I really need your help!!!

[debri85 1]

Babs,

While doing some research I ran across this from Donali maybe it will help:

A Tool for Dealing with Emotional Hunger

Hi All -

One of the exercises I was required to do by my counselor for my food obsession was to create a chart of alternative activities for the various emotions I felt throughout my days.

I am not a journaler by nature, so a lot of the counseling sessions were tedious for me - lol. But I thought that this particular exercise was so worthwhile, and gave me a concrete and self-tailored tool to help me deal with my emotions seperately from food.< /span>

First, take one week and write down the time every time you eat. Do not change your eating habits - this is not a good/bad kind of thing. In addition to the time, write what you ate, and then write how you are feeling: bored, tired, physically hungry, sad, worried, anxious, resentful, mad... whatever. Write down EVERY emotion you're feeling at the time you eat. Do this for an entire week.

Second, review your week's journal. On a separate piece of paper, write down one time every emotion you noted. This in itself can be enlightening - you get to see the kind of foods you are drawn to when you're eating for a reason other than physical hunger.

Third, think about all the things you could have done INSTEAD of eating that would have had the same effect on your mood that eating did. Some of the items on my list were: take a hot bath, give myself a facial, take a walk, play on the computer, curl up in front of the TV with a sugar-free hot chocolate, call a friend to chat, work in the yard. My food tendency is to eat to calm and relax myself, or to entertain myself.

Fourth, make a grid. Down the left hand side write each of your emotions from your journal week. Across the top, write each of the alternate activities you thought up.

Fifth, read each emotion, and mark an "X" under each activity that you think would help you deal with that emotion. For me, when I was feeling anxious or frustrated, I felt a more active response like working in the yard or taking a walk would be helpful. But for the times I was feeling neglected, or worried, or tired, a more nurturing activity like a hot bath, or reading sounded more soothing.

Once your grid is completed, and you have your emotions matched up with activities, you have a valuable tool for when you want to eat but you know you are not physically hungry. Whip out that chart, find your emotion, and look at the things you want to try before turning to food.

Sometimes you will still turn to food - that's okay! Be good to yourself. Remember that food has been an important coping mechanism in your life, and do NOT feel guilty or bad! However, the more you work with the tool, the more often you will end up substituting a different activity for eating in response to your emotions.

The goals of this exercise:

1. become aware of WHY we are eating

2. eat only in response to physical hunger

3. substitute an alternative behavior to eating in response to emotional hunger

4. be kind and loving to ourselves throughout the process

I hope this helps others as much as it has helped me!

Donali

[babsyintx 0]

Hi Everyone,

My morning report:

I am back to 184, so dropped 1.5 pounds. My goal is to get back to 180 by the end of the week. I am trying to get in at least 40 oz of Water and Decaf coffee this morning followed up by a 10 oz Carb COuntdown yogurt smoothie. They are great cause they have 13 grams of Protein and 100 calories. Plus yogurt is supposed to help in weight loss.

I am headed to the gym this afternoon. I think the Protein shakes help (not to fill me up tho) because I am aiming for at least 80 grams of Protein a day. I seem to lose faster when I do this.

So who else needs to report here today?

Babs in TX

[babsyintx 0]

Hi Deb,

Donali is the queen! She rocks!! I may try this if I start falling off the wagon again. For me, I think the biggest problem is when I dont exercise. ONce I do, everything else falls into place again as well. So this week, everyday is a gym day til I get back to my good habits. Weekends are the hardest for me because I am tempted by what my kids want to eat. I am resolving this by getting more healthy food in my house to nibble on .

Babs in TX

[debri85 1]

Babs,

I know what you mean...I have to stop thinking of exercise being a four letter word!

I'm hoping that as i lose weight it will get easier therefore more enjoyable....

i did something tonight I've NEVER done in my life....i chewed up food and spit it out!

Now, there really is a reason for this....I seem to have developed an insatiable interest in cooking....go figure...but since I can't eat anything yet, it seems sort of stupid..but, I decided to fix my hubby a nice meal anyway..well you know how you taste everything? Knowing I couldn't swallow it, I came up with that idea...worked pretty good, afterall, the mouth is where the taste buds are? Weird thing was, i didn't really get upset about having to spit it out.....could there be hope?

