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How to Deal with Dieting Related Feelings Of Deprivation
About the Author
Abby Campbell, BSc, SFN, SSN, CPT, is a leading professional fitness and nutrition expert, researcher, and published author of One Size Does NOT Fit All Diet Plan, one of Amazon's Top Gluten-Free and Weight Loss Diets. (You may read more about Abby at the bottom of this article.)
Core Beliefs or Emotional Deprivation Disorder?
The feelings of deprivation usually set in when you give up one thing for another. This usually occurs when dieting. The thoughts of giving up pizza, pasta, bread, and your favorite chocolate chip cookies can make your mind spin out of control. Will you have to give them up forever? Can you change really change your habits? Or, are your feelings of deprivation rooted deeper?
Though you may have been gung-ho on starting your diet, your emotions eventually catch up with you. They begin to take you for a ride like that roller coaster at the amusement park you visited with your kids last summer. Feelings of deprivation can set in quickly after dieting if you don't work on your core belief system with your emotions. So that you don't sabotage your diet, both must be lined up to overpower your mind habits. You can overcome food insecurity and cravings with just a few changes. After all, you will have to deprive yourself of something. Will it be the good or the bad?
Changing mind habits may be all that is needed for some. However, Emotional Deprivation Disorder is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with by others. This disorder sets in those who have deep rooted emotional issues from childhood or other times of life. Food is used as a crutch or self-medication. Dealing with the actual issues will help.
Below you will find ways to deal with dieting related feelings of deprivation.
Mind + Emotions = Success
How to Build Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Dieting can be a source to help you build a healthy lifestyle. However, dieting is a physical thing. It can be a short-term or a lifelong event, depending what your goals are. Maybe you are looking to lose weight, or maybe you want to boost your health. Whatever your reason for dieting, your body is the subject. Your senses desire certain foods due to sight, smell, and texture. Those foods are processed by your digestive system. Depending on what types of foods you eat, your body will react in accordance. If you eat foods full of nutrients, your body will thank you for it and utilize those vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to repair and build new cells. Depending on how much you eat will determine if you maintain, gain, or lose weight. If you eat foods that are not good for your body, it may retaliate against you with indigestion, a headache, or a variety of other physical symptoms.
However, food can be an emotional thing for many people. This is especially true when dieting. Different parts of your mind don't always agree. One part of your mind tells you to follow the diet while another part of your mind feels deprived. It seems like it's always at tug-o-war when it comes to dieting. Therefore, you must get power over the voices in your head. Your beliefs plus your emotions must line up to overcome those feelings of deprivation.
Below are a few of the "victim" beliefs that contribute to your emotional waves of feeling helpless, trapped, rebellious, guilty, and out of control.
Victim Beliefs and Emotions
Belief
| Emotion
|
---|---|
"I can't eat that. I don't have a choice."
| Helplessness
|
"I will eat what I want when I want."
| Trapped
|
"I cheated on my diet."
| Guilt & Failure
|
"I can't control myself."
| Powerlessness & Loss of Self-Respect
|
POLL
Are you a victim of your belief system?
Do you find yourself in any of the beliefs above? Are you a victim of your own belief system? You can overcome by changing your mind habits. Below is a new system of beliefs. The emotions that go along with those beliefs will build your integrity. What's better than that!
Self-Integral Beliefs and Emotions
Belief
| Emotion
|
---|---|
"I can't eat that, but that's okay."
| Self-Protection
|
"I will eat what I want as long as it's good for me."
| Breaking Free From Danger & Loving Self
|
"I treated myself because I've dieted well."
| No Guilt & Rewarding Self
|
"I can control myself."
| Power, Strength & Self-Control
|
Remember that whichever way you go, you will be depriving yourself in some way. Why not fill your mind with good habits and deprive it with the bad ones? Put your mind on a diet and learn not to feed those sabotaging thoughts to your mind.
Emotional Deprivation Disorder
Maybe beliefs are only a small part of your problem when it comes to feelings of deprivation. Maybe your issues run deeper. Emotional Deprivation Disorder occurs in many people, and food can be their outlet especially when dieting. Following are a few of the deprivations that actually come from childhood or long periods within life:
- Deprivation of Nurture. A lack of attention and/or physical affection; a need to be held and touched.
- Deprivation of Empathy. A lack of being listened to or understood; a need for someone to deeply care and understand one's feelings.
- Deprivation of Protection. A lack of being protected or guided; a need to feel loved.
Instead of dealing with the actual issues, people tend to self-medicate with food. If this is you, there is help and hope. Learning what triggers binging, overeating, cheating, or the overwhelming feelings of deprivation will help you understand more about your emotions and gives you an opportunity to deal with them head on.
A journal can be a very useful tool to learn what emotions need to be worked on. Keep a pocket journal and pen with you at all times. When you get the feelings of deprivation, jot down a few notes of what was going on in your life right before those feelings. Also, list whether you gave into those feelings with food. After a few weeks, read through your journal. You most likely will find a pattern. When you do, you will be able to work on those emotions in a more productive way.

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About the author
Abby Campbell, BSc, SFN, SSN, CPT, is a leading professional fitness and nutrition expert, researcher, and published author. For the past 10 years, she has coached thousands of women locally and online to lose body fat and lead healthy lifestyles. Her clients have lost thousands of pounds, reclaimed health, and call her “Coach No Gimmick.” She is from Northern Virginia but now resides near Charlotte, North Carolina. Abby has been married for 20 years and has three grown daughters, one of which is autistic. She is a 19 year cancer survivor.
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