I have read this list for at least a couple of years without much contribution. I've agreed and disagreed with people throughout that time, wanting to contribute or comment but also not wanting to do one more thing in my day. I get up at 5:00 most mornings to go to the gym for a 6:00 exercise class and turn in fairly early.
I've been on and off NoS, always appreciating when I resume the practice. I think that I've finally GOT what working on habit means. I was in my car last night driving home late, not having eaten dinner. I had bought some small jaw breakers for my daughter that she loves at a candy shop and a bag of gum chiclets that I kept popping in my mouth on my 2 hour drive. I am a gum eater (rather than chewer- I can go thru a pack in 20 minutes).
As I finished my small baggie of gum, with my jaw aching, I realized that it is the idea of not having to have something in my mouth that I need to work on. I am also a LONG time nail biter- I'm 57 !! That urge to put something (anything) in my mouth is an opportunity to look at what I'm feeling. I've known this for a long time as I've done lots of intuitive eating workshops and reading. But somehow it struck me newly last night.
After a recent bout of emotional eating I read Geenen Roth's latest book 'Women, food, God' (that might not be the right order) which is really wonderful- she is so funny.
I'm also taking most of my food, diet etc. books to our local second hand store today. I have the urge to drop them off surreptitiously as I'm a bit embarrassed with how many books I have felt I've needed to read over the years thinking that THIS one will be most helpful!
Mouth hunger
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Hi, Purple -
I, too, just read Geneen Roth's book, and as you did, found it very compelling. I'm just getting over my grief at the realization that I have so much garbage to work through if I ever want to have "normal" eating be my default...I was hoping I could skip the garbage and just get on and stay on No-S. But that has proven to be a weight-maintenance endeavor, not a weight-loss endeavor. I applaud your unloading all the other books. I don't think there are any permanent answers in any eating structure until we're up to the task of exorcising the issues that caused us to seek out food for the comfort/numbing-out/boredom relief it provided. Understanding how significantly those neural connections affect our behavior makes the task seem particularly odious. Best of luck to you.
CGB
I, too, just read Geneen Roth's book, and as you did, found it very compelling. I'm just getting over my grief at the realization that I have so much garbage to work through if I ever want to have "normal" eating be my default...I was hoping I could skip the garbage and just get on and stay on No-S. But that has proven to be a weight-maintenance endeavor, not a weight-loss endeavor. I applaud your unloading all the other books. I don't think there are any permanent answers in any eating structure until we're up to the task of exorcising the issues that caused us to seek out food for the comfort/numbing-out/boredom relief it provided. Understanding how significantly those neural connections affect our behavior makes the task seem particularly odious. Best of luck to you.
CGB
I adored Geneen Roth for the longest time. Actually, I was also very envious because I was convinced I should have thought of and done all that she did.
I don't know about your journey, but I do believe you don't have to get to the bottom of it all to get food in its place. For one thing, that well is bottomless, or almost. It will take a psycho=spiritual approach, I believe, to truly counteract it, but you can do that WHILE you do whatever it takes to stick to Vanilla No S. I think it will even enhance the process to do that. Take it from someone who has known for 30 years that her overeating is emotional, has written in the journals, made the lists, taken the hot baths, played the uplifting music, etc. What all this taught me is that 1) you have to not eat all the time and 2) you have to figure out what you will do with your time when you're not eating, whether you understand why you want to eat or not. Not eating when you have mouth hunger and participating in alternative, life-affirming activity instead of inappropriate eating until your next meal is what is going to break the emotional bonds and heal the emotional self. It is a chemical-neural thing because that's what emotions are. They manifest from chemicals acting on the nervous system, but the stimulus is extinguished by not reinforcing it. Don't give it food. Doesn't mean you can't be doing some soul-searching or character-building or connecting-spiritually, whatever your brand, along the way, but you can do that when you're fat and thin. We are so much more than this struggle. Might as well embrace the rest of who we are right now. On three meals a day. And if you don't know who the rest of you is, you can figure that out, too, as you go. On three meals a day, 5 days a week, forever. It's hard to imagine that a slimmer, happier, stronger you won't emerge.
