KEEPING IT Contents Your own private monologue 2Beliefs are learned 3Types of ID: 131419
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KEEPING IT Training Hunger Responsesreasons why an individualeats:true hunger(physiological body signal);situational (in response to a place,person,or event);or,emotional (inresponse to a feeling).It has beenwell demonstrated that the personwith a weight problem overeats(also sometimes called maladaptiveresponse to external or emotionalcues,rather than to internal,normalphysiological cues.That means thatmost overeating takes place whenthere is no true hunger present.In several ofour other handoutswe have described methods ofdealing with situational (externalcue) eating.Nevertheless,probablythe most difficult problem for theoverweight person to deal with iseating triggered by various feelings.The purpose ofthis publication isto describe the manner in whichemotions lead us to overeat andhow we can best learn to deal withthis phenomenon.A thorough studyand application ofthe techniqueswe will describe are therefore animportant component ofthe overalleffort ofthe person who seriouslywishes to learn to control his or herinappropriate eating habits.Its a very powerful cue to eat Emotional cues for eating are,nodoubt,among the most compellingeating behavior.All ofus cananger,frustration,loneliness orboredom triggered an eatingepisode.Now,its true that thinpeople eat in response to emotions,too,but turning to food in times ofstress can wreak havoc on theefforts ofa person who has aweight problem.It may often begin with a minorfood ingestion.Yet,it has atendency to feed upon itself(noin a major eating spree.Supposesomething in your environmenttouches offa strong feeling.Because ofyour previous methodofcoping with this emotion,youturn to a small amount offood.Even ifthe food temporarilysoftens the intensity ofthe feeling,ifyouve got a weight problem,another emotion,guilt,is set offbythe food ingestion.This guiltfeeling may be as strong,or evenstronger,than the original emotionyou tried to allay by eating.Thisguilt inevitably leads to furthereating oflarger and largerquantities.You feel worse,you eatmore,feel worse,eat even more,etc.,until youre so miserable youcant eat any more or,there isnothing left to eat.Once thisvicious cycle begins,it is verydifficult to stop.The first step in gaining controlover emotional eating cues is toincrease your awareness ofwhetheryour appetite for food at anyparticular moment isbeing caused bypssyycchhoollooggiiccaall(falsehunger) or Contents: Your own private monologue 2Beliefs are learned . . . . . . .3Types of crooked thinking 4Traits versus behavior . . . .4The I-Q-R technique . . . . . .6Tune-in to your thoughts . .8Seven groups of nutty thinking of the obese person . . . . .10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11failure in weight control . . .11Breaking the eating chain .11Types of emotional states 12Fatigue and depression . .13Boredom and loneliness . .14Anger and frustration . . . .15Anxiety and mental anguish 15performance . . . . . . . . . . .16but . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Learning to manage your mentalenvironment . . . . . . . . . . .17 7555 E.Hampden Ave.,Suite 301,Denver,CO 80231Ethan Lazarus,MD www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #1 Lesson #8: Emotional Overeatingpart 1 of 3 www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.com emotional arousal.So,we must firstdefine and trace its origins.Armedwith such knowledge,we can thendesign a strategy to deal with theemotion by means other thaneating.Emotion: a state of arousal When we feel anemotion we are in astate that departsfrom our usual senseofinward mentalbalance.Emotionspositive(e.g.happiness andjoy) or negative(e.g.depression andanger).In either casefeeling which is a normal part ofliving.A lack ofemotionalexperiences would make for a veryboring and dull life.Thus,theemotional experience is not ofitselfbad or undesirable,but it is the waythat we cope with this feeling thatgets us into difficulty,especiallywhen our primary coping method isto turn to food.Notwithstanding,before we canlearn new ways ofcoping with ouremotional states,we must knowwhere they originate.The principalmessage we want to convey to youThheerree iiss aallwwaayyss aa tthhoouugghhtt tthhaattpprreecceeddeess aa ssppeecciiffiicc eemmoottiioonn tthhaatt yyoouubbeeccoommee aawwaarree ooff or to state it insimpler termsTherefore,it becomes necessarythat we trace backwards,anddetermine what thoughts we hadprior to any emotional state.Forinstance,the Christmas holidays candepressed while another onebecomes elated.Why is there such amarked difference to a similar set ofthe event.For example,in the firstinstance the holidays may revivesome painful memories ofa lovedone who has died.Thoughts such asdepressed and unhappy about theloss ofa close friendor relative.In thesecond instance,theholidays may awakenmemories ofhappyand such a person islikely to have feelingsofgaiety and delight.quite apparent to youthat the way you interpret an event,or how you choose to think aboutit,is fundamentally what determineshow you are going to feel about it.The cardinal rule,then,is that tocontrol your emotions (andresultant emotional eating),youmust learn to control yourYour own private monologue Since interpretation ofa situationis the critical factor that determinesthe resulting emotion,a brieflookat how the human mind interprets aparticular predicament is helpful.We do it by a process ofwhat wewill call self-talk.Such self-talk candefeating.Negative or inappropriateself-talk is the main culprit that leads tonegative feelings. The next step in thismental arousal is to make a choiceofcoping with the emotion.Iftheonly behavior in your coping bag oftricks is eating,such an emotionmaladaptive response.The important point is that suchself-talk is learned.How you learnit depends on many variables:yourcultural background;your ethnicbackground;whether you are maleor female;how your parents andpeople you interact with respond toa similar situation,etc.We are notborn with genes that determine howwe interpret events that go onabout us in particular ways by thekind ofself-talk we engage in.It isan axiom ofbehavioral psychology or,can be differently.Thus,to learn self-control over our emotions,we musthouseclean and learn new ways ofreplacing negative monologues withmore appropriate ones.Your mindmight be compared to a computer.The input (event) has to beprocessed (interpreted) before anoutput (behavior) results.One might use the analogy ofprograms that have been stored in ainterpretation (self-talk) process.The programs stored in your brainconsist ofyour expectations,goals,beliefsystem,bank ofmemoriesand your self-image.The input cansometimes be provided verysurreptitiously.It need not alwayseven be verbal.Aprogram in operation Consider the following series ofevents to illustrate how suchprocessing takes place.(This is anactual experiment we ask patients toconduct ifthey doubt the powerfuleffects that self-talk can have onthe behavior ofa person).You have just lost 40 pounds.You still need to lose another 20pounds.Even so,you have justbought a new smaller outfit.It isPage #2 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating result in one per-son feelingdepressed whileanother onebecomes elated. the first day you wear it at yourplace ofemployment.Your bosssees you in it.He doesnt sayanything.Just gives you a longglance,mumbles Hummm,shakeshis head,and walks away.That wasNow comes the self-talk,basedon your program (self-image,memory bank,value system,goals,etc.):Why did he give me that look? Hemust disapprove. I really shouldnt havebought this outfit until I had lost moreweight. I still look fat (self-image). Itsprobably too tight for my legs. My friendshave always remarked that I have apretty face, but that my legs are too large(memory bank). I should look more likethe person who modeled the outfit for me(expectations, goals). It looked better onhim/her. People like myselfcan justnever wear outfits like that (valuesystem). I wonder ifmy boss is laughingat me? Am I making a fool ofmyself? Imust really look ridiculous.Chances are very strong thatyoull take the next