I recently got asked a question on how to overcome the fear of 'bad' foods. I remember the endless arguments with my therapists when they told me I just had to do things and I felt like they didn't understand because it was a phobia and I just couldn't. I feel hypocritical saying it but after years of learning to face 'bad' foods the best thing you can do....is just eat it. I know that's not what you want to hear and you might be thinking...but I CAN'T. But truthfully and I'm sure deep down you know this, the only thing stopping you is your fear. Here is a few tips to help you break your phobia.....
- Start with slightly scary foods and gradually move on to scarier foods
- Take it slowly, start off with just a bite of certain foods every now and then
- Remember: 'THERE ARE NO GOOD AND BAD FOODS, ONLY GOOD AND BAD DIETS'
- Ask yourself what makes that food bad and why your scared of it....is there 100% proof behind your thoughts?
- Set yourself small targets like trying one scary food a week
- Have a distraction planned for afterwards to take your mind off it
- Reward yourself for facing your fear
- Do research on the food to find positives about it
Honestly....facing scary foods is one of the hardest parts of recovery...Before eating certain foods I would feel scared, anxious, sick, worried and afterwards I would cry and cry and cry. But gradually I started to see that those foods weren't having the affect I always thought they would....they didn't suddenly make me gain weight and I very gradually started to overcome my phobia.
Remember it's not impossible, it just takes a lot of strength, courage and desire to recover. If I can do it, so can you.
If anyone ever wants to ask me a question or needs some support feel free to email me at jas_1211@hotmail.com
xxx
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, 2 September 2011
Saturday, 25 December 2010
Take a day off from your ed!
Merry Christmas!! Hope you all have a good day and get lots of nice things :)
If you're anything like I have been in the past then I'm sure all you want for christmas is to be free of your eating disorder. Santa might not be able to magically give us that but that doesn't mean it has to ruin our day.
Take a day off from it! That might be easier said than done but it can be done!
Of coure this comes with consequences after today such as possible excessive exercise, restriction etc to make up for it but if it means you enjoy time with your family and friends for one day then thats the most important thing.
If you're a restrictive eater then I'm not saying stuff your face but allow yourself to enjoy the foods you want to eat (if you're family know then its probably the best present you can give them, to let them see you eat and enjoy christmas dinner).
If you end up binging which I know is a risk on christmas day don't beat yourself up about it. Half the world end up binging on christmas day!! You won't suddenly become obese so don't panic and let it ruin your day.
If you're a purger then try your best to put it off for today because you know it will just put a downer on your day when you could be having fun with your family.
When you think about it christmas dinner isn't the scariest of meals...you can fill your plate with vegetables, and turkey is one of the lowest fat/calorie meats you can eat.
If you're really worried about eating too much then maybe try to have a plan in your mind for the day. Are you going to eat when you want to or stick to a more structured plan of breakfast, lunch, dinner?
Distract yourself! Keep yourself busy. I'm currently doing just that by writing this...I've had breakfast, opened presents :) and now I'm distracting myself before lunch.
Focus on having fun and stop worrying about what might or might not happen. You deserve to have fun and enjoy today as much as everyone else and food does not have the power to change that!
Stay strong, it's just one day!
Love Jasmin
If you're anything like I have been in the past then I'm sure all you want for christmas is to be free of your eating disorder. Santa might not be able to magically give us that but that doesn't mean it has to ruin our day.
Take a day off from it! That might be easier said than done but it can be done!
Of coure this comes with consequences after today such as possible excessive exercise, restriction etc to make up for it but if it means you enjoy time with your family and friends for one day then thats the most important thing.
If you're a restrictive eater then I'm not saying stuff your face but allow yourself to enjoy the foods you want to eat (if you're family know then its probably the best present you can give them, to let them see you eat and enjoy christmas dinner).
If you end up binging which I know is a risk on christmas day don't beat yourself up about it. Half the world end up binging on christmas day!! You won't suddenly become obese so don't panic and let it ruin your day.
If you're a purger then try your best to put it off for today because you know it will just put a downer on your day when you could be having fun with your family.
When you think about it christmas dinner isn't the scariest of meals...you can fill your plate with vegetables, and turkey is one of the lowest fat/calorie meats you can eat.
