I have shared on my blog many times about my struggles with an eating disorder (binge eating/compulsive overeating). I actually had an 11-month stretch when I appeared to have beaten it, but I fell back into it again and have struggled ever since.
I had renewed hope after participating in Beth Moore’s Breaking Free Bible study. I have written quite a bit about some of her words of wisdom about “breaking free” from any strongholds (obstacles) in our lives. I had about given up ever mastering the eating disorder, but her study gave me hope that nothing is impossible.
I have learned some surprising things through prayer and meditation that I would like to share with you. I have come to understand that our bodies are “powered by” energy, and we “fuel” our bodies in three ways – through sleep, rest, and food/drink. We need a healthy balance of all three to be successful. Because I have a Type A personality that rarely rests, I had thrown my body off balance.
I had already completed the first steps. #1 – I needed to learn how to process my emotions rather than “stuff them down” with food. #2 – I needed to stop hating my body and, instead, love and accept it. I had already succeeded with both but was not losing weight. Then, I added #3 in April – Develop a healthier lifestyle. I joined a gym and have been working out for an hour a day (45 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weights) for 3 to 6 days a week. While my body has toned up, my weight refused to budge downward.
These last few weeks have opened my eyes to the lack of balance I had in my body. Because I was never resting my body, my body was constantly in a state of deprivation. Since I refused to rest it, my body did the next best thing – it “stored up” energy through constant overeating in anticipation of continued energy deprivation. The problem is that food does not equal rest and stored up food equals fat. Until I chose to start fueling my body through rest, I was never going to get out of this vicious cycle.
I instituted Thursdays as my “day off” a few weeks ago, and I felt an immediate difference in my body. It had been years (yes, years) since I had spent 8 or 9 hours in a row doing whatever I felt like doing. I chose Thursdays because this needs to be “me” time, not taking care of my family time. I also tried to slow down my pace and allow myself more down time during the day, such as actually taking a 30-minute lunch break.
Then, beginning on Monday, I found my way back to the “energy” of eating health – the same place I was during those wonderful 11 months of successful healthy eating. I realized that, even though I was now meeting my body’s energy needs, my body had not accepted that it was no longer being deprived. I memorized a Bible verse about manna, which represents your needs being met as you have them rather having to “store up” for future needs. I promised myself to eat whenever I feel hungry and stop eating as soon as I no longer feel hungry.
Guess what? In four days, I have lost 3 pounds effortlessly. Can you believe it? I am eating very small portions of food and feeling satisfied. I feel really great physically (no lightheadedness or hunger as I typically feel when “dieting”). I keep reciting that Bible verse in my head and listening to my body’s signals.
I know I have a long way to go before I can declare myself “cured,” but I am feeling more hopeful than I have in a very long time. I know that I can do this because I have done it before (for 11 months). Here’s hoping this is a permanent change for the better.
Photo credit: Amazon.com
I was a compulsive eater for 25 years, from the age of 13.
I cured myself by resolving my traumas.
http://thememorywhisperer.co.uk
The world is struggling to understand this disorder, because the solution seems unrelated to the symptoms. We overeat because the brain drives us to seek pleasure, to compensate for our pain. As we resolve the pain, the need to to overeat vanishes.
Please share if you know anyone who needs this info!
Kathryn
That’s great! I’m glad you’ve finally found a balance, a way to listen to your body and get healthy. I’m happy for you.
Now that you mention it, I wonder if that’s what’s going on with me. I gained a lot of weight due to a medication that I was taking, and even after I stopped taking it, I couldn’t seem to lose the weight. I reduced the amount I ate, and started being more active, but I couldn’t seem to lose any of it. But in the last month, I’ve started dropping pounds, to the point where none of my clothes fit anymore. The only difference I can think of is that we recently started locking our cat up in the bathroom at night, so he can’t wake me up as he loves to do. I’ve been sleeping much better at night, and as a result, am less tired during the day. I wonder if that was the missing key, like you said, and that’s why I’ve suddenly begun losing the weight I’ve been struggling with for so long. I’d never heard that theory before, but it makes sense, and it could definitely explain my weight loss.
Thanks for sharing, and again, I’m glad you’ve found a way to help fight your eating disorder!
Good for you Faith! I also liked what you said in a previous post that the body “sighs” when it is satisfied.
Go Faith!
Good Work!
I still use your listening to my body sigh understanding.
I am having the same effect with my weight. As I rest and learn to sleep I weigh less.
Perhaps you have the answer to why the US leads the world in being overweight. A nation sleep deprived.
Hey, Michael.
I was just thinking the same thing. The U.S., as a society, gets less sleep and less rest than other countries. From what I understand, other industrialized nations in Europe move at a slower pace and also take time to rest.
– Faith