opportunity tolook at yourselfin a full lengthmirror from all sides as youturn around several times to studyyour reflected image.long. No, its too short. Its really tootight around the middle. No, its tooloose. Hangs like a bag on me noshape at all. Maybe the color isnt right.I should have gotten a darker shade. Iwish I hadnt told the sales person abouthow fat I used to be. Im too embarrassedto take it back.By the time you arrive home thatevening you are feeling veryunhappy and frustrated.You dontreally like that outfit any more.Itwas a mistake to buy it.You couldhave spent the money on somethingmore useful.You feel pretty guiltyabout making such a stupidpurchase.Emmoottiioonn::frustration,depression,guilt,anger about wasting themoney,fear about disapproval fromyour boss,on whom youve beentrying to make a good impression.You are all alone in thehouse.There is some ice cream leftin the refrigerator.You decide tohave just halfa cup.Maybe,it willmake you fell better.Sure tastedgood! So,you have some more,while youre trying to figure outwhat you can do with that outfit.Before you know it,youve eatenthe whole quart.happened without a single wordhaving been spoken.The only inputwas a glance and shake ofthe head.Its the negative self-talk that led tothe negative emotion and,ultimately,to the maladaptiveemotional eating episode.A fundamental component oftheprograms stored in your computer(brain) is the system ofbeliefs youhave developed (learned).Sinceyour personal programs determinehow you will handle the input (e.g.,an event),and since these programs(e.g.,improper eating behavior),itbecomes important to examine your.Ifyoure going to learnto replace self-destructivetalk (so that you can get in controlofyour emotions) you will need toknow how your beliefs trigger suchharmful self-talk.That means thatwe must first define the wordbelief.Your beliefs are not necessarilyfactual.Ifthey were facts therewould be no need for an act offaith on your part.Beliefs consistoftenets or convictions that youhold concerning certain ideas orrealities.To put it in simpler words,beliefs make up the perspectivesyou have about the world thatsurrounds you.They are ideas towhich you firmly subscribe.Theymay embody not only your conceptsofcertain facts,but also yourconcepts ofhow things ought tobe.Furthermore,they embrace yourself-concept as you perceiveyourselfto be,and also as youthink you ought (would like) to be.Your self-image (how you seeyourselfnow,and how you wouldlike to see yourselfin the future) isincorporated in what you believeabout events,other persons andyour own person.These beliefs areaccumulated throughout yourlifetime.They are influenced byyour cultural background and thepeople that associate with you.Canyou see the similarity to thedevelopment ofcertain habitpatterns? Both beliefs and habitsare affected by similar elements.In www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #3 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating other words,both ofthem areIts time to questionyourHarmful habits can be unlearnedand new ones can be developed totake their place.So it is with yourbeliefs.You were not born withthem (just as you were not bornwith your habit patterns).Therefore,it is possible to changeharmful beliefs to more productiveones.We are not recommendingthat you completely overhaul allyour thinking and beliefs.Wemerely propose that you identifyyou,and replace them with beliefsthat are constructive and beneficialto your emotional well-being.Byquestioning the validity ofsome ofyour injurious assumptions you willfree yourselffrom their restrictiveinfluence.Once you realize theimportant role your beliefs play indetermining your emotions (howyou feel),you are more likely toaccept new information and adopthealthier attitudes about yourselfand others.When you haveaccomplished this first importantstep,you will be well on the roadtowards getting in control ofyouremotions as well as your behavior.Replacing self-talk with self-Let us repeat the basic premisefor the sake ofemphasis.Emotionsovereating) do not just happenmagically,out ofthe clear sky.Theyare produced by your self-talk(beliefs and interpretations basedon those beliefs).Consequently,youcan ultimately control your feelingsifyou choose (control) your self-talk wisely.Harmful beliefs havealso been called irrational ideas orby a more descriptive term that weprefer,namely,crrooookkeedd tthhiinnkkiinngg!!In order to begin usingappropriate self-talk you must firstidentify the irrational beliefs thatcause inappropriate,self-destructivemonologues,and are the basis ofyou to eat when youre not reallyhungry.Obviously,crookedthoughts will vary with theindividual.Nevertheless,to helpyou identify them when they occur,there are several categories ofirrational thinking that we list foryou below.Recognizing theseinitial step in coping with yourinjurious emotional states.The nextstep is to immediately REPHRASEthe thought and correct theTypes of crooked thinking and I must be punished for havingand I am notcapable ofassuming responsibilityfor my own behavior.and ifI dont achieve 100% ofwhat I set out to do,I am a failure.cannot enjoy my life without suchand,therefore,am notresponsible for my resultantbehavior.and I am not responsible ifmysurroundings cause me to feelunhappy.never change.and ifwhat I do displeasesothers,I cannot change the waythey feel about me.for taking corrective action.only feel sorry for myselfundersuch circumstances.and its just horriblewhen things arent the way Id likethem to be.under such circumstances.Traits versus behavior Notice that all these crookedthoughts have a common threadrunning through them.They tend todefects rather than behaviors.Thisimplies a fatalistic attitude.Afterall,deep-seated personalchange.On the other hand,we havealready shown you that how you act(behavior) is subject to alteration ormodification.Self-talk such as:Things I do are terrible.I am afailure.I have no control over myfeelings.I can never change.My misery is caused by otherpeople.I cannot be expected to www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #4 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating act rationally. these statementshave an inexorable predestinationthem.They are alsoexplanation and excusefor continuing toengage in maladaptiveeating behavior.Theself-talk must beshifted to the behavioritself(how you acted,not why you acted thatway).In doing so,itmust be realistic andyou must avoid pessimistic andpunitive language.Negative self-talkleads to negative feelings ofguilt,anger,frustration and depression.Once the crooked thinking hasbeen identified,the next step is toevaluate its reeaassoonnaabblleenneessss.Iftheinadequacy (trait),then shift thefocus on the deficiency oftheactual behavior.For instance,whenyou hit a weight plateau,the self-talk might go something like this:Ihavent lost any weight the last twoweeks.Its just not fair.Most ofmyfriends can eat as they please,andhere I am starving myself,havegiven up all my favorite foods,andIve got nothing to show for it.Nomatter how hard I try,Ill neverlose any weight.I just feel sodepressed.I might as well eat andenjoy myself.At least,I will feelbetter.I just cant go on sufferinglike this without any results.Ivejust resigned myselfto the fact thatI was born to be fat,and Im alwaysgoing to be fat.Ill die fat!Whatever it takes,I just dont haveit.When you examine this forreasonableness,it becomes quiteapparent that you(no matter how hardI try,Ill never loseany weight Ill diefat).The emphasistraits (whatever ittakes,I just donthave it).Furthermore,youhave accentuated pounds lost duringa two week period.How long did ittake for you to put on thesepounds? You dont becomeoverweight in two weeks morelikely in terms ofmonths and years.Besides,how many pounds did youlose prior to the two week plateau?Have you forgotten the successyouve had already? Accentuate behavior, notFinally,you must stopemphasizing pounds lost over aspecific period oftime.Thats reallytrivial from a long-term standpoint.Instead,begin emphasizingbehavior.Ask yourself,whatchanges in eating behavior have youachieved? Are you sitting down toeat now? Eating more slowly?Leaving just a little bit on yourother activities e.g.,TV,reading,etc.)