About Steven AitchisonYou’ve tried all the diets, read all the popular books, watched some videos on the net, bought some self help books and joined the gym a few times, but you’re still overweight – why?
A typical scenario
You’ve put on a few pounds over the last few years and have identified that you need to lose at least 15 pounds to make you feel good about yourself and to fit in to all those clothes that you still have in your wardrobe. So you set a target of losing 15 pounds in the next few months. What’s the first thing you do? – say something like ‘I’ll start my diet next week, no point in starting in the middle of the week.’ So Monday comes and you start eating less and have booked a place at the gym. Wednesday comes around and you are still eating a little less, cutting out the whites but sneak a little biscuit in every now and again: ‘it won’t do any harm’. Friday comes around: ‘I’ve been working hard all weekend and as a treat I’ll get a takeaway.’ Saturday and Sunday are wasted as your friends have come round asking you to go out for a drink or a meal with them, so you’ll start it again on Monday. On Sunday night you drag yourself over to the scales and notice you have lost 1 pound of weight: ‘one pound!’ you gasp, ‘it’s hardly worth it.’ And the diet is duly stopped.
Does that sound familiar?
We all know there is no big secret to losing weight: eat less or exercise more or a bit of both. There is no need to do anything else, that’s all there is to it. However, we are human and we are making it much more complicated than we have to. We like to think of new ways to package this basic recipe for losing weight and these are in the form of diets, think of these famous diets or eating programs:
Atkins Diet
Food Combining
South Beach Diet
Sugar Busters Diet
Weight Loss for Dummies
Mediterranean Diet
Cabbage Soup Diet
The Hay Diet
Fat Burning Furnace
What do we do?
The Two State Mind theory
Here’s something I was thinking about the other day. I was making a cup of tea for myself at about 6 o’clock in the morning and I automatically opened the cupboard door to grab a few biscuits to dunk in my tea. I stopped myself and said to myself ‘I don’t eat biscuits during the week’ (I am trying something new to lose a few pounds and it’s working so far). I asked myself why I reached for the biscuits and came up with three reasons:
Emotions.
I felt happy as I love being alone to do some of my work and I spend about 15 minutes pacing the kitchen floor before going for a two mile walk. This feeling of happiness is usually celebrated with a few biscuits, maybe 10 or so.
Habit
A cup of tea is usually followed with a few biscuits as I have a strong association with tea and biscuits and it has become habit.
Association
As stated above I have formed an association between biscuits and tea or coffee.
So there’s three issues here. Yes it’s the eating of the biscuits that has to be stopped or reduced but it’s also the association of the biscuits with other drinks such as tea and coffee, it’s the habit of eating biscuits, and also it’s the controlling of emotions so we don’t automatically reach for a biscuit or whatever is your choice of emotion food.
Mind State and Physical State
There are two states at play here: The Mind State and The Physical State. The physical state is the actual eating of the biscuit.
The mind state is what we are thinking and feeling to make us reach for the biscuit.
For years we have tried to work on the physical state, that’s why there have been so many diets in the world and some people have made a lot of money form these diets. It’s time to look more at the mind state and bring that to the fore of the media instead of it being in the background.
I am not an expert in food or the psychology of food but I know how the human mind works and it seems the mind state of eating is something we are neglecting in the media therefore most people don’t know about it or it’s not being given much media attention.
The difference between Mind State eating and Physical State eating
1. Mind state hunger comes on suddenly; physical state hunger occurs gradually.
2. When you are mind state hungry your foods are usually linked to a specific emotion. So, if you are happy you might eat pizza, if you are sad you might eat ice cream, when you are bored you might eat biscuits. However, when you are physically hungry you will be open to filling a real hunger and therefore open to options.
3. Mind state hunger needs to be satisfied ‘RIGHT NOW’ whereas physical state hunger can wait a little longer as it is a gradual process.
4. when you are eating from the mind state you tend to keep eating even when you have gone past the stage of being full. When you are eating from the physical state mind you usually stop eating when you are full.
5. Mind state eating can leave feelings of guilt as you might feel you should not be eating. When you are eating from the physical mind state you do not feel that guilt.
Conclusion
I was going to write about dealing with the mind state of eating here, however, the article would have been over 2000 words in length so I will leave that for another time. I just wanted to introduce the concept of the Two State Mind and hopefully get you thinking about your eating patterns.
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Great post Steven – and I love the photo! As you probably know, I’m a big proponent of loving our bodies and so this is an issue near and dear to the heart!
