Monday, July 18, 2011

Workaholism

Emotional eaters often have more than one compulsion. And we tend to be ultra-responsible, often co-dependent. It's no surprise that many compulsive eaters are also workaholics. While we may not get the cultural approval we seek by being thin, we can get it by being good workers. But as with any addiction, workaholism comes at a high price. If you think you (or someone you love) is using work to avoid feelings, relationships or both, read this article by Erin Lenderts. Next time, I'll follow up with more about how to recover if you are a workaholic. Till then, be as gentle with yourself as you can possibly be.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Not all overeating is emotional eating

My focus in this blog and in my work with clients is on the emotional component of overeating. Yet, as I navigate the waters of peri-menopause, I'm discovering something really important about my body. As I get older, my body is processing food differently.

Till a short time ago, I've was having BIG hunger (it was waking me up in the middle of the night) and I had to eat every two hours or I'd get a headache. The blood sugar tests my doctor ordered appeared normal, but my body was not behaving normally.

For most of my adult life, I've been a plant eater, with a little meat sprinkled in here and there. I love bread. For years I've made my own sourdough from scratch - starter and everything. I love potatoes - mashed, fried, baked. I love pasta, especially farfalle - little bows of joy. And I love cake, especially princess cake with it's edible, pastel-green wrapping.

But what I'm discovering is that these foods don't love me back. And I'm not talking about weight gain here. This is about ginormous blood sugar crashes, complete with headache, grouchiness, and hunger pangs like I hadn't ever eaten in my life.

A friend, about my age described the same symptoms. Then another friend. We are all perimenopausal. Could there be a connection? What we all started to discover, through advice and experientation, was that contrary to what a lot of "experts" say, our bodies felt better when we ate more meat and stopped eating sugar and starch.

If you read my blog, you know, I'm not a fan of the experts. I trust the messages my body gives me. For the moment, the message is clear. Eat meat. Eat animal fat. Don't eat the pretty princess cake. And I'm listening with all love and tenderness I've learned in the process of healing my emotional eating.

My inner child sometimes really wants cake, and I tell her, "I know honey, cake would make my mouth really happy right now. But after, it would feel bad, really bad. And she knows, having felt so much better recently, that the pleasure of cake, at least in this moment, is not worth the suffering it brings. So we stay with what works, in this case, what many have called "the candy of meat." Bacon :-).

I would love to know how you have been listening to your body - or would like to. And what you have learned. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.