Paired Phrases
02 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Hunger Signals, Signs of Progress Tags: bingeing, diet companies, diet-addict, I'm done, I'm hungry, money-making system
Does the urge to diet ever come over you when you see a diet commercial or pop-up ad? I’m sure tempted. I grow wistful thinking about becoming thinner, glamorous, younger-looking, yada yada yada. But then I remind myself (or my husband) that what diet companies want more than anything else is Read more
Diet Daze
17 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
in Food History, Hunger Signals, Signs of Progress Tags: diet prison
Back in my dieting days, when I made a commitment to follow a particular diet, Read more
Reading Signals
17 Jan 2012 4 Comments
in Food History, Hunger Signals Tags: carrot sticks, chocolate, diet foods, Morse code, my dear Watson, potato chips
"Hm, what shall I eat first?"
When I taught our young kids some Morse code years ago, they went around saying things like, “Di-dit, di-di-di-dit,” and “di-di-dit, dah-dah-dah, di-di-dit.” If you weren’t fluent in Morse, you were out of luck, but to someone who knew the code, the meaning was obvious: the first message meant “Hi” and the second meant “SOS.” It’s the same with reading the body’s signals, because first you have to learn the code. Read more
Getting the Best from Buffets
30 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Food History, Hunger Signals Tags: David Heber, diet-binge-cycle, What Color is Your Diet?
When my husband and I had lunch today, he took me to a buffet because Read more
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
12 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in Food History, Hunger Signals Tags: Araya's Place, Diet Mentality, scale
Last week, when I got the urge to step on the scale, Read more
Abandoning the List
19 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Food History, Hunger Signals, Signs of Progress Tags: milkshake, Milky Way, Ruffles have ridges, slice of watermelon
Back when I was dieting, my focus for the day was often on The List, that is, the list of permitted foods. Of course, during my lapses, Read more
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Diet-Free Mondays
12 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in Hunger Signals, Signs of Progress Tags: Edible Rocks, fresh corn, homemade granola, Oregon coast, stalwart fortitude
I just spent a weekend with a close-knit bunch of college friends at a farm near the Oregon coast. In my dieting days, I would have Read more
Eating Like a Kid
02 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Food History, Hunger Signals Tags: highchair crowd, pinto beans, sweet potatoes
Remember how you ate before you ever went on that first diet? The concept of Not Dieting is based on the way you and I Read more
Rediscovering the Treasure of Time
24 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Hunger Signals, Signs of Progress Tags: binge foods, chronic dieter, Jenni Schaefer
Jenni*, who’s now recovered from anorexia, wrote that she had to get used to eating at least three times a day, which was huge for her because her pattern was to eat binge foods nonstop until she was sick, or, conversely, starve herself nonstop until she was faint and not thinking straight. Either way, she was wrapped up in destructive activities centered on food.
As one who’s been a chronic dieter, I did a double-take when I read her comment, for I, too, am often wrapped up in thoughts about food, starting from the moment I wake up in the morning. Either I’m eating or thinking about eating—nonstop, it seems. While I’m an active person who does a variety of activities during the day, whenever I pause to catch my breath, my next thought is usually what would taste good right now? I have no idea when that habit got started but what matters is that it’s easy to get stuck eating for the sake of eating when I’m not the faintest bit hungry.
So, Jenni’s decision to get used to eating three times a day struck a chord with me because it made me decide to get used to not eating except at mealtimes. That is, I’m going to practice eating three times a day with snacks only when I need or want them, which I can determine by asking how hungry I am. You may notice that I haven’t created a rigid rule. No way, because rules even about when to eat have backfired.
But, you may ask, how is this approach different from what you’re already doing by not dieting? It’s different because it’s a different mind-set. If I know ahead of time that I’m going to delve into a favorite activity other than eating during the morning, afternoon, and evening, then I can plan how I want to use that valuable time. For example, I’m always saying I have sooooo much to do, even stuff I enjoy such as singing so I’ll have a voice when choir starts up in the fall, walking on the waterfront, spending more time with family and friends, and reading. For some reason, it’s liberating to me to ponder what I’ll do with all that time that I’ve habitually spent eating or thinking about eating. (Made me smile thinking how much time this will free up!) When I stop during the day to catch my breath, I’m planning to turn my thoughts to the book I can’t wait to finish reading instead of reviewing my food options.
How do you keep from reaching for food when that’s not really what you want?
