[Perna]

I read this today and was amused enough I think it will stick:

"Do not reward yourself with food, you are not a dog."

[DDIke]

Some pithiness might be helpful.

[beauflow]

Originally Posted by Perna

I read this today and was amused enough I think it will stick:

"Do not reward yourself with food, you are not a dog."

LOL

Personally I guess I will have to remind myself that..

Sigh.... though "reward" i guess emotional eating to fill voids could be seen as rewarding one's self (?) ... Fulfillment of an absence = reward in away?

[Fresia]

Good one! I can see that definitely sticking, especially since just got reprimand from the vet about "rewarding" the dog with scraps, that they don't need to be rewarded except when trying to train them. Then maybe I can just be rewarded when training with them too, all that hard work, right?! Wishful thinking .

[catsrhelm]

Good quote. I myself like to reward myself with trips to the thrift store or manicures.

[unaluna]

I know it's not politically correct (the other p c!) but I rather fancy a dog with a manicure...

Good Thought

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by Perna

I read this today and was amused enough I think it will stick:

"Do not reward yourself with food, you are not a dog."

I like it. More concrete than "Man should eat to live, not live to eat."

However, how then should I reward myself? I really can't think of a more desirable reward. Then again I get lots of nice rewards; perhaps I don't appreciate them enough. I'm struggling with this stuff at the moment.

[Perna]

Well, why you emotionally eat, solve whatever problem the emotion is pointing to and just leave the food out of the equation? I will be reading something and be triggered and suddenly find myself in front of the refrigerator. I put a book in there and that reminded me to think back to what I was thinking before I got up. I go re-read the passage and feel whatever it is and work on that instead of getting something to eat. There's nothing saying you cannot reward yourself with a carrot versus a cookie is there?

I use to do something with that, too, when I would read too much and chew off all my fingernails unconsciously. So, I got a stick of cinnamon and chewed on that instead. I'm sure my intestines did not thank me (splinters :-) but if I'm going to chew, I guess I'd rather it was something other than my fingernails, don't care what?

There's a lot of symbols and allegory there; gnashing of teeth, chewing someone out, so hungry I could eat a horse, dreams of teeth (falling out, especially) and they're related to emotions rather than actual eating.

Play a game where you have to do something "silly" if you catch yourself trying to emotionally eat. Or, overeat something "safe" (have you ever eaten a pound or two of grapes in one sitting?) and suffer the actual consequences and use that as a reminder of what is happening to you but unbeknownst to you (gaining weight doesn't have those immediate consequences).

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by Perna

Well, why you emotionally eat, solve whatever problem the emotion is pointing to and just leave the food out of the equation?
...
Play a game where you have to do something "silly" if you catch yourself trying to emotionally eat.

It's a deep philosophical problem, existential angst. The clean way to solve it is not really open to me (macabre laugh). In other words, I have failed to find a solution, so far.

Drawing a blank about the silly - I do silly games all the time to make my husband and myself laugh. Can't really relate that to eating. Do you have an example you can share?

I can almost always manage to avoid emotional eating when I'm not hungry. It's when there's an emotional aspect AND I'm tired and hungry, eg getting home, that it is a bigger problem. I guess my frozen home made burritos are good for that - quick and easy meal. I have to make some more of those.

[hamster-bamster]

Emotional eating is normal and not something to feel ashamed of or try to control.

Lesson four – Emotional eating.

[hamster-bamster]

What is normal eating? has provided a full, easy, and complete cure from occasional overeating to me.

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Emotional eating is normal and not something to feel ashamed of or try to control.

Lesson four – Emotional eating.

I would probably be ashamed if I were normal. Figure that out. Anyway:

>So whether you think you’re eating for emotional reasons or not, whether you’re doing it intentionally or not, all eating is fundamentally emotional.

No, this is not true - it's way overgeneralized. There are lots of people for whom food is just fuel. I've known quite a few and heard of many more. Whole categories of people who are primarily focused on abstrct things, even, or get emotional sustenance elsewhere. R. Crumb and his pasta with butter, the physics prof at my school, apparently lots of skinny guitar players, and more.

She makes some good points about guilt and enjoying food that probably apply well to typical food attitudes, but it doesn't address any issues I have, unfortunately.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by H3rmit

I would probably be ashamed if I were normal. Figure that out. Anyway:

>So whether you think you’re eating for emotional reasons or not, whether you’re doing it intentionally or not, all eating is fundamentally emotional.

No, this is not true - it's way overgeneralized. There are lots of people for whom food is just fuel. I've known quite a few and heard of many more. Whole categories of people who are primarily focused on abstrct things, even, or get emotional sustenance elsewhere. R. Crumb and his pasta with butter, the physics prof at my school, apparently lots of skinny guitar players, and more.

She makes some good points about guilt and enjoying food that probably apply well to typical food attitudes, but it doesn't address any issues I have, unfortunately.

I see your point. I have heard of such people, for whom food is just fuel.