Information and friendly, helpful chat about emotional eating, the use of food to control mood, obesity and overweight with a view to helping people modify behaviour for lifelong health and wellbeing.
7 hours to the end of the year. Who feels really bloated and sick of rich foods? Who is working on their list of resolutions - is it about a mile long and full of all or nothing statements? Probably!
I will pass on advice from an expert - Steven Covey. He can say it much better than I can.
My wish for all of you is to be as kind and compassionate to yourselves as you are to other people. Whether in relation to self-esteem, body weight, eating behaviour or just in general.
Here's what Steven says: (sorry that he says it really narrowly - I don't seem to be able to fix it.)
Seven Strategies for Highly
Effective New Year's Resolutions
New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. It’s likely that
at least one person will ask you what your resolutions are for the year ahead.
Whether you like to make them or not, research has found that people who make
resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who
don’t explicitly make resolutions. Yet as you know, it’s not so easy to
keep your resolve as life returns to normal and your old habits of mind and
action start testing your resolve and pulling you away from the new ones you
resolved to create.
Change is difficult, yet as hard as it
is, everyone has the ability to make and keep meaningful changes in their life,
regardless of their age, or how well worn their habitual ways of engaging in
the world.
I'm watching this program as I blog. Whilst I understand this is not a documentary, its a reality show, I'm troubled by the format. The formula for the program is that a morbidly obese person has help to lose a large amount of weight over a 12 month period. In order to make it "watchable" there has to be a crisis. On this most recent show, it appears that the contestant's husband is getting bigger as she gets smaller (Interesting...). She has lost 140 lbs, and is devastated by a 7 lb gain, after her honeymoon.
What do I keep telling you? All or nothing thinking WILL derail your changes. If 7 lbs is a failure (especially after one's honeymoon), then how can a 140 lb loss be a success?
What can we all take away from this? "Extreme Makeover" is entertainment, not education. Take what you see and put your common sense into the mix. These are not typical stories. These are not real stories. These are designed stories. Your story is an entirely different thing. Remember that. And remember that BLACK AND WHITE, ALL OR NOTHING, POLARISED thinking will derail you more easily than a burger or a pizza. The goal is lifelong health and wellbeing, 1 kg either way will not mess you up. Unfortunately, 1 black and white thought will.
It is true that restrictive, low calorie dieting can trigger the "famine response" in the body. This can slow our metabolism dramatically and induce psychological cravings for high density food (i.e. high fat and sugary foods). Diets are at best temporary because they are an abnormal process, in that once we've lost the weight, we go back to our previous way of eating, sometimes gaining back more than we actually lost. And diets come in all shapes and sizes. I did an experiment recently after reading a book supporting the notion of high protein, fat and low/no carbs (both simple and complex) being able to create weight loss. I ate steak and salad, fish and salad, chicken and salad, pork and salad, eggs and salad, lamb and salad, xxxx and salad for about three weeks. Despite the consumption of plenty of saturated fats and calories, I did lose a little weight. What I also lost was the ability to go to the toilet (Number Twos, that is). And I was bored, and uninspired by eating the same thing all the time. Towards the end I started craving complex carbs and fruit (which was also banned). So, technically, the diet was causing weight loss, but at what cost? And who could do that for a lifetime? Speaking of a lifetime....A sustainable, enjoyable lifelong change towards eating food that supports health and well-being is likely to lead to reduction in weight. A recent meta-study (i.e. a study of a wide variety of studies) has indicated that reducing total fat calories in what we eat, without reducing overall calories, can lead to weight loss. So replace fat calories with something healthier and weight loss will occur. http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e7666 It is believed that 70% of overeating is emotional in nature. So find a different coping strategy and weight loss will occur. Give up dieting per se, and make adjustments to have more control over what you eat (avoiding processed and pre-prepared foods and weight loss will occur. So a change in diet (rather than being "on" a diet) can result in weight loss. And hopefully help you to lose that particular kilo for the LAST time. Under those circumstances, diet is NOT a four letter word. And if you want to be totally constipated, see above. (Who are you, you crazy nut!?)
