Just wanted to pass this along…UT Austin is seeking females over the age of 17 to participate in a paid body image study. To find out more go to: http://www.bodyprojectuta.com/
Disclosure: I am not associated with study and do not know any details about the study.
In my post “Food on Your Mind Much (Always)?” I defined the term food preoccupation or obsession as excessively worrying about food, calories, grams of carbohydrate or fat, etc. Thinking about food on a daily basis is normal, but worrying or obsessing about food much of the time is not. For more details about food preoccupation please read my post “Food on Your Mind Much (Always)?”.
People with eating disorders or who chronically diet tend to have food preoccupation. Part of the recovery process from an eating disorder and other eating problems whether it is anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating or compulsive overeating is working to reduce food preoccupation.
Here are some tips to reduce food preoccupation:
1. The first step is to notice when and how often you worry about food, calories, weight, etc. Notice thoughts rather than CRITICIZE thoughts about food. If we beat ourselves up about stuff it just keeps us stuck, but we are able to problem solve and move forward if we accept ourselves .
2. Ask yourself some of the following questions:
What purpose does excessively thinking about food/weight serve me?
Am I really in more control (of my life or my weight) by thinking about food/weight so much?
What things am I avoiding by spending so much time worrying about food? Often times people will focus on food rather than think about painful situations or feelings, to soothe anxiety or stress, to relieve boredom or procrastination, etc.
What am I missing out on (For example friends, family, hobbies, occupation, school, etc.) by spending so much time thinking about food?
What am I afraid is going to happen if I stop obsessing about food?
Learning more about your particular circumstances around food preoccupation may help you challenge some of your worry about food and weight.
3. When you notice yourself obsessing or worrying about food, dieting or your body:
Simply say “stop” or “halt” to those thoughts and think about something else.
Write out a pros/cons list of worrying about food.
Offer yourself reassurance that decreasing your thoughts about food is OK after all it really hasn’t helped with eating problems, most likely it is making your food problems worse.
4. Make sure you are eating enough food regularly throughout the day. Regularly skipping meals and snack or chronic under eating can contribute to increased food preoccupation.
5. Schedule time to worry about food. For example, promise yourself that between 9am-9:30am daily you can worry about food and stick to it.
6. Reduce time reading about dieting, food and exercise. You may subscribe to magazines or newsletters or spend a large amounts of time on the internet reading about food, weight, etc. which may only exacerbate the food worry.
7. Reduce the amount of time talking about food, weight/shape and dieting.
8. Consulting a counselor often helps reduce food preoccupation. A counselor can help work to reduce the underlying causes of your food/weight worry.
Yep, that is right I am suggesting giving up dieting as a New Year’s Resolution.
Here is why:
1. Dieting doesn’t work. Research shows that often dieting can lead to weight loss for a short period of time, but doesn’t help maintain a lower body weight for long periods of time. In other words, lost weight often is regained.
2. Diets increase the risk of developing eating disorders.
3. Diets can increase feelings of shame and failure, because they leave us feeling like WE have failed. But, really the diet is failing, not the person following the diet. (See #1).
4. Studies show that exercise and quality of food consumed rather than weight can improve health.
5. Food restriction (AKA dieting) often leads to overeating.
6. Food restriction can lead to increased food preoccupation, feelings of depression and/or anxiety and poor concentration.
7. Dieting can be socially isolating. In other words, often dieters will opt out of social engagements because the foods being served aren’t on their diet.
Curious about getting off the diet roller coaster and improving your relationship with food permanently?
Books that discuss the potential harm of dieting and offer a more realistic and helpful approach to eating, health and body image include:
Intuitive Eating: Creating a Healthy Relationship with Food, Mind & Body. By Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.
Overcoming Overeating: How to Break the Diet/Binge Cycle. By Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter.
Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. By Linda Bacon.
Contact me for a free phone consultation to learn how I can help you change your relationship with food, improve your body image and help free yourself from dieting for good.
For those of you who chronically diet, have bulimia or anorexia nervosa or binge eat you probably have a fairly good idea by what I mean by “food preoccupation”. Food preoccupation is when you spend A LOT of time thinking about food—what you are going to eat, if you are going to eat, worrying about choosing the “wrong or right” foods or how the food is going to affect your body weight. Sure it is normal to think about food on a daily basis: what you want to eat, when, etc. But, when you spend much of your day worrying about food then if feels more like “food preoccupation”.
Why do people with eating problems tend to have food preoccupation?
I think there is a variety of reasons why eating problems increase preoccupation with food. Food restriction (dieting, eating disorders usually involve food restriction) has been proven to contribute to food preoccupation (See Ancel Keys’ study for details). Since food is a basic need for survival our biology wants us to think about food, so there is a greater chance of procuring and eating food thus survival.Psychological reasons may contribute to food preoccupation. For example for some it may be “easier” or less painful to worry about food than other painful feelings. Worrying about food may give people a sense of control, because in other areas of there life they may feel powerless. Others may think that if they have a “perfect body” their life will be much improved and feel more confident about themselves. And believe food is away to achieve this. These are just a few examples of what purpose food preoccupation may serve for people. Food preoccupation is not something to panic about or try to rid yourself of it ASAP, but just notice when you may be worrying about food a little too much.
In my next post I will discuss strategies to reduce food preoccupation.
I have included a few of my favorite reads here for people who want to get off the diet roller coaster. These resources offer a new perspective on how to approach food and weight. They offer no quick fixes or “magic bullets”, but rather an exciting new way to look at food and weight.Studies have shown reading (or “bibliotherapy” as us counselors call it) can be an effective tool to augment treatment for compulsive overeating, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
Happy reading!!!
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA
This is a wonderful book. Tribole and Resch share with readers how to give up dieting for good, listen to their body for hunger and fullness cues and legalize all foods. It is a must read!
Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon, PhD
I have heard great things about this book. I have not yet read this book (It is on my list.), but I have had the privilege of hearing Dr. Bacon speak at a professional conference. She presented compelling information about body weight. Bacon indicates that weight plays a much less important role in health than the media and health care providers lead us to believe. Bacon teaches readers how to keep themselves healthy despite body weight.
When Women Stop Hating their Bodies by Jane R. Hirschmann & Carol H. Munter.
The title says it all. This is a very empowering book!