SUZANNE'S NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2024
Suzanne Duc, RP, MACP
Grief and Trauma Focused at Suzanne Duc Counselling Services
Hello to my wonderful network!
I spent the weekend in Montréal recently and for those of you who have been fortunate enough to go to this charming city, you will know that delicious food options are everywhere. As it happens, I have a diabolical sweet tooth (chocolate-specific subtype) complicated by a gluten intolerance.? I found a gluten-free bakery in Montréal (www.lartisandelices.com) that has the most amazing pastries. What I also discovered there is my particular version of bakery Kryptonite; their chocolate-covered, brownie-bottomed, chocolate mousse dome.? Suffice it to say that despite the hefty price-tag, I bought enough of these to be consuming one or two of them every day for the course of my week-long vacation.
No surprise, I got sick and broke out in an epic fashion that would rival any teenager's dermatological crisis. Sigh.
Do you think I had the presence of mind to ditch what remained in my box of pastries??
Nope, I kept on going until they were gone. My sugar-addled brain justified this due not only to the pleasure factor of eating such scrumptious wares, but also because I paid good money for them and I don’t like to waste.
This spurred my thinking about why an arguably level-headed person like me would literally eat herself sick.? Well, it turns out that many of us have complicated relationships with food. We eat for pleasure, out of boredom, to soothe ourselves, to appease peer pressure, and the list goes on. I learned this when I was moonlighting as a Meeting Leader for Weight Watchers during grad school. I’ve learned even more about people’s relationships with food as a psychotherapist and specifically, how many of us experience addictive or emotion-driven characteristics in our patterns of consumption that can lead to problematic or eating-disordered behaviour.
I’ve also come to understand how many of us are unhappy with our diets, our appearance or our overall state of health, but have major difficulty making lasting changes. We must remember that food is a substance and one we can’t live without.? As such, it’s important to consider how we might better our relationship with it so as to improve our overall health.
Tackling an eating disorder is a very different matter than addressing over-indulgence or poor dietary choices.? An eating disorder requires a specialist and if you or someone you know is dealing with anorexia or bulimia nervosa, I recommend you consider working with a psychotherapist specializing in these concerns.??
For those of you wanting to make changes in less problematic but still troublesome eating habits, regardless of whether or not said changes are geared towards weight loss, I can share the following tips:
Keep a food diary using an app or a journal.? This will help you to identify patterns of consumption and any emotional or habitual drivers behind them.
Meal plan. Batch cook more balanced meals on the weekend so that you have nourishing food prepared ahead of time.? Put your portions in individually-sized glass containers so that you know what’s in there, and can grab and go!
领英推荐
Practice intentional eating.? If you are going out to a restaurant or on vacation, consider ahead of time how much and how you want to eat.? If weight is a consideration, consider if your goal is to lose weight, maintain or if you are OK with gaining a few pounds?? Set an intention and remind yourself of it before your meals or after if you are in a state of self-recrimination.? This can help us to course-correct.
Practice mindful eating. Bring awareness to that which you are consuming and heed your satiety cues. I suppose I did this to some extent during my chocolate fest in Montréal as I certainly did savour every bite but where I lost the plot was when my body was telling me I’d had enough and I didn’t listen.
Bringing awareness to any behaviour creates conditions for change. While I know I will never give up on chocolate (we are soulmates!), I also know that I have the power to prevent myself from being seduced and ultimately levelled by it in future. You can do the same with your eating habits.? It just takes some reflection and experimentation with different ways of thinking, feeling and being.
RESOURCES
I like to share knowledge and this month; I’m passing on a few gems of information as follows:
READ OF THE MONTH
I would not be true to myself if I didn’t tell all my fellow Stephen King fans out there that he has released a new compilation of short stories called, “You Like It Darker''. I’m halfway through and boy, he sure is dark!? But Mr. King is right, I like it.
As for more self-help-oriented reads, I highly recommend “Canada’s Rabbi:? The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Reuven Bulka” authored by his granddaughter, Rikki (Bulka) Ash. This book is a very good guide not only on how to become a better human, but also about how to be happier in your own life. I had many wonderful interactions with Rabbi Bulka that have informed my own ways of living (see pg. 26 for my testimonial).? This is a biography worth reading.
I hope this helps.
Suzanne