Emotional eating is a biggie and it’s good to see you addressing it. We do tend to “pair” certain things together. After all, don’t tomato soup and a grilled cheese just “beg” to be eaten together? ;-p.
Good insights. Seems it comes down to mindfulness, being aware.
.-= Lauren´s last blog ..7 Tips For Choosing A Therapist: It’s Like Finding A Good Mechanic! =-.
Hi Lauren. I know what you mean about the pairing: toast and beans, bread and jam, bangers and mash
Thanks for your comments Lauren, always appreciate them.
yea steve you have hit it right on the nose witrh this one,you can read all the books and waist a small fortune in the process on diets and spending money on gym membership but if you havent got the right mentall attitude your gonna fail before you even start,if you dont have a positive strong mind you are boud for faluire and not with just trying to loose waight either but on all aspects of your life.I dont think people realize how importent your mentall health is but i do see and fell that a lot of people are starting to cop on and with people like your self steve sending out that message more and more are changing there believes,i find that more people these days are taking up a more spirtual path in life and are sending out more positive energy out there to that energy source that makes up everything we belive to be life.(a subject for another day i think LOL) any how keep up the great work and hopefully in are life time steve people will see the world the way people like your sewlf and others here do.i think then we would be living in eurporia.
joe- IRELAND
Hi Joe, thanks for visiting. I think it all comes down to mental attitude, with most things we do really. you maybe right about more people taking the spiritual path which is a great thing for us and the world we live in.
Hi Steven,
There’s no doubt that we create positive associations with comfort food. And, as Lauren mentioned, foods do beg to be paired. Regardless, you’ve touched on an important aspect to consider when noshing — one’s state of mind.
Changing habits by using NLP or hypnotherapy, and creating a positive association with feelings of increased energy, stamina, and mental clarity are just a few ideas that come to mind. Would love to hear your approach.
HI Kim. I think my approach is about understanding the basics first and through some clever Jedi mind tricks we could break the associations and habits we have around food and recognise and deal with our emotions before they got to ‘I want food to comfort my emotions’ stage.
I hope that’s not a photo of you! LOL
All of those diets on your list create a lot of work to keep track of all the rules.
Instead, we need to pay more attention to the mindset. Notice the habits of association and create new ones that support weight loss. Just like when you tell yourself that you don’t eat biscuits during the week.
I think weight loss is 10% physical and 90% changing your mindset. It can be easy when you are aware of it.
.-= Sherri Frost | Self Hypnosis´s last blog ..Hypnosis Workshop – Immense Value =-.
Sherri, I was hoping nobody would find out about this but yes it is a photo of me (only joking, I don’t own a measuring tape
)
That sounds about the right percentages although it would be hard to quantify. It is a lot easier when you are aware of it.
Emotional eating is mostly the cause of any weight issues in the modern world. If anyone tries to lose weight then they should start with their mind, not their body. Food is one of the sources of pleasure in life and I guess nobody can deny that having a biscuit in the right moment can give the biggest happiness in the world sometimes. However, it is important to know that food is not the only source of pleasure and when we realize it we stop having any weight problems.
I can say that I finally became satisfied with my weight only after I found my inner balance. My inner state dictates my tastes and helps me stop eating when I am full no matter how tasty the dish might be.
.-= Anastasiya´s last blog ..A Chilled-Out Plan to Stop Being Over-Productive =-.
Hi Anastasiya. Food is a source of pleasure and it certainly is for me. It’s only when we get older that our bodies cannot rid itself of the food as well as it used to and with less exercise it becomes a weight problem.
The thing with food is that it is easily accessible, relatively cheap and is varied so it makes it all the more tempting. I changed my mindset from ‘food is for pleasure’ to ‘food is for energy’ and it seems to be working although it’s been a long process. I am not grossly overweight, it’s more like my ideal body I am going for and in the last few weeks have lost 9 Ibs just by changing my mindset.
That’s great about yourself becoming satisfied. Maybe a lot of people would like to hear your story (hint, hint
)
Amazing
I am waiting the procedure to deal with my mind with
thank you
Hi Ruba. I’ll get another post out next Thursday about that
What we are eating affects our weight the most. Doing exercise, sleeping enough also count, but our diet is the most important. You just have to be able to control yourself a little bit. I am also eating healthy, I do exercises at least 5 times a week, I go to the gym, I am jogging, swimming and I can say I feel good, but nutrition is what helped me the most in achieving the results I wanted. I am fighting a little with my mind but usually I manage to overcome my appetite.
