The Ritual of Food Addiction
The Ritual of Food Addiction
My show "Changing Habits" was on the air and airing on public access television for a long time. At the outset of each program, it is stated: we discuss food, smoking, gambling, alcohol, shopping, expenditure, and worrying. Procrastination, disorganized living quarters, low wages, and mounting debt were among topics covered. A commonality across all of these is their potential for ritualization.
Like you, I was captivated by the hypnotic impact of rituals when I was in their mindless, automatic states. When you're in that zone, it's easy to relax and let go of all thoughts and emotions. I drank too much, smoked too much, and spent too much; I was in a trance when I got into debt. Every time I sat down to write, edit, or type a new chapter for this book, it became a habit. My flat is now undergoing construction. Purchasing new furnishings and creating built-ins have evolved from what started as re-doing the floors in the kitchen and bathroom.
In search of new cabinet knobs was a minor step in the renovating process. You could pick from a plethora of shapes, sizes, colors, and pricing. The number of options I had to consider before settling on a sofa is too much to mention.
There is a set pattern to the things we do, say, and think before, during, and after any kind of activity, whether it's gambling, drugging, eating, or writing a book. I say "drug" because behavioral rituals are as addicting to the body as any other substance, including food, cigarettes, and alcohol.
Like a bartender who recalls your favorite drink or a gambler who memorizes the number of their bookie, you shop anytime you're bored. A certain amount of ice, mixer, or water is required for the drinker's preferred beverage. It never occurs to me to order alcohol in a Chinese restaurant, for example, and many people have rituals around when and where they drink. Some people drink with others, while others drink alone, at certain times of the day, week, or year. While my buddy Tom gets a beer every time we go to a Japanese restaurant, my pal Sara gets a large and a little sake. As you go through a ritual, each component works in tandem to reinforce the habit. Remember to include the steps you take to lock and unlock your house or workplace door, answer the phone, make a friend's call, get ready for bed, style your hair, and maintain your moustache.
Cigarette shopping and smoking were integral parts of my smoking habit. A Dunhill lighter, my collection of cigarette cases, and an ashtray by Lalique were all there. Along with lighting each cigarette, I now also make sure to have extra mouth spray and mouth wash on available, as well as lighter fluid for my lighter.
As natural as lighting a cigarette and taking a drag is, or as integral to your eating, smoking, or drinking routine as the ritual paraphernalia. The behaviors and responses associated with each habit are unique.
Let your imagination wander to other daily rituals and habits: Get in the shower, shave, brush your teeth, and apply makeup. One of your skills can be checking the mail or getting messages from the answering machine. Checking my inbox every so often to see if "I've got mail" is a new habit I've just adopted.
Even getting dressed for the day has its own set of rituals. Before putting on clothes, you could style your hair and apply cosmetics. Some people prefer to get dressed first, then style their hair, and finally apply their cosmetics. My morning routine consists of eating breakfast and taking my daily multivitamin, mineral, and calcium supplements. To make it even easier to find them later, I even pile them into four little stacks on a paper plate. As well, that is a ritual. Our specialty is that:
We plan and execute rituals in order to narcotize.
Doing something productive takes your mind off of unpleasant emotions or ideas, at least for the time being.
There are a lot of positive rituals in my life that I have developed and refined. Since I've done them regularly for a long time, they're second nature and meet my demands without any conscious effort on my part. Similar to how a pencil helps me keep track of my appointments, they make my day go more easily. The known brings a sense of security.
The cycle goes like this: one thing happens, and then another thing happens, and then another thing happens, and so on. The temptation of food, whether it be the scent, look, or taste, eventually gets the best of you. But in reality, it's just the last part of a ritual, and you're probably bored or exhausted and used to giving in to whatever is presented to you. A few of us use food as a pretext to sit down and relax. From the initial notion of a ritual to the initial sensations of guilt, everything is interconnected, making it difficult to say no. Apologies are ever-present. Also included in the rite is that. We need to break this pattern of behavior and figure out what's going on. A great place to start when trying to break a habit is by recognizing that you have patterns.
