Down with HFCS!

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

The real problem a lot of people have, though, is that their eating is based on behavioral development. Somewhere along the line, people have learned: food makes me feel better. Food makes me forget. Food makes me calmer. Food makes me remember good things. Food makes me feel less lonely. Those are problems that are much less easy to solve than simply buying the right kinds of foods.

And on top of that, when behavioral addictions are involved, unlike alcoholics, over-eaters don't have the liberty of quitting cold turkey. (Well, they can quit eating cold turkey. But they can't quit eating.)

However, like alcoholics, the eating (or drinking) to feel good is the same. I could replace the work "alcohol" with the word "food" in the italicized segment above and it would fit just fine.

Sure, I can quit drinking cold turkey, but that isn't going to deal with the problems of my feelings. I found that I don't necessarily need to ACT on my feelings. Sure, I feel like crap and want to eat or drink, but I don't have to do it. I don't even really need to know WHY I am feeling the way I am. Feelings and can be simply acknowledged but, when it comes down to living with them, I usually just ignore them as something my sick brain has cooked up to throw me a curve and I don't give them a lot of importance. If I did, I'd spend a great deal of time on a roller coaster of emotions, eating and drinking, being fat and drunk and STILL not being happy.

Most of the time, I don't give the feelings that lead to destructive behavior too much attention. If I do, i find it just give me a great excuse to do the things I really don't want to do "because I feel so awful......" Boo hoo, poor me, pity party of one, please.

[Morrigoon]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

However, like alcoholics, the eating (or drinking) to feel good is the same. I could replace the work "alcohol" with the word "food" in the italicized segment above and it would fit just fine.

Sure, I can quit drinking cold turkey, but that isn't going to deal with the problems of my feelings. I found that I don't necessarily need to ACT on my feelings. Sure, I feel like crap and want to eat or drink, but I don't have to do it. I don't even really need to know WHY I am feeling the way I am. Feelings and can be simply acknowledged but, when it comes down to living with them, I usually just ignore them as something my sick brain has cooked up to throw me a curve and I don't give them a lot of importance. If I did, I'd spend a great deal of time on a roller coaster of emotions, eating and drinking, being fat and drunk and STILL not being happy.

Most of the time, I don't give the feelings that lead to destructive behavior too much attention. If I do, i find it just give me a great excuse to do the things I really don't want to do "because I feel so awful......" Boo hoo, poor me, pity party of one, please.

Right, but you don't have to turn around and have just half a drink 3 times a day.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

Right, but you don't have to turn around and have just half a drink 3 times a day.

Believe me, I tried!

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Feelings and can be simply acknowledged but, when it comes down to living with them, I usually just ignore them as something my sick brain has cooked up to throw me a curve and I don't give them a lot of importance.

Lovely that you can. Others are still learning to handle our feelings and the way we behave in response to them - and as you know, it's quite a challenge to change behavior, even when you can see what the kind of behavior is that you want to emulate. It takes real commitment and reprogramming. That's all I'm saying.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

Lovely that you can. Others are still learning to handle our feelings and the way we behave in response to them - and as you know, it's quite a challenge to change behavior, even when you can see what the kind of behavior is that you want to emulate. It takes real commitment and reprogramming. That's all I'm saying.

For me, it was not so much about "learning" it was about "doing". I spend a lot of time trying to "learn" and intellectualize the process which didn't work at all. For me, the phrase "I'm still learning" was just an excuse to continue to do the same thing. I had to stop learning and start practicing. That's the ONLY way I came to actually CHANGE my behaviors. It's a leap, but it's a leap that I had to make if I wanted any results. But, "working on changing my behaviors" was really saying "just doing the same old bad behaviors" Awareness did absolutely nothing to facilitate change. Action did.

[Chernabog]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

It takes real commitment and reprogramming. That's all I'm saying.

It does, and it sure ain't easy. But it can be done -- I'm a big subscriber to what NA was talking about -- acting your way into right thinking. You force yourself to take contrary action until your thinking eventually follows, instead of the other way around.

The "clean plate club" thing my parents did too. But that was because I ate next to nothing as a child. Or you feel like you're "wasting" money if you go out to a restaurant and don't eat everything. But that's why doggie bags were invented