Identify why Food is used as a "Treat"
I was talking to a patient this week who was frustrated that he had ‘hit a plateau.' (Actually he has lost a significant amount of weight, and is not regaining: a success in my eyes). In spite of his ‘voiced' frustration, he didn't want to change some of his comfort habits he had with food. This is fine as far as I'm concerned, but we can't want something (weight loss), yet continue to soothe our moods with food. It got me wondering why we turn to food when it's temporarily pleasant but affects us negatively in the long term. More importantly, how do we cope with our urges for foods? The following is a synopsis of the topic from a textbook on weight written by Zafra Cooper.
"The use of food as a comfort, reward, or ‘treat' presents a particular obstacle to change. This use of food is generally longstanding, and it can undermine dietary compliance. To tackle this problem, you must identify it (treat) as such. Then the link between ‘self-nurturance' (your needs) and eating needs to be broken.”
To do this you must:
1. Review why eating makes you feel better. If it makes you feel good temporarily, does the feeling last? Is it a good solution if you look at the long term perspective?
2. Learn to break the link. For example, the next time you have the urge to comfort or reward yourself with food, try and delay the urge for 15 minutes. Plan this as an experiment to see whether the delay results in an increased need for the food or whether the urge to eat declines. (Almost always, the urge will subside.) By doing this you will learn that urges DO NOT have to be satisfied.
3. Now you need to identify and use other ways of comforting and rewarding yourself at these times.
An example might be the person who craves chocolate in the evening. You might try distracting yourself long enough to identify the reason for the urge, or until the urge leaves. It might be that sitting down with a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate (or cookie) is a sense of relaxation after a stressful day. If this is the case, perhaps alternative activities such as taking a bath or listening to quiet music might ‘soothe the soul' just as well as food.
In another situation, having snacks in the evening might simply be a delaying activity to put off chores that need to be done. Once again, identify why you are reaching for food, and see if you can distract yourself with another activity until the urge leaves. You should list (in your mind or on a piece of paper) the pros and cons of dealing with an adverse mood or state of mind as opposed to eating to deal with how you are feeling. Food never really alleviates our negative feelings long term.
So, try not to reach for food when you are bored, frustrated, anxious or angry. Try to recognize what mood you are in, and what caused it. Experiment by challenging yourself not to eat for 15 minutes. During that time, find something else that you enjoy doing. (For example, listen to music, take a walk, call a friend, take a bath, check some news on the internet or T.V., do a crossword puzzle; anything other than food.)
None of this is easy. You must work at it every day. Some days you will be successful, and others you won't. What is important is that you keep trying, and make a pact with yourself that you will never give up!
Dr. Doug