PWLP: Week Five - Lesson Four

Personal Evaluation

1. What kinds of feelings do you have when you think about having to say good-bye to some of your old eating behaviors?    I feel a little bit of sadness and regret - like never overeating at a family function again? Never having chocolate at Easter or Christmas again? Those things bring me sadness because I've come to associate good feelings and memories with them - but then I also feel disgust and disappointment. Food should not have those sorts of memories attached to it, especially not when overeating comes into play. Spending the time with family and loved ones is what my memories should be attached to.

2. What emotions come to mind when you think about grieving a loss?     Anger, frustration, sadness, despair, guilt, shame, self-pity.

3. Can you relate any of these emotions to saying good-bye to Overeating? Which ones and how?    I think all of the emotions listed above can be related to saying goodbye to overeating. I think anyone can go through anger about having to let certain things go, frustration with having to make alternate choices/decisions instead of eating what they wanted to or the quantity they wanted to, sadness because they feel like they're letting something of importance go, despair because life will never be the same again, guilt over how far they let things get and the point at which this journey has taken them, shame for valuing food in an unhealthy and unnatural way, and self-pity for what has been lost in comparison to others.

4. Which of these emotions have or are you experiencing on your journey to the TRUE YOU?    Sometimes I feel sadness when I can't indulge in the same foods/quantities of foods as others around me. I feel left out, and that makes me feel sad. I have also felt self-pity, when I think about how my diet is different from those around me and how everyone else gets to indulge in whatever they want. I've felt a lot of guilt too, when I look back on the mindless and senseless way I used to eat, especially in front of others.

5. What is one eating behavior you know you must give up in order to become and continue as the TRUE YOU?    I need to give up chocolate and sugar-filled treats. I cannot be trusted with them, and abuse my privileges to have them time and time again. I think it will be a forever thing - nixing the sugar in my diet. I live better without refined sugar in my food, I've noticed, and I remember how I used to gorge myself on a pan of brownies or my grandma's scotch mints - I cannot go back to this, and I will need to give up that behavior in favor of becoming and continuing as the true me :)