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 Conquering eating obessionsModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Wellness -> Diet and Nutrition | Message format |
pinyet |
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Hi everyone. I'm 21 and have a bit of an obsession with what I eat, how much I eat etc. Since the age of 15 I've wanted to lose weight (as do most young girls!) Although in the past I have resorted to bingeing and then purging (though this was when I was 15 and I stopped it very soon as I realised what I would end up doing to my body thankfully. Now however I go through phases of eating incredibly healthy-not low fat but just a very balanced diet-and healthy amount of exercise. Then it's like something changes in my brain and I almost need to self-destruct-I binge and will seek out the worst foods and almost force myself to keep eating them! Its mad! I hate myself for doing it. I've been told in the past that often people eat to suppress emotions in their stomach and I do have things in my past which could harbour such emotions but I really want to overcome this. What I need is some advice on controlling your mind without seeking professional help. I have seen therapists in the past but never have felt it's done much good. Would like to conquer this mind pattern myself and am sure I could. Anyone been through a similar thing and overcome it? It's so frustrating!  ps: I'm a healthy weight and although I still would like to lose a bit it's not my main concern here xx | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442      | |||
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| *Fifi* |
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| Empress Echo |
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Hi Pinyet, As Glenda mentioned, there's a lot of good information under the "New and in Need" thread in the Weight Loss section that wouldn't hurt looking at... I'm a recovering bulimic, and I do understand your situation. The website http://www.something-fishy.org/ has a lot of great information, not only about anorexia and bulimia, but also binge eating and compulsive eating disorders. Have you ruled out therapy completely? Sometimes it can be as simple as finding a good therapist that you "jive" with. I just went throught this myself and left a therapist who was quite good, but our personalities just seemed to clash & I never felt totally comfy with him. I've got another one now who seems great, though I haven't seen her enough just yet to see how it will go. I do encourage you to keep trying in that area. As Fifi mentioned, hormones might have something to do with it as well - just something to consider. But you mentioned emotional eating, which makes me think not. Have you ever tried CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)? This therapy works by the theory that if you change your thoughts you change your mind, and how you feel, and has been shown to be extremely effective in all sorts of situations. A great CBT book I'd recommend is "The Feeling Good Handbook" by David D. Burns. Sounds corny, but really, truly can help you in just about any situation. This book has a lot of exercises that help you change your mind, and thus your behavior. It can be found on amazon.com or at the larger bookstores such as Barnes & Noble. Check it out! This might help you beat the "mind pattern" you mention, without having to seek out a therapist. Another idea is that when you are in your "healthy eating" phase, do you allow yourself the occasional treat? I think that's important, because if you deprive yourself too much of the foods you really love, eventually you're gonna crack! You know what I mean? I do this myself sometimes. If you can, every so often treat yourself to a favourite - if not necessarily healthy - food, in a small portion. Maybe a candy bar or some ice cream - whatever you love. Not every day by any means - just enough to keep you from going bonkers down the line I think yoga can help you as well - have you been doing it long? Does it bring out emotions? I think it has helped me a lot in becoming more centered and balanced, though I went through a bit of a storm of emotions in the beginning that I didn't understand until I read some posts here & learned more. Best of luck to you & feel free to pm me if you'd like to chat. Namaste Echo | |||
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| pinyet |
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| I don't think my hormones have much of a role in it-although they do with lots of people-as my period (thankfully) comes and goes without me really noticing it! I will keep a check on that though. I learned a little about CBT when I studied psychology so maybe I'll dig out some of my old text books on it...yep sounds like a good idea. I really think this is a learned behaviour-food has always been there for me and cheered me up, it's only been in my older years that it's brought me down pretty quickly also. I need to readjust that thinking. I will have a look at the book you mentioned Echo as i did go to Amazon and read the good reviews-I'm intrigued! If anyone else has some advice or has been though similar emotions I'd love to hear from them as it's all well and good to have the tools but it's laying the foundations which is the hardest if you know what I mean and it's all a bit daunting! xx  | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | "Older years"? Did you not say up in the first post that you are 21??? This is like the 5 year olds I see at work say "When I was a little kid..."  OK - I'll get over it  I think.... Anyway, up until recently, if anyone had suggested I eat to cover up or suppress emotions, I would have said they were crazy. But my super-yogic powers are now enabling me to see a bit more clearly and yes indeed, there are times when I eat more due to emotions than hunger. And I'll bet a lot of others do as well. | ||
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| pinyet |
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Sorry Tourist-I revoke the word "older" and replace it with "more recent"! Very good point-feeling too old is another obsession and another forum!  Yes I think eating to cover up feelings is quite common-just wish I couldn't understand it! It's interesting once you start thinking about reasons behind certain behaviour though... | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | Well pinyet, you have some personal work to do with eating and feeling old at the same time and at your age! I know there are techniques one can do without a therapist that can be helpful - journalling (and I mean journalling with a purpose, not just babbling on paper - although that is great, too) and list-making and such. I don't have titles of books for you - maybe someone else does? One thing I have found helpful is looking at the symbols in the things I find problematic. And you don't need to have an expert tell you what the symbols mean, they are personal and if you let yourself just go with it, you can probably figure them out quite easily. For example, I have figured out that when I dream about driving a car, it has a lot to do with how much control I feel I have over my life at the moment. Interestingly, since I discovered that, I have never had another dream where I was in a car that I couldn't control! And a few years ago I had an incident where I was VERY angry with someone and found myself drinking water constantly. I asked myself why and the answer was I was trying to dilute the anger - I didn't want to feel so mad! Once I confronted the person, the insatiable thirst went away. As far as feeling old - my dear you just have to believe that you are right now at the very threshold, indeed the cusp of the best years of your life. Don't waste them with regrets or obsessions. Get on with it! Do the work you need to do, enjoy your life and gear up for a great ride. As someone who is speeding ever more quickly toward 50 (and loving it!) I strongly suggest you prepare yourself now because it just gets more and more interesting, with more challenges and side trips than you can imagine at this point. Work on your issues now while you are young and energetic so you can be strong and brave when you really ARE old Good luck! | ||
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| pinyet |
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| Wow! It was so good to read your message before I began my day! Thank you so much-it made me cry! And you're absolutely right. I'm going to print off what you wrote and stick it somewhere I can see it everyday-just to remind myself what's really important. I started today with a whole new perspective-not just with eating but with everything, (being more tolerant, less stressed, less obsessed!). So thank you again-your words made a difference. Now I just have to keep up the positive thinking!  Very interesting what you said about symbolism-one of those very obvious things which are easily forgotten. I'll have to keep a check on my dreams now! I have a bit of a history of hiding feelings and what I'm going through which goes right back into my early childhood. I believe I force food down to stop these emotions coming up-even though now there's nothing really there and its a case of old habits die hard! Need to change the thinking that's all, right?! Anyway thank you so much again, Becca xx | |||
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| Miabella704 |
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| tinyone |
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442 | Hayley - was your dance background any sort of catalyst? I watched my DD like a hawk when she was dancing but she was ok  | ||
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| tinyone |
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