Wow, it's amazing that I happened to come and look at this. We used to get email alerts when there were new posts on any threads we posted on, but that hasn't happened in a long time.
I've linked a rather long article; I hope it's helpful. Basically, I interpreted that my frequent urges to eat were similar to the frequent urges of people with OCD to perform some behavior. I don't believe they come from the same place in the brain, but the feelings of discomfort I believe are quite similar. In neither case are the a sign of any real problem. The ones I am talking about are not true hunger, but the antsy desires to eat binge-type food, the feelings like I just have to have it or I am going to jump out of my skin or something bad it going to happen. This is what OCDers feel if they don't wash their hands or check the door again or fold their socks or whatever. These feelings of urgency of course in both contexts are simply an illusion. Yes, it's uncomfortable and even almost excruciating at times, but I will not get damaged by tolerating these sensations.
https://hope4ocd.com/foursteps.php The article goes into a lot more detail; I prefaced it so that you might be thinking in these terms as you read, if you decide to look at the whole thing. Some of it won't quite fit, but it's still useful, I think.
But I'll give the overview in how I associated it with obsessive eating urges.
Step 1: Relabel- Oh, I'm having an obsessive thought/feeling that I have to eat. They are from my disordered brain patterns having become a very strong habit. This is obsessive, not natural. I don't really believe I need food. In fact, I just had food not that long ago, and I will again.
Step 2: Reattribute These are not true signs of hunger or a real need for food. They are false signals. My body has gotten used to frequent food from highly palatable but low nutrient food.The primitive part of my brain, the survival part, thinks it is protecting me by getting easy calories. At one point in human history, it was a real advantage to eat calorie dense food whenever it was available. It's just a mismatch. And they actually can make me feel better temporarily, but they don't solve any real problem. I can develop other parts of my brain to have new patterns that will become stronger and override the primitive pattern.
As is pointed out in the article, just steps 1 and 2 will not make the sensations, urges, feelings go away.
Step 3: Refocus Now I need to do something else, something ideally that is either pleasurable or productive. This new activity is when the rewiring will happen. I will get reinforced in this new behavior by the pleasure of the activity or the pleasure of accomplishing something. It's better if it is not completely mindless, but even if it is, I will get some satisfaction from thwarting my obsessive pattern. (Some would just call this diverting.)
On this one, I contend that, if you are alone, even crying can be a productive response to the feeling of irritation or frustration, as long as you con't compound any emotional element with self-judgement or dwelling on negative circumstances. (Sometimes the stimulus that gets the urge going is a conscious or unconscious emotion, negative or even positive.) Sometimes, sleeping is appropriate, too, instead of trying to pep yourself up with food. Of course, context is important. Alone and with some free time. Otherwise, consider revisiting the issue later.
Step 4: Revalue Give conscious thought to seeing how these steps work together. Realize that I am revaluing what these urges have been and what kinds of behaviors are better for me. I don't value or give them so much importance anymore. As a Zen teacher said once, at first your negative thoughts can be like a Rottweiler barking right in your ear, but after practicing for a time, they are more like a Chihuahua shut in a back bathroom yapping behind the door. I also witness myself seeing them and reacting to them, seeing that they are not a true representation of my self. None of them are a sign of a flawed person, just a mismatched brain pattern and an ingrained habit.
Of course, it can take awhile for the steps to become more ingrained, especially since we are dealing with a real biological drive. Give yourself lots of credit anytime you complete the steps. That is part of the rewiring.
The longer I am at this, the more I am convinced that it is actually worth it to make an effort, without being harsh, to keep moving toward mostly wholesome food. Those foods are less triggering and over time help to heal the intense response to the binge foods, which are usually highly processed, engineered to bypass the natural appestat. They, especially sugar and fake sweeteners besides monk fruit and stevia, also tend to feed the worst stuff in our gut and that it turn can affect our enhanced desire for these foods. Bad bacteria like bad food, too.
Retraining these habits can be hard, but living in the clutches of food is hard, too.
This is a lot more involved than No S promotes, but I think especially when someone has had a pattern of compulsively eating cruddy food, not just a snacking habit, it can take more detailed strategies.
Remember to be a little firm with yourself before you slip, but very gentle if that doesn't work. Dramatic self-judgement increases the chance of repeat slipping! But lavish praise when you do the target behavior also increases repeat behavior!
Have a lovely Sweekend.