Food For Feelings

For many of us food has been a trusted friend, a comfort. When we feel lonely or afraid or sad, food is always there. We use it to mask our difficult feelings and to nurture ourselves. We can count on it. In the moment, it does not let us down. When we use food as a comfort, however, the result is usually discomfort. We feel disappointed in ourselves and beat ourselves up emotionally with negative messages. When we have binged and feel exhausted, we vow never to abuse food again. Of course, the next time difficult feelings arise, we do. We do this because we have learned that “food works” and we have reinforced that again and again over the years. So, food works in the short term but in the long term overeating reinforces our negative self-image, lowers our self-esteem level and confirms again that we are out of control. We cannot change this behavior and Tame our Chew until we learn healthy ways to cope with difficult feelings.

My new book, The Appetite Connection: Six Steps to Your Delicious Life and The Body You Long For will be coming out at the end of July. These six steps are clear and ever so effective! This is a book with real answers to your important questions and also urges you never to diet again!!! I will keep you posted as the release date draws near!. Meanwhile, join me on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Denise/139555252729875?ref=sgm#!/profile.php?id=1158957675 ) and post your questions...I love hearing from you! ...and Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/DocDenise ) to keep up withal the exciting things happening this summer!

What is the Chew?

Since this is the Chew Tamer's Blog I thought it would be nice to review what exactly the Chew is. So here goes...

What is the Chew? The Chew is our saboteur. She/he is a devious, powerful, destructive little creature who is always lurking somewhere within us to sabotage our most sincere and ambitious attempts to stop eating compulsively. The Chew is not a stranger to the millions of us who have struggled with food control issues for a lifetime. She/he is a ravenous monster who lures us into donut shops and candy stores and who crams food into our mouths with brute force. She/he is a hurtful, persistent, out of control part of each of us. As you read these weekly blogs you will become well acquainted with your personal Chew and you will learn ways to cope with him or her. As you become intimately familiar with your Chew you will be fully equipped to win your battles against compulsive emotional eating.

Please approach this experience one day at a time in an open way. Suspend any expectations you now hold about your eating behavior. It has taken you years to become a compulsive eater. Your Chew has been in charge for a long time and it will take a bit of time to reverse old, self-destructive behaviors. Be patient and gentle with yourself as you learn ways to manage your personal Chew and you will discover ways to neutralize his/her power. As you become more familiar with yourself you will be able to sense the Chew’s presence before you reach for the cookies. You will be able to maintain control over yourself, your eating behavior and your life.

You can never be free of your Chew entirely. She/he has been with you since your earliest years and is a vital part of your humanness. You can, however, learn to accept this as part of you and ignore your self-destructive urges. You can Tame your Chew. You can live free from insistent urges to binge. With regular reading, this blog will help!