Have you ever stopped to think or ask yourself ‘Do I eat to live or am I living to eat’?
With being overweight and obesity becoming an epidemic in North America, it’s pretty clear to the answer to that question.
On my journey with dieting, eating disorders, different diets or ways of eating (vegetarian, raw etc) I know what it is like to have an affair with food. Good, bad and ugly!!
For years I could pre-occupy myself with counting calories, no matter how little or big that number was, weighing myself, sometimes many times a day, fat counting, then when it came to carbs, proteins etc I gave that up. Focusing on what I couldn’t or shouldn’t eat, which really lead to binging many times -( love those guilt feelings and beating self up), to what was in the name…..whether it was a type of diet or way of eating…….”Oh no I can’t eat that I am a Pescararian Vegetarian (ha just not a regular vegetarian too boring), to a Raw Foodist – I did enjoy the looks I got from people as I could tell they were thinking I ate raw meat!!
This is the best one yet….”I’m a level 5 vegan….I don’t eat anything that casts a shadow”…….no I can’t take credit for that one!!!
Really those were all just a diversion to what was really going on inside of me, a way to tune out or put my focus on something else, something outside of me. When that inner lonliness or emptiness gets paid attention to and filled by other means, and usually taking time for ourselves or loving ourselves, that emptiness, that well gets filled from within, from a healthy source and we don’t need to eat in the sense of overeat (and sometimes it works in the other way of not eating) we can then nurture properly.
Food can and is an addiction like alcohol, drugs cigarettes and so on.
Here are 2 things to consider, when you are eating, eat…..do nothing else – no tv, computer or phone, very little to drink or conversation….focus on eating, tasting and experiencing the food, one mouthful at a time with lots of chewing…..in other words be present.
Listen to your body. When you do the things above your body will tell you when it’s full, when it feels good or not (especially after eating some foods) and what it really wants to eat……it may surprise you.
Find a way of being creative or expressive…dance, art, writing or something…….without judging yourself on how well or bad you are doing it, if it feels good do it!!!!
Most importantly LOVE YOURSELF no matter what!!!!
We didn’t come down to experience earth to spend time beating ourselves up, let go of the things you can’t change, all the yesterdays that are over and be here now loving what is………..make it a great day.
Eat to Live!!!
JBC