Hi John, I think I am in the same place as you just now and it does seem like a battle with the mind, it’s worth noting that we control our mind and not the other way about and it’s the battle between the two that makes it difficult sometimes.
Hey Stephen,
I lost a lot of weight, and I can’t say it was necessarily easy to differentiate the two types of hunger, but I would agree that there are plenty of times, even today, when I’m hungry just because, even though I shouldn’t be physically, biologically or otherwise. That insatiable hunger is what used to get me in trouble with my diets.
I also notice that when I’m eating from mind state, I often crave pizza and eat waaaaay too much of it, at least a whole pizza by myself, when it’s physical hunger, the craving isn’t so strong.
Thanks for making the differentiation, great post
Ryan
.-= Ryan´s last blog ..You’re Dying!!! =-.
Hi Ryan, thanks for your contribution to the discussion, it’s great to hear readers experiences of this.
Hi Steven,
I’m sure many of us wrestle with this problem !
I frequently tell myself that “my happiness does not depend on what I put down my neck”. Doesn’t matter if it’s beer,pizza,ice-cream – whatever! Having said that, the human mind is very adept at getting what it wants and it has many ways of persuading you to give in. I guess the key is to be able to recognize these for what they are and act accordingly. The distinction between “mind” and “physical” hunger is an interesting one. There’s a great explanation of the brain’s “urge system” at this link…..
http://changingminds.org/explanations/brain/urge_system.htm
As ever, once you understand what’s going on things become that little bit easier.
Thanks for the article – very timely!
Gareth
Hi Gareth. thanks for your comments on this and thanks for the link it explains things beautifully and I think the CYT readers will benefit from this.
Through this post, I realized how mind state affects my habit of eating. Very glad to be aware of it. I’m kindly looking forward to the latter posts about mind state.
.-= Julius´s last blog ..A Day of A Deaf Blind Person =-.
Hi Julius, thanks for your comments on this and I am glad this helped you.
Hi Steven,
I think one reason we don’t lose weight is because we don’t want to put in the effort, take action or responsibility. Only dedicated committed people lose weight and keep it off. I’ve been at the same weight since I was27…I quit smoking and started running. Still running after all those years. The longest distance is between my feet and the front door.
.-= Tess The Bold Life´s last blog ..My Dad and His Tool Shop =-.
Hi Tess. Dedication, action and responsibility is needed and it’s the ‘I am going to start’ motivation that is required to get started.
“The longest distance is between my feet and the front door.”
Steven, interesting photo. With a few tweaks it would exactly portray the big belly statues in this part of the world called “Laughing Buddha” or “Happy Buddha.” Said to portray an itinerant monk of old, these statues are enjoyed as symbols of happiness, good fortune, and generosity. In Taiwan I remember the throngs of people lining up for a lucky chance just to rub the enormous, protuberant belly of a particularly large statue. And have you ever seen a Japanese sumo wrestler?
You raise an issue important to so many people in modern society today. Eating is an emotional issue – it is also physical sustenance. I have also come to see it as closely linked to how energy flow is handled by the body, both consciously and unconsciously, both mentally and physically. Shift the energy flow and dramatic change can result, even when you don’t perceive your action as shifting energy flow. Tess’s quitting smoking and starting running is one example of a major energy shift, and it can last for years afterwards.
Within the energy shift that is adjusted for your physical and mental body, you should be able to eat a biscuit with your cup of tea, if you feel like it. It’s not the biscuit that’s the problem. We can become more aware of exactly what our body needs at any particular moment, whether it is a biscuit or Lauren’s tomato soup and grilled cheese. Our bodies talk to us, and we can learn to interpret the language. Our interaction with the physical aspect of ourselves is as important as our mental dialogue.
Well, this is actually a rather big topic, so I will end my comment now. Thank you for your thought-provoking post on this rainy morning in the mountains in Japan – Catrien Ross.
.-= Catrien Ross´s last blog ..Catrien Ross on Reviving Your Passion and Purpose in Spring Vibrations from Japan =-.
Hi Catrien. You’re absolutely right about eating for sustenance and I believe too that our energy levels are closely linked to what we eat, hence why a lot of meditteranean countries have siestas after lunch, due to the type of food that they eat making them tired.
