Below are the triggers/situations/times of day that can lead me to compulsive eating if I am not in a state of mindfulness and fully aware of all that is going on around me emotionally, physically and spiritually. I thought I'd also share with you my change of habit or alternative healthy behaviours which keep me safe and free from compulsive overeating.
- 6 o'clock in the evening is my time to prepare dinner. When in active addictive eating, preparing dinner went something like this: Pour a wine while cooking; get out dip and chips to go with the wine; while dinner is cooking watch a bit of TV and devour the whole packet of chips and tub of dip; where did the wine in that bottle go???
Today I don't keep any white wine in the fridge, because if it is not chilled I won't drink it. Today I don't keep any extra food in my house that is not on my plan of eating. Today I make sure that I am never preparing food when I am hungry.
- TV at night once my daughter was in bed would be my 'relaxation time;' another wine or some dessert, or chocolate, or whatever I felt like eating to relieve my loneliness and boredom.
Today I only watch TV when my daughter is still awake and as soon as she goes to bed I get on here and blog!!
- Saturdays at the Mall are my free day - I deserve some nice food and drinks today! I'd head out early in the morning, shop a little, stop for coffee and cake, shop some more, stop for lunch and dessert, shop some more, maybe meet a friend for a drink.. you get the picture.. endless eating/drinking.
This one was a challenge, but I chose to change my thinking. I let go of the idea that to have fun on my days off had to involve food but would allow myself to have a delicious big mug of skinny cappuccino and drink it very slowly for my treat if I felt the need to do so.
- Going out to a coffee shop/lunch/dinner was always an exciting event - while it was lovely to see friends, what was even more exciting was where we would go, what was on the menu and were they decent sized portions! Then I'd:
- Check out the desserts on the menu first
- Check out the mains next and nine times out of ten choose the creamiest, fattiest food on the menu
- Check out the entrees and make sure it wasn't a share plate
Today I take my own lunch with me and order a coffee at the venue. When ordering from the menu I order the healthiest option possible with dressing on the side. If anything comes upsized I only eat half and give the rest to whoever in my company wants it.
- Seeing my favourite foods while walking up and down the aisles of a supermarket is one sure fire way of triggering a binge. Those chocolate bars, or creamy yogurts, or buckets of ice cream would 'call' me.
Initially I avoided those aisles in the supermarket that had the 'call me' goodies in it. Now I can walk past those items and seem them as poison to me. I have no desire to buy them.
- A wine glass waiting to be filled with ice and white wine can trigger that whole 'lifestyle' thing that my addiction told me I deserved. After all it is a completely socially acceptable thing to do - even if the long term prognosis is death by compulsive overeating??
The lifestyle feeling can easily be arranged by having a lovely glass of diet tonic water with loads of crushed ice and freshly squeezed lime juice in it. I enjoy that so much!
- Feeling ill/anxious would always send me to the sweetie shop. If I ate it calmed me down. My crazy thinking would be.. well I won't faint if I eat something sugary, or I won't vomit if I eat something sweet,.... never was the thought, I will gain weight if I eat this. It was all about soothing away those horrible things called feelings.
I have learned how to deal with those feelings of wanting to eat when ill/anxious/overtired. I actually drink a big glass of water, sit down, do some deep breathing and tell myself 'this too will pass.'
- Feeling angry was a sure fire way for me to feel justified about stuffing garbage foods into my body. That resentment really is a #1 killer. I mean really.. being angry and eating to either 'get back' at the other person or to cope with the feelings is just the type of insane havoc your addiction likes to wreak.
Again, I have learned not to wreak havoc on myself when I am angry. If I need to I connect with someone who understands where I am coming from as an angry addict and talk out the issue. Or I sit, meditate and get back to my own centre.
- Holidays (Christmas-Easter-Australia Day)/Travel - who doesn't enjoy all the niceties and the delicious extras when it's Christmas or Easter or when on holiday? When traveling? I mean it's the right thing to do isn't it? Even when you know that the foods and drinks you will indulge in could lead to you dying form morbid obesity??? Only an addict would ignore that fact and carry on indulging regardless.
I changed my thinking about holidays too. I focus on the family and people that I celebrate annual holidays with, making sure they have a wonderful time, or, when travelling I focus on all the wonderful different cultural aspects of the place I am visiting. Yes I taste the local food but I am always mindful of what I am eating/drinking.
What triggers do you have? Do you understand how dangerous certain situations are for you? Do you have ways of dealing with your old habits or changing them to new healthier habits around food that will keep that addiction switched well and truly off?
I'd love to hear from you about your ways of coping with these types of challenges. Email me at karen.140@gmail.com
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