Its Not What You Eat, It Why You Eat It

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU EAT, IT’S WHY YOU EAT IT
Relationship coach Vicky van Praag explores why it’s not the calories in food that count, it’s why we want to eat them
Do you ever find yourself putting something in your mouth when you really don’t want to? You’re not remotely hungry, but you fancy that piece of chocolate cake or that extra helping, and so in it goes. Then you feel weak and pathetic, without will power or control. And every time you slip up, you tell yourself that if only you had more discipline, if only you weren’t so flawed, you could be thin.
 

“Eating too much isn’t about will power, and we shouldn’t hate ourselves for thinking that we don’t have it.”

 

Most people think that being thin is about self-control, and they are judgmental of bigger people who clearly don’t have it. Most overweight people believe that reaching for that extra slice of cake is about will power. They know they don’t want to eat it, but they seem unable to stop themselves. So they vow to cut down on sweets, eat the right foods, and join a gym. But before long, they find themselves reaching into the fridge again. Inevitably, trapped inside this cycle of determination and failure, self-loathing eventually sets in.
But eating too much isn’t about will power, and we shouldn’t hate ourselves for thinking that we don’t have it. Naturally thin people don’t have more self-discipline than fat people, and they don’t resist food; they simply don’t want any more than their body wants.
Naturally thin people eat when they’re hungry and don’t care how many calories their food contains. Their bodies can be trusted to burn off what they eat. More calories just means fewer hunger signals later on. Food doesn’t mean anything more to them.
When we’re carrying extra pounds, it can mean we aren’t simply eating for physical reasons, but for emotional ones, too. If you don’t think this is the case, look at your life. You will find the triggers: boredom, sadness, anger. A job you don’t like, a relationship that is making you unhappy – you may be using food to avoid any or all of this. Some people use alcohol, some cigarettes, and others food. People with full, happy lives don’t worry about food, and don’t need distractions.
Going on a diet will not solve the problem. Diets only make you obsess about food more, not less. And diets can’t work, since they only address the effect of overeating and not the cause. The real work in the battle to lose weight is internal, not external – and that is where you must begin.