You’ve also made a great point about being able to eat a biscuit with tea, however, that’s only after your body has been used to the new state for a while. It’s a bit like your body needing to be flushed out of all the rubbish before we can start to eat rubbish again – what we do there is change our metabolic rate so after a few months rest of eating rubbish, our metabolism is back on track and can handle a bit of rubbish every now and again, but not all the time.
Thanks for adding to this Catrien, your points are always expanding the ideas.
very nice post Steven, i was recently reading about weight loss and found that emotional factors have a greater impact on our diet than physical factors. emotional eating is one good example where people eat to feel happier or forget about bad emotions. Thanks for sharing , luv your blog
Hi Farouk, nice to see you commenting after your spell as writer. Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them.
Whoa… this is a pretty cool post Steven. At first I saw the title and the picture and it didn’t really interest me as much to read it since I’m 5’10 and 130 lbs., but I thought that I would support it anyway. Also, it became interesting when you talked about tea and biscuits!
I have these combination type foods that go with each other too like milk and cookies or Coke and hamburgers (even though these foods aren’t that healthy for you… haha). What you said about mind state eating and physical state eating are totally true, especially the part where you mention that when get emotional, we will want to eat more, and when we get full, we won’t have as much of a craving. Thanks for this post Steven.
.-= Hulbert Lee´s last blog ..Will Smith and Hustle =-.
Hi Hulbert, glad you stopped to read this and add your comments, I always value them. 5′ 10″ and only 130 Ibs, I don’t think I’ve been that weight since I was 10 and I was skinny and fit
You must have an Ectomorph body type, I definitely have a Mesomorph type.
I think a lot of us have combination foods which is quite interesting to read.
Hi Hulbert
Your reply struck a chord with me as I used to be 5′ 10″ and 130 lb for years and years!
I wish I had adopted healthy eating habits back then so I wouldn’t have to be doing the “hard yards” now!
All the best
Gareth
Haha nice Gareth.
.-= Hulbert´s last blog ..Will Smith and Hustle =-.
We have all experienced the therapeutic benefits of food.
We know that in times of stress, anxiety, sadness or frustration nothing comes close to chocolate cake (or your personal equivalent).
And although we enjoy some short-term sensory pleasure, the physical consequence of those reactive, emotional-eating moments is usually carried on our hips or stomach in the form of unwanted fat.
While we are essentially emotional beings, one area of our behavior that we don’t want dominated by emotions is our eating.
So next time you feel the urge to medicate or sooth yourself with food, remember: “Nothing tastes as good as being in shape feels”
Don’t focus on the biscuit that gives you five minutes of pleasure; focus on the body that you live in twenty four hours a day
Hi Craig, good to see you here. For anyone who is reading this and hasn’t visited Craigs blog and is interested in fitness, and motivation I would urge you to click on his link to read it, there’s some great stuff.
It seems to be a mindest shift that we need in order to eat more healthy. Loved the “Nothing tastes as good as being in shape feels” quote.
Thanks for stopping by Craig, good to see you again.
Steven,
This hit home fro me…Cause i have been a child of body image issues. Always the fat kid ….but while i started growing up and started analyzing my own behavior, I had come to a conclusion long long back that it was as you put it..emotional eating. Since that realization….taking responsibility is the most important decision I have ever made. Yes as a mother now, after having a baby, it is difficult to get that weight off…but its not impossible. I hate those typical by the book diets..I often cant go through with them.
What works best for me is being mindful at all times. The ultimate need and wand question..helps me immensely. DO I NEED this cookie OR do I WANT this cookie? I prefer going with my needs……needs never lie….they ten to have a mind of their own too
This is a great topic…and one i would actually read even 12000 words..coming from you that is
Much Love,
Z~
Hi Zeenat, thanks for your kind words, as always they are much appreciated.
I think we can all relate to what you’re saying about being mindful, it’s just the putting it into practice that’s a little difficult sometimes. what I have found works is to cut out some foods one at a time, I cut out white bread for a few weeks, then I cut out pasta, then pastry etc.
Needs never lie indeed
The extra girth around my waist will concur with what you’ve said, i’m a happy person and hence, I have a big buddha belly! LOL I know exactly where you’re coming from Steven.
.-= Amit Sodha – The Power Of Choice´s last blog ..My Deepest Gratitude =-.
I realized that I had to become aware of the Thoughts I was nibbling on. Are they Junk-food Thoughts or Healthy Invigorating Thoughts? I concluded that an important step to vital living is mentally eating right, that physical and psychic rigor are a consequence of thoughtful vigor; there is no substitute. My impulse to grab junk food goes away when I become aware of the Junk thoughts that precede it. That being said, one of my favorite things to do is have Sushi with good friends. The company and the meal are are both full of health, vigor and vitality.