? Pre-planning snacks as well asmeals? Keeping food records andrecording energy intake? These arethe elements ofyour weight controleffort that really count.If,indeed,you have made somechanges in these habits,then itstime to pat yourselfon the back,and say something encouraging toyourself,such as:I am makingprogress,slowly but surely.Overthe long haul,these lifestylechanges will have been worth theeffort.Without them,Id be verylikely to quickly regain any weight Imight have lost during this two-week period. www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #5 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating have also beencalled irrationalideas or crookedthinking! There is a three step sequence inrectifying crooked thinking,the IQQRRtteecchhnniiqquuee::IDENTIFY QUESTION REPLACE.IDENTIFY:By knowing thecategories ofcrooked thinking,youoccur.Next,you evaluatethem for being rational andreasonable.This involves ananalysis ofthe self-dialogue.Examine it for appropriateness.Areyou hyperbolizing? Being fatalistic?your inertia? Expecting perfectionand unreasonable goals foryourself? This is a very importantstep because it sets the stage forhow you will carry out the finalstage ofthe sequence.irrationality ofself-talk,you maywish to re-interpret the situation.You may also wish to alter yourbeliefsystem.Based on thisreevaluation,you now exchange thenegative,self-destructivemonologue for positive,constructive,appropriate self-talk.This requires patience andpersistent effort.Remember thatyour attitudes have developed overmany years.Expect changes in yourthinking to be gradual.Some oftheold selfdestructive thoughts aredeeply engrained.Rome wasnt builtin a day.Your negative attitudesvanish.Just when you think youveself-criticism,it will crop up again,especially when youre exposed tostress.When under pressure,wetend to revert to our old negativepatterns.That should be a signal toyou that youve still got a problem.Make a learning experience out ofit.How? By using problem-solvingapproaches for maladaptedbehaviors.Once crooked thoughtshave been thoroughly aired andhave literally been laid out on thetable,they are subject to the samemethods that are effective for habitchange.Some hints for analysis The most important step oftheI-Q-R technique is the second one,questioning the reasonableness ofathought.To determine whether aunreasonablecategory,it is bestto use logicin an organizedmanner.We suggest the followingsteps:Ifyoure going to ascertainwhether a thought is crooked,itmust be stated in such a way that itcan be examined for reasonableness.For instance,to say,I am afraid tobe alone at nightcannot be eitherproved or disproved.You aremerely reporting a feeling,namely,that you are afraid under certaincircumstances.The reasonablenessofthat thought cannot be examinedwithout more information orwithout making it conditional.Thatis,your being afraid ofbeing aloneat night must be conditional uponsomething else (e.g.,you have atendency to overeat under thesecircumstances).A good techniquefor putting your thought into ameaningful form is to use two basicwords:should and because.So,theabove thought can be rephrased:Inight,BECAUSE I overeat underthese circumstances.Now we havesomething to work with correctness or incorrectness.2. Expand on the meaning ofIn order to be able to judge ifastatement is true or false,you mustknow exactly what you mean orimply by the words you use.All keywords should be clearly defined,sotrue meaning in the context ofyourstatement.The key words in theabove statement are:afraid,alone,night and overeat.The truth ofthethought will vary,dependent upontheir real connotation.So,lets takea look at each key word in thatapprehension;terribly frightened;filled with concern or regret overan unwanted contingency;disinclined;reluctant;worried;awful.(As you can see there arevarious degrees ofmeaning;pickprobably worried comes closest toexpressing your true thought.) separated from others;exclusive ofanyone or anythingelse;desolate;forlorn;lonely;lonesome;solitary;without aid.(Onanalysis you may decide that there isreally no sense ofloss or drearinessinvolved,but mainly a feeling ofhaving to depend upon yourselfwithout support.) NIGHT:the time from dusk todawn when no light ofthe sun isvisible;an evening taken as anoccasion or point oftime;a periodto resemble the darkness ofnight.(You may actually be referring tothe time between 8 p.m.andmidnight,when your spouseordinarily arrives home a four- www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #6 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating OVEREAT:to eat too much;toeat to excess;to eat again;to snackcontinuously;to eat leftovers;to eatwhatever is in sight;to raid therefrigerator;to go on a binge.(Onexamining food records you findthat leftovers from dinner are thethese types ofwords up in thedictionary.It will allow you tocrystallize your thinking.Wordssuch as good,bad,evil,crazy,wrong,sinful,irresponsible,ought,love,hate,etc.,have manymeanings,and the truth ofaparticular thought will depend onhow you define these words.Withthe simple examination ofthe fourkey words in our example,we arenow able to restate the originalmeaning:I should be worriedwhen I am by myselfand have todepend on my own strength,without support from others,between 8 p.m.and midnight,because I tend to eat the leftoversfrom dinner.Now,thats astatement you can sink your teethinto,and really examine forreasonableness.Before you can prove or disproveanything,you must decide by whatrules you are going to play.There isunless you first decide what kind ofevidence you need.You will needfactual data to either support orreject the idea.How are you goingto go about verifying yourstatement without deciding whichfacts are relevant to the issue? Agood formula to use in this step isto precede the method ofproofwith the words:It is true ifandBasically,there are five types ofrules you can apply to solve thetruthfulness ofa statement.1.Consult an authoritative source.2.Use your powers oflogic andreasoning.3.Use your five senses.4.Use your own past experience in5.What is generally accepted astrue by others? In the example we have beenusing,you would apply knowledgegained from past experience,logicreason for making specific choicesfor specific problems.One methodmight be suitable for a particularsituation,yet,may be absolutelyridiculous when applied to another.For instance,ifyou wanted to knowifthe sun revolves around the earthor vice versa,or ifsomeone can betrusted,you would not use yoursenses.They might tell you that thesun does,indeed,revolve aroundthe earth (at least it looks that wayto you your senses),and,ofcourse,you would be totally wrong.Instead,you should consult anauthoritative source.Conversely,todetermine ifyou like the taste ofacertain kind ofchocolate,you willhave to depend on your senses.Anauthoritative source could notsupply you with that kind ofinformation.4. Examine data, and 5. MakeAfter having accumulated relevantdata,based on the method(s) youhave picked to prove the rationalityofthe statement,you examine allthe evidence with a critical eye.Finally,you act like the judge in acourt oflaw and render yourverdict:trruuee oorr ffaallssee??Ifthestatement has been declared false,itmeans that you could not come upwith any evidence to fully supportit.Therefore,it is classified as acrooked thoughtand should becountered with a rational one.Sincethis involves logic and reasoning,your previous analysis ofthethought will be oftremendous helpin formulating a replacement.Keepin mind,however,that the irrationalthought may be very strong (it mayhave been there a long time,andyouve had more practice withirrational self-talk).Years ofcrooked thinking cannot beexpected to vanish from a fewminutes oflogical reasoning.Yet,ifyou persist and work very hard withthis method,the truth will win out.Eventually,you will achieve a newperspective ofthe world thatsurrounds you and your emotionalA good way to learn the fivesteps ofanalyzing crooked thinkingis to study the following illustrationofan actual application ofthetechnique.Here is the evaluated for reasonableness:Imight as well quit my dieting effortsbecause that cheesecake I had willcost me several pounds.I am just afailure because I can never