This article describes me.....well, mostly. I go thru waves with this. The need to count, add, avoid, be very watchful of everything that goes in my mouth to a point that I get sick of it and then stop...and the pattern goes on.
Anywho, here is the second page, 6 ways to relax and be able to enjoy what you are eating:
1. Confront your fears. It’s not the food you fear, it’s the potential effect of that food. Write down what really scares you, and carry it to the worst possible outcome. It may look like this: “I’m afraid if I indulge my sweet tooth, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll gain a lot of weight until I’m morbidly obese. My husband won’t love me anymore, and he’ll leave me for a thinner woman.” Or maybe it’s as simple as “I won’t look good for my high school reunion, and my old friends will judge me.” And I’m not making these examples up. Whatever your fear, when it’s on paper, it’s easier to then decide if it’s reasonable, or out of hand.
2. Get to know your food. When you’re eating, just eat. Don’t watch TV, work on your computer, read a book, drive, whatever. Look at the food on your plate, chew it slowly, really taste it. Be fully present, enjoy what you’re eating, and then move on to the next thing. You’ll soon find that even “off-limits” foods aren’t really that scary. And notice what that food feels like in your body. Do you feel lousy after eating it? Maybe it won’t be your first choice next time.
3.Choose foods for the benefit. Rather than saying “no” to what you don’t want, say “yes” to what you do want. If you feel like coffee makes you jittery and upsets your stomach, choose to drink tea. Instead of saying “I can’t drink coffee because it makes me jittery and makes my skin look bad,” try saying “I choose to drink green tea because it’s calming and makes my skin look healthier.”
4. Eat for quality. There’s a lot of nasty food out there, and it’s reasonable to be careful. But if you choose foods for quality, you’ll eliminate many of the justifiable concerns, like agricultural chemicals, trans fats, sugar and so forth. If you enjoy cheese, choose organic varieties, and pay attention to how much you’re eating. If you like sweets, go for raw, unfiltered honey, instead of high-fructose corn syrup. And if you shop for foods without labels–whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried beans–it’s hard to go wrong.
5. Banish “forbidden foods.” The concept, that is, not the food. Unless you have an overriding health concern–you’re diabetic, or allergic to nuts, for example–it’s really not necessary to outlaw any one food. When you make a food off-limits, you only increase the cravings. So if you love potato chips, but you avoid them because they’re fried and high in sodium, have a few potato chips when you crave them.
6. Trust yourself. Speaking of potato chips, are you afraid you’ll eat the whole bag? It’s a common fear. When we fear food, it’s not really the food we’re afraid of. It’s our uncontrolled reaction to it. A spoonful of ice cream turns into a quart, a few cookies turns into a whole bag. That may happen at first. But in my experience, when people allow themselves to remove the labels and indulge in a “forbidden” food, it soon loses its appeal. Once you see it as just another food, you’re on your way to being free.
** better note that last night I ate almost an entire bag of tortilla chips. Am I ashamed of this? Sorta. Chips and salsa has been a downfall for me and I have the feeling I've been classifying it "Forbidden" and that should not be the case. I need to rethink how I think of food....and watch for mindless munching.
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