A common behavior is to alternate between
being “good” at sticking to our chosen eating plan,
and being “bad” when one slips.

This can be a frustrating cycle for most of us,
especially when we consider how labeling our “badness”
with regards to our food behaviors creates a self-defeating attitude.

A change in our self-talk and thought will help us
change our attitudes about our eating, our bodies, and our weights,
which will help us to change our behavior.

In terms of weight-loss, our behavior is often an indication
of how we feel inside, which becomes reflected in how
we appear on the outside. When we feel good about ourselves,
we can’t help but become more attractive to others.
THIS is the Ultimate Goal…
to feel better about ourselves inside,
so that our bodies and our personalities will reflect confidence and light to others.

A few things I’ve found to be helpful are:

Be Supportive, Not Critical, of yourself.

People lose weight at different rates.
Weight may drop off quickly at first and then plateau,
or vice versa. One’s body composition may change,
even though their weight stays the same.

The important thing to keep in mind is that
long-term, consistent, and appropriate eating behavior
will bring positive results. Hard work will ultimately pay off.

Reward your Behavior, and not your Weight

People are used to rewarding themselves,
and being rewarded by others for losing pounds,
rather than for changing their behaviors.

However, it is far better not to judge one’s progress
by one’s weight…which is a RESULT of behavior,
but to focus on acknowledging to oneself
that during the week, or the day, or the hour….
one has successfully engaged in BEHAVIORS
which will be rewarded ultimately, at some unknown future time.

 Remember, our thoughts are what guide us to action,
whether they are positive or negative.

If we are self-depreciating in thought,
our behaviors will be unproductive,
and we will become discouraged easily.

On the other hand, if we acknowledge small accomplishments,
like more positive self-talk, increased activity, making
better food intake choices, then our behaviors will reflect that.

We will be more encouraged to exercise,
find it easier to resist food temptations,
and gain self-esteem…not BECAUSE of weight-loss,
but because we are choosing to manage our lives and our bodies
in a responsible way that is worthy of praise.
The Weight loss that follows is a side effect of our Behavior. 

                             
Nothing is going to work if it isn’t convenient,
enjoyable, and not too difficult, or if it lacks the ability
to be a smooth integration into one’s daily life.
Having information on hand that addresses problems
that are associated with correct eating and exercise,
without putting oneself through torture is valuable.

Once equipped with little, but effective, changes,
one needs to look toward effective maintainable weight loss,
which requires a healthy state of mind.

Keeping oneself motivated and inspired is difficult,
and sometimes it can be helpful to read or hear
just a few words of wisdom to help one keep going.
This is what I am hoping to accomplish by my daily writings
here at DietHobby, and my short “Words of Wisdom” videos.

Anyone can easily read past articles by going to the ARCHIVES.
Also, under RESOURCES, Videos, Words of Wisdom
you can find more than 100 videos of inspiration
that are all less than thirty seconds long. 

I am hoping that my son will write me a code that will make
this into a "playlist", but until he does that,
you can access such a Playlist by going to my DietHobby YouTube Channel
and clicking the first "Words of Wisdom" video there.
This feature makes all the videos in that playlist run automatically.

  To inspire myself, I frequently go to DietHobby at YouTube and click
the first Words of Wisdom video, then let the list run through while
I do other things in the room.  In that way, I hear the inspirational sayings
back to back in about a ten minute time frame.

I usually hear at least one saying there that helps me with  my day,
and this process...repeated over and over, day by day....
helps to firmly implant those positive thoughts and
positive affirmations into my mind. 

I find this personally helpful. 
Perhaps it will help you also.

                
  The dictionary definition of bingeing is:

to be immoderately self-indulgent and unrestrained;
to engage in excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food or drink.

I personally agree that Bingeing isn’t usually because of lack of self control and weakness.
We binge because of a complex interaction of habit, brain chemistry, and external cues that signal us to eat. This interaction can be overcome, but it's harder to do and takes longer to change than most of us realize.

In the 1960s the Health Profession began attributing psychological reasons, rather than physiological reasons to people who overeat to the point of obesity. Since that time, there has been a tendency on the part of Health Professionals to classify every kind of eating outside “moderate eating” as an “eating disorder”. There are many reasons for this…and one of them is financial motivation. Unless a behavior is labeled a “disorder” or and illness, health insurance won’t pay for treatment.

You may call me cynical, but since “Binge Eating Disorder” is far more common than anexoria and bulimia. It has a much larger population base. This means more patients to treat with Therapy, and/or Eating Disorder programs, and more money and more profit for that specific Health Industry field.

Binge eating disorder first appeared in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, in 1994. Until recent times, “Binge Eating Disorder” has been categorized under the umbrella term 'eating disorders not otherwise specified”, or EDNOS for short. EDNOS includes a wide variety of disordered eating patterns.
It's often used for people who meet many of the symptoms of anorexia or bulimia but not all. For example, a woman who meets all of the symptoms for anorexia,  but still menstruates regularly -- a criteria for an anorexia diagnosis -- would be diagnosed with an eating disorder not otherwise specified.

Health professionals admit that a Binge Eating Disorder is more than simply eating too much food, and that many obese patients don't have it. However still they claim that up to 5 percent of obese patients and 30 percent of patients participating in weight loss programs meet the criteria for binge eating disorder.

"It is important that clinicians and the public be aware that there are
substantial differences between an eating disorder such as
binge eating disorder and the common phenomenon of overeating,"
says B. Timothy Walsh, chair of the DSM-V Eating Disorders Work Group,
in a press release. "While overeating is a challenge for many Americans, 
recurrent binge eating is much less common and far more severe and
is associated with significant physical and psychological problems."

