Most people eat because they are tired, angry, lonely, bored, stressed, and, oh yeah, occasionally because they are hungry. Many also eat just because the food is there – because a waiter or waitress brought the bread basket or because the candy jar is on the desk or because there are donuts in the office. Nowadays there is a nasty dis-ease called mindless eating – the hand puts something in the mouth automatically.
How many of you can put something in your mouth, perhaps with rhythm, and hardly miss a beat while typing on the computer?
Have you ever eaten a bag of chips or candy and not really remembered doing that?
Our work will involve uncovering some of the reasons you are eating and finding better ways to address the issues. Not only will this promote weight loss, but it will also cause more energy to be free for the things you want to do and is likely to cause happiness and a greater sense of peace.
What is a mental habit?
Those are the beliefs we have about food. Some examples are: You should finish everything on your plate. Aunt Mary will be upset if you don’t ask for seconds. You need to eat meat for protein. You are too fat.
What is an emotional habit?
That’s when we use food or drink to change how we feel. Chocolate makes me happy. Sugar gives me energy. While there are chemical truths to these statements, there are also emotional components and if the emotional parts are not addressed, then the habit cannot be completely changed. Many times addicts simply change addictions rather than changing the behavior. This can be effective, short term.
In fact, one strategy when changing habits is to find suitable substitutes in order to begin working on the physical issue – for example, some people use stevia or agave instead of sugar. But exploring and changing the feeling behind the desire is key to permanent change.
If you reach for chocolate to make you happy, you might explore why you are unhappy. If you reach for sugar to give you energy, you might ask why do you need energy? Are you tired? Are you not getting enough sleep? Or enough calories?