Can you name the advantages and disadvantages of overeating.
 

Hey everyone!

I was just talking to somebody about Allen Carr's book about how to quit smoking.

I think a lot of us have a food addition here in the 100 lbs club.

The book says that you should look at the way you feel about your addiction. It says you should look at the advantages, and the disadvantages of you addiction. You should not feel deprived that you cannot overeat (or smoke as in the book), otherwise you want to overeat forever, and you will always be an addict. You should feel relieved that you do not have to overeat! Mind over matter!

Apparently, there is a chapter in the book about the 'advantages of smoking'... but it is BLANK! I think it is quite a metal shock to see these blank pages staring back at you about the 'advantages of smoking'. Therefore - there are no advantages.

The book says that some people say that you feel better when you smoke - but the author says it is untrue. If it wasn't for smoking, you wouldn't feel bad to begin with. I relate to this so much. There are so many times I overeat to feel better, but my weight was the main reason for my state of mind to begin with. It's like a evil cycle that never stops.

So, I was thinking, I am going to list all the advantages and disadvantages of overeating or eating too much or what are the disadvantages of over eating in the past.. Next time when I want to overeat, or eat something unhealthy, maybe this exercise will help to fight the craving - or the addiction. Feel free to jump in with your own.

Disadvantages of overeating:

- It keeps me at the weight I am at (230lbs) or make me gain more weight.
- I feel horrible the next day - always very tired with no energy.
- Because of my weight, my knees and feet really hurt.
- I feel ugly.
- I always say no to any social events and try to hide in my house.
- Because of the above point, I almost have NO friends, and I am not making any, either.
- I am ashamed to eat in front of people, so I will sneak food and eat when nobody knows. I use to believe that you should be proud of everything you do - but I am so ashamed of what I eat.
- I have a closet FULL of clothes - currently only THREE sets of clothes suit me, and therefore I usually feel as if I look like a homeless person. :(
- When I go clothes shopping, I feel so depressed and sad.
- My skin is a mess, and I am sure it is due to eating unhealthy foods.
- I am always postponing things in my life. I want to do karate classes, get a boyfriend, join social events, go skydiving - when I lose the weight... this has been going on for years.

Advantages:

- When I overeat, it makes me feel better for about 30 minutes.

That it!! Thats how long the fix last. - I am giving up everything! My whole life for a 30 minute fix at a time!

No, never again.

exactly! I don't even know if I'd give it 30 minutes, the guilt sets in fast.

Good way of looking at it. It always made me crazy that when I was a binge eater that my biggest trigger was being down about how "fat" I was (and I was about the size I am now so tells you how messed up my head was).

This is very similar to a thing I did when I quit smoking in January. I wrote all the reasons I would want to quit smoking. All of the nasty/bad things about smoking (health, smell, cost, etc). I did this one evening when I had 8 cigarettes left. I smoked the rest of that pack that night, but haven't even been tempted since. I thought I would go back to look at the list as a reminder, but I never needed to.

I did quit smoking: and what makes the pages of a chapter called "Advantages" blank is thinking like a non-smoker. A smoke, like food, feeds the addiction. That's not an "advantage"--but until you (I) can "get" that you (I) are (am) addicted, the "pleasures" of smoking exist. They dissappear when you realise you are no better off than a crack addict. Fortunately you can quit cigarettes entirely. Food--well--food is more like a field of land mines than an addiction, but it would definitely help to feel like a thin person--who isn't all emotionally entangled with food (and lots are!)
I don't have any answers, though, sorry. I'm just typing to keep busy until dinner's ready, lol!

I see no advantage in overeating, it just makes you physically uncomfortable and fat.

The only good thing about overeating is that food tastes good and eating is a fun social activity. There is not one other thing that is good. :(

Yea but food tastes good even when you don't overeat and it can be a fun social activity even if you don't overeat :)

Actually, I treated myself to a 3 musketeers mint candy bar yesterday.... (fit in my plan, and was a reasonable treat).... and it was sooooooooo good. It tasted waaaaaaaay better than it would have if it had been one of 5 such treats for the day! :)

yup, the advantage to me was it was a fun, social activity. What I didn't realize was that no one gave a $h!t WHAT I was eating, so if I nibble on healthy things now, no one bats an eye. They're busy talking and laughing with me, not cataloguing my food LOL

the other 'advantage' was that the fat made the perfect shield! As a FAT GIRL nothing much was expected of me, right? I could lose a few pounds but no one would say anything - i mean, it was all coming back in a few months just like every time before. Geesh what a waste of time and energy!! Luckily, I never let my fat be my prison. I was always happy and outgoing (the real kind, not the false bravado fat girls adopt at times), loved being a ham and centre of attention, loved getting out and doing things and meeting people. Now I can just do MORe of it, as i don't get so tired now! yay!!!