Hello
Ashley Compton
I thought it was about time that I introduce myself. I am Ashley
Compton, Sarah's sister- joining this not only out of support of what
she and Yiska have created, but also to address some of the issues
that I have personally been dealing with in regards to my relationship
with food.
Over the past two years, since i have graduated from college and
started working, I have gained- what I consider- a considerable amount
of weight. I struggled with my relationship with food and weight
fluctuations the 5 years prior and maybe somewhat throughout my life.
My main issue, which is sort of all-encompassing has been eating not
from hunger but almost anything else. I get low blood sugar so I
often eat out of fear that I will get dizzy or weak; I eat when bored
or unsettled- which is often at work; I am a fervent planner- so I eat
meals at meal time- no matter if I have snacked up until then; I eat
out of entitlement, ie "that person is eating that, I should not
deprive myself of the same;" and like many women- I eat out of anxiety
and/or stress.
I think one or two of these issues would not be so harmful, but having
to deal with all at the same time makes my eating habits and weight
gain or maintenance spin "out of control," or at least that's how it
feels.
I was actually on week 5 of the workbook 3 weeks ago, and was having a
great and successful time with it. Having had lost and maintained 10
pounds in the spring and then gaining most of it back; I was able to
get back down to that -10 pound benchmark by exploring my habits and
myself with the workbook. Between stress at work and moving, I have
completely put the workbook down (somewhere amongst my moving boxes)
and see a lot of the "issues" creeping up once more. I am eager to
get back into it and Sarah has suggested starting at week 1 again.
I have trouble with maintenance in general, so I look forward to
continued support from this e-community. The one thing I was not
making time for daily which I view as a setback, was the 10 minutes of
meditation. Having medidated before, I know how it offers much
clarity; but I was being very resistent to the quiet during those 5
weeks.
I plan to begin fully starting on Monday and look forward to offering
and receiving support.
Take care and thanks for listening/reading,
Ashley