Appetite Awareness Workbook

I am recently motivated to get my eating issues under control.  I'm not sure exactly why this is happening now - Maybe it's because I am trying to get pregnant, so I want to be in a healthy state both physically and mentally.  Maybe it's because I'm 30 and enough is enough.  Maybe I'm just ready to get control of things.  Either way, I have a drive to beat this thing. 

I am really fortunate that I am able to share my challenges with food with someone.  One of my best friends has struggled with anorexia and disordered eating over the years.  She also seems to be in the same mental place as I am - let's beat this thing. 

My therapist recommended "The Appetite Awareness Workbook" as a resource to use and work through together.  The book talks about disordered eating, binging, food restriction, etc.  It seems to speak to a wide range of people struggling with different aspects of eating.  However, the underlying focus is learning to listen to your body, to never let yourself get too hungry, and to never let yourself get too full.  Instead of restricting foods or counting calories or keeping food journals, you keep records of your hunger levels and strive to stay within a neutral zone.  This way you are never so ravenous that you overeat, and you strive to eat until you are moderately full instead of stuffed. 

Today I have set short and long term goals for myself and I will start keeping the "Monitoring Your Appetite" logs.   I'll keep you posted on how things go.  If you are struggling with food binging, food restriction, or body image issues in general, I highly recommend giving this book a shot.