stick toa diet on weekends. www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #7 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating True meaning of words: QUIT:no point going on;stopall efforts to reduce.FAILURE:I am totallyunsuccessful in my dieting attempts;its a complete disaster.at no time,or underany circumstances has there everbeen a weekend during which Istuck with the program.ITS TRUE IFone mistake isefforts to control my weight.ITS TRUE IFan average pieceofcheesecake contains at least100,000 calories or more.ITS TRUE IFI have never beensuccessful in any ofmy dietingattempts.ITS FALSE IFI have beensuccessful in losing some weightalready on this program.ITS FALSE IFthere have beenweekends in my past life duringwhich I have successfully followed apre-planned food program.Examination of the data: a) No one is perfect.Everyonemakes mistakes.Those that getright back on after the deviation arelong term.b) One average piece ofcheesecake contains about 400calories.Thats equal to slightly lessthan two ounces ofbody fat.c) My past record shows thatthere have been times when I wasvery successful while dieting.d) On weekends when I was pre-activities that I enjoyed,I didnteven think about food.In fact,I atevery little during those times.Final judgment of statement: The statement is !It isirrational and represents crookedthinking.I will replace it with thefollowing realistic thought:Why should one slice ofcheesecake containing 400 caloriesundo all the hard work Ive done sofar? Im not a participant in theOlympics and dont have to beperfect.Im learning a new lifestyle,and changing lifelong maladaptiveeating habits takes a long time.Immaking slow but steady progress,am proud ofmy success thus far,and will learn to handle weekendsgradually,in small progressive steps.unrealistic.Tune-in to your thoughts Our example illustrates what youseries ofthoughts occur to you.Buthow do you get started? You cannotanalyze your thinking unless youincrease your awareness ofyourthought processes first.Well,youcan use the same techniques youused in becoming more aware ofyour eating behavior;that is,becoming mindful not only ofwhatyou eat,but also how you eat.Justas you were observing whether youwere eating standing up,whilereading,when alone,at a party,etc.,you should begin to monitor yourthoughts.This can be accomplished byrecord keeping.You are alreadyused to keeping food records onwhich you record not only foodsingested,but also surroundingcircumstances.Similarly,you cankeep Thought Records.Each timeyou have a food-related thought,jotit down.Since you are carrying thefood records with you at all timesanyway (at least,you are supposedto),a good place to write thesethoughts is on the back ofthe foodrecord.Some people prefer to carrytask.Exactly how you do it isunimportant.But get the job done!We cannot deal with our thoughtsunless we first collect the data.Inall respects,this is identical to whatis required ofbehavior change.Getit down in black and white first!You have already learned that youcan often alter your behavior bymanipulating your environment.If,up to now,you thought it was notpossible to alter your emotionsovereating),this handout isdesigned to help you achieve exactlythis kind ofcontrol.As we havealready stated,you must modifyyour thinking in order to transformthe way you feel.Listening to your own thoughts isa new experience.You will getbetter with practice.Remember howmuch trouble you had when youfirst started keeping detailed foodrecords? You will also recall that itbecame easier with time.When youyour food thoughts,you may deducethat you do not have these thoughtsvery often.This merely reflects thenewness ofthis method.As youbecome more expert at detectingsuch thoughts (with practice),youmay be astonished how frequentlythey do occur.After the thoughts www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #8 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating have been recorded and are out inthe open you can deal with them.Restructuring the mentalOnce you are cognizant ofyourthoughts,you are ready to apply theI--QQ--RR tteecchhnniiqquuee.. In psychologicalterms,this has been called cognitiverestructuring.To put it in lay terms,it means straightening out crookedthoughts! Ifyou have a thoughtthat seems unreasonable,writedown a rational replacementthought right below the irrationalstatement.Completing thissequence ofmaneuvers shouldindicate to you that you can beproud ofthat achievement.Youhave taken the first positive step insolving emotional overeating.Notice our use ofthe word PRIDErather than PRAISE.Any effectiveweight control program must bebuilt on PRIDE in yourattainments,not PRAISE by others.Praise is not nearly as dependableforthcoming when you need it theThe analysis method we havedescribed in detail will enable youto evaluate any thought forreasonableness.At the same time,itis not always necessary to gothrough this detailed procedure,percent ofmost weight controllerscrooked thinking falls into sevengeneral subdivisions.Ifa self-talkstatement falls into one oftheseclassifications,it is almost surely anirrational thought.Once you havein one ofthe seven groupings,thencounter it (replace it with anMental rule book of theWe all grow up and learn a varietyofrules about the way the worldworks.We get into trouble when wediscover that some ofthe rules areperceiving is not always accurateand our behavior and response tothis thinking is not always adaptive.You might envision the brain asbeing comparable to a very complexcamera,one that is constantlyphotographing the inputand storing the pictures.The mental rule book islike a series oflenses.They are responsible forthe sharpness oftheimage that will beUnfortunately,our beliefsystem (mental rule book) is notalways error-free.There are variousdeformities and defects that managerule book).Consequently,the finalimage (interpretation) willoccasionally be distorted andtwisted.Such a misrepresentation offactual data results in a crookedimage (nutty thinking,crookedmental rule book).So,the central problem is thatone must distinguish betweenknowing something and believing it.Many ofthe things we teach toobese people are received with thesentiment:Oh,thats a great idea.Im all gung-ho for this concept.Itsounds real good.Yet,the methodis never adopted for incorporationinto their own lifestyle.Why is that?Well,from our discussion it shouldbe quite apparent why an idea isverbally and intellectually approved,but never implemented in practice.our system oflenses (mental ruleour final interpretation leads us tofeel that:Its too difficult.Itdoesnt apply to me.I shouldnthave to work so hard to achieveweight control.Its too restrictive.I want more freedom.Its not fairthat I have to be so careful.Or,itI dont have to do that.Im gettingalong O.K.with the way Imhandling it now.My problem isntbad enough to require such drasticmeasures.Im too busy.Donthave the time for it.I have moreimportant things Ihave to attend toright now.Suchbeing overweightwont happen to me.Maybe to someoneelse but,NOTME!Finally,the thought to end allnutty thoughts (excuse the slightdramatization for the sake ofemphasis):I dont really have todo anything about my obesityproblem right now.Nothing seriousis going to happen to me ifI go onthis way.The spaceship will landjust in time,deliver a new miracledrug,save me from disaster,andcure me ofthis curse forever.These statements are allrepresentative ofcrooked thinking,based on nutty and twisted rulesthat reside in our mental rule book.The seven categories ofwarped anddistorted thoughts follow:Seven groups of nutty think-NUTTY RULE #1:There aresome basic misconceptions aboutknown facts.Many people havemisconceptions about the energyvalue ofcertain foods (e.g.,thecaloric value ofthe cheesecake inthe previous illustration).There are www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #9 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating have a food-related thought,jot it down. also many misconceptions about thecontribution ofincreased activity toenergy expenditure (e.g.,increasedactivity has a negligible effect onweight loss it ignores thecumulative effect).Consulting anauthoritative source is all that isrequired to prove that a thought isirrational.This is the easiestcategory to correct.All it requiresis education (e.g.,the sun does notrevolve around the earth).NUTTY RULE #2:Externalizing we tend to blameother people and outside eventsfor the problem we are having incontrolling weight.Typical self-talk would be:It wasnt me.Iwanted to stay on the diet.Did youparty? How could anyone resist thatbanana cream pie?Its my spouses fault.He/Sheshouldnt have criticized me forhaving that dish ofice cream.He/She made me do it! I got somad that I ate the whole quart.Illshow them! He/She will feel sorryfor ever saying that.