Epiphany

I remember one night about 15 years ago when I had finished up a plate loaded with a homemade cheeseburger, a ton of fries and a slab of Mounds cake that was enough for two people and waddled to the kitchen and literally threw that plate up on the counter and said out loud, “Why am I doing this to myself? I wasn’t the slightest bit hungry!” The answer was painfully obvious and I said “Because you don’t enjoy anything else.” Food had become my entertainment and so much more.

Sad But True

The amount that I ate that night for that one meal was not really significant in itself. The kicker was that I had eaten all day, everything in sight, including several Little Debbie Cakes. For those of you who don’t know Little Debbie, they are snack cakes in every abominable, delicious variety that you can think of and a few that you can’t. In most of the United States, they are the downfall of many people who say that they want to lose weight but are absolutely unwilling to forego their frozen Swiss Cake or Oatmeal Cream Pie. I had eaten a large breakfast of bacon, eggs, biscuits and grits and a lunch of a huge cold cut sandwich full of crunchy bread and butter pickles, which were loaded with sugar, and about a quarter cup of mayonnaise and lots of cheese, accompanied by most of a bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips. All of this was interspersed with several Little Debbie Swiss Rolls. As you can see, I was not hungry when I delved into that monster burger. I was entertaining myself. I just wanted to eat. Sometimes people think that I don’t identify with their food struggles. That’s amusing. I was unable to control what I ate my entire life until learning to eat David’s Way. When I gave up sugar and other refined carbs, I finally gained control. Until then, food was way more than a source of sustenance. It was entertainment.

Lessons Learned

My Mother had started putting me on diets at the age of four years and I equated sensible eating to starvation and misery. I had tried every miserable fad diet that there was and none of them worked in the long run. I had to get to the bottom of my problem to survive into adulthood. I knew that I had to understand why I was doing this. That’s a necessary step towards changing this behavior. You know what the food is a substitute for if you search your heart. What’s bothering you? You must answer this question to get past the binge behavior that turns into a form of entertainment.

No Man Is An Island

Loneliness and isolation are often culprits in emotional eating. Find ways to connect with others that you identify with or who are involved in activities that interest you. I ziplined the first time at age 62. It was a blast! Find activities that you enjoy. Even a pet can give you a different focus and help to increase your activity. It’s hard to eat at the end of a leash.

Stress Less

It’s easy to view eating as entertainment when you are stressed to the max. If you find  yourself turning to food for fun only when you are stressed out, you need to find ways to decrease your stress. I have been known to take drastic action to do this. I was living in a situation that kept me so stressed out that life was barely worth living and binge eating was the only thing that gave me any sense of control at times. I dumped the abusive relationship and acquired a healthy relationship with food. While there are different types of stress associated with my new life, I am not a victim. I am in control of my destiny. I don’t have the need to stuff excessive amounts of food into my mouth just to exert autonomy. Decide where your stress is coming from and take steps to rectify what you can and see if you still feel the need to stuff yourself into a coma. If your stress is something that you choose to live with, find ways to ease it a bit. Before I made the giant leap into autonomy, I started swimming. This was years before coming to David’s Way and I didn’t know enough about heavy lifting to choose that option. I did know how to swim though. I joined a local YMCA and swam 2 hours a day for 5-7 days a week for 10 years. It made an immediate difference. I was still struggling with my weight because I was still eating sugar but the pleasant afternoons in the pool did give me a measure of control.

Bored Out of Your Mind

Boredom is a common excuse to overeat and to choose poor nutrition over good whole foods. The sugar and sodium laden allure of junk food engages our neurotransmitters in a playful dance as we load up on sugar that stimulates a dopamine release and salt that increases our playful serotonin. Make a list of activities that sound appealing and when you feel boredom setting in, go to your bucket list and get a real boost. There is nothing like an endorphin release from a hard workout or serious play. Be creative. You are not dead yet, don’t act like it.

Accountability Is Important

Find a friend or family member who will hold you accountable and keep them posted on your progress. They may also get involved in your leisure activities or work out with you. Dump those who openly defy your healthy initiative. If they are so close that you can’t get away from them, then refuse to allow them to set the course of your days. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one will.

Responsibility to Others

If you are still tempted to over-indulge as entertainment, remember this. If you damage your health to the point of chronic illness and disability, those who you love the most will be tasked with your care. If these people love you, they will lovingly care for you but do you really want to put this responsibility on your loved ones? Personally, I want to be the one who can care for those around me. I want to be strong and healthy and be the one that others can depend on to be around when they need me. You choose. Sometimes, tragedy befalls us that we don’t have any input into. In those cases, your conscience should be clear. You did your best. Decide if you want to be the patient or the caregiver. A lot of it is in the choices that you make every day.

If You Don’t Have It…

If you cannot resist specific trigger foods that initiate binge eating, don’t have them in your house! It seems obvious, but quite often people find excuses to bring those foods in knowing what’s going to happen. You’re not fooling anyone. Get rid of it and when you do, make sure to restock with healthy foods that you enjoy. When I was growing up, I loved fresh fruit but most people only bought bananas and apples. While I limit the amount of fruit that I eat, when I first started getting a grip on this, I replaced Swiss Cakes with grapes or blackberries. They were a treat and it was a pretty easy adjustment.

If You Bite It, Write It

You simply MUST keep a journal of what you eat. Write it down or track it in your phone but this is your best way to become truly accountable. When you begin to run low on calories, stop eating. Use the Calorie Counter Pro to determine how many calories that you should eat in a day. We recommend attempting to lose a mere one pound per week. It’s easier and your not in a race. It’s the rest of your life.

Pop “The Question”

A good measure of why you’re eating is to ask yourself the question, “Am I hungry?” If you are not and you still want to eat, you may be eating for entertainment. Get out your bucket list and find something to do.

Give It A Minute

If you find yourself about to eat something that may not be in your best interest, wait about 10 minutes. In that time, you can analyze your behavior. Most uncontrolled, binge eating occurs quickly, without thought. Think about what your actions that you are about to commit will do in your plan to move towards healthy goals. Will it fit into that plan?

And of course, we all like to eat. That’s normal. Sometimes that’s the only reason that we want to eat but always remember, food is fuel. Choose wisely and live to reap the rewards.