Learning to not be a "victim" to food.

[results_not_typical]

What initially attracted me to the No S's is an idea I have been brewing over. I have this idea that years of dieting can leave a person totally unable to make choices about what to eat. I think it is a version of learned helplessness. If you get a "shock"= negative feedback no matter what choice you make (dieting=no weightloss longterm and strict eating plan) or (eat what you want and have deep self loathing). When all options lead to a negative outcome then we can become unable to do anything. I think that it is key to let yourself "relearn" how to eat. To make choices that come naturally and are not laid out in a diet. Does this make any sense? With some limits but not specific choices I think I can relearn to eat properly. I am thrilled to read about the people here that have successfully seen thier habit reach homeostasis.

[pangelsue]

Some very good thoughts. I like the novel ideas behind your thinking. I have felt helpless between strict dieting and self loathing myself many times. I think the biggest mistake anyone can make here is to give up after the first couple of major failures. Breaking out of those bad habits we all had most of our lives takes practice and lots of work. I also think most of us who have successfully navigated the first couple of weeks, months ??? here all have accepted the fact that it is a slow relearning process. As soon as our first weekends hit, most of us were like kids in a candy shop. We ate until we felt sick and for the first time in many years, we ate without guilt because we proved during the week how in control we were. Then after several weeks/months of that, we started saying, Hey, I don't feel as good on the weekends as I do during the week....hmmmmm. That is the REAL beauty of this diet if you give it enough time. You learn to reshape your view of food. Very cool, very frustrating sometimes but very freeing. Eventually, the scale won't matter near as much as your freedom from obsession with food and eating. I think it is not by accident that most of the people who have been here for some time, are bright, creative, thinking, caring individuals. We are sensitive people who somewhere along the line started eating to feel better and then started confusing food with comfort and happiness. We are now actively unlearning all of that and letting the real person out. Keep on thinking as you are and give yourself time. If you want it, it will happen.

[results_not_typical]

Yes, I agree with everything you wrote.