Proposed changes in the upcoming DSM-V, to be released in May 2013, would categorize BED as a specific eating disorder.
The proposed criteria require that episodes of binge eating, defined as:

“the consumption of unusually large amounts of food,
accompanied by a sense of loss of control
and strong feelings of embarrassment and guilt”

occur a minimum of once a week over the last three months for a diagnosis.

Such a diagnosis would fit almost every obese person that I’ve even known.….I’ve been one myself and I’ve known many, many others… Almost every obese person…and some of those who are not obese… experiences a sense that they have lost control of their behavior, and has strong feelings of embarrassment and guilt after eating an “unusually large amount of food”.

Weekends come every week, vacations and holidays come rather frequently, other celebrations and special events happen frequently as well.  Plus, most of us experience times of sadness, anxiety, or crisis more frequently than we like. It is common for an obese person to engage in excess overeating on these occasions. In fact it is also a very common occurrence for an obese person to “binge out” at least once a week for months at a time.

The disgust and aversion that modern Society has for fat people pretty much guarantees that fat people will feel embarrassment and guilt due to their failure to keep from engaging in behavior that contributes to their fat condition.

It is my opinion that, despite the “conditions” that psychologists attach to the “Binge Eating Disorder”, by their proposed definition, almost everyone who engages in excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food, which is the dictionary definition of Bingeing, could easily fall into thecurrent medical classification of having an “eating disorder”.

I find something really wrong with this reasoning, and it is one of the reasons I was drawn to Gary Taubes’
research and theories about obesity having a physiological cause, with the psychological problems being a RESULT of the condition, not a CAUSE of the condition.

Taubes makes a compelling argument. My own experience and my observation of the dismal long-term success rate
of “eating disorder” treatments, especially those that include the use of “Intuitive Eating” as a tool of recovery tend to support my belief that while Therapy is helpful to gain self-understanding of one’s behaviors, and can help one learn alternative behaviors, the underlying conditions causing obesity are not cured through that process.

So…my position is that, for those who are obese, bingeing is normal, and not abnormal, eating behavior.

Society’s current label of “eating disorder” and suggested “treatment” is simply another attempt to shame fat people into believing that they need not starve themselves to become thin and stay thin. This is a misplaced effort, because an obese body wants to maintain itself, and this is a survival instinct that will never leave, no matter how thin one becomes, or how much therapy one has.

Sharing some excellent advice that was given 
in response to the following question by one
member of a forum that I frequently visit to another member.

 “I have been doing so bad with my eating the last month or so.
I haven't been this heavy for about two years now.
Why oh why am I doing this???
I just can't control my eating at all anymore. Tears.....”

"I have been where you're at.
In my case I rode it all the way up to having over 30 pounds to re-lose.
Here are things that I think contributed to my weight gain.
I say "I think" because there may be things I haven't considered or that aren't obvious.  

1. I believed websites that told me
how much I "should" be able to eat to maintain my weight.
I wanted to be able to eat that much.
But, I found that I gain--maybe slowly, but I do.

2. I didn't realize that I am sensitive to how much
and what kind of carbohydrate I eat, in that above a certain amount,
I slip into a state where I want to eat even more carbs
and I always feel "hungry."
Once I got my carbohydrate levels under control
(and I don't mean eliminated--
I mean a certain target amount of mostly complex carbs every day!)
I found that I am not as hungry and feel much better.

3. I tried to make what had worked in the past continue to work.
I had a plan, and I had lost weight on it, so it should WORK, right?
Well, I could no longer stay on that plan for the length of time
necessary to lose weight. I would lose 2 pounds in 2 weeks,
then gain 3 in the next week because I couldn't stay on plan.
I tried to use this same plan again, and again, and again, for over a year!
You'd think I'd get the idea!
So, I had to try something different.

4. I was in denial about these things.
I thought it was just a matter of having enough "will power."
So when I couldn't make things work the way I wanted, I felt like a failure.
To put it simply, I had to admit all of those discoveries above.

Maybe this will give some things to think about.
Don't be afraid to try something you might never have thought of doing--within reason…"

One thing I'm doing this week, in my efforts to lose the weight I gained at VidCon,
is to try a different food plan.  I don't think the plan itself is that effective or unusual,
but I'm doing it because it is a change from the way I normally eat
and sometimes I find a change can be helpful. 

 Good luck to me, and to all of you as we go about our day.

Everyone makes mistakes,
hits a bump in the road,
has setbacks, or problems.

 What sets people apart
is how they react to the bump.

Some people spin out of control, in despair.
Others grab the wheel and steer themselves straight.

Whether it’s a vacation or a family crisis,
we all encounter things that slow us down.
It’s important to keep in mind that a setback
is only temporary and greater things lay ahead.

It is easy just to quit,.
but I believe in the "two steps forward, one step back" philosophy.
So what if something bad happens?
I work to keep moving forward, developing what I have.
I’ve already built a solid foundation on which to rely.
Hard work can’t be overlooked.

 When something doesn’t turn out as we’ve expected,
it is important to be objective.
Step back and look at the situation.
Take responsibility where it is due,
but don’t place blame on others.

Is the setback really that significant,
or will it just require a little extra exertion?
Come to terms with it and then start planning your next move.

It’s okay to ask for help.
Don’t be afraid or ashamed to do this.
Most times, people are willing to give you support and advice,
maybe even after being in a similar situation.
None of us is perfect.
 Bounce back.
Reevaluate the goals you’ve set for yourself
and rework them as necessary.
Goals should be realistic and specific, but also flexible.

View things as a success, instead of a failure.
Instead of focusing on the mistake,
take a moment to sit back
and think about the things that have been accomplished.

Let’s not focus on regret.
Success is never easy.
It remains up to each of us, whether we will give up,
or fight through the tough battles to earn what we want.

There’s a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson that goes:

"Finish each day
And be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and
Absurdities have crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can."