[LuckyLadyBug]

I haven't had any "inspiring" idea's for the new name of this thread but I don't want to hold up posting the next exercise so for now it will be called :

What are we really hungry for? plus the date.

Thanks Crone you are right we shouldn't use the name of the book. Good thing you are here to keep us on track.

[Sprite]

Hi I have been reading all the exercises and replies I've missed and feel just exhausted by all the emotional stuff it's bringing up in me. I have to thank all of you for posting it makes me feel better to know others are battling the same problems I am.

My most memorable binges are:

1. After having a fight with my boyfriend (now my husband) where I knew I was being irrational instead of feeling the real feelings which caused this outburst I went to the store and bought some ice cream and ate the whole carton.

2. After a phone conversation where a friend really upset me and caught me off guard. I didn't say what I wanted to. Instead I ended the conversation and proceeded to eat 2 pieces of pumpkin pie covered in mounds of whipping cream.


As a child I felt deprived of : attention

As an adolescence I felt deprived of: guidance

As I got older I felt deprived of : the tools to figure out what I really wanted and needed out of life.

Now I feel deprived of : A solid foundation on which to build a happy, healthy life.

[Amarantha2]

LLB: That's a great name for the thread. I can tell you that right now I'm hungry for donuts and ice cream BUT what I'm REALLY hungry for is to put a stopper on the anxiety I'm feeling. I mentioned this on the streaking thread earlier ... that all my resolution came to naught at about 8 p.m. last night. Prompted by no more than a mere thought that made me anxious, I got dressed and went out into the cold (cold for here, anyway) and bought donuts. Right now I'm thinking of repeating this, but so far am resisting. Donuts as medication are inefficient, don't you think?

Sprite: I identified with the binges you described, as you can see from the above. This use of food to calm anxiety or as a substitute for dealing with problems is very difficult to overcome for me. It's such a basic instinct. When we're little and something makes us sad, we get a cookie or a piece of candy to make it better. Now that we're (supposedly) grown up, nothing has changed. At least that's the way it is for me.

BTW, I don't personally think it's an invalid use of food to improve mood or make us feel happy. IMO that's one of the functions of food. It's just that we need to understand, well, "what we are hungry for" and exercise discretion in filling the void. If I really NEEDED 10 donuts to help me figure out what to do with my life, then I'd run to the store and get them. But since I don't, I won't.

Some Diet Swiss Miss is in order here, I think.

Good-night, all!