Chapter 5: Analyzing Your Eating Problems

Well, it took me a while to get to my next post, but here I am, with a synopsis of Chapter 5, "Analyzing Your Eating Problems," the last chapter in the section called "Understanding Your Problems."

A Vocabulary Aside: Lately, for whatever reason, the media has decided to ban the use of the word problem. We no longer have problems, it seems, but issues or challenges.  Unfortunately, when people talk about solving issues or challenges, the verb doesn't make sense. You can discuss an issue, or meet a challenge, but if you want to solve something, what you're solving needs to be a problem.  Since I'll be talking about solving problems, I just want anyone who wonders about the word problem to know why I'm using it.

Chapter 5 is about analyzing your own particular eating problems.  The previous chapters talked more in general about eating problems that are common to most compulsive eaters, but in this chapter, Simon wants us to zero in on what specifically gives us trouble on a day-to-day basis.  Then, once the problem eating behavior is identified, we determine the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when, and how of that behavior.

For instance, I have a problem with eating calorie-laden snacks in the late afternoon.  The 5 Ws of that situation are:

Who:  Just me
What:  Muffins or cookies or other cake-type snacks
Where: At my desk at work (but also the skywalk where such goodies can be found)
When:  Late afternoon, usually around 3:30
Why:  Ostensibly because I'm hungry, but also because I have a craving for sugar and fat

That's all there is to it.  Shirley recommends we list all the eating problems we can think of and analyze them in this way.  She suggests using index cards, one for each problem.  Once all the problems are analyzed, then patterns may begin to emerge which will help us figure out the best way to solve them.

In the case of my problem above, I see that hunger plays a part, as does my going out to the skywalk in search of a treat.  I think, too, that I look forward to the boost I get from seeking out the treat as well as the sugar infusion I get from eating it. As a result of this behavior, the doldrums of the late afternoon are perked up.  Now that I'm thinking about it, my biological clock seems to always wind down about that time of day.  But maybe I don't need to eat cake treats to give me a boost.  Maybe a piece of fruit will do.  Of course, I won't find any fruit on the skywalk, at least not at that time of day.  But I bring fruit to work, so I always have it on hand and don't really need to go outside the office to get a snack.  So maybe there's also a bit of rewarding myself with a treat and a break from the office that comes into play with this behavior.  I don't feel rewarded by eating a piece of fruit at my desk.

As you can see, thinking about the problem causes the true complexity of it to come to light. I may not be able to change the fact that I need a boost mid-afternoon, but maybe I can change my attitude toward what I choose to give me that boost.  Maybe I can admit that fruit will do me more good than cake, at least physically. Psychologically, I can convince myself that eating cake is really no reward at all.

Though it may seem like this exercise is tedious and kind of mickey-mouse, it's actually helpful to understand all that goes into a destructive behavior that is largely unconscious and seemingly automatic. With understanding, the danger of impulsive eating can be lessened.

I did this step very diligently (this time), and came up with a number of eating problems that I analyzed. I found it helpful, and the knowledge I gained from doing the analysis bolsters me when I'm tempted to fall into old habits.

In my next post, I'll finally talk about the program and how I'm doing so far working it.  So stay tuned!