The voices are angry. They don’t like it when we shine a light on their shadowy faces. They were alarmed at the amount of recognition and response that arose in last week’s discussion. They depend on anonymity for their power over our lives.
The first step in taking charge of uncontrolled eating is to recognize it for what it is. It is an involuntary reflex built into our neurons and mediated by our hormones. It is a false but compelling link between food and happiness. Significant, sustained effort is required to weaken that link, and the initial effort is to see it more clearly.
In The End of Overeating, David Kessler devotes his final two chapters to the theory and practice of “Food Rehab.” I recommend the original for those who want more depth. Some key points resonated with special power for me. I will explore them over the next few weeks.
Key Point #1: The connection between certain foods and the reward they represent may be rooted in evolution, and is strengthened each time it is used. Our ancestors faced a very different array of food choices than we have today. Their systems developed over the millennia to acquire rare elements (sugar, salt, and fat) by gorging when they were available. Early humans were also designed to over-eat in times of plenty, to prevent starvation in times of scarcity. We too have primitive urges to eat out of control, some foods more than others.
For most of my life, I have tried to eat chips and cookies in moderation. I have succeeded and I have failed, but in times of success the voices have become ever louder and more insistent. If I have stopped at one, I have obsessed the rest of the day with a desire for more. If I ate a brownie at afternoon break, a blur of food fantasies obscured the rest of the budget meeting and stood in the way of rational decisions, whether about food or figures.
I few years ago, I experimented with abstinence. I swore off chips and cookies for ten weeks as part of a wellness challenge at work. I was amazed that the voices softened and faded. They were still there, but the volume was way down. Two years later, I rarely eat those foods. I no longer consider them a treat, because life is more enjoyable without the company of food fantasies raging out of control. I may occasionally eat one, but only when I do not have easy access to more. The better I understand the theory, the more reasonable it feels to take this step, as drastic as it seems.
I invite you to explore the option of swearing off a few foods that hold the greatest power over your freedom to choose. Have you tried it before? How did it work? Does the theory make the practice any more attractive?
Next week we will feature a Valentine’s Day special, the link between food and love.
Pam
www.wellbuddies.com
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2 comments:
It is such a rich conversation. What I know about me is if swear off a certain food/drink then the voices are louder for me...I see, hear, and think of almost nothing outside of what I am wanting to eliminate or avoid. It is as if a part of me becomes a surly teenager...don't tell me what to do, I will do whatever I want, and the result is the I fall prey to the peer pressure of the voices, and indulge in greater excess than before. What calms the voices for me is to connect the eating with joy...how that looks varies from day to day, but I know that deprivation and overeating do not feel joyful to me. I imagine there are many ways people have found to calm the voices and feel at ease with food choices...thank you Pam for an opportunity to explore this and I look forward to hearing more. :)
Thanks, Jamie. The strategies that work for each of us are so personal. The quest for what works and leads to inner peace is a reward in itself. Thanks for expanding the horizon with your experience! Pam
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