Blessings,
rob
.-= rob white´s last blog ..The Health Care Bill is Confusing =-.
Hi Rob, I think it alls comes down to the mind and being mindful which seems to be a way a lot of people handle their eating habits. Of course when we are physical state hungry it’s usually good food we want instead of junk food.
Hi Steven,
Thanks so much for the post. I think it’s such an important point that emotions are often the reason for weight problems.
Therefore, I think that focusing first on diets, exercise programs, etc. is definitely the wrong way to go. And yet that is the standard thinking with weight loss.
If it were me, I would first direct people to your video blog on EFT. This would allow people to likely address and mostly or totally clear the underlying emotional issue. Once this is done, I think everything will fall into place.
This may sound crazy, but the first thing I would do in that moment is try EFT on the biscuits (i.e. “Even though I really want to eat biscuits right now, I love and accept myself completely.”). Just a thought.
In my mind, the real battle is within ourselves. And in very general terms, that battle is “I don’t deserve to be healthy and at my ideal body weight” versus “I deserve to be healthy and at my ideal body weight.”
I don’t think any diet, exercise program, etc. can overcome the former. The reason is that people will soon sabotage themselves.
However, once the emotions have been mostly or completely cleared, there won’t be as much or any resistance to eating properly, exercising, etc.
.-= Greg Blencoe´s last blog ..An annoying dog and gratitude =-.
Hi Greg, excellent suggestions for the EFT and eating and because it only takes a minute it can be done on the spot.
I think you are right about the clearing of emotions surrounding us that we need to clear and there being little resistence.
I enjoyed reading this Steven, and the comments too. I agree that awareness of mind state is incredibly important, but it seems to me there is a place here for savoring and sensual awareness, too. Going beyond just what the physical body tells us we need for sustenance. Because, truly, is there anything better than sipping that cup of tea, inhaling its aroma, seeing the shape and outline of the cup, the feel of the biscuit in our fingers, experiencing the first crunch of it, tasting its sweetness, rolling it around in our mouths until we wash it down with another swallow of tea? Mmmmm. Now if I did that with every bit of food I ate (I don’t), elevating it to an art and relishing each joyous moment of it, then I would never have to worry about eating too much!
.-= Patty – Why Not Start Now?´s last blog ..Eight Black Shoes =-.
Hi Patty, you are right about the sensual awareness aspect, however, I would say it’s what the senses make us feel emotionally. Obviously if I associated tea with bad memories of the past I wouldn’t drink it, but because I associate it with relaxation and stopping for a few moments after working hard it’s aroma, taste and even holding the cup all produce an emotion – which in this case is relaxation and a reward in the form of a biscuit.
Imagine how long meal times would last if we all savoured our food like that, you’d sit down to a meal at 5pm and wouldn’t finish until 10pm, but at least we wouldn’t have weight issues
Thanks Patty, I always value your comments.
Dear Steven, Oh I’ve missed being here more. Work load is just massive right now. However, I’ve been scanning your posts and watched your video the other day. Wonderful…the one of goals.
This too is excellent. I LOVE the photo. Also like how you address what we eat for emotional comfort and what we eat to really stay alive or feed a genuine need to sustain energy to live and function. I don’t have really any food hang ups and can even go on very little food and I still maintain my weight, even with all my walking I do. BUT when I do want something to feed my emotional hunger, which is usually in times of intense work, stress or mental fatigue due to work, I really try to find healthy comfort foods. I shop at a health food store and if one really slows down and looks and gets creative it’s amazing the healthy comfort foods we can find. They may not be what we once ate for comfort, but there are things out there that leave us feeling equally satisfied. But it takes a bit of trial and error and experimenting with food and getting really creative, trying foods we may never have eaten.
I can’t wait to see what else you write after this one. This was so good I didn’t even notice whether it was long or not. And I usually notice things like that due to my time frame right now. I am sending you a huge hug my friend and attached to it is TONS of encouragement cheering you on. You are doing a REALLY good job here. Very proud of you, Robin.
.-= Robin Easton´s last blog ..Down to the Bone =-.
Hi Robin, thanks for stopping by, I know you are really busy just now so it’s all the more humbling when you do.
It seems you are one of the lucky ones who don’t need a lot to sustain your body with energy etc, I imagine a lot of that is the spiritual nourishment you have.