Apologies for not blogging sooner. I only write when I have something to say. Dr Roger Gould wrote a great book called "Shrink Yourself". He now has a website www.shrinkyourself.com and there is a free weekly newsletter available - I receive it myself because I consider this a trusted site. I hear a lot of shoulds in my practice e.g. "I should eat less junk food" or "I should be able to control my eating" etc. etc. These shoulds are never motivating and actually lead to the negative emotions that fuel emotional eating. As Dr Gould says:
"Do you hear a voice in your head that says things like, "you should've exercised today," or "you shouldn't have eaten that?" If so, this week's tip is for you.
The word "should" is defined as a word used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions. When you hear the word "should" in your head you can be sure that you're being overly critical of yourself. "Should" is never the best motivation for eating well or exercising. It connotes something that is expected of you but that you don't really want to do. And no one likes doing something just because they "should". So, if you're not going to take right actions because you "should," what else can you use to motivate you? It's better to motivate yourself by viewing eating well and exercising as loving self-caring actions. Remember how empowered you feel when you make those kinds of choices. Don't do the right thing because you "should." Do the right thing because it's what you deserve."
(the bolding and underlining is my emphasis)
So should you be considering a course of action, I should like to inform you that you should be doing a lot less shoulding, now shouldn't you??!
Sorry.....just kidding (that is if you thought it was about dollars....you might get emotionally or intellectually rich instead though!) I am STILL a blogging novice, after all this time. So if someone would be kind enough to tell me how or why they ended up at my blog, I would be more than grateful. Thank you from the luddite who is writing to you from time to time. By the way, I'm so glad that ANYONE is reading me!
Channel 90, Gem, Monday nights at 7.30. A program called "Big Body Squad". This is the FIRST television program in which I have seen extremely large people treated with kindness, understanding and RESPECT. This is a shout out to the hospital and ambulance staff who appeared in the program - thank you for your ability to see the person inside the excess weight, and not pass judgement. Your great attitude may be one of the things that helps these people on their journey to regain their lives. And don't forget the camera crew who, although they are not visible, must have been on the same page, too. I know a lot of medical professionals who could learn something from this approach. Too many of my clients have been hounded by their GPs, told "why don't you just eat less?" and can't even go to the doctor with a sore throat, because they'll be told to lose weight. If it was just about eating less, and we were able to, we'd all look like Jennifer Aniston (well, except the blokes of course). A bit more understanding, and a bit less judgement, please. Sometimes a sore throat is just a sore throat.
Happy Friday one and all, I've just spotted an article about Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City (which oddly enough is in Missouri - go figure). This hospital, as part of a health overhaul, has completely removed all sugary drink machines from the hospital. They also only advertise healthy options available from their cafeteria and low fat and sodium "wellness" meals are available both there and on the patient wards, too. Fruit bowls will be placed at cash registers. In the next three years, they will eliminate all deep fryers from their food services. Additionally, another local hospital closed its McDonalds outlet. Remember, we are on the "see food" diet - we see food and we eat it. And what we see these days is calorie dense and nutrient low. The global obesity surge is often referred to as a "normal response to an abnormal environment". “There is no research that any one specific change is going to change people’s eating behavior long-term,” Summar said. “But what we do know is that when the healthy choice is the easy choice, people are more likely to make it.”
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/04/3900501/childrens-mercy-to-cut-off-sales.html#storylink=cpy
So if the environment changes, our choices will change. The overabundance and overavailability of high fat, sugar and salt foods skews our decisions, with negative health and wellbeing results. And what better place to start to tackle the environment than a children's hospital. God Bless 'em! Next stop The Alfred, please - then St Vincents, Childrens, Royal Melbourne ....... Kansas City here I come!
As if the battle of the bulge wasn't hard enough, recent research indicates that fatty, sugary foods also have an effect on the brain. The article states: "Diets high in saturated fat and refined sugar lead people on the path to obesity, while also changing their brains, which may provoke overconsumption of those same foods and make losing weight very challenging." The good news (yes, there is some) is that it is not known at what point the brain changes occur. So there is hope that your urge to eat calorie dense, fatty, sugary foods may still be a response to emotions, rather than a permanent brain change. What to do? PUT THAT DONUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY! Get in touch with the specific emotions for which you are using food as a coping strategy. And remember the three "D's" - after you've identified the emotion either:
Deal with it direct i.e. do something,
Distract yourself, or
Do nothing i.e. sit with the feeling.
