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John
Member
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Posted: 8 Apr 2006 10:00 pm |
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I've been thinking about, and wrestling with, impulse control lately, when an interesting article appeared in Tuesday's NYTs Science section, titled, Living on Impulse , by Benidict Carey. A detailed look at behavioral studies that look at impulse control.
Carey writes, "In recent years, studies have linked impulsiveness to higher risks of smoking, drinking and drug abuse. People who attempt suicide score highly on measures of impulsivity, as do adolescents with eating problems. Aggression, compulsive gambling, severe personality disorders and attention deficit problems are all associated with high impulsiveness, a problem that affects an estimated 9 percent of Americans, according to a nationwide mental health survey completed last year."
I'm surprised that he mentions only adolescents with eating disorders as I'd wager impulse control to be at least a factor in all eating disorders that are behavioral in nature.
Carey goes on, "Now researchers have begun to resolve the contrary nature of impulsivity, identifying the elements that distinguish benign experimentation from self-destructive acts. The latest work, in brain research and psychological studies, helps explain how impulsive tendencies develop and when they can lead people astray. A potent combination of genes and emotionally disorienting early experiences puts people at high risk, as do some very familiar personal instincts.
This article can probably be accessed through Sunday at the NYTs website and though you may have to register, it is well worth the few minutes that takes: nytimes.com/pages/science/index.html . I have saved it in a file and can PM it to anyoone who wishes.
I haven't read Malcolm Glaldwell's Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking but I couldn't help think about his book's premises in the context of impulse control. Gladwell tries to make a case for the "gut reaction" the instinctual response versus the thought over, over analyzed process of decision making.
Now, me, I've been irrationally hungry all day, for something sinful, something salty, with a lot of fat, meaty, maybe even crunchy, and though I know I have my radishes and celery sticks handy in the fridge, I don't know if I can hold out. Wish me luck with my !%#*% impulse control.
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Peter
Founder of this forum
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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| Posts: | 4180 |
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Posted: 9 Apr 2006 06:27 am |
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I believe -- having been influenced by the description of true and false hunger in the book Eat To Live -- that craving salt and fat are often simple withdrawal symptoms. I'm not sure what you've been eating, so I can't say if it applies to your last paragraph. But I think it's often the case.
Crunchy? The radishes and celery sticks will solve that! ;)
Peter
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NevD
New Member
| Joined: | 26 Oct 2005 |
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| Posts: | 1536 |
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Posted: 9 Apr 2006 12:30 pm |
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'Impulse control' can be helped by written goals and affirmations.
Also by making sure that your weight loss plan doesn't leave you hungry most of the time. When I lost my unwanted weight, I ate 6 times a day and didn't feel hungry. That really helps those unwanted impulses to 'flat-line'!
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wm
Senior Member
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Posted: 9 Apr 2006 05:04 pm |
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I read that article on Tuesday and was also surprised at the apparent focus on adolescent eating disorders. I am sure the same mechanisms apply to adults.
It reminded me of a book recommended by Dr. Fuhrman that I impulsively purchased a couple of years ago but which has sat unopened on my bookshelf, The Pleasure Trap, by Douglas J. Lisle, Ph.D. and Alan Goldhamer, D.C. The dust flap says the authors "...provide a fascinating new perspective on how modern life can turn so many smart, savvy people into the the unwitting saboteurs of their own well-being."
It goes on to say that "people who are chronically overweight, sick and ailing, or junk food junkies aren't that way because they're lazy, undisciplined, or stuck with bad genes...most are victims of a dilemma that harkens back to our prehistoric past?σΤιΌΤΗΨ'the Pleasure Trap'."
Thanks to the NYT article I have taken the book off the shelf with renewed interest. Anyone interested in reading a description of the book and its premises can do so at http:// drfuhrman.com/library/article16.aspx.
Last edited on 9 Apr 2006 05:05 pm by wm
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Hiba
New Member
| Joined: | 28 Mar 2006 |
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| Posts: | 38 |
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Posted: 9 Apr 2006 07:24 pm |
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| I find it interesting that I look at my family history and everyone is either an alcoholic and/or overweight. Who would have guessed that those two could go together.
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LattesMom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 19 Apr 2006 05:58 pm |
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| OK--that brings to mind an interesting question. Since alcoholism is an illness, does that mean if we are compulsive about eating we also have an illness?