(Note that theguilt is shifted from yourselftoanother person with this maneuver.This is also an example ofhowcrooked thinking is used as a copingtechnique for guilt.Ofcourse,itleads to the emotion ofanger,which then results in themaladaptive eating.Because oftheneed for approval and dependencyofneeds the anger cannot beexpressed in direct aggressivebehavior against the spouse.) NUTTY RULE #3:We tend tothink ofeverything in personalterms.Self-talk:Everyone isstaring at me.IfI dont have adrink or eat like everyone else,theyll think Im crazy.Im the onlyone who is fat in this group and Istand out like a sore thumb.I betterhave a jolly attitude so they canlaugh with me,rather than at me.NUTTY RULE #4:We tend toreasoning.Everythinggood or bad,up or down,right orwrong,black or white.We havealready pointed out that we tend toignore a continuum ofcorrectness.There are shades ofgray.Self-talk:I shouldnt have had that dessert.Iblew my diet! Might as well enjoymyselfand eat everything in sightfor the rest ofthis week.Ill startagain next Monday.NUTTY RULE #5:We tend toovergeneralize and speakglobally,or hyperbolize.I goofed again.This is the thirdtime this week.I feel sodemoralized and worthless as ahuman being.Im just a totalfailure.Why even try? Ill always bean incurable wretch.For a while Ithought I had this whipped,but Imstill the same horrible,awful,crummy person that Ill always be.Imight as well quit.I just cant cutthe mustard.Ill ALWAYS be afailure!(Note the tendency todisasterize and treat everything as aNUTTY RULE #6:We keep amental list ofall the things weshouldor oughtto do.Howmany times have we told ourselvesthat we ought to be a good father,mother,daughter or husband?Certainly we have told ourselvesthat we should be a good person,ora good dieter.That means that wemust strive for perfection 100percent ofthe time.Obviously,noone can do all things perfectly,allthe time.NUTTY RULE #7:Todetermine our self-worth,wecompare ourselves to otherWe often set upunreasonable goals for ourselves.We forget that we cant all look likeMiss Universe or Mr.America.Furthermore,we do not all have thesame talents,and should not judgeour self-worth based on acomparison with the performanceofanother person.Self-talk:Poorme,I feel so deprived.IfI were toeat like my skinny husband (orwife),Id weigh three times as muchas I do now.Its so unfair.God hascursed me this way.There is nojustice in this world!(Example ofrational replacement thought:Well,maybe He did.So what.We have todeal with what we have and keepThe consequences ofusing thesenutty thoughts for our mental rulebook are many.A couple follow:We tend to focus on the past.Ive always been fat,my motherand father were fat,my brothersand sisters are fat,my dog is fat,etc.I can never change.Ill alwaysremain fat.We tend to focus on our bodiesand bodily functions.Imloathsome to look at.I just feel likea pig when I eat a big meal.I feelall swollen up.I am so ashamed ofmyself,but I cant suffer throughany more hunger pangs.I havemore hunger than other people.(There is no convincing scientificevidence that hunger is greater insome people.We all have the samephysiological cues.Certain peopleare simply more sensitive to variouspre-themselves with theseon them.So,they are more aware that they exist.) www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #10 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating ou must exert every effortpossible to get your mentalrule book in order.Self-destructive monologues can causethe collapse ofthe most well-intentioned commitment to staywith your weight control program.The reason is that self-talk is verypossess,at least,to a certain degree.We will briefly discuss each one ofthese so that you will appreciate theimportance ofthe technique.THE NEED FOR APPROVALOR ACCEPTANCE.overweight people find it verydifficult to continue their effortswithout approval from others.Theycannot take the risk ofoffendinganyone.Every year brings out a newbreed ofdiets.Almost everyoneyou speak to is a self-styled expertin weight reduction.The individualtrying to adhere to a specific foodplan will receive much advice fromthese so-called experts as to whathe or she should or should not do.Ifyou were to follow all their manyrecommendations,you wouldbecome extremely confused.Such astate ofmind can be the basis ofCERTAINTY.This tends to leadus into rigidity.One ofthethat we are drilled in a certain way.When something happens to throwus offthe rigid diet plan,our self-talk will apprise us that all is lost.Can you see how our need forcertainty relates to two ofthecategories in our book ofcrookedmental rules (dichotomoushyperbolizing)? COMFORT.shouldnt have to workhard to get what wewant.Yeah,it wouldbe great to lose weight,but dont expect me todo any work.Ifyou aregoing to make me workhard so that I can getin control ofmyweight,Ill gosomewhere else.This type ofcrooked self-talk has been calledthe magic wand syndrome.We areforever looking for the magicsubstance that will make us thinforever,without any effort on ourpart.These thoughts are very self-destructive and are probably themost common cause ofdropoutsfrom weight control programs thatare geared to lifestyle change (asthey must be for significant long-term results).THE NEED TO SUCCEED.want to be perfect.I want it to beeasy.And,I want it right now!Instant Weight Control!Unfortunately,there is no suchAll four ofthese NEEDS lay theweight control effort ifyou attemptto satisfy them with irrationalthinking.In learning to cope withemotional eating,it is helpful tolook upon the process as ifit werea chain with many links.We canalter the series ofevents byintervening at any ofthe links thatcompose the chain.Obviously,theearlier we intervene,the more effectivewill we be in ourovereating.It seemsbecome stronger asyou near the end ofthe chain thatrepresents themaladaptive eatingbehavior.Dealing with the stimulus orinitiating event by,for instance,avoiding it,undoubtedly preventsthe chain from being formed,andthus annuls the emotional arousalthat invites the coping response offood ingestion.These signals mustby studying well-kept food intakeyour environment (avoidancetechnique) or managed moreskillfully with proper pre-planning.Ifthe situation cannot be totallyavoided,your response to it canoften be altered by techniquesdescribed in some ofour otherpublications.People who trigger anwith more effectively by usingassertiveness techniques (see ItsYour Right to be Thin!).Special events(e.g.,holidays,vacations,parties,restaurants,etc.) can each bePre-Planning: TheNumber One Weapon in the Battle of www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #11 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating mitment to stay Interruption ofthe chain canalso be practiced at a link furtheralong the succession ofevents.Wehave already described ininterpretation ofan event precedesthe resultant feeling.You canchoose to change your conceptionofthe signal.For instance,ifyourspouse makes a derogatory remarkabout you,you can either becomeangry,or you can choose tohe or she is angry about somethingday,or,maybe merely expressingpent-up hostility against you.Yourinterpretation might lead you towhos got the problemand thathe is acting out against you,becauseyoure the only one on whom hedares to vent his frustrations.Rather than getting mad at him,youmight feel sorry for him,for theimmature way he copes with hisproblems.Thus,the emotion ofanger is expeditiously converted toone ofSYMPATHY by the simpleexpedient ofyour changing yourconcept ofthe true implication ofAn interpretation ofthe inputmust first pass through your mentalrule book before it results in anemotion.That means