Re: Re:Not having a good IE Day / Yep, You're Right

[Guest guest]

Yes, I think you were right. I knew I wasn't hungry, so I decided I'd just eat a taste of the Hershey bar, paying close attention to it. And that was delicious. But part of my mind was also saying, "You were already satisfied with your boiled egg. Why are you eating this? And, darnit, I've asked and asked Manisha not to bring me candy and stuff. Why won't she listen? I just can't be around chocolate--I have no self-control..." Yep, all the old diet mantras snapped into place, including the, "I've already blown it; I might as well eat that granola bar--that English muffin--and the peppermint is sugar-free...." Ah, well. I've thought this way for 40 or more of my 53 years. I didn't get this way overnight, and I'm not going to get it all sorted out overnight, either.

Thanks for the support, though, all of you. I'd go nuts without having all of you to answer my questions and give me a point back to the right direction.

AH!!! I see where it went wrong. You saw the Hershey's bar as "forbidden" and you as being "good" if you didn't eat it, or it you ate it in a certain way. You are personalizing food as if you are a "loser" for eating it, and a "winner?" for not eating it.

That's where you need to begin. There are NO foods off limits. If you want to eat a Hershey bar, eat it! You can. You are allowed. There is nothing inherently wrong with a candy bar, and there is nothing wrong with you if you eat it.

Then, my guess is, the rest of the food, the granola bar, the english muffin, etc... was to stop the feelings of anger at yourself for eating something that you perceived as "forbidden." You might have even been punishing yourself?

I could be completely off base here, but that's the first thing thaty popped into my mind.

So, take a deep breath, understand that this is a PROCESS and that you are LEARNING and you won't be able to be perfect, ever! Just as when you learn any other new skill, you're going to fall down. So, you get back up again, and start to take a look at food differently. You can do this!

A candy bar is just a piece of food, not a moral judgment on your character...

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.