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Chocoholic
Senior Member
| Joined: | 29 Apr 2005 |
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| Posts: | 341 |
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Posted: 20 Apr 2006 02:55 am |
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John wrote: Carey writes, "In recent years, studies have linked impulsiveness to higher risks of smoking, drinking and drug abuse. People who attempt suicide score highly on measures of impulsivity, as do adolescents with eating problems. Aggression, compulsive gambling, severe personality disorders and attention deficit problems are all associated with high impulsiveness, a problem that affects an estimated 9 percent of Americans, according to a nationwide mental health survey completed last year.
Hmm. Yeah, I was always the perfect kid who never got into trouble, got perfect grades and was all the adults' favourite. I just turned to binge eating (and restricting) instead of binge drinking, and that was the difference between the model teenager and the delinquent, which is sad for both me and this hypothetical "bad kid." We have essentially the same problem, but I don't get help because mine isn't recognized as a problem, and he doesn't get help because he is rejected by society. 
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Peter
Founder of this forum
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| Posts: | 4180 |
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Posted: 20 Apr 2006 02:49 pm |
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LattesMom, it has become very popular to call everything an illness. Drinking, gambling, overeating.
One reason is so that you don't beat yourself up over it so much; another is so that medical insurance will cover it, as now many policies cover obesity.
The catch is that you don't want to excuse your actions as an illness so that you no longer feel you have any responsibility.
If you have responsibility, you have choice. And you can choose to stop doing bad behaviors.
Since I was a baby, no one has every put food into my mouth except... me!
Just my thoughts on the subject,
Peter
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Chocoholic
Senior Member
| Joined: | 29 Apr 2005 |
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| Posts: | 341 |
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Posted: 20 Apr 2006 05:58 pm |
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I know what you mean. When I took a special ed class last year (I'm an elementary ed major) and they talked about ADHD, the controversy over the definitions of learning disabilities and mental retardation, and all of that sort of thing it really made me realise that we are all different in so many ways that is almost impossible to define "normal." We have different ratios of chemicals in our brains, different experiences, etc. and sometimes it becomes so difficult to determine where circumstance ends and mental illness begins that I started to question whether psychological problems are really "diseases" at all. Sure, some people, for perfectly demonstrable biological reasons, are more compulsive, more inattentive, more aggressive, or whatever, but they also have the ability to control that, with varying degrees of difficulty. At what point do we want to start calling it a "disorder" and giving them medicine?
With myself, I tend to agree with Peter that it is my own problem and I need to take responsibility for my own actions and get my life under control. Then again, I tend to think that everything is my responsibility (and, consequently, my fault when it goes wrong) which is part of the personality of the typical perfectionist, control-freak eating-disorder girl, so... I think it depends on what you are calling "normal" and where you place the threshold for an "illness."
WOW that was long, sorry for rambling! 
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LattesMom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 20 Apr 2006 06:43 pm |
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| I was definitely thinking in terms that if it is an illness there is something going on that is mysterious and out of my control and I just don't feel that way about my eating. I do feel it is a choice and have proved that to myself the last couple of weeks. I just remember in years past that when I hit a really low weight I would have this uncontrollable urge to binge on sweets until I hit a more comfortable weight (my setpoint??) and that makes me wonder about the physiology aspect of weight. I think too that there were many environmental factors--like stress from work, school, relationships, etc. Anyway, I really appreciate the validation, Peter, that I CAN control my eating and don't have to give in to every impulse!
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Peter
Founder of this forum
| Joined: | 24 May 2005 |
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Posted: 21 Apr 2006 05:52 am |
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It is also important to remember that we weren't born with our bad habits. We learned them, and we can unlearn them.
Howerver, it took years for us to learn them. So we shouldn't beat up on ourselves when we can't change them overnight.
http://www.thelegacywebsite.com/news_050928.html
Peter
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LattesMom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 21 Apr 2006 08:48 pm |
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Believe me, Peter, after 30 years of being in the various stages of change Megan talks about in the URL you sent--contemplation, action, etc.--I'm ready to get to the maintenance! I used to beat myself up unmercifully for my lack of impulse control when it came to food. I don't do that anymore because it just doesn't do any good! I'm trying to take care of the reasons I had the impulse in the first place--stress, frustration, loneliness, boredom, anger, celebration, getting too hungry, wanting to please others--I could go on and on.
It IS a slow process making permanant change, but I am trying to be patient with myself, and I am very happy to be on this road and not off in the ditch of despair!
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John
Member
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Posted: 27 Apr 2006 03:41 pm |
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Interesting comments on compulsive disorders and their dynamic. I have a few cents to throw in for what they miay be worth.
Willpower and brain/body chemistry.