that there hasto be some self-talk,ifonly briefly,in advance ofthe sentiment.In theexample ofyour spousesfaultfinding remark,your self-talkmight have been as follows:Whodoes he think he is anyway? Thatwas a completely uncalled forremark.I get so mad when he talksthat way to me.By using the I-Q-R technique,you might change this monologueto something like this:Im notgoing to play his game and get intoan argument with him.He isbehaving like a child.So,I am goingto respond to him like a parentresponds to an ill-tempered child.The next point ofcoping is whenWhenever possible,it is alwaysbetter to interject at an earlier linkin the chain.Nevertheless,therewill be times when you are alreadyovercome by a feeling and you haveno alternative other than to dealwith it.The best technique at thismeditation techniques.Suffice it tosay here that,in order for thesemethods to be effective,you mustintervals when you are NOTemotionally aroused.Thesetechniques are excellent ways ofcoping with stress,but they cannotbe learned efficiently during periodsofemotional tension.They must bemastered beforehand,so that theyOnce you become adept at thistechnique,you will be able to relaxshort periods oftime.For example,when you arrive at a stoplight thathas just turned red,you can use theminute before it turns green torelax and rejuvenate instead ofanxiously gripping the steeringbecause you are behind schedule.Your impatient attitude is not goingto make the signal change anysooner.So,you might as well grabthe opportunity to relieve thetensions ofdriving.Appropriateself-talk:Great,here is my chanceto take a briefmoment and relax,so that Ill arrive at my destinationwith a calmer state ofmind,morecomposed,and do the things I wantto do when I get there.These briefrecovery interludes can workwonders for your disposition duringa hectic day.nap,or simply going to sleep.Forinstance,when you first come homefrom work,fatigued and exhausted,instead ofheading straight for therefrigerator,take a briefsnooze.The scheduled siestas in somecultures have much to recommendSuppose you find yourselfin themidst ofan aroused state ofmind.last link ofthe chain ofevents?Certainly not.You still have thechoice ofturning to food or usingan alternate activity (AA).At thesame time,AA Strategy requiresimplementation.It is always wise tohave a back-up tactic,in case youmiss intervening during an earlierlink,or ifyour first line ofdefenseplan malfunctions.We can all learnfrom our space explorationmissions.It never hurts to have aback-up.The AA strategy is wellsuited as a back-up for many othertechniques used for weight control.There is another specialadvantage ofusing the AA strategyfor emotional overeating problems.Not only will it usually remove youfrom the triggering event (e.g.,going for a walk),but it will tend todraw your attention away from theemotional state that induces you toeat.Thus,it permits your arousedfeelings to gravitate back to a moresteadfast and well-regulated level. www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #12 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating Types of emotional states aving discussed thegeneral principles oftriggered eating,let us now describethe pertinent aspects ofthe overallapproach that are most useful ingaining control over this kind ofmaladaptive eating behavior.Theare as follows:1.Fatigue and depression 2.Boredom and loneliness 3.Anger and frustration 4.Anxiety All four ofthese consist oftwocomponents:the meennttaallone(thoughts,self-talk) and theone (coping activity).Themental constituent is governed byyour interpretation ofthe particularcircumstance and also by your beliefsystem.As we have already shown,either one ofthese may bedistorted (crooked).The elementoften leads to fruitless andunrewarding behavior that usuallycompounds the problem.Thisself-renunciation,self-reproach andself-condemnation.What may havestarted out as a minor dietarytransgression terminates in a majordeviation from the food plan.Fatigue is probably the numberone enemy ofthe personattempting to control their weight.When we feel fatigued even themost firm resolution to stick with aprogram is severely weakened.Eventhough you may be well versed in anumber oflifestyle changetechniques,when you suffer fromchronic fatigue,you will often lackthe energy to take the necessarysteps to remedy the situation.Thefatigued individual may knowexactly what needs to be done,butsimply lacks the necessary capacityand forcefulness to effectivelyutilize the techniques that would gether out ofthe rut she is in.Thefatigued feeling is self-perpetuating.The individual simply cannot bringherselfto take that first step thatwould reverse her fatigue and shebecomes more weary and exhausted.It is often accompanied byinappropriate self-talk such as:Imtoo tired to exercise or It justtakes too much effort to keep foodrecords.These types ofself-defeating thoughts will preventrecovery.They must be recognizedas crooked thoughtsand berectified with the techniquesdescribed in this handout.Forinstance,the best way to feel likeexercising is to extremely difficult to convince afatigued person that he or she mustbecome more active to feel better.irrational thinking is the biggeststumbling block in this situation.This is why a thoroughunderstanding ofthis treatise is soimportant for improving yourchances ofsuccess.Fervor,momentum and forcefulness mustbe generated firstin the mind! Theto carry out a weightcontrol program canrestructuring ofyoursystem.Thoughts have to precedeTwo peas in a pod Fatigue is also commonlyaccompanied by depression.That iswhy we have lumped the twotogether.Depression is a feeling ofhopelessness.It is oftenexperienced in reaction to a loss.Itmay be the loss ofan importantopportunity or the loss ofa valuedmelancholy,pessimism andgloominess.It is a state ofmindcharacterized by despair and sorrow.It has a quality ofdejection thatencompasses thoughts ofself-depreciation and disgust withyourselfand life in general.series ofpast failures,or theconsequence ofunremitting real orimagined forces against which youfeel powerless and unprotected.This sense offrustration leads toself-talk which says,in effect:Theres no point trying,becausenothing will work.My countlessfailures ofthe past bear this out.Im doomed to make the samemistakes Ive made in the past,again and again.Thats the mentalThe behavioral component ofdepression is inertia and inactivity.The lack ofenthusiasm (nothinghelps,Ive tried it all) leads tolethargy and sluggishness whichextreme fatigue.Thefatigue is derivedfrom both a mentaland physicalcomponent.It follows www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #13 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating ing is to start to correcting crooked thinking andbecoming more active to overcomethe physical inertia.The fooddeprivation inherentin any weightreducing attempt mayserve as the losswhich triggersdepression to somedegree.You musttherefore expand yourthe more positiveparticipating in a comprehensiveweight control program.Lookingforward to the achievement oftrueweight control and being sofortunate as being able to share inan approach to weight control thatis available to few people is hardlydeprivation.Additionally,who says you haveto feel like doing something beforeyou do it? There are many activitieswhich you start enjoying only afteryou engage in them.When you arein a state ofinertia it becomesdoubly important that you do notwait until you feel like engaging inan activity.You could be waitingforever.What you need to do is towind yourselfup like a robot andGET STARTED! Once into theactivity,the odds are greatly in yourfavor that you will soon feel muchbetter.You will be amazed how theaccomplishment ofa task will dowonders for your mental attitude.Thats the secret ofovercomingdepression and fatigue.Dont wait,but start now! Boredom is a blanket feeling ofweariness that may often betiredness.In obese people it isnot havingdeveloped enoughnoonn--ffoooodd iinntteerreessttss..Ourindefatigable brainsconstant stimulationLiving in anenvironment wheresuch stimulation islacking leads to adulling ofourperceptions and a loss ofanormally lively spirit.Our mentalpurposelessly,alertness suffers,andofambitious objective is impaired.Since