Here is what I learned in Chapter Two: The Therapist Trap -

• 50%-80% of body make up is genetic
• The body has a predisposition to hold on to fat during famine in “feast or famine” evolution. Now body does not know whether to hold on to it due to famine or dieting.
• Each body has a natural “set point” (how much food our specific body needs). Dieting slows down the metabolism so we can’t tell where the set point is anymore. Within 24-48 hours after a restrictive diet begins, metabolic rate slows by 15%-30% to conserve.
• “Ideal” weights and labels were created by the insurance industry in order to make more money (and were based on incorrect data).
• There are many studies indicating that obesity is not unhealthy, and that those who are thin or underweight are at a higher risk of morbidity.

Weightism, or fat oppression, is one of the last socially sanctioned prejudices of our time. There was a time when women’s bodies were not treated as objects but were honored by their spiritual properties…but over time, this connection has been lost and repressed.

Rather than internalizing prejudices about weight (fueled by ignorance), which usually lead to feelings of shame, reject them, and begin to challenge the messages. This is empowering and leads to emotional well-being.

Society encourages women to focus on their bodies as the place for implementing change, rather than on society at large which continues to place women in a subordinate role. They are taught to count calories rather than count themselves.

The notion that a diet will lead to increased self-esteem and a happier life is more fantasy than fact. Research shows that dieting itself causes psychological disturbances including anxiety, mood swings, anger, self-loathing, and depression.

OK, I'll hold off after this Chapter so you can catch up. Chapter 3 got me just a little scared so we'll need to hold hands if we decide to jump off this cliff together!

What I learned in Chapter 3:

Eat based on physical hunger only in order to get back in touch with natural hunger signals. Stop dieting. Stop restricting yourself. If craving food when not physically hungry, there is an emotion that needs to be dealt with.

Children naturally know when to eat because they have no preconceived notion about food. They eat what they need when they need it (unless forced to do otherwise). Trust your “child” to eat when she needs to. The more reliable you are as a self-feeder, the more emotionally secure you become, and the easier it is to understand emotional issues.

Levels of hunger:

Starving,
very hungry,
somewhat hungry,
hungry,
not hungry/not full,
somewhat full,
full,
very full,
stuffed

EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT……
AS LONG AS YOU ARE PHYSICALLY “STOMACH HUNGRY”

1. Physical hunger – Eat when hungry or somewhat hungry. Growling/empty feeling. Check in with your stomach every 15 minutes. If you eat past fullness, try to understand why.
2. Match food to craving – Ask yourself “what am I hungry for?” Think about types of food (crunchy, salt, sweet, etc) to narrow it down.
3. No “good” or “bad” food – Get rid of judgment. If you like ice cream and you are physically hungry and you are craving ice cream, eat ice cream.
4. Stock the pantry – Stock with the foods you like, including “forbidden” foods. Overstock so you will have more than you can possibly eat in one or two days. Break the deprivation issue.
5. Keep food available at all times – As you eat your stock, restock so that you have more than you can possibly eat in one or two days.
6. Stop when full – May be hard to recognize after so many years of dieting. Ask yourself if you are hungry or somewhat hungry after a couple of bites. Stop when satisfied. If don’t stop, then try to understand why you didn’t stop.