Preventing Setbacks: Compulsive Eating, Binge Eating, And Eating Addictions

On your journey to moving past using food to cope with life's difficulties, you will experience good days and bad days. It takes a lot of work to develop self-compassion and much practice utilizing new ways of thinking and acting. It is my belief that what is commonly referred to as "relapses" or "set-backs" are not a step back in time, but an important experience needed to gain new understandings and to strengthen new choices.

When a "relapse" does occur it does not happen spontaneously, but occurs with a process of thoughts, ideas, attitudes, emotions and behaviors. Meaning that a series of circumstances occur which progressively lead to choosing food as a coping mechanism. A person doesn't suddenly find themselves overwhelmed by the need for food. There are warning signs along the way. These warning signs show up in mental thoughts and attitudes, physically felt emotions, and expressed behaviors and actions. Relapse warning signs often build up slowly until they become overpowering. Once they are overpowering, you may experience a loss of control of thinking, emotions, memory, judgement and behavior. Often, we have not taught ourselves to be aware of our warning signs. And if you are not aware that you are headed down a slippery slope, it may be too late when you find yourself at the bottom.

Therefore, it is important to find a way to recognize and monitor your relapse warning signs. If you are prepared and recognize the pattern that is happening, you can be more empowered the next time. Relapse is usually caused by a combination of factors. Some possible factors and warning signs are included in the list below:

APPETITE Increase in obsessive thinking about food and weight Sudden increase or decrease in appetite Weight gain or loss Skipping meals Eating only 'diet' foods Food 'rules' become more pronounced

SOCIAL INTERACTION Isolating Withdrawn behavior Not relying on people for support Change in sleep patterns Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much Loss of daily structure

MEDICATION Use of alcohol Use of mood altering chemicals Increase in smoking, cigarettes, caffeine Numbing out with excessive shopping, sex, busyness, internet, etc. Excessive exercise

HOSTILITY Verbal or physical threats Desire to hurt self or others Angry outbursts Destruction of property

APPEARANCE Decreased personal hygiene or self-care Increased use of make-up Bizarre dreams Daily weighing Excessive exercising

THOUGHT PROCESS Perfectionistic attitudes Setting unrealistic goals Believing you will be happy and successful if thin Feeling of being "too fat", even though people say otherwise Obsessive thinking Dwelling on past hurts, resentments, anger, or failures Being too hard on yourself Forgetting gratitude Feeling disgusted after eating Trouble concentrating or thinking clearly Difficulty remembering things Confused or distracted Wanting to escape from stressful situations instead of dealing with them

MOOD Exhaustion Tearfulness Irritability Unusual or unprovoked anxiety Feeling hopeless about work, relationships or life Depression Feeling powerless or helpless Self-pity Complacency Conscious lying / dishonesty Loss of self-confidence Loneliness Frustration Anger Tension Disappointment, shame, guilt Constant boredom - irritability - lack of routine Feeling overwhelmed - confused - useless -stressed out

SUICIDE Thoughts of suicide Preoccupation with death Devising a suicide or self-harm plan Self-destructive behavior Cutting Feeling that nothing can be solved Wishing something would magically happen to rescue you

A relapse rarely happens suddenly. We can teach ourselves to notice the progressive warning signs that lead to a relapse in our behavior. Most people have never been taught to identify and manage the warning signs, so they don't notice them until the pain becomes to severe to ignore. If you can learn to identify your warning signs, you may be able to intervene early and keep symptoms from escalating. Use this form to circle your relapse signs, or write a list of personal warning signs that lead you back into your food patterns. By identifying things that put us at risk for relapse, developing a practical plan of action, and utilizing various new skills, tools and coping behaviors, we can empower ourselves and reduce the frequency of lapse back into our addictive behaviors. If and when a relapse does occur, do not judge or blame, you are not a bad person. Seek progress, understanding and compassion, not perfection.

COMMON TOOLS TO HELP IN A TIME OF CRISIS:

Regular journaling to monitor progress Regular journaling for gratitude Attending support meetings or OA Reaching out by telephone (print a list of people to call ahead of time) Prayer or meditation seeking guidance Reading inspiration books or poems A written plan of action A written list of things to do when symptoms increase or cravings begin Relaxation techniques Deep breathing exercise Helping others Talking to friends or counselors

(For more ideas on tools to utilize during a crisis, see articles posted at www.LovingMiracles.com under the "Healing Articles" section of the website).

By Dr. Annette Colby, RD

Annette@AnnetteColby.com For FREE inspirational newsletter, articles & info visit: http://www.LovingMiracles.com Copyright 2005, Dr. Annette Colby, all rights reserved. "Opening Creative Portals to Success"

---

If You?re Not Where You Want To Be In Life, It?s Your Own Fault

Have you ever wondered why you're not where you want... Read More

Have You Planned Your New Years Revolutions?

Revolution:a sudden, radical, or complete change a fundamental change in... Read More

Thinking About Winners

Have you ever thought about what makes a superstar? What... Read More

Are You Learning?

Whether you are self-employed, whether you are an employee, whether... Read More

The Psychology Of Success; Part 2

In the first part of this article you learned some... Read More

Thoughts on Successful People

I was hired to do some training for a sales... Read More

Trusting The Higher Self

As very few people achieve enlightenment in one lifetime, as... Read More

Take Yourself to the Top!

Everybody wants to get to the top, whether it is... Read More

The Importance of Listening Skills for Self Improvement and Success

Effective listening is almost certainly the most important communication skill,... Read More

The Core Curriculum Of A Wonderful Life

An acquaintance of mine once lamented that she was utterly... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Progressive Goal Party

Hold a "progressive" goal party If you have a group... Read More

A Recipe for Living

As a professional speaker, father and business owner I often... Read More

The Formula For Failure and Success

(Excepted from the book The Five Major Pieces to the... Read More

Freedom, the Foundation of Your Desires

Freedom is the deeper meaning, the foundation behind all of... Read More

Nothing In-Between

Are you on the right track?Stop for a while, look... Read More

It?s Sure to Succeed

There are "How to" seminars on virtually every business topic.... Read More

Innovation Management ? Measuring Failure

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Let It Be You

Each and every day, there are people all around the... Read More

The Major Key to Your Better Future is You

Of all the things that can have an effect on... Read More

More Effective Communication - Weight Loss For Your Mouth

Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More

Freedom In Starting Over

The story that is being used to illustrate the concepts... Read More

Five Principals for Prosperity

Many years ago, forty to be exact, I started my... Read More

Teachings of the Success Masters

Authors such as Napoleon Hill have produced a great deal... Read More

All Life Wishes to Reward Its Benefactors

(Excerpted from the 1999 Weekend Seminar audio/CD series)Parents, leaders, employers,... Read More

The Only Option is to Succeed

With the end of the year fast approaching, now is... Read More

Motivation By Desire

Many of us have lost sight of what we really... Read More

Create Your Future Through Visualization

The best way to predict your future is to create... Read More

Liberating Success Lessons from Singing - If It Is Rubbish, It Is Rubbish; If It Is Not, It is Not

Reggie Yates, a pop song presenter, was singing on 7th... Read More

Thinkers are Achievers

It has been truly said, and history confirms, that the... Read More

The High Cost of Doing Nothing

Cost is sometimes a difficult term to define. Here, we... Read More

Personal Power: Implementing Change from the Inside Out

Personal power is an INSIDE JOB. It doesn't mean getting... Read More

You Are What You Believe

The most important quality you can ever develop is having... Read More

Failure

Any person who goes through life without experiencing failure is... Read More