Hello fellow IErs and welcome to anyone who is new and looking for a way out of the endless cycle off dieting and binging. Let's start off with Geneen Roth's Eating Guidelines for inspiration this month.
Geneen Roth's Eating Guidelines
1. Eat when you are hungry. (Truly hungry, body hungry not mind hungry)
2. Eat sitting down in a calm environment. This does not include the car.
3.Eat without distractions. Distractions include radio, television, newspaper, books, intense or anxiety producing conversation and music.
4. Eat only what your body wants. (Big difference from what your MIND wants!)
5. Eat until you are satisfied. (This is different than full).
6. Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others.
7. Eat with enjoyment, gusto and pleasure.
I'm focusing on these, especially #6 which can be really confusing. Sometimes just being by myself and eating triggers my inner binger. I've spent many years seeking out to eat in secret so it makes sense that my brain is wired to go to food when I'm alone. So I have to work really hard to block out that inner part of me that automatically thinks "the cat's away, time to play" mentality. Sometimes this is especially difficult when there are big changes in my life such as my son going away to school for the first time. First time my daytimes were free to myself, let's eat donuts!!
So being in full view doesn't mean I step out to the sidewalk and eat my lunch there. It just means that I don't eat anything with the intention of it being a secret. I might tell my husband when he gets home that "I ate chips today" or leave the packaging out on the counter.
I've also made a big change in our lives. As a family we used to sit on the sofa to eat dinner in front of the television. First I put an end to the tv, but even so something about this felt wrong. I realized that sitting on the sofa makes me feel like I'm binging. The sofa was the only place in my house really that I over ate both in secret and at proper meal times. I've put an end to eating on the sofa, if I want to eat I need to sit at the table properly. The subtle switch was enough to get me to eat mindfully without having to think about it. Just the way a nice plate setting at the table makes me mindful, so sitting on the couch makes me mindless.