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Normal Eating |
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What is normal eating?
Visit our Diet Survivors™ group on
Yahoo!
Subscribe to this monthly newsletter
Jennifer, of Long Island, New York, was thrilled to be depressed. Yes, you read that right. Indeed, her depression was very real, and lasted several months. She met with a psychotherapist regularly, and was prescribed anti-depressants. But the depression chased away her appetite for days at a time, and she was happy about this. Jennifer had always struggled with her weight as an adult. She's not obese, but she suspects that nature intends for her to be a little lighter than she usually is.
Is there something wrong with Jennifer's happiness over being sick? Yes and no. Let's be careful not to overstate anything. The fact that she was eating less and had lost some weight did lift her mood—a silver lining to her otherwise dark cloud. She realized, too, that the depression was unhealthy and that she'd really rather battle her weight some other way. So, all in all, it probably didn't do her any harm to be glad about the weight loss.
But some dieters get too excited about sickness. "Weight loss," they think. "I'll take it!" They're even disappointed when they don't catch something, or when their illness doesn't interfere with their appetite.
Here are some forms of appetite-suppressing conditions that dieters secretly hope for:
One of our readers said this, "Today I was thinking about wouldn't it be nice if I needed to have intestinal surgery and I could tell them to take out a few extra feet." Does this sound like you? It is best to admit such thoughts, at least to yourself. We become aware of our thoughts that way, and are better able to change them.
Many dieters experience this distorted thinking about sickness. In Jennifer's case, her happiness about her appetite loss didn't seem to hurt anything, and perhaps helped lift her mood a bit. Mood lifters are just what is needed for depression!
But one's subconscious desire to fall ill is not always so innocuous. Some dieters look forward to sickness. They may even look for opportunities to get sick. Why is this a problem? Studies have shown that folks who invite sickness do get sick more often than those who expect wellness. Mental attitude, as they say, is a component of health. Does this mean you could be making yourself sick? Is that what you really want?
If you've been participating in this irrational thinking, take note of where dieting has led you. You actually want to be sick! But even if this doesn't describe you, it's obvious that the dieting mentality can cause distorted thinking. And there is a way out.
So you're waiting for some new tragedy in your life? How distorted is this? Waiting for someone to die perhaps so that you can be depressed? Do you see the folly?
Have you ever noticed that when the crisis is over, you gain the weight right back? Instead of taking advantage of extreme circumstances, hoping they'll kick-start your true, lasting, weight loss, how about instead if you learn to eat less at every ordinary meal? What a novelty to permanently lose weigh with no crisis at all!
And who really wants to invite sickness and death? There's a saying that if you tell people the same lie often enough, they will start to believe it, and the lie will become accepted as truth. The most damaging kind of lies may be the ones we tell ourselves. Many dieters, for example, believe that all opportunities to lose weight are desirable. What have you been telling yourself lately?
Now it's time to replace lies with truth. If you're a regular Diet Survivors™ reader, you already know that Diet Survivors™ are folks who are fed up with diet lies, and who would like to find their own wisdom.
Here are a few suggested truths, but use them as your own wisdom dictates. What's important is to discern only that which is true, and repeat it over and over to yourself. Read them out loud if you want:
Jennifer's depression did eventually lift, and the pounds came back on. But she since learned a new way to think about food and dieting.
Jennifer now understands that she has control over her weight, simply by using the hunger and fullness method. She knows that if she gets sick in the future, there will be nothing happy about it. She feels healthier in many ways:
Technical change: If you have not yet done so, or if you have fallen away, decide today to stick simply with the hunger and fullness method, and leave all the other methods behind once and for all.
Adaptive change: Ponder your own brand of distorted thinking. Have you been happy to be sick? Or perhaps you harbor some other beliefs about dieting which, when brought to the light, will become obvious as lies. Find a new truth today, and spend five minutes meditating on it. Be intentional about it. You'll be amazed at the revolutionary results of five minutes of meditation!
Learn more about the new book, How to Survive Your Diet, available now!
What is normal eating?
Visit our Diet Survivors™ group on
Yahoo!
Subscribe to this monthly newsletter
Copyright © 2007, Linda E. Moran. All rights reserved.
These Web pages provide sensible advice on healthy diets, nutrition, and weight loss. However, no advice given here is intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor when deciding to make significant dietary or lifestyle changes.
Direct all technical questions and comments about this site to webmaster
Last Modified: Wednesday, 06-Feb-2008 07:13:02 PST Betterway Press
All rights reserved.
Happy to be sick?
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| Learn more about the book, How to Survive Your Diet, available now! Click on the book cover to order. |
| Diets often don't work. Find out what is normal eating? |
| What is cognitive therapy? Cognitive therapy is a way to help yourself live a more rational, peaceful life, without having to delve into your past. Find out more about cognitive therapy. |
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What are technical and adaptive changes? These are two different approaches to bringing about improvement in your life. Many dieters mistakenly make technical changes, when they really need to make adaptive changes. Find out more about technical and adaptive change. |
| View back issues of this newsletter. See a list that links to every issue. Don't forget—these newsletters are printer-friendly! |
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hesitate to ask questions about the problems you face. We can't answer every question, but we are here to help.
Send us e-mail. *All correspondence becomes the property of Betterway Press and may appear in future newsletters (with names and e-mail addresses kept confidential). |
| View further studies that support our principles of normal eating. |
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Linda Moran, author of How to Survive Your Diet, personally invites you to join the new |
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Order How to Survive Your Diet and Conquer Your Food Issues Forever by Linda Moran. Find out more about this book for dieters. 5.25" x 8.25" quality paperback 150 pages Index ISBN: 0-9749396-0-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2004092105 $14.95 |