If you're really worried about eating too much then maybe try to have a plan in your mind for the day. Are you going to eat when you want to or stick to a more structured plan of breakfast, lunch, dinner?
Distract yourself! Keep yourself busy. I'm currently doing just that by writing this...I've had breakfast, opened presents :) and now I'm distracting myself before lunch.
Focus on having fun and stop worrying about what might or might not happen. You deserve to have fun and enjoy today as much as everyone else and food does not have the power to change that!
Stay strong, it's just one day!
Love Jasmin
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
The Rules of "Normal" Eating
I have mentioned that I am currently reading the above book by Karen R. Koenig, although slowly as I am super busy with assessments coming up! But I thought I'd share with you what she says the rules of "normal" eating actually are.
She says that "normal" eaters:
1. Eat when they are hungry or have a craving
2. Choose foods they believe will satisfy them
3. Stay connected to their bodies and eat with awareness and enjoyment
4. Stop eating when they are full or satisfied
It's good to know what we are aiming for! Of course normal eating is different for everyone but this is the general idea.
Love Jasmin x
She says that "normal" eaters:
1. Eat when they are hungry or have a craving
2. Choose foods they believe will satisfy them
3. Stay connected to their bodies and eat with awareness and enjoyment
4. Stop eating when they are full or satisfied
It's good to know what we are aiming for! Of course normal eating is different for everyone but this is the general idea.
Love Jasmin x
Monday, 8 November 2010
My Carb Challenge
Ok, so I don't really like carbs. It's not even the whole carb myth thing that bothers me because after working with my dietician that doesn't scare me so much now. I just don't like complex carbs...rice, pasta, etc. I don't like the taste or texture. I'm ok with toast but I don't particularly like sandwiches so I rarely eat bread. And I can never be bothered to cook potatoes so unless I go home and my mum cooks them for me I don't have them. The main things I will have is porridge, cereal or maybe a bagel sometimes for breakfast.
My dietician put me on a diet plan over a year ago that involved eating more carbs in a way that I wouldn't gain weight. I tried it and infact lost weight but didn't stick to it as well as I should purely because of my dislike for those foods.
However, when I came back to uni in september I started to eat a lot more carbs. I was more relaxed around food and wanted to eat bigger meals because I needed the energy so I started eating more carbs. Again I found I lost weight. My exercise had increased because I was back at uni and study dance so it could partly be due to that but even so if my calories were increased I would have only expected my weight to remain the same. In the past month however I have had less carbs and my weight has been fluctuating all over the place.
Complex carbs are an important part of our everyday diet (I will do a separate post on this another time). I know I should be eating more of them. I am also interested to see if eating carbs continues to stabilize my weight in the way it has in the past or even cause weight loss as my dietician always seemed to think it was possible and so far he has proved to be right.
At the weekend I bought a recipe book with ideas for carbs so that I can find recipes I actually enjoy to make me want to eat carbs. Every day this week I am trying to have complex carbs of some form other than at breakfast. Saturday - Rice, Sunday - Bread, Today - Rice. I shall continue for the week to see how it affects me and hopefully start to enjoy carbs. I shall let you know what happens!
Jasmin x
My dietician put me on a diet plan over a year ago that involved eating more carbs in a way that I wouldn't gain weight. I tried it and infact lost weight but didn't stick to it as well as I should purely because of my dislike for those foods.
However, when I came back to uni in september I started to eat a lot more carbs. I was more relaxed around food and wanted to eat bigger meals because I needed the energy so I started eating more carbs. Again I found I lost weight. My exercise had increased because I was back at uni and study dance so it could partly be due to that but even so if my calories were increased I would have only expected my weight to remain the same. In the past month however I have had less carbs and my weight has been fluctuating all over the place.
Complex carbs are an important part of our everyday diet (I will do a separate post on this another time). I know I should be eating more of them. I am also interested to see if eating carbs continues to stabilize my weight in the way it has in the past or even cause weight loss as my dietician always seemed to think it was possible and so far he has proved to be right.
At the weekend I bought a recipe book with ideas for carbs so that I can find recipes I actually enjoy to make me want to eat carbs. Every day this week I am trying to have complex carbs of some form other than at breakfast. Saturday - Rice, Sunday - Bread, Today - Rice. I shall continue for the week to see how it affects me and hopefully start to enjoy carbs. I shall let you know what happens!
Jasmin x
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