fancy something tasty or someone has offered you something tasty, and you've been very, very good with your diet have a SMALL piece (if you have the willpower to resist more!). Eating more will not add to the taste sensation - it's still the same taste as the first bite you had! Treat yourself occassionally...but in small amounts!
THERE'S NO-ONE ELSE AROUND. How many times have you done this? You're sitting there with the family or a loved one near you and you're thinking about the tasty piece of cake in the fridge, or the Haagen-Daas in the freezer. You sort of hope that the people around you will go soon so you can indulge because, in a weird way, when there's no-one else around you're not really putting calories in your mouth! The fact is, if you wait for other people to go away and leave you alone in the kitchen you are likely to eat a LOT more than you would if they were around. Have some of that cake or icecream but have a small portion and do it when there are people around you. That way you have had something tasty but you haven't binged. If they ask you why you're eating it when you're on a diet say, "I'm allowed a treat a day," or "I've already counted it into my calories for today." We need to get over the GUILT of eating when other people are around - even in our own homes
IT'S STRESS EATING. This is a tricky one and one that a lot of people can relate to. Like smokers smoking after a stressful event or drinkers have a shot of something alcoholic many people with a weight problem tend to turn to food for solace when the going gets stressful. The best way to stop stress eating is to confront the stress. With the stress gone so will the eating. If you can't ease the stress actively try doing a relaxation tape, taking an aromatherapy oil bath or asking your partner to give you a shoulder massage.
IT'S COMFORT EATING. This problem is very similar to Stress Eating. Things go wrong, disappointing news, a break-up, a bereavement - it's easy to reach for food to make us feel temporarily better. It's so easy to do but so important to avoid. If you can seek comfort from friends and family, talk about the issue that is making you unhappy, try to find ways around it, write a list of things that make you smile or things you are proud of. If you feel angry or disappointed with someone write them a letter - put all your feelings down into it - then throw it away. Treat yourself with massages, home facials, a new nail polish or bubble bath. Look after yourself. Overeating won't help in the longrun.
BECAUSE MY FRIENDS/PARTNER CAN EAT LOTS. This is a really unfair one. How come all those skinny friends of yours can go to a fastfood joint five days a week and not put on a single pound? How come your partner can have portions double the size of yours and still look slim? It stinks that life is unfair like that but it IS the way life is. You have to figure out which you want more - to eat lots or to lose weight? Is it REALLY so important to be able to eat fast food 5 times a week, or eat HUGE portions? It's not a race, you don't have to 'keep up' with anyone. Go at your own speed, follow your own plan and you WILL lose weight.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU'RE THIRSTY. It sounds very strange but often you may be reaching for a cookie when what you actually want is a drink! Before you snack try having a glass of nice, cold water - it may be what you were after the whole time!
REVENGE. Been there - done it! Ever had a disapproving partner or parent who would monitor everything you ate and constantly comment? Ever get really annoyed? Ever eat 'bad' food secretly just to get back at them?! There are more of us out there than you think! It is VERY irritating to have everything you put in your mouth commented on by someone else (particularly someone you care about) but who are you really hurting by eating in secret? Not them. They're not the one with the weight problem. The only person you are hurting by eating in secret is you. Instead TELL the commenting person to stop - explain to them that their remarks are not appreciated and that if you feel like having a treat you'll have a treat. Keep focussed on your weightloss and don't let others put you off.
Tips to STOP Bingeing
Ever find you can't stop eating? Maybe you've been good on your diet all day, or all week, and then suddenly you get a craving for something you shouldn't really have. But rather than just give in and have the one item it develops into a fully blown binge. Before you know it you've not only eaten the one piece of chocolate but the whole bar. And then you go on to eat half a loaf of bread with lashings of butter, 3 packets of crisps and the last ice cream in the fridge. You know you shouldn't but you think, "What the hell I've ruined my diet now I may as well go the whole hog!"
What causes these binge attacks and how can we prevent them from happening?
1. Identify your trigger foods.
Think about what tends to start off your binges? Is it chocolate? Bread? Savoury snacks? It may sound harsh but the best way to prevent a binge occuring - if you can link it to a particular food - is to eliminate it completely! Go through your cupboards, be ruthless, and get rid of your trigger foods. If this sounds impossible because, maybe, chocolate is your trigger food and you have it in the house because of the kids - hide it! Ask your partner to hide it from you. It may sound odd but if you can't see it it may help you avoid it. If going to the shop for milk tempts you to buy a bar of chocolate only take enough with you to buy the milk.If a particular brand of low fat spread or butter makes it hard for you to avoid bingeing on bread and butter choose a spread that you're not so keen on. While you can use it to moisture your sandwiches you won't like it enough to use tons of it on a bread and butter binge.
