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Many years ago I had a serious food addiction. The manifestation of it was a preoccupation with eating, an obsession with my weight, and a triggered response around stress. The more stressed I felt, the more I would succumb to my sugar cravings. I felt trapped in a loop and thought there was no way out. If you can relate to this, then you know this is a serious condition. Food can be as addictive as any other substance. The astonishing thing about food - unlike any other addictive substance - is that it is the only substance that you must continue to negotiate with even after you have resolved your addictive behavior. You must still eat. In order to be free, you must figure this out. After many years of feeling extremely challenged, my breakthrough came during a week-long seminar. During one particular exercise, I had the experience of complete freedom. I saw my life with this painful struggle behind me. This broke the chain, finally, since this exhilarating freedom I felt was more intoxicating and more satisfying than the temporary gratification I used to get from stuffing myself. With each passing year, I find myself ever more grateful for this breakthrough and the way my life was redefined. Most miraculously, I know that there is no risk to me of ever falling back into that behavior that now lives 100% in my past. And most importantly, how can I help you? Let me speak to you if you, or someone you know, is at the effect of food cravings, addictive behavior, obsessive thinking, and any of the preoccupations that are associated with this. If there were a way out for you, what would your life look like? What might you be able to accomplish? How would your relationships change? How would you feel about yourself? As a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant, I council people who, among other things, are looking for relief from their own food demons. Let me describe the problem first, and then I will suggest some solutions. These are some of the common issues that many people with unresolved food and eating issues face: 1. Guilt and shame over their behavior. 2. Self-punishment, beating themselves up. 3. A disdain for how their body looks. 4. A fear of complications, including diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. 5. A preoccupation that interrupts optimal functioning and productivity. 6. Interpersonal conflicts with family, co-workers, loved ones and friends. 7. A stress equals food plus overeating pattern. These issues are familiar to me from my past, as well as from stories I hear from my clients. The one off-ramp to this cascading set of circumstances that I would like to focus on is the part where you might use food to manage or mitigate stress. Usually the food of choice when you respond to stress by overeating is not celery and humus. More power to you if you choose healthy food when you are stressed out. That is the sign of your understanding what is happening and resisting the urge to drown yourself in carbohydrates and other addictive types of food. What happens more often is that the response to stress usually is manifested by comfort food that is high in fat and/or sugar, often salt, and rarely healthy. When you are trying to quell the discomfort of stress, unfortunately, ice cream looks better than a carrot. Your body is looking for relief, the way an addict looks for a fix. Here is the key: the food people often choose to deal with stress will eventually make them feel worse. Foods high in carbohydrates, for example, have an intoxicating effect. Sugar is a highly addictive substance. Unfortunately, after you eat too much of it, you are likely to experience lethargy, mood swings, disorientation, exhaustion, irritability, and further cravings. If you eat too much saturated fat (like the kind found in ice cream and commercially made desserts) your arteries will get clogged and your heart will take a blow. These responses sound to me like worsening stress, not dealing with it. If you are stressed out and feeling crummy, medicating yourself with food can have an adverse effect. I spoke with someone yesterday who is extremely successful in his career and very active in his community. Unfortunately, in his own words, when the stress hits the fan, he hits the Oreos. He confessed to me that he ate an entire package of Oreos and he was extremely upset with himself. Furthermore, after the Oreo incident, he felt tired, stuffed, and like he had no energy. I remember that awful numbing that came after a binge like that. Imagine if by some miracle, you were able to respond to stress by doing something that helped you feel better in the long run. Instead of a short term "fix", what strategies do you know that could help you avoid feeling worse when you experience some kind of stress? It is extremely important to become cognizant that bad food choices that are made to minimize the feeling of being stressed will worsen how you feel. This is Point A and this is where modifying your behavior begins. Awareness is key and can be the first step toward a healthier, happier and more in control you. Here are some ideas to increase your chances of responding to stress in ways that are really good for you. This includes how you feel physically, as well as your emotional and mental response. 1. Keep healthy snacks on hand. At work, at home, even in your car. If you have cut up and chilled red pepper strips and some humus on hand, you will discover how delicious this tastes. Have more than one selection so that you can enjoy the variety. 2. Pay attention! If you go on automatic pilot when life is not going as you would like, you have a tremendous opportunity to steer yourself deliberately to new behaviors. Someone once said to me, "I can do this, but I have to be aware." No but's about it; that is the trick. 3. Make a list of things you love to do that do not involve food. A walk with your dogs, listening to music, reading a novel, calling a friend. If you have that list in front of you, you are more apt to make a good-for-you choice than going on automatic pilot. 4. Everything counts. You do not have to overhaul your entire life to start to pivot toward positive change. One little adjustment here will make it easier the next time. 5. Listen in on your self-talk. If you hear yourself saying things like "I need to eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's." start to unwind those thoughts. You can learn to un-think them before they are completed in your head. Those thoughts are like commands and you can put yourself back in control. Learn to control your thoughts so your thoughts do not control you. 6. Have a clear image of the rewards to you for disconnecting stress with overeating or compulsive eating. Why would this be a good thing in your life? What might you be able to do differently or with less effort by turning off this stress equals food switch? Actually think about how you might feel if you avoided adding intoxicating drug-like food onto your already compromised, stressed out condition. This is called your "why" and you can rely on it as a beacon of light. 7. Fall in love with foods that are good for you. I promise you, how you feel when you eat nutritious-dense food is more pleasurable than all of those inebriating foods combined. 8. Be kind to yourself. If you make a poor decision, you will get yourself back on track more easily with self-love than you will with self-recrimination. You do not need to be perfect in order to feel much better. 9. Get help from those who love you. If something really awful happens, call someone who really loves you and cares for you. That comfort is an excellent replacement to the numbing that comes with binge eating. 10. Tell yourself: "This can be easier than I thought." Why? Because you can move toward something which is much easier than feeling that you are denying yourself something. Take good care of yourself. You deserve it. The world is a better place when you make taking care of yourself a priority. You can change someone else's life by your own pro-health choices because you never know when you can influence someone by your own actions. Author: Rosie Bank Rosie Bank has been helping people live more successfully in their bodies for her entire career, which began in 1975. For over thirty years she was a body-oriented therapist (Rolfer), yoga and movement teacher. Since 1999 her expertise has been in weight management and nutrition. Rosie is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant (AFPA) and maintains a practice, counseling groups and individuals in person and via webinars. Rosie's monthly webinar is entitled Feel Great Lose Weight. She has an on-line, self-guided Health Assessment and Advisor that is excellent for showing her clients what View Count: 239
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