Conscious Eating

    I had to put that on here LOL. That quote basically says it all. If I'm bored or stressed, I eat. I'm usually not hungry, but that doesn't stop me. I try and mask my problems with food. Does that help? NO! No it does not. What it does is make me feel stressed and completely terrible about myself and then the whole cycle starts again. I have decided that I need to start eating consciously. What does it mean to “eat consciously”? Think about the last time you had a really great meal. Even though you were trying to satisfy hunger, you savored each taste, and you knew how much to eat in order to feel content, not overly full. You eat a normal sized portion of food until you are content...not bloated. That is eating consciously. Now compare that to a time when you were overly hungry. You chewed and swallowed, without really being aware of it, or of your surroundings. You may have wound up feeling uncomfortably full and lethargic. That is eating unconsciously.
     Does that sound familiar? We've all done it. Some of you are saying, "I never do that!". Really? Thanksgiving? Christmas? I rest my case. It may start out with a conscious choice. It may taste great, but doesn't lead to any sense of satisfaction, only discomfort (and maybe a little nauseousness?). The emotions that come with this type of eating are very unhealthy and usually lead to more unconscious eating. If you listen to your inner dialogue and you hear justifying or rationalizing your food choices and portions, it’s a good sign you are drifting toward unconscious eating. Unconscious eating may also be a symptom of deeper emotional issues. When we use food to calm our emotional hurts, to numb the experience of the emotion, we are focused on finding a distraction. Some of us, sometimes without even being aware of it, depend on food to take the edge off all kinds of discomforts.
     Having such an unhealthy relationship with food can only cause bigger problems. More self-hatred. More Self-Doubt. More stress which leads to more eating. We need to change our mind before we can ever change our body. Maybe you're thinking, "If I can just reach my goal weight, then I'll be happy". Let me tell you that's not the way it works. If you don't like yourself now, you won't like yourself then. So let's make this our year. The year that we start loving ourselves and being healthier. Learning to recognize this behavior is the first step towards that goal. So let's start changing from the inside...out. This verse feels appropriate...at least for me. 

Romans 12:1-2-
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

In Christ,
Summer