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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Well, I have recently reached my goal weight. I almost always stay within the "accepted" range from my days as a Weight Watchers leader so I have a closet filled with clothes from the larger sizes to the smaller sizes. After years of eating disorders as a teen, I ended up weighing in at nearly 200 pounds. I realize that I am always going to slide up and down some and that it is all my control and choice (with some exceptions).
Some medications, in particular antidepressants and steroids, make weight control harder. But, what I do know after thirty-seven years of "dieting" is that it is about personal honesty and accepting responsibility. I am the only person who has any say over what I put in my mouth 99.999999% of the time (the .0000001% difference is for medical test fasting). And, if I eat too much once in a while it doesn't mean I have to eat too much the next day. I may have this tattooed on my arm for my coming trip to Europe. Also being Gluten-Free should help me over there!
But a recent article in Scientific American points to , "...growing body of work is finding that disordered eating is connected to attention deficits and poor self-awareness." Great, now ADHD is a reason I can add to my list of reasons for overeating. The article doesn't say it is the only factor; eating and hunger are complex evolutionary systems that have been shown to have more than one fail safe to keep us eating.
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Even Barbie weighed in on the subject in this vintage booklet about how to lose weight The back of the booklet says "DON'T EAT!"(Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
I think this goes to something I heard once - that people with weight
issues think about what they are going to eat but don't pay attention
while they're eating it! I know that when my husband isn't at the table
with me I tend to read as I eat instead of savoring my food. But I am often completely absorbed by my book. On the other hand, while he is away I often lose weight. This is something that experts in this field are studying, and I have yet to understand my relationship to food completely.
I also know we get a lot of mixed messages via family and society. "Eat!" is the cry of my relatives on both sides. After the food, though, our weight was often a subject of discussion. Magazines headlines scream out: "Ten Recipes for Chocolate Cake" next to "Lose Belly Fat." For me too much time thinking about food combinations and recipes and gourmet stuff gets me into using ingredients I just don't need to eat. I need other interests besides food.
So, I am going to stay on the plan. Weight Watchers current plan is not hard to deal with and fits into my gluten-free lifestyle as well. Also, I do not have to go to meetings because I do it online. The help and inspiration are there if I need them and do not annoy me when I don't.
Any Thoughts? Are you working with weight issues?
