Sindy is a woman whom you would entrust with your life. When I need a solid, thoughtful response or insight into a perplexing situation, Sindy is always there for me— a reassuring and balanced voice of reason. If I were stranded on an island with only a lifeboat, I would want to set out to sea with Sindy.
How ironic it is that the most trustworthy and rational woman I know feels she cannot rely upon her instinctive good judgment when it comes to eating. Instead, for many years Sindy has turned instead to a series of debilitating diets.
Sindy is a serial dieter with a capital S. In a recent session we shared a laugh as she described a trip to the grocery store. She’d left her list behind, but then blanked out and couldn’t remember even what diet plan she was obeying that day. No carbs? Fat free? Sugar free? “I was downright confused,” she confessed.
While Sindy’s mother can take credit for the S in her name, the credit—or rather blame— for her excess weight cannot be assigned to her mother. As she’s battled her weight, Sindy has groped for explanations of how it happened, and she’s now ready to abandon the theory that her mother set her up for plumpness by overfeeding her as a baby. Finally, after sixty-one years, Sindy is shedding her baby fat and admitting that this defense is futile.
In an odd twist, it is her memories of watching her young son eat intuitively—he would leave an unfinished cookie on his plate!—that have modeled for Sindy a more natural and lighthearted way of eating.
Sindy is willing to do anything to stop the madness, including letting go of the diet du jour. But looming in the recesses of her mind is a diet mentality of quick fixes, fresh starts, and instant gratification.
The challenge Sindy faces is understanding that eating in your likeness is not a diet. She also needs to internalize the idea that while working from the inside out rather than relying on the external dictates of a diet is a simple, sustainable, and pleasurable approach, it takes patience and time to unravel the effects of years of disordered eating.
Join Sindy as she shops without a list!
How confident am I about my new found eating style?
In a word VERY!
Used to be when I went on a vacation, I’d pack two sets of clothes ..one size to wear in the beginning and a larger size to return home in. With the mind set of being let out of jail, and off my diet..I’d rebound from deprivation in an oh so big way.
Today I’m ...
Observing Thanksgiving from this perspective- as a non-dieting, in control person is quite interesting.
1. The more restrictions one has around their eating… the more they eat!
I have 2 friends who went on a cleanse this week, and yup , ended ON Thanksgiving day!
I’m glad I wasn’t at that banquet table.
2. And visa versa!
Now that I restrict nothing from my menu, I’ve found that I ate less on Thanksgiving!
3. It seems ...
BEFORE:
Diet, diet, diet before the wedding
Pack the new size clothes I just bought
Pack my OLD size because I knew I’d never fit into the new size by the end of the weekend…
BECAUSE:
I was going to eat everything I’d been denying myself during the diet!
Return home sick and full of regret.
AFTER:
Continue to eat anything I love, when I’m hungry, until I’m satisfied before the weekend.
Pack my wonderful clothes that I buy ...
So….lunch today with the book club. We haven’t seen each other since the beginning of summer. Everyone looked great. I, looked more great! They haven’t seen me since I’ve lost. Lost the reason to have the lipo suction I was so seriously considering! Lost 2/3 thirds of what was in my closet, because its too big. Lost the desire to overeat. Lost the necessity to study the next new diet as ...
Dear Food,
I hereby declare a truce.
I am no longer haunted by you. I no longer fear you, no matter where or when you present yourself. You no longer can produce guilt in me. I am taking my power back. I will no longer be dictated to. I will eat when I want, what I want, and how much of you I need.
I will enjoy you, while being oh so aware ...
I didn’t finish my Pinkberry frozen yogurt, AND threw it away! Gave it to the garbage can, not my husband!
Convinced my hubby to share ordered dishes on a regular basis. Because of this it seems like I get to eat more… more variety and more often because I’m hungrier sooner!
I think I might have been a slow learner, but something has finally kicked in… I am really getting the hang ...
I’m excited at the prospect of eating now. For so long I didn’t just eat , I OVERATE. And I didn’t know why.
I’m excited at the prospect of choosing– really choosing, what it is that I want… not what I should have, or what I’m supposed to have .
I’m no longer afraid at the sight of a buffet table full of food… or the mini bar in the hotel, or ...
Oh, here’s a good one that I just realized:
Hubby, for whatever his reasons are, zeros in on any goodies I have in the house and like magic, makes them disappear . After many,many years of the house being devoid of anything satisfying and yummy it is quite the novelty! But I think what I was doing , was competing with him to get to those goodies! I’d hide them, so ...
So, contrary to the rest of my life, when it comes to food, I seem to be a follower. My friend wants me to share a dessert .. I’m there. My husband wants to go for frozen yogurt, like every other night… I’m eating it. My husband eats something like every hour… It always looks good. ENOUGH ! I want to be in charge of my food. I want to decide ...
Every time I really get into the ” this is the way I was meant to eat” zone and out of the compulsive, overthinking, planning, worrying AND overeating… It occurs to me that all I really have to do is relax! Detach from all the diet conversation…magazines, friends, commercials… Get back to real foods, and on with my life!
Welcome to the time you now have FOR your life!
(for oh so ...
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