Part 2: Overeating -- How You Can Overcome Food Cravings, Compulsive Eating or Binge Eating
The good news is that food cravings and overeating can be overcome. The first step to recover from compulsive eating is to be aware that it is happening in the moment. Checking in with your body before eating and determining the difference between physical hunger (nutrient and energy needs) and symbolic hunger (emotional, spiritual, social needs) is very important. Compulsive eating happens when you either can’t stop eating once you have started, or when you want to eat even though your body is not at all physically hungry.
Two simple and profound practices will be outlined here. One, is a Decoding Process for the Food Craving, a self-discovery practice to understand the meaning and purpose of the craving, and begin to meet the symbolic needs that the craving is masking. The other is a practice for developing an inner mechanism for choosing foods and amounts that are appropriate for your body, at any time, called “Eating From the Neck Down".
Decoding Symbolic Hunger
In the moment of wanting to eat whenyou are not hungry or beyond what feels comfortable physically, you can learn quite a lot about your behavior and how to stop it. Because a feedback loop to the brain perpetuates the behaviors, there has to be some kind of alternate reward that can begin to take the place of the eating, to put food and eating out of the job of caring for your other needs or imbalances in your life.
Whether you are helping yourself or someone you care for, it is important to be aware of:
- What trigger situation, feeling, or emotion evokes the behavior? (This is what starts the cycle)
- What positive feeling might be longed for? (This is the motivator to eat)
- What intrinsic or spiritual need is longing to be satisfied? (This is what is being neglected currently)
For Example: Let’s say that stress and overwhelm lead to feeling anxious (trigger emotion). Logically, it would make sense that a pleasurable feeling such as calmness or comfort (positive feeling) would be desired in that situation. Therefore, if eating certain foods helps to relieve the anxiety and produce calm and comfort, you will feel compelled to act on this behavior. In this situation a longing for harmony, love or meaningful connection may be the deeper motivation (intrinsic or spiritual need). Here lies the key: Sit with the trigger feeling and the compulsion to eat, for just a moment and ask:
- Is there anything else I know in my life now, or in my past, that helps me to truly feel relief from anxiety and feel calm or comforted? Write as many of those things down as you can (but it can’t be food, beverage, or any addictive substances/behaviors).
- Is there anything else I know in my life now, or in my past, that helps me to have meaningful connection, to feel loved and at peace? Write as many of those things down as you can.
- Is it possible for me to engage in any of these activities or experiences now (in place of eating when I am not hungry)? How can I incorporate these back into my life, more regularly, so that I create more appropriate and sustainable brain chemistry rewards than eating?
- Put these ideas into practice and the compulsion to eat will diminish. Ask for what you need, or what helps your elder get what they truly need, even if in a symbolic way, such as using your senses (sight, sight, touch, smell) with tangible reminders; you will eventually be less dependent on food to fill the void.
Eating From the Neck Down
Before eating, whether from true physical hunger (needing nutrients and energy) or from symbolic hunger (wanting to eat for emotional or other reasons and trying to get these needs met with food), try the following exercise, “Eating From the Neck Down”. This exercise begins with mindfulness, and creates a connection between the body, mind, soul and spirit, creating internal choices for foods and portions that feel good on all levels:
- Imagine the food(s) you would love to eat, without any judgment, and it doesn’t matter right now if you can get this food or not.
- Imagine the amount you would love to eat of this food(s) again, without any judgment
- Visually imagine this food presented in front of you, noticing the colors, textures, shapes, temperature and aroma.
- Imagine eating and tasting the food, and actually imagine feeling that food and amount in the body, as if you’d already eaten it all of it.
- Notice if it feels just right or not, listen to your body’s messages.
- Can you chose an amount that would feel just right in your body, not too much, not too little that would satisfy? Change the amount or type of food you imagine in your stomach, based on how it feels, as you imagine it right now, so that there are no uncomfortable sensations, and it feels just right.
- Next, imagine this new amount and food is moving into your digestive system. Notice any sensations that are not comfortable, or if this food creates bloating or gas, or if it moves too slow or too fast through the digestion process. Here is another opportunity to ask your body how food and amount feels and if your body and if there are symptoms, would like to change the food or amount. Listen, and then make the change if needed.
- Finally, imagine that this food is being absorbed from digestion and the nutrients are circulating through the blood, do a body scan and notice if you feel any symptoms or changes in energy level or mental focus. Ask your body how is this food nourishing you cell tissues and if your body would like to make any changes so that you end up feeling energized, focused and alert after eating? Again, try out any changes in you imagination before eating until it feels just right>
- Once you have the food and amount that feels just right, you are set up to have the best eating experience possible with the greatest satisfaction, so it is important to see if you can get what you wanted. This is called “Making a Match”. If you don’t have what you wanted, can’t make it, order it or go get it somewhere, then ask, what is the closest thing you have to eat that will give you the qualities of the food you wanted. If you are having mild hunger and are paying attention to the body, it will send nutritional cravings up your the mind. If you are having symbolic hunger, which lives in the mind, you will get symbolic cravings (food craving when you are full or not hungry). Both of these situations are operating whether you are aware of it or not. So to get the most satisfaction and reduce the changes of over-eating or compulsively eating, making a match is crucial. Then eat mindfully, with enjoyment and attunement, the best way to correct eating problems!
Practice the “Eating From the Neck Down” process each time BEFORE you eat, as it is like programming a computer to make a mind-body connection. Much of compulsive eating is done unconsciously and disconnected from the body. Remember it is often the deprivation and judgment of these foods that causes the compulsion, so if we allow the foods you truly want to be eaten with new skills of body attunement and intuitive wisdom, that can be enough to squelch a compulsion, particularly, when you know you can have this food again, and in an amount that satisfies but does not cause unpleasant feeling in the body, or feel like too much food (before you eat!).
There is a meaning and purpose to your behaviors and compulsions, an absolute reason. When you listen to your body, it conveys truth and wisdom; the body does not lie. The mind, however, is a different story. Compulsions and addictions live in the mind, and even though your physical body may be affected, bringing your attention from your head and back down into your body increases your ability to feel or “hear” the body’s messages for healthy behaviors. Just like radio waves travel through space in your midst, if you had a radio and you wanted to hear music or a particular broadcast, you would have to stop and turn the radio on, tune in to find the channel and turn up the volume. Slowing down and going within, allows you to let go of judgments of food and criticisms of your body that live in the mind, so you can tune into your body and trust its messages.
Inner body wisdom tells you when you need to eat, and what and how much. It also tells you when and how to move your body for fun, endurance and strength, as well as how much rest, relaxation, and other self-care practices you need. In doing so, food and eating are not responsible for taking care of your emotional or spiritual needs. Because no matter how stressful a situation can be, there will never be enough food to sustainably fill the need for love, comfort, attention, connection or peace of mind. These needs require methods that affect the heart, leading to the journey of recovery.
Getting support is imperative in recovering from any compulsion or addictive behavior. There is help and many resources on the web and in many communities.
Dr. Barbara Birsinger, ThD, MPH, RD works with people who are struggling with eating and weight issues, negative body image, or accepting getting older, and helps them to find peace and balance with food, and restore joy, youthfulness and vitality in body, mind, soul and spirit.
She is a Registered Dietitian with advanced degrees in Nutrition, and holds a Theology Doctorate in Spiritual Healing and Energy Medicine. Barbara is also a Licensed HeartMath® Trainer for Stress Reduction, and a Spiritual Health Counselor.
You can also find more information on her website:
www.BarbaraBirsinger.com.
