I read this chapter right after the last time I blogged. I just have not blogged about it - I am enjoying the refresher I am getting by reading the passages that I have underlined.
An obsessive relationship is not love, it is the dance of the wounded....
Why does one, including me become obsessed with food? As discussed in previous chapters it is fear, it is to bury the things we do not want to deal with. Fear has become more and more noticeable in my life. As I feel fear I try and deal with it. Some things are rather silly when you speak them out loud to someone else but it is your fear(s) none-the-less.
"Pain and compulsion and self hate are not love"
As I paraphrase the following part of the book - I note that with the healthy way of eating that I am practicing that most times I can savor food but find my self consuming it rapidly when stress is high or I am not paying attention to what I am doing.
"The true lover of food is able to take time with it and savor it..... She can eat without guilt and stop without effort."
The next part reflects the first part of this blog.Food is not your only problem, it is also your teacher. It is a reflection of an even deeper problem, an opportunity and an invitation to face that which underlies your compulsive eating. YOUR ONLY REAL PROBLEM.... IS A SEPARATION FROM DIVINE MIND".
"Every step taken with love in mind is a step back to who you really are"
Before I go on I want to mention that I have lost 17 1/2 lbs since Jan 4th 2011. Today I was glancing at my body and saw a saggy, fat ridden body that I absolutely HATE. I know I have 50 more lbs to go and I am very impatient - it is hard for me to wait the days, weeks and months that it will take me to loose it. So... I read this next part and I know it is just what I need at this time.
"Impatience is nothing but the fear-mind trying to convince you it's hopeless and therefore you shouldn't even try. It is also the voice that tells you to eat the next bite before you've even finished the last one, so remember that voice is not your friend."
The assignment for this chpt is that I am to utilize the pretty dishes and to make eating a beautiful, peaceful setting. One where I would relax - take my time and enjoy my food. I have done that (not as often as I should) and note that I eat a lot slower. I am usually looking at a book or something because I am to impatient to sit there and eat without no one to talk to (I eat at different times than my husband and son) so I find reading something uplifting helps. When I do not do that I do find that I have to concentrate a lot harder to eat slow. With the diet I am on sometimes I am just not hungry so it is hard to sit and eat a meal with fancy plates etc.
One more thing about quick eating -
"Quick eating is a dangerous trigger for the compulsive over eater. it triggers more quick eating, and quick eating means more food.... by slowing down certain aspects of your life, you'll become a slower eater."
Create a sacred ritual of eating slowly - create the atmosphere with fancy table cloth, napkin, dishes, glass, candle. Set the table and invite God to be with you.
My goal is to set the table, as this chapter suggests, more often and always remember to invite God. I can also make it a time when I have my personal devotions and interact with Him.
