The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[LeeannNH]

hi everyone!

i wanted to talk to you guys about my mini-enlightenment that i am sure everyone else has realized already. maybe i am slow but i had to share!

i believe our society is set up for the food addict to fail. we are bombarded by food commercials, mega-sized servings and easy to get/fast food. many talk about how women are forced to fit into a stick-thin mold by models, etc. people recognize the negative consequences of this and the media addresses it. eating-disorders that cause weight loss are always covered and discussed and are treated as diseases in an emotional and physical light. why? because THEY ARE serious diseases. there are "triggers" that are defined in these serious disorders. and there is public awareness being spread and being accepted about these symptoms. it is wonderful to see that young people have access to the downfalls of these disorders. i just wish there was a real focus on the symptoms that come with emotional weight gain.

what i am getting at is that as a heavy-set person, i have a different "trigger". i see pizza commercials, ice cream, etc. and i want to eat. i can never escape the social aspect of having a meal. my triggers are the bright signs of a fast food restaurant, the wonderful word "biggie" and the comfort of ready to bake cookies. food is really EASY.

i wish that people that are not weight challenged could see this and see that my triggers as an overeater are as strong as those of someone with food restriction issues.

i truly believe that i am an addict of sorts. i dont smoke, drink, do drugs. i eat and i eat alot. i am trying to find a new way to cope with daily life. i am trying to see food as fuel and not as a friend. i am trying to face my problem without using the one thing that has helped me through many hard times. food has been my companion. it has been my happiness. it has been my tranquilizer. it has been my entertainment. it has been my life. this is a hard thing to change.

i hope that someone else understands this post. i feel like i have written a book! ihope i dont sound to "soap-box-y" i am just trying to get through this journey without turning to food and i hope posting here will help in those moments!

take care guys
leeann

[MusicalMomma Reloaded]

I totally understand what you're saying LeeAnn!! I would always get disgusted when I heard someone say "food is fuel, nothing more, nothing less". I would reason that we have taste buds so that food is enjoyable and as far back as biblical times, they celebrated by feasting, so we MUST be intended to feast from time to time!

Well, now that I'm on this road of "recovery", I'm realizing that, as a food addict, I MUST view food as fuel. If I view it as anything else, I am bound to rationalize binge eating until the cows come home! If I use food for anything else, I begin down that slippery slope over and over again.

Wonderful post LeeAnn, wonderful

[wildtrk]

I'm with you on this...since starting MF I am hyper sensitive to the bombardment of food ads, whether it be print or electronic media they seem to be everywhere. In another thread someone mentioned the movie "Over the Hedge" and the "rant" the character RJ has about food and how human's view food. It was dead on the mark of what is wrong with how our society views food.

But then again, it could all just be an oral fixation caused by my mother letting me keep my binky entirely too long....hmm ...wonder if I could sue her because I am overweight? Oh wait....that is crossing into the "we live in a sue-happy litigious society" rant. I'll save that for another day.

[VTGirlie]

I agree.

When you love food (sounds like a good book title- People who love (food) too much ) and begin to deal with that out of respect for your body, it is amazing what you can see from a neutral position.

I see ads for fattening foods pushed by thin people. I see happy families eating out, looking healthy and thin. No one tells you that when you eat the dipping sticks from Pizza Hut you can consume more than a normal daily allowance of calories at one setting.

It sets up an unattainable goal for most of us- how do we look like Jennifer Aniston when we are supposed to treat our families to dinners out, fresh-baked cookies, and frozen pastries every morning?

Disgusting.

I'M ON STRIKE!!!

Thanks for pointing it out. Nice to have a sanity zone in this world.



Bets

[DogMa]

But thin people DO eat fattening foods. And I intend to eat them again, too (and to be honest, I already HAVE a few times in the year I've been on Medifast). My goal here isn't to never eat those foods again, or to never celebrate with food, or to never indulge in favorites like ice cream or chocolate.

To me, food is part of life and GOOD food is part of the JOY of life.

My goal is to learn to eat responsibly. Just because I want pizza every time I see a pizza commercial doesn't mean I should EAT it every time. Nor does it mean I should NEVER eat it, though.

I certainly have plenty of food issues, such as using food as comfort when I'm sad or entertainment when I'm bored. But an addict? I suppose, in the sense that I need food to live - as does everyone else.

I don't want to seem insensitive at all, and maybe I'm misunderstanding, but it sounds a little like you're blaming the commercials. Or the people who make fattening foods. But just because a commercial is on doesn't mean you have to buy what they're selling. Do we buy every product we see advertised? Or do alcoholics blame beer ads for their problem? Many people enjoy those products without getting fat. Some are naturally thin. Others just enjoy the products occasionally, rather than all the time. Not everyone who eats Pizza Hut dipping sticks is fat. They don't eat them often, and they don't eat a lot of them.

Just MHO.

[BoPeep1]

I am so on this bandwagon. The first week of MF, every commercial I saw made me want to eat.

My enlightening moment was when I saw Over the Hedge last weekend, it basically said the same thing, food is everywhere.

I live in an area where most of the people are overweight, I looked around in a restaurant once and 90% of the people were overweight. Soon I'm moving to a state that is "healthier" and I intend to be be healthier as well.

I am so blessed to have found medifast, to be on this food "detox", so I can come back with a new frame of mind and not get in this situation again.