Seems like its a triple D day (see today's other blog).
A client recently sent me the following picture - thank you N. I love its ambition.
Remember, any version of the above is a great step forward. If you're really angry or stressed, counting to ten with a gulp of water in between each number (and a big burp afterwards!) may be the best you can do at the time, before ripping open that packet of Tim Tams. But it is better than going straight to the biscuits. And the next time you might be able to do 15 or 20 (and an even bigger burp afterwards!). Remember, its that all or nothing thinking that gets us every time. This image represents an ideal - by the end of this process you'll be full of water and quite likely the urge to binge has completely passed. Think of this as a strategy or tactic to help instigate change, have us pause before bingeing and give us time to let the thinking process kick in. "How do I feel?" "What do I need" "Can I deal with it, distract myself or just do nothing i.e. sit with the feeling" Happy burping!
The National Eating Disorders Consortium has published a series of fact sheets on the whole spectrum of eating disorders. These can be useful for personal use or passing on to someone who finds it difficult to understand the nature of eating disorders. http://www.nedc.com.au/fact-sheets
Useful information from a reliable and well-respected source.
Last week a friend pointed me towards an article in The Age. "More big losers make program the big winner over counsellors" A startling headline. I found the whole article at the L A Times - link below. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-weight-watchers-20121010,0,7567805.story The title implies (infers?) that Weight Watchers ("WW") is miles ahead of counselling as a method for losing weight. There's no mention of it being permanent weight loss - just weight loss. Those on WW lost on average 6kg over 48 weeks. Those who spent 48 weeks in counselling lost about 5.4 kg - which, the article states, IS NOT A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE. What does this mean? Well, firstly, don't believe the headlines. And, secondly, should we find out if the author has shares in WW?? In my (not so humble) opinion, Weight Watchers is a reasonably acceptable weight loss program because it allows higher calories than most others. This means it is less likely to induce the famine effect in the body. That is when your system realises its being starved and fights back tooth and nail with reduced metabolism and psychological urges to eat calorie dense food. Nevertheless, WW is still a diet and therefore by nature a temporary measure that focuses on the symptom i.e. the excess weight. As the late Rodney King said "can't we all just get along?" If a person addresses the CAUSES of overweight or obesity with a counsellor, it may then be appropriate for them to choose a reasonable, balanced tool to handle the slow and steady loss of their excess weight.
G'day girls and boys. Research has shown that emotions become the focus of eating disordered behaviour, even when the initial focus may have been weight-related. http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/how-stress-can-feed-eating-disorders-20121010-27ch9.html Eating (or in the case of anorexia - not eating) is about control and stress management. It is a coping skill - albeit one which causes more stress than it relieves. Sitting with those emotions, even if only for a short period of time, can build strength and an awareness that the emotions aren't going to drive you mad or kill you. Bad things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people - and vice versa. "Life was not meant to be easy" was the Malcolm Fraser version but I prefer George Bernard Shaw "Life was not meant to be easy, my child. But take courage, it can be delightful!" And when its not delightful, we can cope with it by a) dealing with it directly, b) distracting ourselves, or c) doing nothing (i.e. sit with it and breeeeeathe)
This will be of interest. Ha ha, just messing with your heads. I recently read a study about post-menopausal women, and the overall lesson could be less animal products and more fruit and vegetables We've heard this in many formats over the years (except from Dr Atkins, who unfortunately died of a massive heart attack), so please take this as another opportunity to think to yourselves: "How can I add some healthiness to this meal? I know, I'll throw in a bit more veg". Unless the veg is coated with 3 pounds of butter or a cream sauce, you're doing fine! Happy Broccoli and a Merry New Potato.
Here are days 2 and 3 together - thanks to a wi-fi modem on strike! Day 2 EXPRESS your internal stigmatizing thoughts about yourself and others. Day 3 Reclaim your thoughts about yourself and others. You can create your own body love and esteem now.
