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Damaging food so that you can’t eat it is one way of avoiding overindulgence. It’s true and I’ve done it.
I usually put my napkin on the food and press it in so that I won’t want to eat it. It’s as if the napkin has “contaminated” the food. I’ve also poured water on my leftovers so that I wouldn’t pick at them while I waited for the waiter to take it away. I’ve heard that pouring salt over food is supposed to work, but I crave salt so much that I don’t think it would be much of a deterrent for me.
What if I didn’t need to damage food in order to be “safe”? What if I was able to leave a half-eaten entree on the table untouched? Would I be cured then? Is that my next test? I won’t take the food home in a container. I won’t damage the food so I can’t pick at it. I won’t share the food with someone else. I’ll just let it sit there, untouched. I think that’s my next step in this evolution.
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March 26th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
what your trying to do is force self control on yourself. that next step can become anorexia. relax!!!! take it slow. maybe you’ll forget about the food on the plate all together, thats the real fix to the problem.
March 27th, 2006 at 10:02 am
I’ve never had a weight problem. I don’t diet (I’m one of those lucky, lucky few.) But I damage my food all the time, usually with a napkin like you do.
What happens is that I get full, and then I continue to pick at the leftovers. Putting “trash” on my plate stops me. Needing to do that sometimes isn’t something that is only limited to people who struggle with their relationship to food–or maybe everyone struggles sometimes. I don’t know how to say it.
Keep on doing what you’re doing–I admire your candor and perseverance
March 27th, 2006 at 12:07 pm
Yeah, I do that sometimes, too. I just don’t have that good self control and I end up eating it anyway. I liked the picture and the last comment that went with it, for me it’s sad because I’ll eat almost anything with M&M’s or icing on it, even if it tastes horrible! 😉
March 28th, 2006 at 12:46 am
I had to laugh when I read your comment because I put dish soap on “binge food items” that I feel I might over eat later. However, after the dish soap, I immediately throw it away.
I told a friend about it and she asked me why put the dish soap on it if you are throwing it away, your not going into the trash to pull it out. We laughed, but later thinking, I realized why I pour the dish soap on it. Because I don’t want to eat anymore of it and because I JUST MIGHT CHANGE MY MIND AND TAKE IT BACK OUT OF THE TRASH …..Lord help me.
Anyway, I know I have an eating problem and I will continue pouring dish soap on remaining “binge” food items.
P.S. I have a cake in the refrigerator just like the above, however, I have no problem not eating it, but if it had M&Ms on it, the dish soap and trash can would soon follow.