No-S to avoid food obsession.

bextehude · Post by **bextehude** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:13 am

I'm a young girl who has, due to various abuses and circumstances in life, developed food obsessions. This has included binging and restricting.

I am a slim person who does not need to lose weight. However, I believe I overeat more than I under-eat, and my weight fluctuates.

The point is that I do not feel I should spend my youth obsessing about food. It's easy for somebody on the outside to simply tell me to "forget about it." However, my mind always travels to food. I either really want some food, or I feel guilty about eating food, or I'm telling myself to exercise some self-control.

Hopefully the NoS lifestyle can help me reduce the guilty I associate with eating. I love food. I want to enjoy it, eat often and healthily, but not write a million rules for myself.

Does anybody have thoughts about this?

Linguisticsgirl · Post by **Linguisticsgirl** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:24 am

I have a thought!

I think that no s may be able to provide you with the freedom you need and to create boundarys that allow you to enjoy food without guilt or obsession. Stick with it for a while and see if it works for you.

Good luck!

Blithe Morning · Post by **Blithe Morning** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:40 am

No S absolutely will help. The longer you do it, the more of your life you get back. In addition I also suggest the following:

1. Limit or eliminate (I recommend eliminate) popular media, especially weight loss and fitness websites and magazines.

2. Build up your other interests. Use your new found energy to do and learn something new. Learn hot to knit, take photographs, identify wildflowers, paint. Start to journal (not a food journal but a life journal), hike, bike or do local theater. Volunteer regularly at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, pet shelter or Boys and Girls club.

3. Be ruthless about setting boundaries with people who pull you down. This is right and good for both of you.

4. If you need it, get professional help. I may be reading between the lines but it sounds as if there may be some emotional trauma at play?

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:26 pm

I'd echo what the others have already said, but also add that it might be a good idea NOT to use the NoS boards to write a 'food diary' in your case. Many people do and find it useful for accountability. In your case though, it might not help in terms of obsessing over food. The habitcal is a really simple, quick way to track your habits that won't take up a lot of your time, and shouldn't impact on the amount you think about food.

I would of course encourage you to use the board for support if and when you need it!

Good luck on your journey, I hope NoS can help

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 4:15 pm

I agree with Blithe and Millie -- No S can definitely help cure food obsession. Three meals a day, no need to think about whether/what to ear or not to eat in between, and anything on your plate is OK and permitted, no "bad" foods to worry about.

Avoiding fashion, weightloss/fitness, and celebrity gossip magazines is a GREAT suggestion -- they really feed a neurotic and unhealthy attitude toward food, bodies, and self-image. It's hard -- even the Yahoo home page is full of silly pop-culture snippets about right and wrong eating and weight. I also second Blithe's suggestion to develop other interests -- volunteering, learning a new skill, getting outside to bike or hike or birdwatch ... the more you have interesting things to do and think about, the less important punishing yourself over perceived food infractions will seem.

I also think opting out of the constant food and weight conversations American women tend to have is a good idea. People are constantly telling me how they ate something naughty, or they have to work out extra-hard because of that cupcake, or talking about how much weight they have to lose or they just started South Beach and it's so hard but they lost seven pounds this week! I have promised myself never to join in and criticize myself or my body, or brag about weightloss or how little I'm eating. It's boring and it's unhealthy. But it has amazed me to realize how hard it is not to join in, because it's like you're opting out of the sisterhood!

jellybeans01 · Post by **jellybeans01** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:26 pm

first, I'm sorry that you have been through so many bad things as a young person. I know when we can't control things around us it is easier to try to control the things we do have power over and one of those things is food. I think so s can help. I didn't realize some of my issues with food until I did no s. When snacking and nightime eating was taken out of the equation I realized I had to deal with some issues in my life. I realized that the extra eating was a fun little diversion from some stresses and boredom. Learning to eat for the purpose of just fueling my body has been a learning process. I hope you find success in this journey of no s.

bextehude · Post by **bextehude** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:21 am

Thank you everybody. Yep, trauma is associated with this problem. I've come a long way. I'll take all of this advice and good luck to me and everybody else :]

M's sick of dieting · Post by **M's sick of dieting** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 4:32 pm

I know how you feel too. I food and diet obsess, sometimes I think it's all I think about. Great advice Blithe, I'm going to follow it too. The diet/fitness websites, I can't stay away from them. I'm gonna now, they definitely "feed the beast" so to speak. It's doesn't help I have Internet on my phone, and can get to it whenever I want. I do believe No S can help us have a healthy relationship with food, not a crazy obsessive one. Good Luck!

bjalda · Post by **bjalda** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:58 pm

I feel like I am in the exact same situation as you. I am a young, athletic girl who never really had to reduce her weight. However, a few years ago I started obsessing over food and tried to loose some weight in order to get superskinny. I actually got pretty skinny, but it didn't made me feel better about myself. I was still very self conscious about my body, especially as I wasn't able to keep restricting myself and started to gain weight again.

Now I know that the only thing that has to get fixed is my relationship with food.. And No S really has helped me so far. I don't follow it always - still working on that - but it certainly showed me that there is a way out of this obsession. When I follow the rules the guilt goes away.. and I found ways to deal with "emotional hunger" and boredom in a healthier way..

I Hope that it will work for you.. I too don't want to spend the rest of my life obsessing over one of the most wonderful things there are in life (:

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 1:23 am

I am so glad for you, bextahude, that you have recognized this problem for yourself and found No S. It combines the best of many recommendations for those obsessed with food, though it wasn't intended for that. Good structure for the majority of the time, and a chance to explore freedom.

I affirm your healing and a long life of pleasure around food and your body.