No More Dieting

The big "headline" for emotional eating is the movement of NO MORE DIETING. I totally agree and disagree with what's being said. I agree with the fact that we use "dieting" as a way to obsess about something else. Many of us obsess about something or other, so it's just another way to obsess and keep our minds running at a million miles per hour. "Dieting" is a way to avoid looking at ourselves and what's really going on - we just look at the food and blame the food and lack of self-control. We also use "dieting" as a way to make our behavior today "okay" because we tell ourselves - "Tomorrow I start my diet" and we live in a constant state of denial. Also, most "diets" don't work - they are not sustainable nor do they teach us how to live in the normal world. They are fads and quick fixes and feel like taking on a PT job - soup to make, points to calculate, diaries to keep, meetings to attend - it's all way too much for the average person.

What I don't agree with is the fact that people like me never learned a normal relationship with food (which is most people in the world) and we NEED to learn a new way of eating that is sustainable, healthy and non-emotional. This new way of eating is then termed "diet" and then shunned as well. I spent a few years and LOTS of money figuring out my emotional eating. I then spent a year and LOTS of money going to Pilates. Both of these things have been life changing, but didn't help me lose weight. I still didn't have a clue how to eat and not obsess about food. I still felt crazy when it came to food - not because I was eating junk but because I was supposed to eat what my body craved and what was healthy for me. When you've never been taught how to have a healthy relationship with food, that's not possible. There needs to be more guidance than that. It's not about getting thin as much as learning a healthy relationship with food. Learning what it feels like to eat well and actually create a desire to feel that way.

The reason this plan has worked for me is because - it's SO simple, I can't obsess about food. The lack of thinking about food all day was a real challenge because I didn't need to keep a diary, go to weekly meetings, calculate points - I felt a void at first because "What do I think about if not obsessing about food?" That's how this blog came about - I needed to actually think about life and my relationship with food and I decided to get it down on "paper" - screen. The other reason this plan works is because, I think for the first time in my life, I don't feel the up and down blood sugar plunges my old way of eating created and I feel balanced, more healthy. I feel the actual nourishment of food - for the first time in my life. I actually think about eating junk food or sugar and CHOOSE to eat nuts or another bar because I WANT to feel better after eating and not gross. I actually see my food as nourishing and sustaining myself instead of feeding my emotions. AND I will eat this way forever - at least that's the plan and the possibility. Unlike most plans, this plan can be sustained forever. Besides adding back fruit and healthy grains, this is basically how I'll be eating. I've been able to make the same dinners for me and my family - and they are healthier as well. I have seen a difference in my kids because they are eating healthier and less carbs. My daughter's little stomach pooch has gone down and the boys' rashes have improved considerably.

So I agree that figuring out the emotional reasons for eating is a great first step and a necessary step to sustain a healthy way of eating. But I do think that using an eating plan (diet) is also EXTREMELY necessary because we need guidance and won't learn how to relate to food if we aren't taught.