I don't know about your journey, but I do believe you don't have to get to the bottom of it all to get food in its place. For one thing, that well is bottomless, or almost. It will take a psycho=spiritual approach, I believe, to truly counteract it, but you can do that WHILE you do whatever it takes to stick to Vanilla No S. I think it will even enhance the process to do that. Take it from someone who has known for 30 years that her overeating is emotional, has written in the journals, made the lists, taken the hot baths, played the uplifting music, etc. What all this taught me is that 1) you have to not eat all the time and 2) you have to figure out what you will do with your time when you're not eating, whether you understand why you want to eat or not. Not eating when you have mouth hunger and participating in alternative, life-affirming activity instead of inappropriate eating until your next meal is what is going to break the emotional bonds and heal the emotional self. It is a chemical-neural thing because that's what emotions are. They manifest from chemicals acting on the nervous system, but the stimulus is extinguished by not reinforcing it. Don't give it food. Doesn't mean you can't be doing some soul-searching or character-building or connecting-spiritually, whatever your brand, along the way, but you can do that when you're fat and thin. We are so much more than this struggle. Might as well embrace the rest of who we are right now. On three meals a day. And if you don't know who the rest of you is, you can figure that out, too, as you go. On three meals a day, 5 days a week, forever. It's hard to imagine that a slimmer, happier, stronger you won't emerge.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
-
purplefleck
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 1:26 am
- Location: East Coast
mouth hunger
Yes, CGB and olala53 (not sure how to respond to each post, sorry).
It's having the mouth hunger AND doing something else other than eating- you're right, every time does not have to be a soul searching event. And it is about brain chemistry re-adjusting. I was in a yarn store this weekend and they had free stickers that said "Eat less, Knit more"
Thanks for your thoughtful replies.
It's having the mouth hunger AND doing something else other than eating- you're right, every time does not have to be a soul searching event. And it is about brain chemistry re-adjusting. I was in a yarn store this weekend and they had free stickers that said "Eat less, Knit more"
Thanks for your thoughtful replies.
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leafy_greens
- Posts: 426
- Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:18 pm
One week is the blink of an eye in overeating time. It will go and come, go and come. Face it down, or it will mostly come forever.
For some people, this gets easy very quickly. That is a gift, not a given. Remember, the major reason people don't keep weight off is that they don't keep at their efforts when it gets hard. That is exactly when you have to keep at the effort. It is when the greatest reprogramming happens. At least you are not being asked to keep at it at 800 calories a day. This is reasonable and livable!
Are you acknowledging that you have mouth hunger, but putting in its place, seeing it for the lying urge that it is? Are you then purposely diverting your attention as much as you can to other activities? This has been shown to change brain patterns in OCD patients so that the compulsive thoughts decrease, but not in a week and maybe not a month! No matter what you choose to do, you are going to have to hang in there eventually for months and years! I can't speak from experience to say mouth hunger will go away, but it has gotten easy on N days, though there are moments. They are mostly transitory after 4 months.
You will just have to see how your body reacts, but you won't know if you give in and eat.
Good luck! At least give it 3 weeks.
For some people, this gets easy very quickly. That is a gift, not a given. Remember, the major reason people don't keep weight off is that they don't keep at their efforts when it gets hard. That is exactly when you have to keep at the effort. It is when the greatest reprogramming happens. At least you are not being asked to keep at it at 800 calories a day. This is reasonable and livable!
Are you acknowledging that you have mouth hunger, but putting in its place, seeing it for the lying urge that it is? Are you then purposely diverting your attention as much as you can to other activities? This has been shown to change brain patterns in OCD patients so that the compulsive thoughts decrease, but not in a week and maybe not a month! No matter what you choose to do, you are going to have to hang in there eventually for months and years! I can't speak from experience to say mouth hunger will go away, but it has gotten easy on N days, though there are moments. They are mostly transitory after 4 months.
You will just have to see how your body reacts, but you won't know if you give in and eat.
Good luck! At least give it 3 weeks.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
oolala53: Your response almost brought tears to my eyes!
I felt as if someone took my thoughts and feelings about No S and put it into words!
I stopped exploring long ago why I ate the way I did and just surrendered to eating 3 meals a day.
No S and nothing but peace!
I feel like my mind settled down when I adoped this lifestyle and I no longer felt the need to explore the emotional reasons why I used to eat all the time...
It does take time but once you commit you never want to go back!
I felt as if someone took my thoughts and feelings about No S and put it into words!
I stopped exploring long ago why I ate the way I did and just surrendered to eating 3 meals a day.
No S and nothing but peace!
I feel like my mind settled down when I adoped this lifestyle and I no longer felt the need to explore the emotional reasons why I used to eat all the time...
It does take time but once you commit you never want to go back!