It’s strange you talk about having comfort healthy foods , I have been experimenting with foods that I wouldn’t usually eat such as carrots, butter beans etc. It’s a case of trial and error and finding foods that you enjoy.
Thanks you as always Robin, I love it when you come here I always feel energised after reading your comments.
Steven, hello again from Japan – Catrien here. I have very much enjoyed this discussion in your CYT community about the two state mind. Thank you again.
In discussing the mind, with your permission, I would like to invite you and your readers to try a simple exercise I just posted on my blog a short while ago. It is a fun demonstration of the link connecting the mind, the real power of your intention, and directing your energy flow. Please come and try it if you have time, and let me know what you think!
Greetings and love from the mountains in Japan – Catrien Ross.
.-= Catrien Ross´s last blog ..Catrien Ross on Stretching Your Potential Through the Real Power of Intention to Direct Your Energy Flow =-.
hi steve,
how are you?
first of all great cover for alter your jacket. You really need to school me.
i loved this post becasue you described my feelings when i am tempted to just eat a whole snickers bar. My physical state hunger waits and gets satisfied quickly from eating small portions or food but on those days were the cravings are strong…..i turn to snickers lol!!!(mind state)
why do i eat it? i’m just happy. it’s a good thing i go to the gym but i need to(i will) cut down.
i look forward to the follow up post..
enjoy the rest of the weekend.
p.s. This feeling of happiness is usually celebrated with a few biscuits, maybe 10 or so. (is that custard cream, digestives,shortbread….)
.-= ayo´s last blog ..Personal Development Roadblocks =-.
Hi Ayo, good to hear from you. Thanks for the comments about the book cover, it’s getting there
I think this has hit an emotion with a lot of people and it seems a lot of us feed our emotions rather than our hunger as a way to alter our feelings. I’m feeling a little pressure with the follow up
Hey there! This is my first visit to your site – I look forward to exploring. I didn’t read all the comments on this post, so maybe I’m saying what’s already been said, but there ARE many brilliant people researching, writing, and teaching about this issue. And no, it doesn’t get much media play. Long-term solutions taht require deep, slow change usually don’t, do they? But you are right on target. External solutions and environmental changes (what you refer to as physical) have only made us fatter. The real solution is in dissolving limiting belief systems, questioning and replacing false thoughts, and ultimately living more authentic, joy-filled lives.
Hi Joy, welcome to CYT, I hope you enjoy your stay here, I think you’ll find a lot of like minded people here and it’s a great community to be in.
Thanks for your comments about this, I tend to agree that we need to dissolve our limiting beliefs as it is our beliefs that at at our core. It’s our thinking that controls these beliefs and emotions so a combination of changing thoughts, beliefs and emotions go hand in hand.
Steven, Great post which has generated very interesting responses. I have a somewhat different take on this which is that we (people in wealthy countries) have it too easy. It used to be that people had to work much harder physically (on a family farm, for example). They had to eat enough to fuel all that physical activity. These days most of us do more sedentary work and then relax with more sitting in front of the TV or the computer.
Clearly, our emotions lead us to eat the wrong kind of food or more food than we need, but I think we need to focus on physical activity as well as on food. It’s two sides of the sme coin.
.-= Madeleine ´s last blog ..Are You at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes? =-.
Hey Steven,
Am a first timer here. Love the layout~ it makes reading an ease.
With regard to your post, I thought other than the emotional and physical attributions to eating, one can add in a social attribution. This latter point expresses itself in ‘social drinking’ where we just drink because everyone’s doing it. It sorta tie in with psychology – “Group Think” where we tend to conform to the presiding norm of a situation just to fit-in or because we assume no one’s doing it or every1′s doing it simply because it’s right!
I mean for myself I do (drink and food) binge when I am with friends even if I am nowhere near hungry … which basically render any exercises I’ve done beforehand a waste.
Nice post! I’ve never though about it that way before. I knew about the emotion/mind response towards food and I tend to avoid most of it (well sometimes) but habits and associations are powerful if not consciously acted upon. I find it helpful not to buy anything I have a habit of eating that isn’t healthy, seems to work.
.-= Craig Thomas´s last blog ..How To Effectively Change Someone’s Mind =-.
In discussing the mind, with your permission, I would like to invite you and your readers to try a simple exercise I just posted on my blog a short while ago. It is a fun demonstration of the link connecting the mind, the real power of your intention, and directing your energy flow. Please come and try it if you have time, and let me know what you think!