Meandering Thoughts of a Psychologist

*Food logs do not work for everyone…this may increase preoccupation with food for some individuals *Food logs can be used ongoing (if helpful for some people), but you may want to utilize a food log for an abbreviated amount of time. I think about it in terms of phases: Phase 1: (~1month) – Just observe and gain awareness about what you are eating and associated situations, emotions, and behaviors. Phase 2: (~3-6 months) – make lifestyle changes based on insights gathered from food log process and health goals. Phase 3: (Beyond 6 months) – transition slowly to mindful/intuitive eating (erratic eating habits, restriction and overindulgence should be regulated at this point) Phase 4: (Maintenance/Relapse Prevention) – return to food log if dysfunctional eating habits return Why keep a Food Log? *I actually call it a “thoughts/feelings/food/hunger” log, and I recommend the recovery record app if you are not a paper/pencil kind of person. I think you can also set reminde...

Having 3 small children of my own, I know (all too well) the temptation to use food in order to reinforce certain behaviors in children. Honestly, this sometimes seems like their only motivator, and I have been guilty of this myself on several occasions. Also, I believe you have to do what’s necessary to keep your own sanity as a parent, so if this is what works for you…keep on it, and maybe try to incorporate some additional reinforcers along the way. We are all in this together – moms and dads – and I’m just trying to share a little parenting info from the one area I somewhat understand. Before I share some suggestions, let’s all take a deep breath and have some empathy for our parents, for ourselves, and for our tiny little humans that sometimes drive us crazy. I’ll use my own experiences and statements to hopefully normalize these issues rather than pointing a finger about what actions contribute to disordered eating. I also need to clarify that eating disorders are the result...