The process of rearranging or omitting the natural next steps and creating new constructive patterns for yourself can begin as you gain more awareness of your thought, word, and action patterns. There will come a time when you're content to think, speak, and do something else entirely rather than mindlessly stuffing your face with food.
You may become the person you desire by taking charge of your life and breaking free from the cycle of food addiction. The new method of behaving could be drastically different from your old habits at times. The habits you've developed throughout the years are the result of your unconscious emotions and behaviors. Now is your chance to make something amazing that will help you meet your current weight loss goals of __________ pounds.
Bobby F. performed the A lingering effect of an earlier diet, I can fast for an entire day without eating, but I have an insatiable appetite once I start tangoing.
His mind was unoccupied in the evenings due to the lack of stimulation from daytime activities; as a result, repressed emotions and ideas surfaced. Since he was bored and had no one to talk to, he started making his nightly trip to the kitchen a means of passing the time. Each time I went to the kitchen, I got something different: a bit of candy, a nibble of leftover salad, and two grapes. More and more often, the once-or-twice-daily practice occurred. The installation of the phone in the kitchen was the turning point. While on the phone, he sat in a mobile chair and would roll around to the fridge, open the door, and peruse the contents by looking through the glass.
I had him make a small check mark on paper every time he considered putting something in his mouth while he worked on changing that habit. A whopping 42 times between 9 p.m. and midnight, thoughts of food crossed his mind! About every five minutes, that happens.
In just three hours, he had formed the habit of stuffing his mouth with anything, regardless of his hunger levels. Simply due to boredom, he nibbled 42 times, swallowed once, then nibbled again. If you consume just one thing, or even just a little bit of many things, it will build up. It makes no difference whether it's salad or soda. You're indulging in food even though you're not really hungry. A behavioral addiction that manifests as weight gain can develop if this activity is practiced daily. If you keep doing it, it will eventually become part of the show. The scene transformed the moment Herman removed the phone from the kitchen. He lost some weight. He altered his routine. Being more self-aware led him to find other patterns, including this one. It got better: there were more.
It finally clicked for him: every time he took customers out to dinner, he ordered a glass of wine and finished with a cup of coffee. There appeared to be an unbreakable relationship between going to the movies and purchasing a Coke or popcorn. The act of purchasing itself is ritualized; I term it a drive to spend.
When I brought up the topic of rituals with another student of mine, she mentioned that recording her daily weight and food intake in a notebook constituted a ritual for her. It was my agreement. As a result of practicing some rituals regularly, we can become more aware of our actions and even record the patterns we've developed. There are finer rituals than others.
Around four o'clock every day, Barbara J. had a tough time. It was obvious that her hunger wasn't the real reason she wanted to eat; she regularly had lunch just a few hours prior. It had something to do with her kids getting home from school. In the midst of making dinner for them, she would aimlessly snack on some of the ingredients. Additionally, she kept a phone in the kitchen and would perform a variation of conversing on the phone while perusing the menu. The thought may occur to you: But all I do is nibble on broccoli. It makes no difference what you eat if you consume it when you're not hungry. Ultimately, it becomes significant.
At 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., the coffee-wagon bell may start ringing, marking the beginning of a meal routine in an office. During my conversation with Rachel S., she informed me about a silly habit she had while commuting between Manhattan and her New Jersey residence. She would have a candy bar five days a week for a year on every trip. By the end of the year, the one candy bar habit could have added up to about twenty pounds.
I used to frequently purchase 64-ounce bottles of fruit juice and proceed to drink them one swallow at a time, rationalizing that it's only juice. Eventually, I would need to replenish my supply. I started purchasing 4-ounce bottles of juice and stashed them on a separate shelf from the top one in the fridge once I became aware of how frequently I engaged in this practice. Nothing got any consideration from me unless I could see it. No liquid ever made it past my brain before I drank it. Over time, the habit began to fall apart. Changing a single ritual component, such as a thought, word, or action, can sometimes untie the whole behavior loop with little to no effort at all. Other times, additional consideration is required. Changing the container's size was the physical action that worked here. Another thing that crossed my mind was that I'd been OK for years without drinking juice despite the several times I had it during the day. Once more, everything might be fine. Any situation can be adjusted to.
Describe a few of your routines and practices.
Oh my goodness!
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