Are you Food Crazy?
My doctor told me to “cut out the sweets.” You’d think that would have resulted in a moratorium on sugar cookies and pies. However, rather than the bright, firm line I wished I’d drawn years ago, I found myself teetering on the edge of a binge.
I couldn't imagine life without sweetness and my mind went immediately to all the treats I could cram in before I started my new eating plan. I felt like doom was looming over me as I turned my attention to the bakery – and whether it was it two blocks or three blocks south.
I did take the doctor's advice seriously. In fact, she really frightened me with a little comment about the connection between obesity and serious disease.
But I was scared… I needed comfort… and comfort meant food.
At the end of the day, food is a coping mechanism, and coping mechanisms are necessary. They allow us to function despite overwhelming emotions. We over-eaters are a sensitive bunch. We can’t live in a state of panic and be happy.
But even if the size of our waist, appetite or distress is good reason for panic, if we use food to help us manage in the moment, we just dig ourselves in deeper. Our focus on feeling better now, outweighs our focus on long-term goals… and so all we gain is more time in the struggle… and more weight. Still, that doesn't change the fact that in that moment, food is the solution, not the problem.
So, we need better solutions. Unless we find new coping mechanisms, we’ll continue to eat, even binge, when we’re anxious or emotionally uncomfortable.
Choosing healthier, more effective ways to handle our feelings, retrains the mind and creates better, healthier habits.
Finding new and better ways to cope is much more effective than dieting or deprivation. It's more effective to stop focusing on what we're eating and start focusing on what our eating is telling us about ourselves.
That awareness is the key.
Have you read Food Crazy Mind yet? What are you waiting for?
Learn more about the connection between food and feelings in Food Crazy Mind: 5 Steps to Stop Mindless Eating and Start a Happier, Healthier Relationship with Food
