Head Eating, Heart Eating and Hunger

Question: 

I find myself eating (or wanting to) all the time. I'm not hungry, I guess it's just habit.  I am not hungry but I just eat, because its there. It seems I have to have something in my mouth all the time. Sometimes I chew a half a stick of sugarless gum, but as soon as I finished chewing it I feel like I've got to get something else!

In the Weigh Down Workshop book, they call this "head eating", and if you're upset, I guess
it's "heart eating" - but either way, it sure ain't "hunger eating"!!! 

They say, and it has solid clinical basis, so I feel comfortable sharing this - they say that a lot of times we eat to "fill" ourselves because of other needs besides hunger.  It's like there's a "hole" in our hearts, and we try and fill it with the comfort of food. Sometimes it's just plain boredom, other times the behavior can lean towards binging, shoveling food in your face just for the sake of eating. A lot of times it's a "control" issue. A lot of what goes into anorexia, believe it or not, and bulimia, is the same thing - the feeling that every single other thing is out of control, but, by God! - you can control what goes into your mouth. So, the anorexic controls by denial. The food "addict" controls by over-eating.

A first step toward controlling this kind of behavior is starting a food journal. NOT trying to inhibit eating frequency, or amounts. Simply write down every single thing you stick in your mouth, yes, even gum! Just the simple act of writing in the notebook can steady you. Once you get used to that, you can start taking a moment before you get the fork out of the
drawer, and check your body - are you really hungry? If not, why are you eating now? Start writing down not only the foods, but your hunger level, and reasons for eating. See if you can spot a pattern over a month's time.

Weigh Down has a lot of stuff that doesn't go with this way of eating at all. (The author continually stresses, for one thing, that it doesn't really matter what KIND of food you eat, for instance.) But many of the general principles are excellent. It's a very "spiritual" book, and talks of filling yourself with God, instead of food, but I guess that's no different than Overeaters Anonymous, or AA, that tell you to realize that you're out of control, and to hand yourself over to "A Higher Power" - I guess. The point is, that there is an "existential vacuum" in you, somewhere, and you need to learn other ways to fill that vacuum, other than with food. 

I could care less if you never ate another gram of carbs, and were completely "faithful" to your low-carb way of eating - but if you're still stuffing your face to fill the empty places in your heart and soul, then your doing yourself harm. 

It's like the "dry drunk", who's not drinking alcohol anymore, but hasn't changed any of his other behaviors. Well, you can't just change the carb count of your diet. You eventually have to challenge the root of the problem, and get a handle not just on the type of food you eat, but also WHY you eat.

Anyway.... think about it. And try www.dietwatch.com  and their food diary, or just get a notebook and write it down. It really can help!

Good luck, and happy low-carbing!

Lisa Alekna
2/4/2000