Trusting Yourself with Food

angiechimpanzee

Here are some excerpts from a really enlightening article I just read here:
http://screamingfatgirl.blogspot.com/2010/07/trusting-yourself-with-food.html

"On a popular weight loss forum, there was a discussion recently about entering into the mental conversation about whether or not to eat something... The underlying premise [was] that you can never trust yourself with food so it is best not to ask the question. One should rather wall oneself off from all food options that are not in the "good girl" vein. All pastries, cakes, cookies, etc. are to be placed completely outside the realm of possibility.

...Are we pigs that cannot be trusted around food?

...Trusting ourselves is something we can earn, but not if we operate from a central notion that we cannot be trusted with food. One of the reasons that I advocate mindful eating practices with small portions of treats on a daily basis is that it helps build a sense of control and trust in ourselves around food. If you eat small portions of a treat food - half a cookie, a bite-size candy, a few bites of ice cream - and then stop enough times, you will feel that you can stop every time. One slip up will seem a lot less dire if you have a history of not losing control...

At the same time that the discussion on the aforementioned forum about having a conversation about "to eat or not to eat" was going on, there was another thread started by a woman who talked about how it was easier to "diet" if she was "safe" in her home. Free from temptation and in absolute control of exposure to various foods, she had control. I felt for her, and I understand why many people may desire a similar cocoon when it comes to food.

That being said, I think that if you can only succeed under such conditions, that success will not last. Eventually, one must go out in the real world and be exposed to temptations and ones family members will grow weary of keeping all "junk" out of the house for the sake of your protecting yourself from your impulses. If you don't endeavor to incorporate methods to build trust in yourself with food, you will have to live in your safe environment forever, or you will eventually lose control and start to regain weight.

I think part of the problem with the way in which diets work is related to the assertion by the writer of the book being discussed. He is telling people (mostly women) that they shouldn't trust themselves... There is only affirmation of your inherent and never-ending weakness when it comes to food. With that sort of mindset, is it any small wonder that we feel powerless when it comes to food?"

I've noted a lot on these forums when people say they have an overeating/binge eating issue when it comes to certain foods (something I deal with too), the advice given usually includes "just keep it out of the house & don't buy it!" But I'm starting to believe that advice is detrimental to one's relationship with food. Maybe the reason a lot of us struggle so much with food is partly because we believe we can't be trusted around it, & that belief alone could lead us to feel out of control with it. Even though some foods tend to give off stronger reward signals than others (like high sugar, high fat, high salt), that doesn't necessarily mean that eating one MUST lead to a hundred. I believe it is possible to reprogram your brain to be able to eat reasonable portions of those foods. Like the writer of the above article said in a comment, "I don't believe that pleasurable foods made me unhappy and unhealthy. I believe that my lack of control when consuming them made me those things. The food itself is a neutral thing."

MaraDiaz

Good article, good points. I am approaching maintenance mode now (might lose another 10 or so but no more than that) and my allergies have left me craving like a mad woman. Chocolate I could easily breeze past two months ago is calling my name now.

I really think I need to learn to stop after a few bites instead of eating junk to the point where my belly aches. I think I need to learn to buy it and have it in the house for days on end as I eat a bit here and there. But how? Certain times of year the binge is awful and I'm right in the middle of it.

If I could find something to satisfy this that wasn't food I would be okay but aside from alcohol I haven't been able to. (And alcohol isn't exactly a good substitute, plus drinky munchies anybody?).

I just don't know. I hate the out of control feeling I struggle with this time of year. The trying to make up for a bad day like today with serious calorie deficits over other days, but that is right now the only thing I trust myself to do: to eat ALL the tasties but then have the will to work out and cut calories over a few days to make up for it.

But should that really be my ultimate goal? I have to ask myself am I doing damage to my system with 3000 calorie blowouts like today?

I have no idea. Maybe I should do some research and rethinking.

Tabitha81

Very Interesting article thanks for sharing!

angiechimpanzee

Good article, good points. I am approaching maintenance mode now (might lose another 10 or so but no more than that) and my allergies have left me craving like a mad woman. Chocolate I could easily breeze past two months ago is calling my name now.

I really think I need to learn to stop after a few bites instead of eating junk to the point where my belly aches. I think I need to learn to buy it and have it in the house for days on end as I eat a bit here and there. But how? Certain times of year the binge is awful and I'm right in the middle of it.

If I could find something to satisfy this that wasn't food I would be okay but aside from alcohol I haven't been able to. (And alcohol isn't exactly a good substitute, plus drinky munchies anybody?).

I just don't know. I hate the out of control feeling I struggle with this time of year. The trying to make up for a bad day like today with serious calorie deficits over other days, but that is right now the only thing I trust myself to do: to eat ALL the tasties but then have the will to work out and cut calories over a few days to make up for it.

But should that really be my ultimate goal? I have to ask myself am I doing damage to my system with 3000 calorie blowouts like today?

I have no idea. Maybe I should do some research and rethinking.

I understand how you feel. Maybe you need to try & evaluate WHY exactly you're binging, instead of accepting it as something you "just do sometimes" & have no control over.