Do You Feel Out of Control Around Food?
Read to Discover 3 Reasons Why.
3 REASONS YOU FEEL OUT OF CONTROL AROUND FOOD:
When I was deep into my struggles with food I remember feeling so out of control around it. I would not dare buy any “bad” foods. I wouldn’t bring them into my house and I avoided social gatherings so I wouldn’t be tempted. I did everything in my power and used all of my energy to resist my overwhelming urges to eat them. It was exhausting and all-consuming.
These tactics only worked temporary though. Eventually my urges to eat the “bad” foods would become so unbearably strong that I completely felt out of control around them. All my willpower was sucked dry and I would give in to my overpowering desire to eat them. All of them. Very quickly and in very large amounts. I would stuff myself until I felt physically ill and emotionally numb. I felt obsessed and powerless.
I loathed myself after these episodes. I was disgusted with my lack of willpower and discipline. I thought there was something very, very wrong with me. I felt broken. I felt ashamed. I felt completely out of control. But what I’ve since learned that I didn’t know then is why I felt so out of control around food in the first place.
OVER-HUNGER:
Because of the way I was eating, my body was experiencing over-hunger. I was ignoring my natural hunger & fullness cues with constant dieting. I was restricting calories, avoiding fats and under-nourishing my body, resulting in frequent episodes of overeating and binge eating. My hunger hormones, insulin, leptin, & ghrelin, were completely out of whack which caused my hunger to be out of control. I felt insatiable most of the time.
OVER-DESIRE:
Because I was eating a lot of highly processed and concentrated foods (yes, these included diet foods too), I was experiencing over-desire. Nutrient-depleted, highly processed foods create an unnaturally high amount of dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter produced in the brain. By eating these foods I was constantly flooding my brain with big hits of dopamine, which created an extreme over-desire to have more and more of them.
EMOTIONAL BUFFERING:
Because I had never learned how to allow and process my emotions in healthy way, I was using food to deal with my feelings. I was experiencing so much negative emotion and food was the only way I knew how to cope with it. Eating was my escape. It numbed my emotional pain and provided comfort and relief from all of my negative feelings that felt so unbearable.
WHEN I FINALLY GOT HELP AND LEARNED THE SKILLS I needed to heal my body, my mind and my relationship with food, I no longer felt out of control around it. I discovered nothing was wrong with me, I wasn’t broken, and I didn’t lack discipline or willpower.
NOW I CAN BE AROUND ANY FOOD WITHOUT FEELING TRIGGERED BY IT OR COMPELLED TO EAT IT. I no longer diet, count calories, or punish myself with restriction & deprivation. I recalibrated my hunger hormones and experience normal levels of hunger, fullness and desire. I know how to manage my negative emotions without turning to food. I’m completely in control around food while simultaneously being completely free with it. I’m at total peace with myself and my body. I have a relationship with food that I never imagined was possible for me.
IF YOU CAN RELATE TO ANY OF THIS, PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU. You are not broken and you don’t lack willpower or discipline. You are perfect, and whole and complete. You just haven’t yet learned the tools and skills you need to find balance in this area of your life.
YOU ARE CAPABLE OF FEELING COMPLETELY IN CONTROL AND AT PEACE WITH FOOD.
My Take Back Control of Food Program can help you heal your relationship with food, your body and yourself. Contact me today for a free session to discuss your specific situation and see if the program is a good fit for you.
Xo,
Khara