Many Dieters become involved in the endless search for WHY.

This quote describes a common dieting thought process:

“I sailed right through yesterday feeling great about ….........
and then I decided to to stretch the diet to allow .....…………
The result was a binge after dinner.
I went in the freezer this morning to figure out what I had eaten:
it was ………………........................................................
Why did I do it?
I think it was because……………....................................”

It is often good to analyze one’s successes and obstacles
in order to look for a pattern and form a plan of action.

However, self-analysis can become a substitute for Action.
It offers a temporary refuge from the reality of the obesity
that one despises in themselves,
and provides them with emotional relief,
when they can not bring themselves to actually do
what it takes to leave their obese condition. 
 It's like a passenger on the Titanic saying,
"I'm not getting off this ship until I know WHY it is sinking."

Thinking can facilitate a change in one’s eating behavior,
but such a change must be implemented by Action,
and not be a substitute for it.

I'm just saying.

                             
 
Have you ever heard a statement like this? 

"There's no point in dieting
....(counting calories or carbs, or controling portions or snacks etc.)...
because you can't do it for life,
and you will just gain all the weight back
as soon as you stop the diet."

 But isn't it strange how you don't hear this?

"There no point in getting out of debt
because it's very, very hard to do,
and once you go off your budget and start spending like crazy,
you'll just end up in debt again."

I really don't see much difference.

Both are choices about how you want to live your life. 
Choices about Lifestyle.
About your personal goals,
and how much effort you are willing to put into achieving them.

Each personal behavior choice shapes our life,
and ultimately, most of those behavior choices are within our control.

  Some behaviors are harder to control than others,
and all of us don't have to fight exactly the same battles,
but the unpopular Truth is that, for many of us, 
achieving and maintaining a normal body size
takes a great deal of effort....forever.

Recovery is a wonderful thing,
even partial recovery.

My arm-wrist-hand-fingers are not yet "normal", but have
recovered enough for me to return to making my recipe videos.
I've posted a new one today, Vinaigerette Dressing,
here at DietHobby, in RECIPES, Mealtime.

My eating habits are also not those of a "normal" person,
but have progressed to the point that I am in the "normal" weight-range,
and for the past six plus years, I've remained there.

My body, my mind, and my character are not perfect,
and can always use improvement,
but for this minute, at this time,
I know that I'm good enough.
So are you.

Hunger is a need for food.

Appetite is an interest in food.

Cravings is a desire for specific foods.

For those of us who have difficulty controlling our food-intake,
it is important to stop and examine why we want to eat something.

Hunger is a signal from the body that it needs food for energy.

Our stomachs and brains will provide cutes that tell us to eat.

Signals from the stomach could be growling, an empty,
hollow feeling, or hunger pangs.

The brain’s signals can be a headache, trouble concentrating,
irritability or fogginess

Some people experience physical fatigue.

Hunger doesn’t go away over time. It only gets worse.  
...(An exception exists when you are several days into a water fast.)...

Any food will satisfy hunger and take the hunger signals away.

Appetite is not the same thing as hunger. It actually refers to an interest in food.

Cravings are very different than hunger, but are very similar to appetite.

To crave means “to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly”.

Usually the foods one craves are not a necessity, and don’t serve
a life-sustaining need.

Cravings, unlike hunger signals, will change over time,
even over a period of 10 minutes. They are usually triggered
by emotions like stress, boredom, sadness, etc.

Unlike hunger, where any food will quell the sensation,
only one specific food will satisfy a craving.

Hunger, Appetite and Cravings are all a normal part of eating,
and have a place in a healthy diet. However, we need to learn to satisfy outselves
in a controlled manner to keep from overeating, especially since the majority
of the foods we crave are high in sugar, salt, fat, or some combination of the three.
Those of us who have difficulties with our weight need to work to make conscious decisions.

Some people find a “Hunger Scale” (such as the one below)
useful to assess their hunger levels.

Hunger Level Sensations and Symptoms
1 Starving, weak, dizzy
2 Very hungry, cranky, low energy, a lot of stomach growling
3 Pretty hungry, stomach is growling a little
4 Starting to feel a little hungry
5 Satisfied, neither hungry nor full
6 A little full, pleasantly full
7 A little uncomfortable
8 Feeling stuffed
9 Very uncomfortable, stomach hurts
10 So full you feel sick

I think the ideal weight-loss or maintenance eating goal would be to acheive Number 5 at mealtimes.
IF one is eating in response to body signals,...rather than specific mealtime schedules...
one would eat when feeling a Number 2 or 3 hunger level... but only eat until one is Satisfied,
and no longer Hungry, but not actually Full.  

I've always found assessing and responding to hunger levels to be an extremely challenging task,
and personally, I tend to fail at it far more often than I succeed.  That is one of the main reasons 
for my personal choice to record all my daily food intake, and count my calories.

 

The old saying is "Live and Learn",
but somewhere in my brain, there must be a disconnect,
that causes me to be "slow" when it comes to learning not to repeat
my mistakes involving food-intake. 

Frankly, Stupid, IS the word that accurately describes this mal-function.

I've chosen to make the same food mistakes in
the 50's, the 60's, the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, the 2000's,
and on occasion I find myself still doing it in the 2010's

I give myself a break for my behavior in the 40's,
because I choose not to hold myself responsible
for my overeating errors when I was a very young child.

I don't point this out to be negative.
It is just a fact of my life that I have learned to accept.
However, Acceptance of that truth
doesn't keep me from working to change my behavior.