Powerlessness

I have actually had 2 days where my calorie intake was in an acceptable range and after my recent experiences with overeating, I need to take some time and consider why I am overeating and participating in such self defeating behaviors. Carol suggested a book that gets at why you are eating. I do not own this book but I have plenty of others on my bookshelf from previous dieting attempts and so I picked one up last night and started reading.

The title of the book is "Shrink Yourself. Break free from emotional eating forever!" I bought it years ago, read a few chapters and when there was no miraculous shedding of weight, it went on the bookshelf. I imagine that we all have that shelf filled with books from the past. I am not making any promises that this time I will finish it and do all the exercises. I do not want to set myself up for failure. I am just going to read it and if it helps, keep reading. If it is not helping, stop reading. Just trying to keep it simple.

This psychiatrist's theory is that all overeating is a result of feeling Powerless. When we feel powerless, we eat. His opinion is there are 5 situations that bring about feelings of powerlessness and cause overeating:

1. Powerless over how to deal with self-doubts
2. Powerless about how to get real satisfaction in life.
3. Powerless to insure own safety.
4. Powerless to appropriately assert independence.
5. Powerless to fill yourself up when empty inside.

When you feel powerless, you are immediately drawn to eat. When this feeling comes along, before you eat, there is a gap where you make a decision to eat or not and this is what you need to work on changing - that decision.

In the introduction of the book the author tells of the Native American folk tale where a grandfather explains to his grandson that there are two wolves inside of him. One wolf fills him with hope, the other fills him with doubt. The grandson asks his grandfather which wolf wins. The grandfather answers, whichever wolf you feed. So when I feel powerless, before I eat, in that gap - which wolf will I decide to feed. The one that gives me hope and tells me that life is wonderful and full of opportunity or the one that fills me with dread and tells me it is not worth the effort.

I have only read the 1st chapter and plan to take it 1 chapter at a time and try to learn something about myself and the emotional or spiritual part of this journey. I have much room for growth in this area and feel if I can make strides here, my weight loss goals are not so far out of my reach.