Food is an addiction for the obese and for this they have my sympathy.
Since stopping drinking I've continued to struggle with my eating. I literally find it hard to stop once I've started and battle continually to keep my weight acceptable.
A large part of the problem with eating is that, as with drinking, it is an enjoyable thing to do. A hobby really, usually unrelated to hunger (or thirst). It follows that to successfully give it up, one must find something to do in that time, in that place. An alternative hobby.
And I managed to do that with drink. My pass times changed and the way I spend my leisure time changed and I've all but forgotten about it.
Food too, is in every area of my life. Constantly. So presumably to beat it I need to replace the role it plays. And that, I'm afraid, is a work still very much in progress.
For now I'm on those early days where I keep trying, failing, and trying again over and over again.
Hopefully I'll become so fed up I will succeed one day. The problem is compounded by being unable to give up food completely and forever. How can I succeed then if food is a true addiction for those so afflicted?
Words of wisdom welcomed.
Making our peace with food is very important.
ReplyDeleteYou are okay, right now.
Your body is okay right now.
Food is to nourish us, delight us, renew us.
As a person who has been heavy and thin, I understand.
I hated my body and my relationship with food for so many years.
Today, instead of fighting with food and body image, can you, just accept that food is not an enemy. Your body carries your spirit.
Let food be food, and fill your body with fill your spirit.
xo
Wendy
I really want to like food again. I like how you put that!
Deletethank you Wendy. I am getting better at the self acceptance thing- a work in progress. Rx
DeleteFood has been a companion to drinking g for me. I starve. In my attempts to control my life I developed a serious eating disorder. I see it now, but I fall back into it in sobriety when I get anxious, tired, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's all a work in progress. Have you read geneen roths books? She has really enlightened me.
Unconditional self acceptance, exactly as we are, right now, is part of it.
Anne
Hi Anee, I haven't read those books but I'm off to Google them now!
DeleteI love reading your blogs. I have such similar struggles. I've read sweet and sober twice b/c it is so ok similar to my disordered eating past and present. It is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who thinks and behaves like this about food. I'm at more than 2 months alcohol free and over 2 weeks of not turning to food to meet my needs. I'm treating my eating like I did getting AF. A priority. I'm so sick and tired of this cycle.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, I too am reassured I'm not alone. Over 2 months is fab and you must be feeling so much better. You should be proud of your achievements. You're right, for change to happen it has to be a priority and as with alcohol, I am almost at the stage of being so sick and fed up of over-eating sugar I'm almost ready to ditch it for good. x
DeleteAre you using food in this way less often for shorter amounts of time? If the answer is yes (which I suspect it is) then you are making progress :) xx
ReplyDeletekind of. Waxes and wanes. Trying to not see every blip as a world-ending catastrophe though!
DeleteUh, that's a tough one. The eqvivalent to trying to drink moderately, because unlike alcohol, you can't take food out of your life completely. It has to be managed.
ReplyDeleteI'd say you have to stop relying on appetite. Decide in the kitchen how much you should have, and put the rest away in the fridge or freezer, then carry the plate to the table. With cookies etc. you must decide on a number - 2 or 3 - and just stick to that in each sitting.
I can relate. When I gave up smoking, I started drinking :(
ReplyDelete