[Aerie]

I'm at the point now that when a food comercial comes on I just turn away. You're right the triggers are everywhere and the cards are stacked against us but no one is stuffing it down our throats. Only we are doing that. I'm a food abuser too but I want to own my actions and so it's something I have to gain control over. Obviously the world isn't going to change for me

[LeeannNH]

hi guys

im glad to hear that some folks are triggered by things. it is nice to see others that have had this experience! it is cool to read all of these comments and has helped me work even harder at my choice to become healthy.

right now, in this process of learning how i have gained all of this weight, this is where my heart has lead me. i just want to explore these thoughts with all of you guys and it is so valuable to read all of your feedback. i dont blame anyone/thing/corporation/advertisement for my food problem, except myself and my inability to control my food intake. i hope i didnt come across as a victim of society. i just know that somewhere i lost touch with my ability to recognize what it feels like to be FULL! i agree that food should be enjoyed and that it is my responsibility to make those choices. i dont want to live my life without dessert that is for sure! i want to find my FULL feeling and i think the mf plan will help me find it. i cant believe how filling the shakes are and i feel like i have done something great for my body. my experience is that food serves me as more than fuel and here i am 50lbs overweight. it is very exciting to have a small shake fill me up!

i think it will be interesting to see how our views change as we lose weight. maybe we wont be affected by food commercials. maybe we can see a cake and have a sensible size slice! i cant wait to find out how that will feel.

you guys rock!
leeann

[DogMa]

That's one thing I've really appreciated about this program. I feel like I really AM learning how to handle food. Other programs SAY they teach that - and I guess they do, but personally, I've never learned it.

But after nearly a year on this, I don't find myself bothered by those ads anymore. I have times when I want pizza or something, but it's not because of seeing commercials anymore. Sometimes I just WANT it. (And hey, last time I succumbed, I had a couple of slices and decided I didn't like it much. And just tossed the rest, rather than eating it because it was there.) If an ad really DOES appeal to me, it's usually either something we can eat, or I'll just think "yeah, I need to try that sometime." With most of it, I still haven't gotten around to it.

Sorry if there was any misunderstanding. I've come a long way since I started the program, and I sometimes forget that others are still new at this. I know the constant barrage of food ads can be frustrating at times, before you have a handle on things.

[raederle]

Great posts! I just wanted to note that there are even some total psychos like me who manage to binge on health foods. I am a food label analyzer, a FitDay fanatic, and a carb/fat/fiber/protein scrutinizer. And yet, I still managed to gain back the weight I lost on MF because I hadn't completely licked my real problem, which was reliance on food to alleviate a number of emotional issues, mostly just plain boredom but also serious body hatred.

Anyhoo, I think that although we can't blame outside influences for every choice we make, it can sure take a REALLY long time before we can identify irrational eating behaviors and bad body thoughts, because we've been inundated with them for so long from outside, trusted sources. To anyone who's interested, I've read a tremendous book lately -- "When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies" by Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter. (sorry, wildtrk-- didn't mean to exclude guys! I know they have issues with self esteem, too!) Although it recommends quitting dieting altogether (which is something I wasn't quite ready to accept, at least not before I reached my goal on MF!), I think it's a great resource that helped me start to recognize why I was overeating, and what I could do to stop it-- and how to begin slowly viewing food as fuel instead of friend.

Sure hope I'm better armed next time, when I reach my goal again! 'Night everybody-- thanks for a great thread!

[DogMa]

Yay! One actual bona fide benefit for the snails/turtles among us. I think one reason I've come so far in my attitudes toward food is that I've been on this program for so long. I've had lots of time to work on new habits. So even though I still THINK about food when I'm bored, I'm able to catch myself and find something else to do instead. (And I have to say, my house is much cleaner as a result. I tend to clean and/or vacuum rather than eat.)

[SharonR]

Oh I can't relate to that at all. I just felt like the first two weeks on MF that the love of my life had left me, my best friend abandoned me and so on...it was brutal! I wrote about it in this forum under " A little background on myself...". Girl, it's tough, everything we do socially seems to revolve around food. I am learning that I can still eat, and eat good food, not just a ton of it or certian foods.

My moto... Eat to Live, Not Live to Eat.

Stay Strong, it's so worth it.

~ Sharon ~

[DogMa]

Oh, but Sharon, you just started a month ago! The point of the program (at least from my perspective) is to learn this stuff, not just to lose the weight. And you WILL learn it. Unlike with other programs, it's hard NOT to learn because you're living it every day.

I've learned that indulgences should be occasional. And that if I DO indulge, I need to make up for it by hopping back on program right away. I plan to continue that in maintenance. Yes, I'll have pizza or brownies or whatever - but only occasionally, and afterward, I'll go back on the full program (well, the 5-1) for a few days to get back on track and lose anything I might have put on from straying.

Eventually, you'll find you don't even NOTICE most of those commercials. Or you'll think, "That doesn't look so good." It'll happen, but it takes time. We didn't develop our food issues overnight, and we can't resolve 'em overnight.

So leave the room during those ads if you need to right now, but it WILL get better.

[Guest]

Dogma, was that post really for me? lol...I never said I have issues with tv commercials or that certian food sounds good. Actually I don't. I was talking about my love affair with food. And aggreing that it is an addiction!

I know that not eating certian foods get's easier every day!

[SharonR]

dangit...I forgot to sign in...the guest is me! lol