Note from Ellen…So many emotional, compulsive, and binge eaters say they can make changes, shifts, for certain periods of time; healthy changes like increased exercise, more healthful eating, self-care practices, etc. But before long they always find themselves back sliding into old unhealthy habits and back into the food. So I asked our Circle Experts to share their experience with this common pattern? I asked what they find missing from these repetitive attempts to change behavior.
Here’s what Mary Boggiano, PhD, who studies the behavioral neuroscience of eating disorders and obesity, had to say:[private_membership circle]
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There is scientific data from human studies to show that one of the largest contributions to relapse into old habits is diets too low in calories (restrictive dieting). Many are of the mentality that less is better, that cutting calories is healthier. A diet of less than 1200 calories will promote relapse to binge-eating.
Also, small steps are more likely to be adhered to. Walking for 30 minutes 5 times a week will yield more lasting healthy habits than committing to jogging 2-3 miles a day. When we cannot meet up to too high expectations, we feel that we have failed. Many of us will eat over those negative feelings.
Stress should not be blamed for backsliding. Stress should always be expected; it is how we REACT to stress that will affect health. – Hans Selye
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Mary M. Boggiano, Ph.D., Associate. Professor, Dept. of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Division, University of Alabama at Birmingham, specializes in the behavioral neuroscience of eating disorders (EDS) and obesity. boggiano@uab.edu
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