“. . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians
1:6 (NIV)
Freedom from compulsive overeating is usually
a process. Compulsive
overeaters do not stop “cold turkey” like smokers or alcoholics do, probably
because compulsive overeating is not a predominantly physical addiction, but has
a predominant emotional component to
it which requires a process of
healing. Dr. James Prochaska, a
well-respected professor and researcher of psychology, has identified 6
commonly experienced “stages of change” and explains that people often get
stuck in the “Contemplation” stage for years https://www.avannistelrooij.nl/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Prochaska-ea-1992-how-people-change-AP.pdf. He advises contemplators to focus on the
negatives of their current behavior and to imagine the consequences down the
line if they do not do things differently. I propose that for individuals who struggle
with alcohol, tobacco and drug addiction the negatives of their current
behavior and future consequences are often harder to ignore than for
individuals who “only” struggle with a food addiction, which may explain more
cold-turkey change stories by smokers, drug addicts and alcoholics. In contrast, we need food, and food is
unquestionably a good thing for us to
have, which may prolong denial about it becoming something that is actually
harmful to our health if we abuse it.
This may be why healing from food addiction is often more of a process
than overcoming an alcohol, tobacco or drug addiction.
Setbacks are a normal, helpful part of the process out of out-of-balance food
behaviors. It will be helpful if
you can see setbacks as helpful instead of defeating.
The process of overcoming compulsive eating usually involves
setbacks which get further and further apart (just like the grieving process
that happens after the loss of a loved one).
Be gentle on yourself, especially when setbacks happen—they do not mean
you are a “failure”. Setbacks most likely will happen, and you can either learn a
lot of valuable information from them that helps in the process of healing or
you can let them defeat you. Why don’t
you make your mind up about that now.
And why don’t you evaluate which stage of change you are in:
Precontemplation: Precontemplators
have no current intention of changing.
They often feel a situation is hopeless, perhaps because they have tried
to change before without success. They
use denial and defensiveness to keep from going forward.
Strategies:
Help is needed from others to allow precontemplators to see themselves as
others do. It can come in the form of
simple observations or confrontation.
Sometimes it comes from a visit to the doctor or a stirring life event
such as the birth of a grandchild or a 40th birthday.
Contemplation: Contemplators
accept that they have a problem and begin to think seriously about changing
it. It is easy to get stuck in the contemplation stage for years! Traps include the search for absolute
certainty, waiting for the magic moment, and wishful thinking.
Strategies:
It can help
contemplators to recognize the negatives of their current behavior and imagine
the consequences if they do not do things differently. Social support can be helpful.
Preparation: Most people
in this stage plan to take action within a month. They think more about the future than about
the past.
Strategies: Preparers
develop a firm, detailed scheme for action.
Many motivate themselves by making their intended change public. Social support and self-reevaluation help in
this stage.
Action: Clearly
and evidently modifying behavior; the busiest stage of change.
Strategies: People
in the action stage need to apply their sense of commitment to the change. They should also reward themselves. Replacing
behaviors and making the environment more change-friendly are important in this
stage. Supportive relationships provide
motivation.
Maintenance: Often
far more difficult to achieve than action.
Maintenance can last 6 months to a lifetime. Programs that promise easy change usually
fail to acknowledge that maintenance is a long, ongoing process. Three common
challenges to maintenance are overconfidence, daily temptation, and self-blame
for lapses. *[Maintenance
is not more difficult if change is with God.]
Strategies: People
in maintenance should apply the same strategies as those in the action stage:
commitment, reward, countering, modification of the environment, and helping
relationships.
*My note.
Termination: The
problem no longer presents any temptation!
The cycle of change is exited.
(Adapted from Tufts
University Diet & Nutrition Letter; 1996, p. 4)
It is not uncommon to
straddle two or more stages!
Thank
you God that you are with us in every stage of life. Help us to identify where we should
change. Thank you for the power of the
Holy Spirit given to us to transform us.
N.E.W. LIFE (Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness for LIFE): Biblical Support for Health and Freedom from Bondage to Food and Diets
Print book $20 https://payhip.com/b/aLGtD
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