2. Identify food binge times.
Keep a diary of your food intake. Be honest! If you have a binge write it down and write down how you were feeling before the binge. Were you bored? Had you just argued with your partner? Had you been feeling frustrated at work? Think about ways you can relieve those feelings without food. If you're bored find something to do. A friend of mine found that making friendship bracelets stopped her binging while she was watching television. Because she had something to do with her hands it helped stop her compulsion to constantly much on crisps. If you're angry or frustrated go into the bedroom and take it out on your pillows! Or take that dusty rug outside, hang it on the line and beat it! If you're feeling uptight why not retreat to the bedroom and listen to a motivation tape. There are plenty available online - including relaxation, weight loss, confidence building etc. It may sound all very 'new age' but you'll feel invigorated and newly inspired, and calm, when you've finished listening to it. If you tend to binge when you're at a restaurant try having a snack before you go out - a bowl of soup, a piece of fruit or a yoghurt. If you don't go into the restaurant starving hungry you'll be less likely to dive straight into the bread bin!
Finally, here is a list of 'Binge thoughts - and how to zap them'.
"It's only 50 calories a slice"
"It's not how many calories in each slice but how many slices I'll eat"
"The company is picking up the bill. I might as well eat it"
"It doesn't matter who's paying. If I eat it, it will end up on my thighs!"
"I'm meant to be on holiday. Sure I should be able to enjoy myself?"
"I'm not going to blow everything I've achieved so far for a plate of chips."
"I've been really good, I deserve a reward."
"Being slim and in control is my best reward."
Best wishes to all
---
Why Do I Eat When I'm Not Hungry?
Why is it we eat when we are not hungry? Why do YOU eat when you are not hungry? Here are several reasons:
I'M BORED. You're sitting there, at your desk at work, or on the sofa at home and you suddenly think, "Hmmmmm, I'd like some food, I NEED some crisps, chocolate, fries". You go and get them, you eat them, and then you need, "Oh, just a bit more." Are you really hungry or are you just bored? Sometimes we eat food as a way to curb our boredom. Think about whether or not you're hungry - is your stomach growling? If not find something to do - knit, sew, read a book, clean - anything to take your mind off food!
IT'S TASTY. Yes, it is! But be careful how much you eat. If you're not hungry but you really fancy something tasty or someone has offered you something tasty, and you've been very, very good with your diet have a SMALL piece (if you have the willpower to resist more!). Eating more will not add to the taste sensation - it's still the same taste as the first bite you had! Treat yourself occassionally...but in small amounts!
THERE'S NO-ONE ELSE AROUND. How many times have you done this? You're sitting there with the family or a loved one near you and you're thinking about the tasty piece of cake in the fridge, or the Haagen-Daas in the freezer. You sort of hope that the people around you will go soon so you can indulge because, in a weird way, when there's no-one else around you're not really putting calories in your mouth! The fact is, if you wait for other people to go away and leave you alone in the kitchen you are likely to eat a LOT more than you would if they were around. Have some of that cake or icecream but have a small portion and do it when there are people around you. That way you have had something tasty but you haven't binged. If they ask you why you're eating it when you're on a diet say, "I'm allowed a treat a day," or "I've already counted it into my calories for today." We need to get over the GUILT of eating when other people are around - even in our own homes
IT'S STRESS EATING. This is a tricky one and one that a lot of people can relate to. Like smokers smoking after a stressful event or drinkers have a shot of something alcoholic many people with a weight problem tend to turn to food for solace when the going gets stressful. The best way to stop stress eating is to confront the stress. With the stress gone so will the eating. If you can't ease the stress actively try doing a relaxation tape, taking an aromatherapy oil bath or asking your partner to give you a shoulder massage.
IT'S COMFORT EATING. This problem is very similar to Stress Eating. Things go wrong, disappointing news, a break-up, a bereavement - it's easy to reach for food to make us feel temporarily better. It's so easy to do but so important to avoid. If you can seek comfort from friends and family, talk about the issue that is making you unhappy, try to find ways around it, write a list of things that make you smile or things you are proud of. If you feel angry or disappointed with someone write them a letter - put all your feelings down into it - then throw it away. Treat yourself with massages, home facials, a new nail polish or bubble bath. Look after yourself. Overeating won't help in the longrun.
