Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Hunger, Appetite, and Motivation, Part 4

Your physical jar easily will get full.  It is the emotional jar that tends to go empty, or almost empty.  And we will work very diligently to make sure it gets full before we go to bed.  That's why most people eat all evening.  They are making up for having not attended to their emotional jar.  They were "good" all day, having deprived themselves of the foods that truly satisfy, and are now being "bad" because of having to make up for the lost time and eating experiences.   Most bingeing and overeating are the result of deprivation of one sort or another.  And eating foods that are of no interest to you or just aren't satisfying at the time are a primary source of deprivation.  Over the years, I have found that when the issue of quality of the eating experience has been taken care of, in other words, when you are eating just what you want to be eating, when you want to be eating it, quantity becomes a moot point.  You don't overeat when you are in the habit of getting what you want when you want it.  There is no need, no drive, to over indulge when you can eat that particular food whenever you choose.  This may seem bizarre right now, but it is true.  Overeating a food occurs primarily when you have gone too long without eating it.  When you have deprived yourself of it and then must make up for lost time.  So from now on, always ask yourself, "Am I going to enjoy this?"  If you aren't, pick  another food and ask yourself the same question about it.  Do this until you can answer, "Yes, this is what I want to be eating at this time."  This is the best way to fill the emotional jar - to meet your appetite needs. 
Copyright 2011 Lynn Borenius Brown

OnlineandTelephoneCounseling.com

No comments:

Post a Comment