Mindful Eating
During my psych exam, the psych recommended that I read a book called "Mindful Eating." When I looked for it on Amazon, I couldn't find one with just this name. There were books with "Mindful Eating" in the name, but I didn't know which one I was supposed to be reading. Before I call the psych, I was wondering if anyone else had been recommended to read the book and, if so, can you tell me who the author is? Thanks, if you can help!
Deborah
I am reading a great book right now by Peter M. Miller. It is called "Binge Breaker, Stop Out-of-Control Eating and Lose Weight". Mindful eating is in every chapter along with mindful eating awareness and mindful willpower. If it has to do with Mindful Eating, I am sure Peter Miller wrote it. As I read the book, I think, hmm has he met me LOL. It seems he wrote it just for me. It really is a good book.
Melissa Taylor
277/136
-141 pounds
I think the first step for me was learning what my problem was. I am a binger with a binge eating disorder. And it is a disorder. I have it, I fully admit it openly, and I love myself anyway. I used to be so down on myself, but now I realize everyone has their issues and problems to face and deal with everyday. Mine happens to be food. I try to say something positive everyday about myself to myself. And when I do have a slip I say that is okay, you are human, and I forgive you and love you. Attitude can make or break you. I found being easier on myself about everything makes me want or need to binge less. It is a daily struggle and will be forever I am sure. Same as with drug addicts and alcoholics. It is a forever deal. My books have helped me, my local support group, the support on here, and of course my one on one support buddy Christine. I suggest everyone have a support buddy who understands you and can be there for you. Since Christine and I found one another, we have done well. We are really good friends as well as support for each other. I wish I had her in my life a lot sooner but everything happens in God's time and maybe this was what his plan was. I met her when I needed her most. Good luck to you in your journey and if you ever need anything please contact me. I like being there for others with my problem. It actually helps me too.
Hugs,
Melissa
Hey Regina,
The most important thing I have learned about Binge Eating is to not deprive yourself of what you want. Eat what you want - when you want it - in moderation, to avoid binging on it later.
Melissa gave me a book to read called "Breaking Free from Emotional Eating" and it has been very helpful. The book she mentioned in her post also seems like a very good book. I havent read it yet though cause she stole it out of my hands at the book store. Hahaha...
Learning when enough is enough is hard sometimes.
Here are a few things I wrote down in my journal that I got from some of my help books:
Notes on Binging:
A binge is a plunge into oblivion
A binger is a dry drunk
If you find yourself binging - slow down, enjoy the taste of the food. Dont waste a good binge on not tasting--This will keep you from craving it later.
To avoid all out binging - eat in full view of family and friends. Never hide food from them or sneak around.
Eat only while sitting down - only in the dining room. Never in your bedroom, never in the kitchen while cooking (taste testing rakes in the cals).
Avoid Emotional conversations while eating.
Do not be a member of the "Clean your plate club".
Eat without distractions.
Being fat is the ultimate failure. No matter what else I am - I am fat. My words dont matter, my laugh doesnt matter, my love doesnt matter. There isnt a word strong enough to describe what feeling fat can do to a woman. (This was a thought by someone at a seminar)
Throw food away. This gives you control instead of being controlled.
Forgive yourself - you did the best you could. Let yourself know that you still beleive in you!
When you need yourself the most - DONT LEAVE by taking the plunge into a binge.
If you dont know what you want to eat - you are either not really hungry or have let yourself get too hungry.
**My personal favorite**
My hunger is deep, it is old. My hunger is wild. Unless I shackle it, cage it, silence it, it will devour me and I in return will devour the world.
We cant live our lives in a bubble and not be expected to eat things that normal people do. We have to learn how to control the amount we want. As bingers we take it to the extreme and think we have to have it all right now. Sometimes I tell myself that its okay and I can have more tomorrow - I dont have to have it all today. There is always more at the store. We dont have to have the whole pie out of fear that it wont be there later or that we are missing out on something. A little can go a long way. Sometimes it works... sometimes it doesnt. I can honestly say that my binging got really out of hand there for awhile and I could not control my obsession with cheetos. I have been cheeto free for several weeks. If I eat good foods like I am supposed to (fish, veggies, good snacks, etc)... I get to craving those good foods. If I allow myself to have the bad things all the time in large quantities - then that is what I crave all the time. I actually prefer steamed veggies now over rice or potatoes.
