For the last bit I have been studying food desires. It seems the advertising and marketing people know a lot about building desires, for food, for new cars, for lot of unnecessary stuff. No body is taking about reducing desires. Desires can be grouped firstly into natural and unnatural desires. The naturals can further be divided into necessary and unnecessary desires. We can add to that natural necessary but excessive desires. The unnatural are all driven by chemicals or human marketing, mainly chemical, alcohol, tobacco, opioids, and the like. These are all unnecessary. Some will argue that there are unnatural but necessary like communication electronics, and other consumer driven goods. These are not my problem; so I say "whatever" to that.
Now back to the foods, natural, but excessive. Our whole culture is about sugar and acellular carbohydrates. these are unnatural and unnecessary, and are not even foods. But what about excessive amounts of health foods, natural foods? It is not hunger, not craving, but desire for more food that seems to be driving me. I have eliminate hunger, food addiction (sugars, wheat), compulsion, obsession, maladaptive eating, emotional eating, stress eating, so what is left? Excess desire. So how does one deal with a active desire?
Modern culture says fulfill the desire. Wrong, that leads to obesity. The modern culture is screwed for a lack of a better word. Some are making the adjustment without understanding what that adjustment actually is. For other, just getting off the sugar, wheat, processed food is enough. But for some of us, off of those is a good start, but it is still not enough.
Food desires are hedonic and terminal, making them bad to resist. In addition, we are hardwired to want food, but what if that hard-wiring is a bit to strong?
How do you displace your desires?
I don't quite relate to your experience: my problem with weight loss maintenance was hunger. After losing weight, I got to a point where I was hungry all the time. I would have eaten anything (to excess), even very boring/heathy food. And the food obsession that came with that ravenous hunger 24/7 made me miserable.
ReplyDeleteHowever, your description reminds me strongly of what Debra (another blogger, at "Debra's just maintaining") called, "eating impulses" if I remember correctly. From what I understand, Debra had lost a substantial amount of weight, and she didn't really suffer from overwhelming hunger. Yet, she found herself stuck with episodes of strong desire to eat. Maybe what you are living is similar.
Not sure if this helps. :/
Now, the part that is mysterious to me is this: how do you distinguish hunger from desire to eat? I can distinguish hunger from cravings, no problem. But, to me, a desire to eat (any food, even boring, healthy food) is the same as hunger. Can you explain what each feels like to you? What is the difference?
Thanks.
Wondering what your average calorie level is? Maybe you just need to eat more? Or drink more water? I don't know, because when I rid myself of all sugar and grains, I don't feel hunger anymore unless it's emotional hunger, but I know how to identify that and deal with it otherwise. Hope you figure this out!
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