mental needs for excitementare not met by a drab andmonotonous environment,anyinterests you might have had arehumdrum,unimaginative existence.This lackluster state ofmind mayresult in a frantic search for someexcitement;the search ends inacquiescent idleness.Resigningyourselfto a lifeless and stagnantexistence engenders a quest for thepotential excitement to be found inthe taste thrills ofvarious foods Loneliness frequently goes handin hand with boredom.It affectsmany people in our society.It willstill be there after weight loss,goalweight having been achieved.Theremay be only certain hours oftheday during which you are alone.These are also the most dangeroushours for most people.A majorityofovereating is done when no oneis watching.So,it becomes doublyimportant that you plan your timeso that you are always occupiedwith a wide range ofabsorbing andpleasant activities.Just as food candistract you from a disagreeabletask,so can a challenging andgratifying task distract you from thedesire to eat.Hobbies,arts,crafts,etc.,are all suitable ifthey fascinateand engross you and ifthenecessary materials are at hand,sothat you can begin them at amoments notice.Books are fine ifyou can get preoccupied with theircontent.It is a good idea to haveseveral types ofbooks (fordifferent moods) available,all ofwhich you have already startedreading.Sitting down to read a newbook from the beginning can bemore like work rather thanrelaxation until you becomeenraptured and captivated by thecontents.Ifyou have already readthe first portion,it will be mucheasier to become quickly involvedwith the books subject matter anddivert your attention away Avoiding the scene of thePhoning a friend,or better yet,getting out ofthe house to visithim or her are additional strategiesto overcome boredom andloneliness.A trip to your locallibrary is an excellent way totranspose yourselfto anenvironment filled with all sorts ofstimulating materials to occupy yourmind and yet one in which food isIfyour periods ofbeing aloneare lengthy,volunteer work or apart-time job may be just what thedoctor ordered.All these methodsorganized planning to ensure your www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #14 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating making the correct choices ofwhatplleeaassaanntt aanndd eennjjooyyaabblleefor you.Fora detailed discussion ofhow youofinterests,Initiate change by takingSometimes boredom andloneliness can reach suchoverwhelming proportions that theycarry you to the brink ofpanic.This is usually caused by crookedthinking.You may harbor theillusion that you are a mediocre orinferior person because youexperience periods ofloneliness inyour life.It is well to rememberthat we all experience being alone atsome time in our lives.These timescan be used very productively formeditation and tuning in to our truefeelings.These periods can alsohave a regenerative effect,allowingus to become better prepared toresume relationships with others.Irrational self-talk may alsoyou cannot survive without others,or without a specific persons deepaffection for you.This should betechnique.Dependency on othersmay be necessary for an infant,butremember you have grown up.Asan adult,these needs may no longerbe appropriate for you.Conversely,ifyou really wantmore contact with others,then youmust REACH OUT.You must takethe initiative and begin the searchfor someone who will be receptiveto the involvement you have inmind.This may take time,so beboredom,just as with fatigue anddepression,you must take thenecessary steps to change theunpalatable situation.You cannotassume a passive role and donothing.Things will not changeunless you actively initiate change.That is what is meant when you aretold that in weight control youcannot remain a passive recipient,but must become an ACTIVEPARTICIPANT! The mechanism inciting anger isinstigates boredom.In the latter,happens.In the former,anger isaroused by something that eitherdid happen or was presumed tohave happened! An offensiveremark,maltreatment,or generallyimpertinent behavior by others canincite this powerful emotion.Crooked thinking may provoke anangry reaction due possibly to adistorted interpretation:I havebeen misused,abused,unjustlytrampled upon.My rights havebeen violated,either intentionallyor neglectfully.The wrath may beaimed directly at the provoker.Anassertive rather than an aggressiveretort is generally a healthier way torespond to the offending person.Itcan often be used to enhance yourcommunications with others.Occasionally,our animosity will bedirected against an innocentguilty by association.The worstalternative is when the anger isturned within,because it may leadto sabotaging your own weightcontrol program.The enraged wifewho stuffs herselfwith food toexpress hostility against anunfaithful husband (Ill show you youll be sorry you did that tome),or the obese child crammingresentment against his parents,bothillustrate this method ofexpressingrage by turning to food.Holding the anger in or directingit against yourselfare immaturecoping methods which are self-destructive.When eating is used toallay your indignation,it is oftendone in private in an attempt tohide this indirect,self-defeatingcounterattack.Anger is a normal,healthyemotion and should be voiced in atruthful expression ofyour feelings.Ifthe emotion has been provokedby a distorted interpretation,thenan analysis ofthe irrational self-talkis in order.Frustration is the inescapableconsequence ofself-directed anger.It may also be a component ofboredom and depression.Theprimary technique ofhandling thisemotion is to prevent it (by dealingdescribed previously).The basicroot cause offrustration isineffective problem solving.So,ifthe feeling cannot be prevented,you need to use the problem-solving approach to take a freshlook at the series ofevents thatcaused the frustration.It is alsopossible to build up your toleranceto this feeling by practicingactivity.The more you practicealternate activities,the easier will itbecome to deal with frustration. www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #15 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating mentalbe lookedwith two sides.One side isdeepprreessssiioonn;the other is .Wehave already defined depression assomething that usually involves theloss ofmatter or an issue ofvalue.Anxiety,on the other hand,is aFEAR ofsome unknown futurehappening.It is a tense feelingoften expressed as worry and maybe associated with a number ofpsychosomatic symptoms (bodilysymptoms as a result ofmentalconflict).These symptoms caninclude such varied manifestationssuch as sweating,heart palpitations,headaches,intestinal distress e.g.,gas,heartburn,bloating,cramps,diarrhea,skin rashes,wheezing,irregular menstrual periods,andmany more.Ordinary fear differsfrom anxiety in that it is focused ona specific threat.Anxiety,however,is a vague fear ofa possible futureexperience.Since the threat is ill-defined and uncertain,you can beconfused,unsettled,and perplexed.You do not have a precise course topursue in order to allay your fears.You are aroused (emotion),yourwheels are spinning,but you havehas no concrete target at which youcan direct your action.All systemsare go,but your behavior (response)is completely ineffectual and futile.The mental rule book tells youthat something dreadful is going tohappen.Your response is to findways to defend yourselfagainst thisintangible danger.You attempt touse,in rapid succession,a series ofsafeguards,in the hope ofwardingoffthe danger.But because thehazard is so intangible your effortsare universally aborted.To makethings even worse,an individualwho may have recently experienceda painful bout with anxiety,is oftenvery nervous about the experience.That is,she will become anxiousabout her anxiety.As a result,theincomprehensible,compounding heralready alarmed state ofmind andcomfortably and efficaciously.This type ofan emotionallydevastating effect when it has youon the run.Therefore,you muststop running! You are mostvulnerable when youre trying torun away from it.You must face theanxiety directly.You might use thefollowing monologue:O.K.,itsdistressing but not dangerous.Distressing but not dangerous!Those are the four magic words,psychosomatic symptoms