If you've just arrived, or you'd like a review, check out my posts about sugar addiction and the solution to sugar addiction. I'm following the 7 steps outlined in Potatoes, Not Prozac.
Step 2 is keeping a food journal. In this journal you write:
- The times you eat/drink
- What you eat/drink
- How you feel physically
- How you feel emotionally
Why even do this? It helps you connect with your body. You will learn what your body needs, how certain foods affect you, that if you do "A," then "B" will happen.
The food journal allows you to see progression over time. As you wean yourself off sugar, you may see healthier food choices, steadier eating times, and more positive emotions. Looking back on the food journal can be an encouragement in that sense. You may be amazed to see how far you've come.
This step is difficult for some. It's challenging to figure out and face what we're feeling. We might feel guilty writing down everything we've eaten. It's actually pretty amazing how much of ourselves we have tied up in food!
But the food journal in this particular program is not about good or bad. There's no judgment involved. You're simply recording information as objectively as possible in order to help you learn connections between what you eat and how you feel. It's all about learning so you can make positive adjustments that result in improved health. The journal gives your body a voice.
"Your body doesn't provide a computer printout to tell you what's going on with it, but it gives you clues in the form of symptoms that hint at the bigger picture. These symptoms will be consistent and predictable. You just have to learn to read them." (Potatoes, Not Prozac, p.111)
I think this is an interesting way of using a food journal. I've never done anything like it before, and I'm curious to give it a try. I can't say that I'm going to love journaling what I eat or even remember to do it on a regular basis. But that's why I'm going about all this very slowly.
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6 comments ↓
for me it is SO MUCH of number 3.
I get tired.
grab sugar.
and the spiral begins
I need to remember that the fast pick me up isnt the way to go…that there is a crash after.
M.
It’s easy to grab a sugary treat, but the consequences are not fun!
The first time I tried keeping a food journal, I think I ended up eating more. I just started thinking about food all the time and wanting more. My sister has the same problem. I’ve done the food journaling a few times and now I’m finally able to keep a food journal without going totally nuts… it’s interesting how it’s had that effect. I find it does help me now. But before I think it might’ve made things worse! Maybe I just wasn’t ready to make the necessary changes?
Sagan,
Maybe you just had a different mindset when you first started your journal and had to figure out how to make it work for you. You had to get into your “groove.” It sounds like it’s working for you now, so that’s great!
I am totally about the emotional health. If I’m upset, I crave sugar and I can eat a bag of Oreos before I’m even aware of how angry I am.
That’s a great idea, keeping a journal. Definitely gradual and systematic change is the way to go, at least until you feel ready to tackle the addiction head on!!! Eating a lot of fruit is also massively helpful.
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