One component of addiction is denial. (Denial is a state of mind marked by rejection or the inability to recognize and deal with a serious personal problem.) You can go from thinking, I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay with food to, I’m not okay. Consistently eating more than you need, even if there are negative consequences, is also part of the addiction.
I am an addict. No matter how many years I practice the new mindful way of eating, new habits will always be less important than old habits and patterns that I have practiced for a lifetime of mindless eating. The old method will always have more practice, weight, weight and power than the new method.
After years of going the extra mile, that’s what addicts do, I know for sure that I don’t have willpower or self-control; both were surgically removed at birth. However, you can learn to buy a little less, order a little less, prepare and serve a little less. When food is presented, he will eat a little less. In the end, you will weigh a little less.
It’s the times you’ve gotten out of your program by leaving food out there too instantaneously, too quickly, and too readily available, you’re most likely thinking: I can handle it, or one won’t hurt. (That is denial).
It is nothing that causes weight gain. It is that the ancient way has a ritual, a frequency and a portion size that has been established throughout life. And, if the item you choose turns out to be one of the current foods you use to distract yourself, then it’s not one for nothing, because you can’t stop once you’ve started. You’re going to eat it until it’s over.
Do you think you should be able to leave junk food lying around in your home and office and not eat it? (That is denial). A young overweight father of two says to me, “I know I can lose all the weight (75 pounds) if I can go to the gym regularly.” (That is denial). If you’re using a food or drink to distract yourself from feeling angry, lonely, tired, stressed, and worried, and you’ve received temporary relief from your emotional distress, why should you stop going into the kitchen to get that food – that distraction? ?
When you get there, you always get what you want: something to self-medicate with. Even if the young man hits the gym, he will not lose weight unless he begins to eat a quantity of food (less frequently, in smaller portions) than he has been eating. When you create a new autoresponder to replace your old autoresponder (reshaping), when you go to the kitchen, the food is not there. You will find something else (less destructive) to distract yourself with. Eventually, you will stop going to the kitchen.
The few moments of comfort you get from getting high on food are totally disproportionate to the amount of medication (food, serving size, and frequency of use) you need to achieve those few moments. Because you develop a tolerance to drugs – you can never get high enough and you can’t get it often enough – you are never satisfied.