Dagmar, no it's actually totally un-new-agey. She uses the latest and most accurate neuroscience research to explain the biological mechanism by which binge eating (and by extension, many other bad habits) are started and then maintained by the brain in defiance of your strong desire to break the habit. She actually contrasts (ad nauseum in my opinion) the difference between her biological explanation and the prevailing belief (also held my many at 3FC) that binging is caused by psychological factors like stress, poor relationships, and "triggering" events. You should definitely read it, if you binge.
She actually contrasts (ad nauseum in my opinion) the difference between her biological explanation and the prevailing belief (also held my many at 3FC) that binging is caused by psychological factors like stress, poor relationships, and "triggering" events.
Could bingeing be a complex behavior that is caused by different events or stimuli in different individuals? This is what I know about myself: I binged more when I restricted more, and I eat too much & too quickly now when I feel both powerless and stressed out. For me, anyway, much of it is a kind of acting-out. I am not saying this is true for everyone, but I'm reasonably certain that is my own truth. I'm curious about the book and have read excerpts from it but the author's utter certainty and what appeared to me to be somewhat disdainful attitude toward any other view turned me off, to be frank. But since I believe different people binge for different reasons, I am sure that the book can nevertheless help some people.
I will at least sample the book on Amazon. I haven't done much with my Kindle yet - uploaded 2 books and a study guide - but it would be interesting to have "mini books" available. Pay a couple of bucks and get a couple of chapters - that kind of thing.
I have some errands to run but wanted to check in first. Since there seems to be some interest, I'll start a thread on "Brain Over Binge" when I get back home. That way, those who are interested can join and others can opt out. I'm still reading it, myself.
Yesterday was good - not "perfect," but good. And that's enough for me. Lunch was catered from a local pan-Asian place and everything was noodles and rice. I had a small portion of tofu curry and supplemented with what I'd brought for snacks: a Babybel cheese round, some almonds, and some carrots. Not ideal but worked for me.
The evening birthday party/potluck wasn't as bad as I'd thought. Alcohol was easy to avoid and no one looked twice at me turning down cake. On the other hand, I was hungry after my small lunch and the potluck food was yummy. I avoided sugar and alcohol and wheat, but had 2 plates of smoked pork butt and my BF's goat cheese potato salad (yum). I was definitely over cals for the day, but my weekly average still looks good and I feel good about the choices I made.
Side note: Why do I get so anxious about what I look like to others when I turn down food? Why, 3+ years after making these lifestyle choices, still so sensitive to the thoughts and comments of others? And the comments don't have to be negative at all - I just wish everyone ignored who ate what or who had two portions while someone had none. I only have a few true "food pushers" in my life but they're not always the hardest ones to handle. Sometimes it's the friend I haven't seen in forever and we're meeting up for dinner, and she wants to go to a place that's more of a calorie splurge. I hate being a wet blanket sometimes.
Side note: Why do I get so anxious about what I look like to others when I turn down food?
Ditto. I really worried about what my new bunco group would think of me if I turned down alcohol and much of the food. No one batted an eye. Some people drank, some didn't. Some ate dessert, some didn't. I know that people who knew me heavy do watch my eating much more closely, but these people had just met me and didn't know my history, so they had no reason to scrutinize my choices.
Food pushers-- mostly my older relatives who make comments about my being too thin, always eating healthy, exercising too much.....
I have given in to every food whim or craving that has crossed my mind this week, and my head, tummy and pocketbook show it. I'm irritable, headache, bloated, and have spent my discretionary budget for the rest of Feb this weekend. Knowing this, I started today off well with a plan to run. Or at least get outside in the sun. Had to run to Target for a prescription on the way, got some stress while there. Bought a mini bag of Cadbury mini eggs and ate them in the car in three minutes while on the phone. I have little memory of eating them. I'm home now, because the park was packed and I didn't have the energy for the crowds. I'm sitting now wasting time not exercising in the garage, thinking about grabbing a snack. A snack? I'm not at all hungry, and shouldn't be for days. I have to stand back up and right this minute I don't know how.
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 02-24-2013 at 02:20 PM.
I was raised with the " clean plate club"not only did I have to eat what my mother told me but was raised to believe it was bad etiquette when dining as a guest to leave anything on your plate. You can imagine with this background what a problem it was to change my attitude to food. I have had to give myself permission not to clean my plate. I now eat what I want and leave some on my plate if I feel like it. I let people think I am a "picky eater " , I'm not but don't feel it necessary to explain my food choices.
Oh, Shannon. Don't beat yourself up. Get some shoes on and just go for a walk in your neighborhood. No heart rate worries or need to sweat. Just soak in the sunshine and this beautiful weather we're having. Make the walk as long as you possibly can - not to punish yourself, but to out as much stress as possible behind you. You've picked yourself off the floor before, and you can do it again.
bargoo - I, too, was raised with the virtue of the clean plate club and the need to be polite. I don't know how much to blame on being Southern, but food is such as part of our culture, and I am SUCH a people-pleaser, that I don't think I'll ever be comfortable turning down food. It feels too personal. I'll do it, of course, but I don't think I'll ever like doing it.
Dagmar~check out tuebl.com It has a lot of free books, some of which are brand new. You have to do a little tweaking to get them on your Kindle, but they have instructions.
I, too, have been brought up on the clean plate club, but I ignore it now--especially when I go out to dinner as the portions are rather huge. Last night we had our wine women dinner. Kind of disappointing, in that some of the vegetables were charred (mostly the baby carrots). The main course was braised short ribs and thankfully my 2nd piece was mostly fat so I didn't eat it. The first piece would have been sufficient in size and it was really good.
The girl doing the wine paring I had met the previous month and she was SO knowledgeable. As she put it, she is 3rd generation wine enthusiast. Her mother opened the first wine bar in California--even before tasting rooms became popular. Anyway, she spoke at length about each wine and with a couple she said to try a little of the goat cheese (from our salad course) and then sip the paired wine. Wow! It really made all the difference. She also said to save a little of the dinner wine (zinfandel) and taste it after having a bit of the dark chocolate that was dessert--again Wow!
My weight is understandably up this morning. I drank copious amounts of water as some of the dishes were overly salty. Back on plan today.
Testimony as to how salty my meal was on Sunday--I lost 3 pounds last night. Back to where I've been for weeks, so that blip I saw yesterday really was water weight caused by the salt.
Lunch was catered from a local pan-Asian place and everything was noodles and rice. I had a small portion of tofu curry and supplemented with what I'd brought for snacks: a Babybel cheese round, some almonds, and some carrots. Not ideal but worked for me. 
Don't beat yourself up. Get some shoes on and just go for a walk in your neighborhood. No heart rate worries or need to sweat. Just soak in the sunshine and this beautiful weather we're having. Make the walk as long as you possibly can - not to punish yourself, but to out as much stress as possible behind you. You've picked yourself off the floor before, and you can do it again. 
