From: barbaraj@.csc.ti.com (Heart Dancer)
Subject: Re: Breaking Free ... (was When Food Is Love)
Reply-To: barbaraj@csc.ti.com
Organization: Computer Science Lab, Texas Instruments
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 19:37:07 GMT

In article <1992Nov19.232742.11565@spdcc.com>, dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
>> In article <17526@pitt.UUCP> geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:
>>>She suggested that we really enjoy eating
>>>Eat in a calm place without distractions
>>>Eat anything you want      
>>>Eat until satisfied

>>That's exactly what I did for the first 25 years of my life.
>>At the end of that time I weighed 335 lbs and was gaining at
>>the rate of 1 pound per month.  Just how long was I supposed
>>to continue trying this method?

>Or a slow one.  This is my experience too--I really enjoyed eating, ate
>w/o distractions, ate anything I wanted, and ate until satisfied, until
>I discovered one day that a sedentary lifestyle wasn't a choice
>anymore ...it was
>just the way I was: always two helpings instead of one, frequent late
>night snacking, and restaurant meals a lot.

As other people have mentioned, the statement of Roth's guidelines are
paraphrased in such a way as to miss the basis of these programs.
(Roth's the best known right now, but she's not the only one, and she
wasn't even the first).  The basis of the program is certainly not to
eat as much as your want of whatever you want, as Gordon & Steve
imply.  The basis is learning to eat in response to PHYSICAL hunger.
Not to continue eating because there's more left on the plate and it
tastes so good, or because the cinnamon rolls in that bakery are
irresistable, or because you don't get your money's worth at a buffet
unless you come away totally stuffed.  Note that when one eats in
response to physical hunger, one stops eating when one no longer feels
the physical hunger, and for most people this is several bites (maybe
even a full serving) before one feels "full".  The stomach is a fairly
small organ, after all.  The question to ask is not, "am I full yet?";
it is "am I still physically hungry?" 

>But it's mostly women who seem to be
>brainwashed into thinking that there has to be some emotional basis to
>their overeating and obesity and that "being nurturing to yourself"
>somehow breaks this cycle.

There is nothing in Roth's guidelines that relate to the emotions at
all.  But maybe it's because in this society, women have the role of
being the nurturers, and haven't been taught particularly effective
methods for taking care of ourselves as well as all of the other
people we are supposed to take care of. 

It is the case that some people do overeat as a way of coping with
uncomfortable feelings, BECAUSE IT WORKS.   It is also the case that
some people overeat out of habit.  Both can use Roth's program
successfully, because it is about learning to eat in response to
physical hunger for the purpose of nourishing your body.  It is also
the case, as Beth mentions, that some people have "food allergies"
which stimulate overeating.  Even Geneen concedes this point; her
response to a similar question is along the lines of "eating what you
want is really about making conscious, aware choices about what you
are eating.  I *love* the taste of ice cream, but I don't eat ice
cream very often, because I don't like the way I feel 2-3 hours
afterward."  It's about making choices based on my knowledge of my
body, not based upon some external authority.  I may choose to
research external authorities and experiment with how their ideas
might fit for me and contribute to my long term goals, but that's a
long way from imposing a structure because someone else thinks it is a
good idea.

>I'd love to meet someone formerly fat who followed Roth's
>recommendations and became thin, but I'm pretty skeptical!

One of the more inspiring stories in one of her books (I don't
remember off hand which one) is about Karen Russell, a woman from
Vancouver, BC who lost something like 270 pounds on Roth's program.  I
have met her; her story of how her life has changed is even more
inspiring first hand.

Moira

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