Because I am a food addict I make better choices now when I go to the grocery store. I am more MINDFUL of what I purchase. If its not here and I dont have to look at it every day - I wont crave it or want it. I am not saying certain things are forbidden but sometimes when things are out of sight they really are out of mind. There was a honey bun in my pantry that sat there for days. Every day I opened that pantry it called me. This went on for days and I fought it daily. One day, I couldnt fight it anymore. I chewed it up and spit it out. The good thing is that the honey bun was gone and not calling me anymore. The bad thing is the way I handled it. Needless to say, no more honey buns have been purchased. *****ally needs a honey bun anyway?
My daughter is 8 and she now reads the back of products like I do. Of course she really has no clue what she is looking at but she is learning. She quickly tells me how many grams of sugar are in something. Thats a step. Melissas son does this too... They are learning about reading the nutritional facts and may not understand it all yet but WE do and we need to control what we are feeding our kids as well as what we are feeding ouselves. There is a chapter in the book I am reading called Family Eating: The sins of the parent. This has been interesting to me. I really wish I had never introduced a potato chip or soda to my daughter. One of the first things we give our children is a sucker. Pure sugar. Why would we do that? Its simply putting them on the wrong track at such a young age. We set the path for them. Instead of a sucker- I should have given her sliced cheese or a grape.
Its a journey. I learned more about myself if this past 10 mos than I learned in my 29 years before surgery.
The last time I wrote in my journal prior to yesterday was 7/1 and my weight was 155-158 (fluctuating)... now, 1.5 mos later it is still 155-158. That tells me that I have not lost any weight but in my soul I am happy because I havent gained any either. This is a good weight for me with my height and I will be happy with this. I guess I can consider myself in maintenace and be happy with the weight loss this far. Its 120 pound loss from my heaviest and 111 lost from surgery date. I am below surgeons goal and my own. That is something to be proud of and I am. Also in that month and half I have gone from 12s to some 10s. I know I am losing inches or either didnt think I could wear 10s back then. Either way, its a long way from 24s and 22s.
I also know that if it werent for Melissa I would not be doing well. I was on a path of self detruction and her guidance with counting cals, being obsessive on knowing what we are eating, and her compassion to what I was going thru got me on the road to doing the best I can. Sometimes I fail but sometimes I succeed. Its a very long journey. I went blindly into this surgery thinking it was a perfect cure and I was so wrong. So wrong.
I am very adament now about telling everyone they need a support person who has had this surgery and can guide you thru the tough times. People in our family and our friends are support but they havent been thru it and dont understand a food disorder. I know that if chocolate cake is calling me at 3am and I feel the need to binge on it (been there) I can call her. Of course eating a peice of cake is okay every now and then but like I said, I cant stop with one peice (its the binge disorder I am working on). I only wish we had become friends earlier on.
Total deprivation or having forbidden foods is not healthy. It will cause you to binge on them.
I know we arent supposed to weigh daily because it becomes an obsession but I do weigh daily and I do this because I didnt weigh for 15 years and I ended up at 275 pounds at my heaviest. I need a daily count of where I am. Losing 5 pounds is easier than looking up one day and realizing I had gained 15 pounds....To me, the scales are not the enemy. The scales know all.
I didnt mean to write a book. I suggest you read the Breaking free from Emotional eating book too if you like to read. We hit the used book store one day at lunch and between the two of us had purchased like 7 books. Melissas friend is a nurse and gave us a nutrition book too. This book explains the differences in good and bad carbs - it details alot of things we arent really aware of. What carbs do to our blood sugar levels and why we want more carbs, more carbs, more carbs....Getting one on one with your food is essential to a long term success. I am by no means fixed but I am not completely broken anymore.
I wish you the best of luck...
Christine
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