This is a US organised awareness week, and my posts will be one day behind theirs, due to the time difference. Day One: Recognise your internal stigmatizating thoughts about yourself and others. Think about all those nasty things you say about yourself, and the preconceptions you have of other overweight/obese people. Reflect on the invalidity of classifying someone solely by their weight. There is a great deal more information and some tools on their website. http://www.bedaonline.com/ Make this an aware week.
Happy Friday everyone. I have been incommunicado for a little while. I had a short break in Daylesford (lovely country town) with a good friend. The house we stayed at had no internet connection, so email was out of the question. Also my mobile phone had no bars, unless I went up the hill to the Botanical Gardens, then climbed a dark and dirty tower, then stood on tippy-toes and held my phone up at arms length. Only then was I able to get my messages, but not make any calls. Well, climbing the tower was good exercise, if nothing else! The point being....the good news for me was having a break from the usual routine, in pleasant surroundings with good company. The good news for you is that during that time I started reading a "diet" book I picked up at the Op Shop. Its called "YOU on a diet" by Dr Michael Roizen and Dr Mehmet Oz (yes, THAT Dr Oz from the TV). Why is this good news for you? Because I am supporting their approach for a variety of reasons. Its not really a diet book at all. Its a healthy lifelong eating plan. Its not dramatic or dangerous and is backed by science. It talks about the types of processes that go on in the body in relation to visceral fat and the effect on the brain of the consumption of certain foods. And they debunk the myth (as do I) that there are "good" foods and "bad" foods. Roizen and Oz also explain in great detail how low calorie diets are useless and ultimately counter-productive, and why we blame ourselves for dietary failure. And they talk more about waist measurement as an indicator of health rather than overall weight. The crazy illustrations in my edition of the book have to be seen to be believed, but overall good sensible information and a reasonable argument for dieters to forgive themselves and forget the past. So don't "waist" any time - have a look at the book on Amazon or Google the guys.
I just saw an ad on television which will get people running to the shop. 3 super-hot women in bright red skin tight clothing - always an attention getter. Then the pitch - lose 2kg a week with 1 main meal, 2 (purchased) shakes and 3 (purchased) snacks a day. How many dollars a day? Why wouldn't 3 meals and 3 snacks a day achieve the same result, without the expense? And who wants to walk down the street in high heels and a swimsuit? Just wondering....
OK the Title is a bit obscure but I'll explain myself. I came across an article today entitled Six Signs of Emotional Blockage. Blockage......All Bran.....get it?? The causes of excess weight are many and varied and emotions play a big role in whether we have our hand in the cookie jar all day. And the "shoulds" do an incredible amount of damage, whether they're directed to others or ourselves. So read the article and see if you need a metaphorical bowl of All-Bran today. And if you do, have it with low fat milk! http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/life/six-signs-of-emotional-blockage-20120830-251ye.html Have a terrific weekend.
We have been told in the past that yo-yo dieting can adversely affect one's ability to lose weight and keep it off. Well the jury's gone out and come back in on that theory now. A recent study found no significant difference between those who yo yo dieted and those who didn't with their ability to successfully lose weight in the future. "A history of unsuccessful weight loss should not dissuade an individual from future attempts to shed pounds or diminish the role of a healthy diet and regular physical activity in successful weight management," said the study's senior author Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division." Woo hoo!!!! Phew! Now there's no need to give up before you start. You are not handicapped by past instances of weight loss and regain. And just a little bonus....here's Yo Yo Ma (get it, huh, huh, get it??) playing one of the most beautiful cello pieces I've ever heard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCicM6i59_I&feature=related
Dr Dukan - only opens his mouth to change "les pieds" (the feet) it seems. And the ones he's criticising are the ones he wants to buy his book and system. Despite the fact that lots of French people don't eat anything like the Dukan Diet and still keep trim - its their habits around eating (no snacking, no guilt, a "bit" of red wine, a good sense of self etc. etc.) that keeps them that way, not his steak and salad regime. Hmmm, they've even decided he can't call himself a doctor anymore. Any diet will work, temporarily. The multitude of rules and restrictions will get to us in the end, though. And then we'll blame ourselves, not the diet, when its really the diet at fault. Too complex, too restrictive, very "all or nothing" and so on. Maybe the "mental problem" obese people have is that they don't believe what weirdo Frenchmen say! http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/the-obese-have-a-mental-problem-20120821-24joa.html
"People in war zones tend to have more negative perceptions of their bodies." A quote from an article in Medical News Today that I spotted today. This is an interesting point. And I imagine living in a war zone to have many more impacts on people's mental health, as well as the obvious physical health risks. But, in a similar sense, aren't overweight and obese people living in a sort of "war zone"? (believe me this is not in any way an actual comparison - merely a philosophical/illustrative one) The constant rating related to size, the images in the press, the stares and judgement of strangers, is this not a sort of war zone? Then there's the workplace and employment discrimination. And I've just received my Psychological Society magazine in which there's an article that mentions the increased sexual objectification of men - just like women have been experiencing for many years. We are SO lucky not to live in a war zone. Why don't we refuse to make it a body image war-free zone too?
