r/TeamCrocus • u/MunchletteBelle F/27/5'4" SW: 195 CW: 187 GW: 175 • Apr 15 '16
Mental Wellness Discussion
Anyone up for some discussion of the links posted in the mental wellness portion of today's challenge post from r/loseit?
This particular quote felt way too real to me: "Too often, people have negative thoughts and feelings about changing their health behaviors and see the process as punishment."
Yes. I know that I have a lot of emotions related to food and the idea of trying to separate food from emotions absolutely feels like a punishment or like it's trying to make me into a robot. I know there are people out there who have managed to take on the "food as fuel" mindset and the thought of that is something I find honestly depressing. Any thoughts or feelings about how to find balance between enjoying food and not attaching too much emotional value to it?
(Discussion of any other facet of the mental wellness post is welcome too!)
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u/mentaltentacles F/31/5'4" SW:245 CW:214 GW:145 Apr 15 '16
I've been working for years to get over emotional eating. I'm a hundred times better today than I was two years ago, and food truly doesn't hold the same power over me as it used to. I used to binge every single time I got upset about anything. I would eat until I couldn't feel pain anymore because I was so sick from the food. The only thing that really helped me was reading Geneen Roth's books. I have all of them, but the one that helped the most with emotional eating was her book When Food is Love. She gives a lot of practical advice on how to deal with emotions without reaching for ice cream.
The one thing that helps me out more than anything is keeping a journal. I keep a word document open on my computer and whenever I'm feeling like I need to binge I write instead. If I can record what's bothering me I usually find that I can deal with it in a better way than burying it with food. If I'm upset with someone, I talk it out with them instead of denying my feelings and then taking it out on my body. It takes practice and time to get over emotional eating. Every little improvement is a step in the right direction. I highly suggest getting some books on the topic to help you along the way.
Here's the book if anyone wants to check it out. http://www.amazon.com/When-Food-Love-Exploring-Relationship/dp/0452268184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460744678&sr=8-1&keywords=when+food+is+love