It is definitely an interesting article, so thanks for posting. I haven't slept much so I'll admit to skimming it.
I agree that the less suffering that is involved in weight loss, the greater chance that it will lead to long term success. That might work for a large number of people, but there are definitely many factors involved.
Sugar was discussed and I think that's important. I think the insulin response to sugar is a huge factor. Same goes for other foods which turn into sugar very quickly in the body (white bread, for instance). I've cut sugar and flour out of my life and it has definitely helped a great deal.
However, there's still more to it....at least for me. I truly believe that I'm addicted to food. I can eat a very balanced, whole foods, nutritionally balanced diet and still have a monster that resides inside of me that wants to eat massive quantities of food, even if there's no sugar or flour or processed junk in it.
There's new evidence linking our gut bacteria to cravings and obesity. I think that's part of the issue too.
There's probably more that will be uncovered in the future. Weight loss is simple and yet it's also incredibly complicated. People who have successfully lost weight and maintained that loss are great resources of info, but at the same time, they can be misleading because their answers might not be mine.
We all have to find what works for us. I would love nothing more than to have a healthy relationship with food. In the meantime, I rely on my 12-step program (OA) and the support of this forum, to get me to my goal and hopefully keep me there (something I've never been able to accomplish).
I've had a dysfunctional relationship with food for a long time. Food was yhr enemy, of course it's going to be a dysfunctional relationship. Tr obsession with dieting makes it worse and I agree with the author that misery equals weight gain. But instead of misery I like to call it deprivation.
I also agree that mindful eating is the key to turning things around. But instead of bein mindful only about what we eat I like to focus on how I feel when I eat. How does the food taste? How does my body perform after I eat?
I think the article starts to make a good point but drops the ball. It is true that distraction from out bodies' needs leads to poor eating choices. And the focus on outside validation to know what to eat is interfering with our needs too. We don't need a pyramid, or a diet, or an app to tell us when and how to eat. We've put way too much trust on other people and other plans. Stay mindful of your bodies needs, what is your body saying? Are you hungry? Are you full? Or are you satisfied?
I don't really understand my relationship with food.
Some foods, like cakes and cookies and sweet things, I crave from time to time but I don't want more after a few bites, so I think they're generally okay. I let myself buy ice cream and cookies and usually I don't finish them (although my husband will, so I might avoid buying them to make it easier on him...)
Other things like pizza, I don't crave, but if I do get it I eat a metric tonne of it. Convenience makes it easy to buy. In an effort to fix that, I'm learning how to cook better & more easily at home, and restricting my accounting so I have to prioritize and be reasonable when I eat out.
I do have a problem with sushi. I'll eat sushi far past the point of satiation, even past the point of being full. And I want it pretty much all the time. I could happily eat sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And even though I consider it relatively healthy food (I mean, the white rice is a bit of an issue but other than that it's great stuff), I clearly have a problem. The accounting is helping with that as well - my allowance only lets me buy a few rolls a week so I tend to space them out. And I'm finding that it doesn't really matter how much I eat, I still have the same feeling after - so eating one roll is similar to eating 10. I have hope that I can train myself to eat sushi reasonably, since it's not something I'm willing to cut completely.
For me, whole foods are already helping. I feel more full when I don't eat simple carbs. And actually, even some whole-grain stuff (like triscuits, for example) are only good for about 20 minutes of satiation (although steel cut oats last me through to lunch no problem)... so basically, I'm learning which foods make me feel full for longer. Hopefully when I do get hungry (and especially when I've been losing weight for a while and it seems routine), I can use that knowledge to pick something healthier, and save my splurges (sushi!) for when I don't feel starving. That way I can enjoy it instead of stuffing it frantically into my face. >.>
Good article. I agree with finding foods that work for you. I have done a lot of experimenting and it's worked.
I had a dysfunctional relationship with food and I still have one. The difference is that I now obsess over foods I enjoy that are good for me rather than ones I used to enjoy that were bad for me.
Not a seachange in thinking, just tweaking choices at the margins again and again until I got the right mix.
But I look forward to lunch just as much today as I did at 281lbs.
Do You Have a Dysfunctional Relationship With Food?