This is a little off my usual target - but I like its simplicity and I also know how easy it is for overweight/obese people to make themselves unhappy.
The pursuit of happiness is as old as modern civilization. Books, elixers, religions, and philosophies are all devoted to it. Happiness is a quest, an obsession, and a universal aspiration.
But what does it take to be unhappy?
In some ways, it's easier than happiness itself. New research and much life experience offers a simple recipe for genuine discontent.
***
Buy things you can't afford or don't want. Either choice is a sure fit for unhappiness. When you buy things you can't afford, you go into debt, which limits the other choices available to you. When you buy things you don't want, you lie to yourself about the real source of your unhappiness.
Compare yourself to others. The love of comparison is the root of much misery. Therefore, judge your success or worth based on other people, especially those with a different background from you. Do this on a continual basis, always looking for a new idol or competitor in which your ideal unhappiness lies.
Take no joy in the journey. Focus only on the destination without appreciating the ride. Fail to celebrate small successes, and neglect to pause for reflection on how far you've come.
Respond instead of initiate. Take no responsibility for your schedule or preferences. Let other people set the agenda for your life. Take the lead for your schedule from your Inbox, voicemail, or someone else's demands.
Allow other people to determine your values and priorities. Set no compass point for your life. Drift in the wind. For best results, allow your values and priorities to shift as you waver between bosses or role models.
Refuse to challenge yourself. Take it easy and settle into routine. Choose to believe that all stress is bad and seek to live as relaxed a life as possible.
Whine and complain to anyone who will listen. Explain how the world isn't fair and how you would do things differently if you were in charge. Bonus: this practice also allows you to contribute to other people's unhappiness.
Focus only on yourself. Refuse to forgive. Hold on to grudges. See the worst in people. Do not give out free lunch.
Settle. Accept things as they are no matter how unsettling they might seem. It could always be worse, right? Live in the complacency of your situation and refuse to fight for something better.
***
Happiness may require more than pithy quotations on Twitter and a good sleep cycle, but unhappiness is fairly simple.
What would you add to the list?
The author is Chris Guillebeau who is a generous and clever online writer and entrepreneur. So if he's succinctly identified what causes unhappiness, we only need to reverse it to grasp what will help lead to happiness. Thank you Chris - sometimes we know something but need to see it written down to have it sink in. Plus I love the picture of the muddy, abandoned teddy bear!
You may feel you have 300kg to lose. But even a small amount of weight loss can have significant health benefits. Key researchers in this area are showing that modest weight loss (i.e. less than 20lbs which is even less than 10kg) can afford great improvements in health and well-being. So for those of you who reply to a compliment regarding a 1.5kg weight loss with "yes...but I have 750 more to go), perhaps the distance isn't that great. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/248599.php Oh and by the way, sugar is addictive. DUH! If you are addicted to crack cocaine, you don't spend your leisure time in a crack den. If you have a problem with sugar, don't hang out at Krispy Kreme. Sorry, I really don't want to single out one food company, but they are just fitting with my writing style today. Tomorrow, I may have a go at McDonalds. Stay tuned!