broughton by the anxiety.The effectiveness ofthis simplephrase has been proved by the manythousands ofmembers ofRecoveryIncorporated.By admitting thedistress (a fact) but not the danger(a crooked thought),you removemuch ofthe force ofthe anxiety.Another effective technique isphysical relaxation (as mastered by);it is the gateway to mentalyour day,practicingmeditation/relaxation techniquesuntil you have mastered them,andinstituting a regular pattern ofsleeping habits (more importantthan actual duration ofsleep) arethe best methods ofstressreduction,a necessary prerequisitefor you to get in control oftheanxiety.Before concluding,we would liketo discuss a series ofvery commonlead to inevitable failure.We haveconsidered the various emotionalstates on an individual basis andhave explained how your thoughtscan bring them about.There is oneother aspect ofharmful self-talkthat deserves special emphasis:suboptimal performance.We feelthis subject is so important that itdeserves a separate section.Becauseweight control is hard work (no onewill deny that),at some point inalmost everyones weight controlprogram,there will be a tendency toboycott the responsibility ofbecoming your own therapist (asyou must,for long-term success).The discipline ofthe programbecomes overbearing and you wanta way to escape from theestablished rules oflifestyle change.This is a perfectly normal reactionand happens to most ofus undersuch circumstances.Rather thanabandon the program entirely (withthe precognition ofthe guilt thatmay follow) it is easier tocircumvent your commitment byusing crooked thinking.In essence,it is a method ofgiving yourselfpermission to fail while at the sameyour own unwillingness to admityour obligation oftaking charge ofyour disciplinary efforts. www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #16 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating This ploy may take many forms.person who guides your endeavor ofreshaping your lifestyle.Crookedself-talk might go something likethis:My situation is unique,andyour methods wont work for me.Your program is no good.Suchfault finding may also take theform:This is too complicated forme.I just cannot understand why Ishould have to perform all theseexercises or develop the skills yourequest ofme.Another form ofrebellion is more subtle:Oh,thisis all old stuff.I know all aboutthat.Youre not telling me anythingnew.These are all passive methodsofdefiance.It is well to rememberbetween knowing what needs to bebeen learned.These people precedealmost every statement with Butthisand but thatWhen youcatch yourselfusing the word BUTtoo frequently,recognize it for thesabotage that it depicts.Unless youthoughts,you will be using most ofthe consultation time with yourprofessional teacher by bringing upall sorts ofarguments for everyhelpful suggestion he or sheattempts to make to you.This is,ofcourse,completely unproductive,and in your aroused state ofmindyou really never give yourselfachance to listen to or evaluate theUltimately,this type ofanattitude leads to either one oftwoconsequences.You may confirmyour distorted beliefthat you areto remain fat.Or,you may insistthat there is a better way (probablythe latest fad diet) and waste timetrying to convert your professionalmonitor to your way ofthinking.Since HE is the professional andYOU are the amateur in the realmofweight control he has probablyinvestigated or forgotten moremethods than you could ever tryout in your lifetime your attemptsto reverse the roles (which one ofyou is the doctor?) is an exercise infutility.Unfortunately,both oftheseevents finally terminate in yourdropping out ofthe only programthat has any chance ofyour evergetting in control ofyour weightOther maneuvers that attempt toreconcile inferior performanceinclude such irrational attitudes asI had no choice,or I was nevertold how important it was to learnthese special skills.You mightcomplain that there is too much tolearn,that you need a rest andyoull start again later (used as anexcuse for doing absolutely nothingin the meantime not even keepingsimple food records),or that whatyou are being asked to do ischildish.Nutty self-talk in this categoryincludes:I have to have thesecookies in the house for mychildren,I cant deprive THEM!Ijust cant drink coffee black.IveALWAYS eaten a Danish pastry inmidmorning.Ill start nextMonday.This is all toopsychological.You should havecalled me when I missed myappointment.I couldnt get myfamily to cooperate.Ill do allthis later,when Im not so busy.Procrastination is one ofthe mostadverse outgrowths ofcrookedthinking.Finally,there is a very subtlemethod ofjustifying inadequateachievement.In fact,it is quiteseductive in its manner,and unlessrecognized for the subterfuge that itis,will surely lead to failure.Youwill appreciate the finesse ofthistactic once you comprehend itselusive and intriguing sophistry.Theirrational monologue is as follows:Im just so excited about thisprogram;its the greatest! Imlearning so much about my lifestyle.other spheres ofmy life.Imlearning to be more assertive withmy friends,even in nonfood relatedareas.Im carrying out all myassignments.I know I havent lostany weight for the past two months,but my clothes fit so much looser.Idont mind not having lost anyweight because I am very impressedhow much better I understand myproblem.great! But is it? No weight loss fortwo months? Now,well admit thereare such things as plateaus.But fortwo months? Thats a bit too longfor any weight loss program.This isjust another way ofsurreptitiouslyshirking the responsibility you mustassume for your own weight loss.Indeed,it is a cunning andingenious guise to abandon yourcommitment.Its crooked thinkingin its most deceptive form.Onceyou recognize the irrationality ofthis type ofself-talk you will realizethat you are only fooling yourself.Not until you understand thecraftiness ofthis distortion will yoube able to counter such misleading www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #17 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating that will lead to the correction ofthe kind ofbehavior that preventedweight loss.mental environment In summary,let us reiterate thatemotions are a normal part ofliving.We all experience them.Yet,coping with our emotions by eatingis rarely a befitting response.Certainly,this type ofeating ismaladaptive ifit leads to obesity.Once you accept and adopt theconcept that thoughts andinterpretations precede feelings,andthat you can intervene anywherealong the links ofthe chain thatlead to inappropriate eating,youwill have grasped the fundamentalunderstanding necessary for copingwith these emotions in a new way.You now have the opportunity topractice methods ofdealing withemotional eating,just as you had tocarry out methods ofmanagingyour environment and certainprevailing eating behaviors.Techniques ofgetting in control ofbehaviors and techniques ofregulating your thoughts (and theemotions which emanate fromthem) go hand in hand in acomprehensive approach ofmakingthe lifestyle changes necessary formeaningful long-term weightcontrol.You must examine yourmental rule book,analyze crookedthoughts,and counter them withrational beliefs and attitudes.Thisis a job that should be tackled insmall steps,just as with all theother techniques ofweight control.Ifa task seems too difficult,breakit up into small manageable units.Work on them one at a time,beginning with the easiest ones,notprogressing to the next step untilyouve mastered the one before it.Have patience.It will take a longtime to change lifelong habitpatterns.Set reasonable goals foryourselfand avoid perfectionism.With the techniques we havedescribed,you have a way to affectyour thoughts,just as you haveothers to control your behavior.From here on out,its UP TO YOU!Reading about the methods is only abeginning.Putting them intopractice is YOUR responsibility! Wesincerely hope that you will acceptthis responsibility and get incontrol ofyour weight problem.When you do,it will have made ourwork ofconveying this informationto you worthwhile.Our best wishesfor your success! www.ClinicalNutritionCenter.comPage #18 Ethan Lazarus, MDKeeping It Off! Lesson #8: Emotional Overeating Copyright 2006Copyright 2002, AmericanPhysicians. Adapted from