My struggle with food...Poor me

[nturtle]

"Poor me, I have life so tough that I deserve this" That's my relationship with food. I have had a tough time. I did go without food as a child. I have had a rocky time of it in my marriage. Eating or drinking whatever that food is that I'm craving gives me some control and some immediate gratification. It makes me feel like I can comfort myself from this hard world.

And that right there is why I always lose weight on Atkins and then fall off the wagon and gain it back. Because eventually I will feel the "Poor me" feeling and eat. I will never win this war with my weight if I don't find some other way to comfort myself. This is the first time that I'm really trying to prepare myself to face that feeling and beat it.

I'm going to make myself a list of things I can try. Because when I'm down, I'll never find the energy or willpower to come up with other ideas.
Now the challenge will be to actually try some of those things when the "poor me" devil comes calling.

If anyone has some brilliant insight, I'm SO ready to hear it!!!!

[SunnySmile501]

Switch the game on yourself. You are your own worst enemy (as are we). Think of all the great things you deserve because your life hasn't been all that great up to now, and you are tired of it. I don't know what you like better than food, but here is just a couple of examples:

Poor me, I have gone without food in my childhood and have eaten bad for most of my adult life, I deserve to eat all these luxurious foods that I can have on Atkins. I can have steak, lobster or prime rib, topped off with cheesecake, if I want it and I deserve it!

Poor me, I have had to wear less flattering clothes for too long! I deserve to set aside a really nice outfit for when I reach my goal weight. I deserve it and I have earned it! I deserve to wear it and flaunt it if I want to! Putting carb crap in my mouth couldn't hold a candle to wearing this gorgeous outfit and looking gorgeous in it!

[FLdoodette]

Hi, Nic Yep, we all have food issues! The best suggestion I can make is to check in with the board often; daily is best. A lot of us are here on and off throughout the day ... it's like a "booster shot" of helpful information and moral support; can't beat that with a stick.

Are you keeping a food diary? Very helpful. I use FitDay; it's free and really makes you aware of what you're putting into your mouth. You can track your activity and your mood, as well.

So ... don't be a stranger!

[nturtle]

I did use fitday in the past, but I find myself getting frustrated trying to find the foods listed on it. This morning I couldn't find 'String Cheese'. lol. So I think I'm going to start with a paper journal and see if I can get back in the habit of writing out my feelings. Maybe that will help with the 'poor me' attitude when it hits.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[ceemarie]

This may sound corny, but do you have any hobbies? I find that when I want to eat when I bored or because I dealing with an emotion it is because I need to do something with myself. So I head to my sewing maching and work on a project, I find that after awhile I get lost in my project and forget about food. Or, I go for a walk with the dog and by the time I get back, my though patterns have changed.

[Peej]

This might not work for you, but I found a way that works for me now. Whenever I feel down, I go get a small snack (usually a piece of string cheese) and then get on the treadmill. I do 10 minutes at a good pace, nothing horrible just enough to get me up to a sweat. If I want to do more, I do more. I often do! Its hard to do at first because the last thing you want to think about when you're feeling sorry for yourself is exercise. However, something about the endorphins or just actively working on my physical well being just sets my mood right again. After I cool down, my mood does a 180 and I feel refreshed and usually even giddy!

The hardest part is starting. I've gotten a few books on tape to listen to and that keeps the time going by fast and helps me to stop thinking of it as a punishment. At first, I probably only did it half as often as I should have. Now I almost always do it. Sometimes if I'm busy I just do 5 minutes at a bit faster pace and I get pretty much the same result. I never ever ever thought it would work for me, but now that I've gotten in the habit, its amazing! I used to think of exercise as something that I just had to trudge through. Now I use it to cheer myself up on top of my regular exercise.

I suggest this to a lot of people and I've no doubt that for some people it doesn't work. However, I strongly urge you to give it a try! Even if its just taking a quick walk around the block or doing some jumping jacks in your living room, sometimes if you just get your heart pumping a bit, you'll feel so much better!

[nturtle]

Peej, that is a really good suggestion. I have an elliptical machine in my living room and there is no reason I couldn't get on it and do a few minutes to remind myself why I'm doing this! I promise to try it next time and see what happens.

Thanks!

[Peej]

I hope it works out for you! I've kinda dropped the ball the last week for exercise. I definitely have to get back on it. It has a huge effect on my mood.