Are our food choices and emotional eating behaviours evidence of significant, deep-seated issues that require extensive analysis or are they simply bad habits? Yes, I know, a bit of a black and white argument (and those of you who are my clients will know that I HATE black and white thinking). However, please forgive me this gross generalisation. As I say to people, the only habit we were born with was to seek out mother's milk, every other habit has been adopted. If we can create one habit, we can create another one to override it. Its not a walk in the park. Its not even a run around the 'Tan (Melburnians will know what I mean). So it may cause discomfort....well so does being significantly overweight or bingeing and purging. Have a no-calorie look at this interesting article based on scientific information about habit formation and re-formation. Here's an excerpt.
The good news is, humans are not simply creatures of habit. We have many more brain regions to help us do what’s best for our health.
“Humans are much better than any other animal at changing and orienting our behavior toward long-term goals, or long-term benefits,” says Dr. Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University. His studies on decision-making and willpower have led him to conclude that “self-control is like a muscle. Once you’ve exerted some self-control, like a muscle it gets tired.”
After successfully resisting a temptation, Baumeister’s research shows, willpower can be temporarily drained, which can make it harder to stand firm the next time around. In recent years, though, he’s found evidence that regularly practicing different types of self-control—such as sitting up straight or keeping a food diary—can strengthen your resolve.
You CAN change, it is physically and psychologically and chemically possible. Persistence is a significant part of the process, getting support helps too. But believing that it is possible for you to change is key. Yes, we are all addicted to food (otherwise we'd die) but we're NOT addicted to Krispy Kreme donuts...we just HABITUALLY CONSUME them. Do your bit to put good old Krispy Kreme out of business by working on your habits. Your body and mind will thank you.
Happy Monday! As I'm in the process of updating the website www.eat-think.com.au and including some documents for free download, I decided to post one of the key principles of Eat, THINK per day. Here goes: BEING OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE IS NOT A PERSONALITY DEFECT OR CHARACTER FLAW. You cannot judge a person's worth or intrinsic value on the basis of their weight alone. Humans are complex, ever-changing entities with an infinite number of variables in their make-up; criteria which are impossible to evaluate against each other. To quote good old J K Rowling: "Is fat really the worst thing a human can be? Is fat worse than vindictive, jealous, shallow, vain, boring, evil or cruel? Not to me"
Monday, August 6, 2012
Its rare, but occasionally there is someone else out there who realises that
1. diets don't work, 2. a change in thinking must be accompanied by a change in behaviour 3. and generally believes in the ability of people to be good to themselves.
Dr Judith Beck is the daughter of the creator of cognitive-behaviour therapy (Dr Aaron Beck) - impressive pedigree. She wrote a great book in 2007 entitled The Beck Diet Solution (shameless self-promotion in the title I know!) which is not a diet book but a book about changing thinking and, therefore, behaviour. You go Dr B!
The reason I'm sending a shout out is their Facebook page entitled Beck Diet Solution. Each day, they post a "sabotaging thought" and a "helpful" or "rational response". Sometimes I think they're reading my mind!
Check it out, "like" it if you like it, and get (for free) some solution-focused alternatives to all those boring, negative, self-defamatory comments that rattle around in your head all the time................or is that just me?
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
This blog is outside my usual remit. I don't comment on nutrition as I'm not qualified to do so. Also nutrition and dietetics relate to the "symptom" i.e. excess weight. My work focuses on the causes - the reasons that lead to excess weight.
However, this article reminded me of a story my father told me. My dad was born in 1916 (yes, I'm THAT old - although he was a later years father to me). He spoke of the privations experienced in England in the war and post-war years when rationing was in place. People ate very little in the way of animal products, and obtained their nutrition from grains and fruit/vegetables. For example, cheese was restricted to 2 oz. per week, butter the same level. Overall health actually IMPROVED during this time.
What's the point? Well, we feel that meat and dairy are essential to life but they're not. The evidence shows that restriction in this area is not harmful, more to the point is beneficial.
I'm not advocating a vegetarian or vegan diet, even though I have opinions in this area. What I am saying is that if we have more reliable and verifiable information, we can make a more informed choice. The attached article is about how Denmark survived the North Sea blockade during WW1. Interesting stuff, I hope you enjoy it.
And, yes, I bought tofu today, but don't hold it against me, ok?
Change your perception and change your feelings. Our thoughts are not necessarily the truth. If we choose our thoughts, we can choose much more in our lives. We don't necessarily need to stuff them down with food, or any other external soother.