BECAUSE MY FRIENDS/PARTNER CAN EAT LOTS. This is a really unfair one. How come all those skinny friends of yours can go to a fastfood joint five days a week and not put on a single pound? How come your partner can have portions double the size of yours and still look slim? It stinks that life is unfair like that but it IS the way life is. You have to figure out which you want more - to eat lots or to lose weight? Is it REALLY so important to be able to eat fast food 5 times a week, or eat HUGE portions? It's not a race, you don't have to 'keep up' with anyone. Go at your own speed, follow your own plan and you WILL lose weight.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU'RE THIRSTY. It sounds very strange but often you may be reaching for a cookie when what you actually want is a drink! Before you snack try having a glass of nice, cold water - it may be what you were after the whole time!
REVENGE. Been there - done it! Ever had a disapproving partner or parent who would monitor everything you ate and constantly comment? Ever get really annoyed? Ever eat 'bad' food secretly just to get back at them?! There are more of us out there than you think! It is VERY irritating to have everything you put in your mouth commented on by someone else (particularly someone you care about) but who are you really hurting by eating in secret? Not them. They're not the one with the weight problem. The only person you are hurting by eating in secret is you. Instead TELL the commenting person to stop - explain to them that their remarks are not appreciated and that if you feel like having a treat you'll have a treat. Keep focussed on your weightloss and don't let others put you off.
Tips to STOP Bingeing
Ever find you can't stop eating? Maybe you've been good on your diet all day, or all week, and then suddenly you get a craving for something you shouldn't really have. But rather than just give in and have the one item it develops into a fully blown binge. Before you know it you've not only eaten the one piece of chocolate but the whole bar. And then you go on to eat half a loaf of bread with lashings of butter, 3 packets of crisps and the last ice cream in the fridge. You know you shouldn't but you think, "What the hell I've ruined my diet now I may as well go the whole hog!"
What causes these binge attacks and how can we prevent them from happening?
1. Identify your trigger foods.
Think about what tends to start off your binges? Is it chocolate? Bread? Savoury snacks? It may sound harsh but the best way to prevent a binge occuring - if you can link it to a particular food - is to eliminate it completely! Go through your cupboards, be ruthless, and get rid of your trigger foods. If this sounds impossible because, maybe, chocolate is your trigger food and you have it in the house because of the kids - hide it! Ask your partner to hide it from you. It may sound odd but if you can't see it it may help you avoid it. If going to the shop for milk tempts you to buy a bar of chocolate only take enough with you to buy the milk.If a particular brand of low fat spread or butter makes it hard for you to avoid bingeing on bread and butter choose a spread that you're not so keen on. While you can use it to moisture your sandwiches you won't like it enough to use tons of it on a bread and butter binge.
2. Identify food binge times.
Keep a diary of your food intake. Be honest! If you have a binge write it down and write down how you were feeling before the binge. Were you bored? Had you just argued with your partner? Had you been feeling frustrated at work? Think about ways you can relieve those feelings without food. If you're bored find something to do. A friend of mine found that making friendship bracelets stopped her binging while she was watching television. Because she had something to do with her hands it helped stop her compulsion to constantly much on crisps. If you're angry or frustrated go into the bedroom and take it out on your pillows! Or take that dusty rug outside, hang it on the line and beat it! If you're feeling uptight why not retreat to the bedroom and listen to a motivation tape. There are plenty available online - including relaxation, weight loss, confidence building etc. It may sound all very 'new age' but you'll feel invigorated and newly inspired, and calm, when you've finished listening to it. If you tend to binge when you're at a restaurant try having a snack before you go out - a bowl of soup, a piece of fruit or a yoghurt. If you don't go into the restaurant starving hungry you'll be less likely to dive straight into the bread bin!
Finally, here is a list of 'Binge thoughts - and how to zap them'.
"It's only 50 calories a slice"
"It's not how many calories in each slice but how many slices I'll eat"
"The company is picking up the bill. I might as well eat it"
"It doesn't matter who's paying. If I eat it, it will end up on my thighs!"
"I'm meant to be on holiday. Sure I should be able to enjoy myself?"
"I'm not going to blow everything I've achieved so far for a plate of chips."
"I've been really good, I deserve a reward."
"Being slim and in control is my best reward."