StephResets Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 So, this may have been discussed already in the forum and if so then my apologies. But, I'm struggling with how to deal with the emotional relationship I have with food, more specifically sugar. In this statement "The program is designed to help break unhealthy patterns of behavior, stop stress-related comfort eating, and reduce cravings, particularly for sugar and carbohydrates." there is something I'm missing. I realize the program is designed to stop bad habits and cravings, but if all I needed to do was stop my bad habits, wouldn't I have already done that on my own? I mean, there has been a payoff from food that I've been getting for a long time. Its not that I didn't know how to eat better, I couldn't eat better. Because the food has been offering an emotional payoff, though temporary and unhealthy, but a self soothing nonetheless. What are you supposed to do with your emotions when this self soothing source is removed? I don't quite no where to put that energy yet. Any tips would be great. Thank you so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laura_juggles Posted November 8, 2017 Share Posted November 8, 2017 Try other self-soothing techniques. Go for a walk, work on a craft or learn a new one to keep your hands and mind busy - painting, drawing, knitting, crochet, needlepoint, woodworking, whatever. People generally have difficulty just stopping bad habits on their own. The structure, rules, and tough love of a program like the Whole30 can give people a mechanism to actually succeed in breaking the bad habits. There's no sugar-coating anything (haha! I made a joke!) - you screw up; you start over. If absolutely nothing else works, then it wouldn't be unheard of to seek the help of a therapist for assistance in developing healthy self-soothing mechanisms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELemon30 Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 Hey Steph, it is really hard. I don’t have a connection to sugar but I do with things like fast food and pizza. They make me feel good and even worse I have relied on them my whole life to help me deal with things. Even simple things like nervousness before a meeting. My whole30 took the McDonald’s, the Papa johns away as a coping mechanism and all that was left were my feelings. Scary, right? Food can really mess with you, physically mentally and emotionally ... when you say “I couldn’t eat better” I believe you. Sometimes meditation can help. Journaling can help. Also coming here to talk to this community was an enormous help to me... have you read read this book? https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081298160X/ there is a section on willpower and it really resonated with me. Basically, it says that willpower is a finite resource and if you are spent you might not be able to make the choice that is more difficult, delays gratification or has poor long term affects (effects?). A lot of it ties in to the ideas in Food Freedom Forever... It doesn’t get recommended enough but therapy can really help find a plan to problem solve on things like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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