This is a recovery tool for getting over Food Addiction or Binge Eating; it’s probably one of the most important tools.
Dieters tend to plan to lose weight for something in the future….the celebration, the holiday, the job interview, etc. This type of goal focuses on the future and it is this which can cause many people to relapse. The simple concept of taking things One Day At A Time is that the person trying to recover from overeating has to think about what they need to do for that day only. They do not have to project further forward than that. They have to concentrate on the next 24 hours and nothing else. This eliminates a lot of the fear associated with goal setting around weight loss. It is kinder and less demanding which is crucial to eliminate the shame and guilt associated with failing to lose weight.
The principle of the 24hour programme is that the 24hours can start at anytime. If you have binged at breakfast then it is essential that you get back on to your healthy eating plan immediately. If you hold on to a traditional “dieting” way of thinking, you might go through a thought process something like this, “I binged at breakfast so what is the point? I may as well say I’ve blown it and start again tomorrow (or on Monday!)”. And before you know it, you’ve grazed and binged all day and woken up the next day so shameful that you might start the whole binge cycle again, and again. This cognitive shift in thinking is one of the most fundamental and important changes that is essential for recovery from a food addiction disorder.
The goal then can be really simple, what do I need to achieve today to continue my journey of recovery? More on Food Addiction and Binge Eating.