[babsyintx 0]

Debri,

I have a friend of mine who is a dietician. She tells me that when she worked in the hospital and patients were on a liquid diet, it was quite common for the hospital staff to give the patients stuff they could chew on and spit out like Jerky for instance. I used to chew on bacon and spit it out when I was on creamy liquids. I just needed to chew, so that is really what most people miss is the chewing!! So no, you are not abnormal!!

Babs in TX

[babsyintx 0]

OK,

Heres my day two report:

Breakfast: 2 cups of coffee with fat free milk

Mid morning: 1 Carb Countdown Yogurt drink

One bottle of Water

Lunch: 2 Egg beaters with a tablespoon of spinach 1/2 z of cheese and 2 oz of ham

2 tablespoons of salmon salad

Snack: 12 tortilla chips, two teaspoons of Peanut Butter

2 bottles of Water

Dinner: 3 oz of chicken with mushrooms and two oz of steak with some mixed veggies and one tablespoon of brown rice

snack tonight: Fat free pudding

Exercise: 45 minutes of treadmill and weight lifting at the gym

Total calories: 1200

Calories burned at gym: 325

Total net calories: 875

Total Protein: 78 grams

Water: 51 oz plus 20 for Decaf coffee and 10 for tea this evening: 81oz

Babs in TX

[princess_n_thep 2]

awwwwwwww babs... you know what your going to get from me???? yep, you guessed it......

THE BOOTY SHAKING DANCE!! (all can join if they want to...)

Okay.... hear the beat (boom boom boom)... now feel the beat (tap tap tap).... okay now start the shakin... ((woooooooooot!)) now really get it groovin!!!!!!!!!! ((wooooooo hooooooooo doing the booty shakin dance!!!!!))

[debri85 1]

Good for you Babs!

[babsyintx 0]

Hi Everyone,

Drumroll:

I am now back to 182.5. I am hoping by the weekend that I can get back to 180. Will do a jazzercize class tonight and try to be good. Got my Water bottle sitting on my desk and a carb countdown yogurt and a cup of coffee. Lets see where we are tomorrow...

Babs in TX

[gunn4ya 0]

Babs,

Sounds like you are back on track. You go, you are truly an inspiration.

[Tarafeena 1]

You can do it!!!! I will be doing it with you!!!!

[babsyintx 0]

OK,

Hi Everyone,

My daily report: Yeah, I know you guys are sick of it already, but its keeping me accountable reporting here everyday even if no one is reading it!

Heres the take on food, Water and exercise:

Morning: 2 Cups of Decaf coffee with fat free milk

One bottle of Water

1 Carb Countdown yogurt

Lunch: 3 oz of chicken breast with one slice of whole wheat 40 calorie bread

1/2 oz of cheese, one teaspoon of fat free Mayonnaise

9 tortilla chips

Snack: 2 tablespoons of salmon salad

1 teaspoon of Peanut Butter

1 bottle of water

Dinner: 4 oz of chicken breast 12 tortilla chips 1 tablespoon of salsa, 1/2 oz of cheese one teaspoon of fat free sour cream

Snack: popcorn

Cup of tea

1 hour of jazzercise: 250 calories burned

Total calories: 1000

Calories burned: 250

Net calories: 750

Grams of protein: 78

Babs in TX

[babsyintx 0]

Hi Jack,

You are sweet. Thanks for the support. So this morning, I get on the scale and it says 182.0. 1/2 pound less than yesterday. So it is going down, but with lots of effort from me. I did the 1hour plus jazzercise class last night. WOw. I felt out of shape. It was a circuit jazzercise class and I am feeling the pain today. Two more times to the gym and one more jazzercise class this week will make me feel like I am making real progress. Everyone hang in there with me!!!

Babs in TX

-154

[babsyintx 0]

Hi,

I forgot my post from yesterday.

Here we go: Weight today is 182.5

THis is what I ate:

Breakfast: coffee 2 cups with fat free milk

Lunch:

1 1/2 oz chicken breast 6 tortilla chips, two egg beaters 1 1/2 oz piece of ham

1/2 oz of cheese

Snack: 2 teaspoons of Peanut Butter

Dinner: 1/2 bowl of turkey chili 14 tortilla chips 1/2 oz of cheese

1 1/2 oz of ham

Snack: Skinny Cow Ice cream sandwich

Cup of tea

1 teaspoon of Peanut Butter

Calories: 1110

Exercise: none today

Protein: 70 grams of Protein

Today is a new day!!!

Babs in TX