Re: What do you expect food to do for you?

[Guest guest]

Just trying to stimulate some conversation on both boards!!

> >

> > I found this question a really good thing to focus on - it was surprising

how unrealistic my honest answers were - and for me that was a lightbulb moment.

> >

> > Some of the things I was thinking that food would do:

> > * take away my anxiety about my husband's lack of job security

> > * distract me from my boredom

> > * help me avoid the housework

> > * make the loneliness go away

> > * fill up the empty feeling inside

> >

> > Of course it's obvious that the food won't do any of these things and in

fact will just make me feel worse about myself in the long run. I don't even

enjoy the food when I'm in 'stuff it all in' mode.

> >

> > So now I'm working on acknowledging the feelings and trying to do something

with them....and trying to choose the food that my body is actually asking to

eat.

> >

> > It's been interesting - and now the food tastes so much better....

> >

> > Baby steps

> >

> > What do you expect food to do for you?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Good question! I'm going to respond with what I have in the past expected food

to do for me, because after a year of working with this, I mostly no longer have

these expectations of food.

They were:

to get me through hectic, stressful days of being in charge of 25 7-year-olds.

to be my companion when I needed someone to talk to.

to alleviate my anxiety when I worried about anything at all.

to entertain me.

to distract me from doing things I didn't want to do.

to numb my feelings.

to cover old wounds and pain in my life.

to soothe me.

to show love.

And last, probably also least, to nourish my body.

Sara

>

> I found this question a really good thing to focus on - it was surprising how

unrealistic my honest answers were - and for me that was a lightbulb moment.

>

> Some of the things I was thinking that food would do:

> * take away my anxiety about my husband's lack of job security

> * distract me from my boredom

> * help me avoid the housework

> * make the loneliness go away

> * fill up the empty feeling inside

>

> Of course it's obvious that the food won't do any of these things and in fact

will just make me feel worse about myself in the long run. I don't even enjoy

the food when I'm in 'stuff it all in' mode.

>

> So now I'm working on acknowledging the feelings and trying to do something

with them....and trying to choose the food that my body is actually asking to

eat.

>

> It's been interesting - and now the food tastes so much better....

>

> Baby steps

>

> What do you expect food to do for you?

>