Eating Strategies; National Eating Disorder Awareness Week
Many of the bloggers out there talk about their addiction to food. They know that if they start eating the wrong foods again, it will not turn out pretty. They acknowledge their addiction to food & some even decide not to do any "treats" because they feel they have not come far enough to overcome that addiction yet. They stick to a very controlled food plan for them. Some of us can do the treats & still be fine. ME!! We all have to be true to ourselves & know what is right for us.
Dr. Oz had an ambush eating show on Monday & the previous link is part one. Here is part two. He ambushed a group of people by "setting them up" with a buffet full of foods from the good to the bad choices. It was a very interesting experiment! Once the people knew it was a Dr. Oz deal, some even hid the food in napkins, blamed the food in front of them on other people bringing it to them and/or saying they got it for their friend or husband/wife. LOTS OF EXCUSES!!!
One lady said that she didn't think anything was wrong with it & it was like being at a birthday party.. She said: "Who would turn down a piece of cake at a birthday party?" Ah, me!!!! I don't eat just because it is there. If we ate at every bday party we went to.. well, you know the answer to that! I have written a lot about this eating at every special occasion under the sun!!!
Another said "it was only one french fry... hmmm, we know that 1 FF turns into 5 plus a bunch of other stuff! All those little nibbles add up and I have posted about that too! You can't just not count the nibbles during the day!!!
So, Dr. Oz gave out some statistics after one lady said she was just out with friends having a good time & they are pretty sobering!!!!
1. Going out with 1 or two friends - you will eat 35% more food.
2. Go out with 7 or more people - you will double the amount of food you normally eat. If you go out, say 3 times per week with a group of friends, you can eat 72,000 extra calories per year - which adds up to 20 pounds in a year!
Some advice for these big group functions - be the last one to go up to the buffet for food & EAT SLOWLY. I have posted about this too. Mindful eating. Plus as we all know, it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to register fullness, so SLOW DOWN! You will also enjoy the actual taste of the food if you slow down. How many of you eat something so fast & can't even remember how good it tasted cause you scarfed it down? You can check out this post by Dr. Oz on how to stop emotional eating.
I thought I would also let you know about NEDAawareness. February 21-27 is National Eating Disorder Awareness week (NEDA) supported by the National Eating Disorder Association. I found this out on Alyson's site. Here is a little more info from their website & I got it from Alyson's site.
The mission of NEDAwareness Week
Our aim of NEDAwareness Week is to ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses — not choices — and it’s important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder.
What is NEDAwareness Week?
NEDAwareness Week is a collective effort of primarily volunteers, eating disorder professionals, health care providers, educators, social workers, and individuals committed to raising awareness of the dangers surrounding eating disorders and the need for early intervention and treatment.
How NEDAwareness Week Works
This year, NEDA is calling for everyone to do just one thing to help raise awareness and provide accurate information about eating disorders. NEDAwareness Week participants can choose from a huge range of ways to contribute: Distribute info pamphlets and put up posters, write one letter for Media Watchdogs, register as a Volunteer Speaker or host a Volunteer Speaker, coordinate a NEDA Walk, or arrange interactive and educational activities such as panel discussions, fashion shows, body fairs, movie screenings, art exhibits and more. As an official NEDAwareness Week participant you can be involved in any way that works with your schedule, resources, community, and interests. These events and activities attract public media attention – on local, national and international levels.
Your thoughts on group eating. Do you tend to eat more when you go out with others? Are you able to control yourself at buffets? What are your strategies for surviving group eating and emotional eating?
Categories: Addictions, Health, Motivation/Support, Tips, Dieting
Tags: food hunger health Tips addictions Diets
Slowing down the eating is such a great tool! Interesting post, Jody.
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I'm fortunate in that my special occasions seem to be spaced out to nicely coincide with my monthly splurge. Or maybe I just made it that way.
I almost always have cake at a birthday party, even if it's just a bite or two. My close friends know to ask me now, "Do you want a sliver or a slice?"
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My best defense? I'm a pretty quiet crab who doesn't get invited to a lot of special occasions, so I don't worry so much about what I eat. Figure I can make it up later.
I don't exactly recommend being antisocial, but it does have it's advantages.
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I don't do a lot myself Crabby but I can handle it when I am in it.... thx for stopping by & we will miss you!
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Thanks for bring this important message to your readers, Jody! I wish I could say something better, but my experience with people who are food addicted, say they are addicted, yet do NOTHING about it all the while showing declining health to the extreme. I understand the need to eat. The key with addictions is to decrease the addictive foods and maximize the natural, whole, non addictive ones. Addiction with eating is NOT normal.
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Thx Dr. J. All we can do is keep trying to help people!
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Thanks for the important info! More to read later.
Stop by my site today. There is an award and a personalized Bombshell title for you!
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I sometimes feel like I get addicted to everything I look at, just not food. Unless grapefruit counts? I like small amounts of treats, and like Cammy, am likely to have a small piece of cake, as long as it's chocolate and doesn't have fruit filling or non-chocolate icing. I'm more picky about desserts as I am about food. I like super-sweet less and less these days.
I ate at a buffet with my dad last week, he doesn't eat much bad stuff, but he eats SO MUCH! I tell him he's never going to get off that last 15 pounds he's been trying to lose for the last 60 years (cough) if he eats so much. Even if it's healthy food. I like buffets for variety, though it's often crappy food, and hard not to overeat. I can't stuff myself like I used to, but still only do Japanese or Ethiopian buffets, skip the American ones.
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Julie, thx for sharing! YES, you can gain weight by overeating healthy foods too! Lots of people do not recognize that.
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great post with great links! thank you!
it kind of made me feel better, more "normal" that i'm not the only one who has a problem at buffets or when i'm with a group.
my strategies are - if i already know the menu before going, i try to eat before i go so i don't even visit the buffet. if i am going to eat at the event, i try to put a mental plan into place, share it with my husband for accountability and then try my best to stick to it. a dessert buffet is the hardest. i know all the tricks and rules, but when you have an eating disorder as i do, all logic often flies out the window in the face of foods that call to you.
sadly, i often feel like avoiding group situations because i know they are challenging for me, yet at the same time, i don't want to live like a hermit.
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love2eat in pa, thx for your comment! I know you have battled this so I was interested in what you had to say.
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Great topic! I think bringing up this issue is important. I'm usually ok in groups because I don't want to over do it in front of people. Being alone was my biggest problem which I've overcome. I was an emotional eater. It was terrible. Image issues, self-confidence issues, and relationship issues causes some people to go crazy. Thankfully I've gained back my control and appreciate myself so much more. It's not about being the skinniest person but being healthy
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Like you, Jen, I tend to eat less in groups but I guess we are the exception. I can see how people get caught up in it.. if they are doing it, I can do it mentality. I also had terrible image probs as a kid & young adult & still fighting it!
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Oh my goodness do I relate to this. I do have trigger foods and I know which ones they are and honestly I don't know if I can trust myself around them just yet. I know someday I will be able to, just not yet.
Very interesting on the group eating. Make sense to me though, because when you are socializing, you are eating more.
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AFG, it takes time to be able to handle certain things. I know you will get there!
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Jody - I do believe that there is something about the "herd mentality" both with decisions we make and the foods we eat. Great tips on avoiding it, and thanks for the info on eating disorders.
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