I wonder if alcoholics have a hard time from people who keep offering them drinks even after they've been informed that they're alchoholics.
One thing to try at family get-togethers is "I'm taking a diet medication that makes me really ill if I eat anything with fat in it" and excuse yourself to be sick after eating something that I was told "wasn't fatty at all, don't worry".
Also, maybe you shouldn't be worried about offending people so much. After all, they're not worried about offending or hurting you, right?
Yeah, that's the way to do it Side Show, tell your Mother in Law to fuck off. Who does that bitch think she is feeding, housing, and caring for you.
Some people, geez.
Paul, it's tough because food has such an emotional connection or significance for people. I have a friend whose father loves alcohol and considers it offensive when guests do not have a drink in hand. To him, having drinks with friends is one of life's greatest pleasures--so much so, in fact, that his need to see people enjoying his hospitality leaves little room for other points of view in his mind. My friend has been dating a wonderful young man who is a recovering alcoholic. It was exceedingly difficult for him to attend any functions with his girlfriend's father, because he kept pushing drinks on him. It took enormous fortitude to for him to remain sober and keep refusing the drinks. After much dancing-around-the-subject and "hoping" that her father was taking the cues, it became readily apparent that her dad didn't have a clue. Finally my friend had to take her father aside and bluntly tell him that her boyfriend is a recovering alcoholic and to
please stop badering him to have a drink.
Food is even less clear, unfortunately. Everybody has to eat, so unlike Alcoholics, you can't just abstain from food forever. The trick is to live in a socially acceptable manner while sticking to one's guns. I don't like telling people that I have a problem with food. It ruins social events, and it's unnerving to have one's dirty laundry aired publicly at a family reunion. I certainly don't tell anyone that I'm on a diet, because that is even less pleasant to discuss. My solution is that I have to avoid certain situations if I want to avoid bingeing. I have to watch where I go, because there are certain people that will pressure me into eating more than I want. It is exceedingly difficult, because you don't want to hurt Aunt Fran's feelings by not eating some of her famous homemade Italian sausage, but you also have to do right by yourself. I elect to avoid as many food oriented occasions as possible. That's my perspective.
I also got one of those
ihealthrecords and they have some pretty interesting articles. These are two of the articles about Managing Hunger and Planning Ahead. I'm sure that everyone has heard all this before, but I found it helpful to read. YMMV, of course.
As you well know, planning ahead avoids a lot of difficulties. This is
very true in managing our eating habits as well. Our home environment is
the first place we need to look. Home is where we think about, plan,
prepare, eat, cheat and fool ourselves that we are on a diet. You need to
make this environment TEMPTATION-FREE. You have control of it and
therefore are captain of your ship.
Food in proper amounts are needed to nourish our bodies, but we typically
consume more than is needed. We often associate food with comfort,
satisfaction, friends, going out or entertaining. These are known as
stimuli and when activated we respond due to habit. Part of a long-term
healthy weight plan requires you to change such habits.
If we know we are going to a banquet or family reunion where a meal is
served, we need to plan what we are going to eat from the menu
selections. If possible, obtain the menu in advance so that you can plan
your intake accordingly. But what about unplanned social events involving
food? Well, we can prepare for those, too. If you are aware of healthy
food choices, it will be easier for you to select foods that fit into your
weight-management plan.
We all have food triggers -- or weaknesses. Now that you are trying to
reach a healthy weight, it is important to plan how you are going to react
when your trigger foods are available to you. First, identify foods that
are triggers for you. A trigger food is a food that you have overeaten in
the past. This might be your favorite dessert or snack food.
For example, you are a fan of ice cream, and you used to sit down and eat
half a gallon at a sitting. If ice cream was a trigger food in the past,
then it will continue to be a trigger food. Make a list identifying your
trigger foods, and plan how you are going to handle them. You may choose
to go for a walk when cake and ice cream are being served, or you may
choose to substitute a healthier food option.
In addition to trigger foods, many of us have trigger situations. For
example, during stressful times you may fall back into old habits. What
did you do in the past after a bad day at work? If you reached for a
trigger food for comfort, you need to find an alternative plan. What are
you going to substitute for food? Making a plan ahead of time will help
you to avoid falling back into bad habits.
Some hints for change include:
1. Set aside a designated eating
2. place.
3. Use smaller plates (luncheon size).
4. Drink water prior to sitting down to eat.
5. Eat slowly. Put your fork down between bites and enjoy the food.
6. Enjoy your company.
7. Do not have seconds.
8. When finished, remove your plate from the table.
9. Right after you have finished your meal, clean up the leftovers, pots
and pans.
Planning also means establishing a daily routine, a set of habits you do
not even have to think about that you will adopt so every day is the same
in terms of eating, exercise, record keeping, etc. Planning ahead is very
much like setting goals. You need to have goals or plans for the day that
are achievable and do them every single day until they are so much of a
habit that you do them without even thinking. If there are roadblocks or
obstacles that are keeping you from staying on your weight-management
routine, discuss them with your physician and your suppor team.
Remember to plan ahead and balance your dietary intake with exercise.
Many times what we call hunger is just a response to other emotions or
situations in our lives such as anger or depression. Very successful
techniques have been developed to manage hunger by behavioral modification
experts. Several of these techniques are explained below. All of the
techniques might not be useful to you, but try each and choose those that
are helpful.
STOP THE TRAIN OF THOUGHT.
Behaviorists suggest that we stop the hunger simply by saying STOP. Say it
as often as necessary until you stop reaching for whatever you were going
to eat. Then, examine the reason you wanted to eat. Was it because you
were angry? Was it because you came home feeling depressed and opened the
refrigerator door? Say STOP and follow with other phrases, such as "I do
not need any more food at this time," or "I am angry, not hungry." Once
you recognize eating patterns, you have made a VERY IMPORTANT STEP. You
will recognize it is not logical to eat for reasons other than
nourishment. The next step will be to substitute another activity to
address the reason you were reaching for food, but just stopping the
movement to the refrigerator or the pantry is a great step toward your
weight loss goal.
SEE FOOD DIFFERENTLY.
Think of food for what it is -- a collection of fats, carbohydrates and
proteins. If you think of a serving of French fries as a collection of
cholesterol attached to a tasteless potato and laden with substances that
are going to clog your arteries, they won't appear quite so attractive.
USE EMOTION TO CONQUER EMOTION.
A little guilt might go a long way. Parents have notoriously used guilt
effectively to get children to clean their plates. Use it the other way --
if you eat this extra food, realize that you will be disappointed in
yourself.
As a final note, remember to stick to your meal plan. Do not skip meals
or eat less than your body needs. Many people who do not eat breakfast and
do not eat lunch are extremely hungry and cannot suppress their appetite
with a normal size dinner. It is important to consume foods in a timely
manner to keep the appetite suppressed. Stick to the healthy eating plan
we have discussed.
This message has been prepared by the Division of Endocrinology at Scott &
White Clinic as a means of providing health education to the public.
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Topic: Dying (Read 104733 times)