I grew up in a pretty bad place. my step father was extremely violent and unpredictable. in addition to beatings (black and blue, bloody face type beatings), we suffered weird punishments, like being locked up in dark rooms for hours, standing in the corner with our hands on our heads for hours...you get the idea.
alot of MY punishments seemed to be about food. for example, one time he said I was acting like a baby (I was 7) so I had to eat baby food for a week or so. not the good kind either. I hated liver (still do) which was regular fare around our house, so I had to eat liver baby food quite alot.(why would they even MAKE such an atrocity?)
one time I turned in a bunch of pop bottles and bought some chips and snacks with the money. I hid the stuff for my brother and I to share later. THEY saw the bottles gone (they were my bottles...I collected them) and asked where the money was and I told some lie....eventually had to come clean...and in addition to the "spanking" and punishment, I had to sit there (hungry) while they ate my stuff.
when they (parents) would go out my brother and I would head straight for the kitchen and eat anything that we could get away with. we had to leave things so that they couldn't tell we had been in there. we ate mayo sandwiches...bread with margarine and sugar, bouillion cubes....bits of leftovers. stuff that wouldn't be noticed.
along with his personality issues came a pretty bad work ethic, so we were poor. always getting evicted (those days they kept your stuff) stayed in and ate in shelters sometimes...
I don't wonder why I have food issues......
the other day I went to Fred Meyers and they had meat on sale (I'm on Stillmans) so I bought a bunch of staeks, chicken etc.
while I was separating and wrapping servings and putting them in the freezer, I looked at the contents of the freezer and got scared. I felt as though I had to eat it all or something bad would happen? I didn't, of course, but I thought to myself, "what a weird reaction to have"...
I think I may have been having this reaction all along, but didn't recognise it, I just acted on it.....
so...I just told myself that I saved a bunch of money and would have my plan food for a long time.....but it took a long time, even after leaving the kitchen, for that weird feeling to stop haunting me....
I think it's incredible that you are to the point of feeling like you can share with us what was obviously very painful. Just remember as you are feeling these things that people are here for you. Maybe if you are more inclined to talk about it, you'll feel less like acting on it. Hang in there!
Wow. I admire you for having the courage to tell us that, and I think if an unhealthy relationship with food is your worst demon, then you've done really well for yourself. I think hoarding food would be a natural tendancy, and although it gets better with time, it probably never goes away. Maybe part of the solution is to keep your shelves stocked with healthy food, and keep reminding yourself that it's yours to keep and control however you choose. I suppose the desire to eat it comes from the feeling of no control, so maybe eating it intelligently is the ultimate way of knowing that you're in control now and forever.
Good luck, and I hope both of them are out of your life for good.
thank you..it WAS painful...but of course, at the time, I didn't know anything else.
they ARE out of my life.....absolutely.....I left home at 16 or 17.
yea I think the stepping back and reminding myself that I had plan food for a long time was reminding myself that I am in control.....but gosh, that was so weird....that reaction came from such a deep place....I can't even describe it. I remember very little of my childhood...just snippets.... so these emotional reactions seem almost foreign in a way.
I guess they are coming up now because I am facing so many issues right now, by losing the weght, and taking control of my life in other ways as well.
Wow...
Reading this story, I honestly think that your reaction, and your feelings about food are completely natural!
I had, in a small way, a sort of similar experience. Except that my dad would do crazy, abusive things to my sister, who was his step daughter. In our house, it wasn't so much physical violence (I'm SO sorry for what you've been through!) as mental abuse, screaming, punching holes in walls kind of stuff.
I watched the way he treated her, and I guess my little brain decided that if I ate everything (he flipped out over food stuff too) then maybe daddy wouldn't get mad at me too.
Thankfully, my dad died when I was 7, but obviously the damage had already been done or I wouldn't be here. (Side note- my sister is a size 00 and controls things by NOT eating)
You're very brave to be facing this stuff now, and I'm so proud of you. You're doing a wonderful job of taking care of that little girl (you) now.
I agree that setting your place up with lots of healthy foods could possibly help to quell that feeling, but again, I think that you're having the absolute most natural reaction to the abuse you have suffered.
I have read your posts recently and found your attitude and determination to be amazing and quite refreshing, and that was before I read of your very painful childhood. Now that I've read of it, I am that much more in awe of you.
You are remarkable. And strong. And I admire you greatly. Any and all food issues that you face are more then understandable. May you continue to have the strength to work through them.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 02-13-2009 at 05:09 PM.
I am very proud of you... I was Abused as a child (beatings) But My husband was severely starved and mistreated by his mother....He has a different reaction~He goes days without eating...Thinking Our kids will not have any food or something~and we always have plenty.It hurts to tell these types of things But Its a part Of the healing process....You will reach your goal~I am sure~You have been through alot and You have the will power to suceed...Or you would still be a part of the abusers But you got away from them !!!
AGAIN I AM SOOOOOOOOOO PROUD OF YOU.
Good Luck On your weight loss journey~And Message me anytime you need a friend.
Wow, you have overcome so much and are doing so well. Thanks for sharing your story.. you never know who might be reading it and get inspiration from the way you have overcome this situation.
thanks beerab...it wasn't the bottles so much...he was crazy so you really never knew what would set him off. after I left home I really had no reason to talk to him, so I didn't.
thanks Lori.....ya know that offer goes both ways!
you guys...! Robin Linda....yer makin me blush!! we all deal with what we get handed....some of us are lucky to find a few role models along the way to make up for what was lacking. I was lucky in that respect. the bottom line FOR ME, is to deal with this head-on, otherwise it's like I am allowing the abuse to continue, by having the same old reactions. does that make sense? anyway...thanks you guys!!
thanks Sandi!! thanks FutSurChick!! I really wanted to share that and I know that the people on here all have their own reasons for needing to be here so I knew you all would "get it".
Wow! I know it was hard to share your story. Food felt like a reward to you later in life I am sure. That's how I feel about it. I agree with everyone else that your are strong and will succeed no matter what!Stay positive! You made it through the storm!
You are so brave to tell your story. I had something similar. My father was a manic depressive (refused to take medication) and he had to control everything. He put locks on the fridge and cabinets, and if we wanted something to eat, we had to ask for it. Most of the time, he said no. My growing brothers at times ate dog food because they were so hungry and my father left the house for the afternoon. He would take the keys to the fridge and cabinets with him, or lock them in his room. It was a horrible existence...and he was constantly berating us for anything and everything (again, another way to control us emotionally).
Since that time, I find that I eat too much. I think after being in that situation for so long, you take advantage of what you can. I find that now I pack my pantry and fridge, and for some reason, seeing it full brings me comfort. It's a very strange feeling. I know what you're going through, and it takes a lot of time to get past our pasts. But, in the end, we'll be better for it.
Thanks for sharing your story...such an inspiration!
Iminhere~how Nice you are!Thanks a zillion on the return offer.
You are a terrific person.......I am so Glad you are a survivor.....They may have took away alot from you But YOU SURVIVED~YOUR STRONGER THAN THERE ABUSE WAS!I hope your brother is ok also.
May you reach your every goal in life...You deserve it!
really weird stuff coming up....
we all deal with what we get handed....some of us are lucky to find a few role models along the way to make up for what was lacking. I was lucky in that respect. the bottom line FOR ME, is to deal with this head-on, otherwise it's like I am allowing the abuse to continue, by having the same old reactions. does that make sense? anyway...thanks you guys!!
Wow! I know it was hard to share your story. Food felt like a reward to you later in life I am sure. That's how I feel about it. I agree with everyone else that your are strong and will succeed no matter what!
