DOUSING THE “FUSE!”
One of things that I talked about recently on my Instagram @gormygoesketo is the fact that even when I am on track with my eating I will still often experience a phenomena that I call “Lighting the fuse.” If you’re someone that struggles with food addiction you may relate to this.
Lighting the fuse is what happens to me whenever I eat, regardless of what it is. It’s igniting that fire within me for more food. Ramping up my hunger even if I have just eaten a well balanced and satisfying ketogenic meal. It is the bomb that will explode and overwhelm me, many times in the past leading to off plan food choices and consumption. Hence I call it a fuse. And like a fuse, I have found an urgency around dousing it before it explodes. Today I would like to speak specifically to this situation. Not to the mental preparation that is involved with life in general when you struggle with these issues, but the immediate process of response that I have found helps me. I hope it might bring you some insight or perhaps offer you some advice if this is something you can relate to yourself.
So let’s set the stage. I have eaten dinner. My food is done. I have eaten ample calories for the day and know logically that I have had enough. But my mind screams for MORE. Before dinner I felt fine, not on the precipice of this feeling, no fear or anxiety about eating. It is the act of consumption that is the true trigger. How can I handle this?
Take a Mindful Minute
The first thing I do is be mindful in the moment. I remind myself that I know this is a feeling I am having but not a reality. I am not starving. I have eaten enough food and when appropriate, I will have more. This is not my last opportunity to eat ever.
Set the Timer
From experience I know these feelings do not last forever and usually not more that fifteen minutes. So I set the timer in my head and remind myself that even in a worst case scenario, I can survive fifteen minutes without eating.
Hydrate
I remind myself that often we mix up hunger with thirst so I get myself a bottle of water. My body will appreciate the hydration regardless and it gives me something to focus on besides food. Speaking of shifting focus…
Distract Through Action
As much as we may need the lessons that feeling our way through a moment can teach us this can honestly be exhausting mentally if you decide to focus on those feelings of hunger and try to push through. Instead I make the conscious decision to take action to distract my brain! This can be in the form of a 10-15 minute walk, calling/texting a friend, reading a book, watching a YouTube clip, or journaling. I give my head a purpose that doesn’t involve sitting and staring at the kitchen. It is not running from a challenge, it is making a purposeful intentional choice.
Hold Tight for Daylight
And as I said, worst comes to worst, I remind myself that this too shall pass. I focus on my why and its importance to me. I remind myself that I fight this fight to live an active healthy life not out of deprivation.
Going through this series of actions has often led me to move on. And honestly? Sometimes it has not. It is something that I have learned gets easier with repetition and consistency. It is a process of forging new pathways in our minds and building new mechanisms to cope with our challenges. This takes work and a commitment to myself. As I have said before and will say again, many of these challenges we face do not ever go away, we just grow stronger and get better at handling them.
Is this a challenge you can relate to in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or through a direct message!
