Jewish Musings, Monday May 13

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:
Frieda (hopefully)?
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[louise]

You all know I have been hopelessly in love with my therapist for years. The healthier I get the more my ability to love has increased so it has been a tough albeit productive road. Now all (most?) of us have used food to push down emotions at one time or another. Well, I was determined to push him out of my heart and I believe that’s what brought me to this last round of weight gain. I was afraid that when I gave up the food I would be overwhelmed by the feelings again. That’s not what happened. Sure, I feel the feelings, but I finally understand viscerally and emotionally what I only understood intellectually before – the food and the heartbreak are completely separate and one cannot help the other.

Every now and then we reach a point when we have to rethink things and change our approach in order to move on. I remember being at a New Year’s workshop and someone saying “let go or get dragged.” Somehow that sounds defensive rather than victorious but there’s a nugget in there. I look forward to your own stories about one of those “moments”, one of those turning points.

PS there's also a lesson there for me about tolerating discomfort. 

[gazelle18]

In my (very long) WLJ, I have had several turning points. One in particular is standing out to me today. I was once at an in-person WW meeting. One participant was complaining that she always got hungry around 4 pm, and had a hard time “lasting” until her dinner, at 6 pm. As I expected, the WW leader had some ready suggestions: “Drink a big glass of water. Have a couple of carrots. Take a walk. Read a book. Get in the shower.” (In other words, I thought, do something to distract you, or dumb down those feelings of hunger.)

In the back of the room, one brave lady said something like this: “Have you ever wondered if it is ok to just feel hungry for a couple of hours? Unless you are TRULY starving, a little hunger is not going to kill you. It’s ok to feel hungry, especially if you know your next meal is in 2 hours. Ain’t the end of the world.”

The WW leader was uncomfortable. The hungry lady looked surprised. I thought it was brilliant.

This was a sort of turning point for me. Hunger is sometimes emotional, sometimes physical, and sometimes both. But in our society of abundance, hunger is rarely fatal. In fact, it is rarely more than just a little uncomfortable.

[lee058]

Good afternoon everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Re today's topic: Personally, I feel hungry every few hours, and find nothing wrong in eating something. It doesn't have to be a huge meal.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[peachymom1]

Lynne, I love that story. When I get up at 4:20 a.m. on gym days, I usually feel at least a little hungry, and I'm tempted to have something before I go to the gym. But then I remind myself that (a) I'm probably just thirsty, and I'll have a quart of water with me at the gym; (b) it's OK to feel hungry, since I'll have a good breakfast after my workout; and (c) if I were still asleep, I wouldn't know I was hungry, so I might as well ignore it! Works every time!