Willpower, the limits of, -- willpower can only take you so far. An athlete cannot will himself to be as great a hoopster as Michael Jordan no matter how much he trains or practices. And will power alone cannot make you thin, though it is essential to overcoming the obstacles that prevent people from getting healthy.
My point is that people can try, try try, and their efforts might not be rewarded the way they wish: it is here that disappointment, guilt and self-blame kick in and when people begin beating up on themselves. They're aiming the blame in the wrong direction. There may be nothing/no one to blame. Just the world's arbitrairness.
You cannot will yourself to success. Will power will take you only so far. Your weight is rarely a failure of will.
It is important to remember the role brain/body chemistry plays in how you feel and behave on an everyday basis. Some days are better than others. Some days "we float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," and some days we cannot pick up a fork without dropping it or drink a glass of water without spilling it, and we feel terrible, tired and without energy and we hate ourselves for it, though we probably never pat ourselves on the back for the days when we are at our best.
It helps sometimes to remember that brain chemistry carries a large responsibility for the way we feel. It helps me to remember on a bad day or during a bad period, "Well, that is brain chemistry at work, an illusion--I'm not really as bad a person as I'm making myself out to be, I'm just feeling that way temporarily, because of the way my brain chemistry is at the moment. Maybe cutting out sugar or caffeine for a few days or alcohol or trying to get some better sleep will help me get the chemistry back in order. Perhaps medication may help. Maybe it is just a screwy day. But it is not because "I am a bad person." that I feel bad, it is not some punishment."
I suspect depression/anxiety underlies many disorders of a compulsive nature from AHDD to eating disorders, and depression almost always has to do with brain chemistry. Understanding brain (and body) chemistry may take some of the load off of your conscience and provide you with more patience and self -understanding and forgivness.
Most important of all, I agree, that it is vital to take personal responsibility for the way we feel and the way we behave. One way of taking responsibility is to seek out legitimate information so as to better inform ourselves about what is gong on in our bodies, and that includes, of course, the brain. Knowledge is power, they say, and with knowledge you can develop the techniques that will work for you personally.
That's why this site/forum is such a great resource of information. It's an entire community, self-supporting, on the road to success.
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LattesMom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 27 Apr 2006 06:17 pm |
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So, John, I meant to ask you if you made it through that Saturday with just the celery and radishes? If not I am sure you have discovered by now that you feel much better and stronger because, indeed, that was just a bad day :?.
I feel really good today, but Tuesday and Wednesday were a real struggle ! I was feeling really bad yesterday because I told myself I was not going to eat the homemade carrot cake a co-worker brought in, and then I ate it anyway, along with a chocolate bar. I just felt like a failure that I could not avoid that impulse. But this morning I had a new perspective and wondered why on earth I had that much emotional drama over what was probably not more than 750 calories! In the big picture it is not going to derail my weight loss! My tendency in the past was to "talk trash" to myself and let a slip like that become an excuse to give up completely. I think I am going to try the "brain chemistry" self talk next time because for me it is SOOOOO true--if I just wait awhile or "sleep on it" I will feel so much better!
What I'm finding is that I am incredibly impatient when it comes to my pleasurable "wants" and I "want it now" whether it be a relationship, a home decorating item, a book or CD, or FOOD! As an adult I've tended to structure my life so that I can fulfill those wants without harm to myself or others--although in the past I got into trouble with my budget because I had a hard time telling myself "no" if, for example, I saw some dishes I wanted but certainly did not need and at the time had no budget for! Now I have some ill effects from the weight I've gained in not curbing my "wants" when it came to food--it's harder to attract guys and my knees kill me when I walk up stairs and I can't wear the kind of clothes I would like to, etc!
Has anyone else struggled with their "wants" and beng too impatient to tell themselves no?
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CapeCoddess
New Member
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Posted: 27 Apr 2006 10:14 pm |
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So I guess we could say that chemistry induced moods are like the weather in Miami. Don't like it? Wait a few minutes and it'll change.
It's fun to step back and watch our minds at work, to be the silent observer. Eckhart Tolle says in "Stillness Speaks", "When you can laugh at your mind that means enlightenment is happening!"
That being said, I definately struggle with wants and have trouble telling my self no...in the food department, fer sure. That's why I need plans in place to 'break the spell' of a binge.
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LattesMom
Distinguished Member
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Posted: 2 May 2006 05:32 pm |
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| Yikes! Someone brought in Krispy Kreme today! I went over to the main office for a meeting and there they were staring me in the face. Talk about an impulse control issue. Luckily I had made a commitment to my diet buddy not to eat sweets today so that carried me through and I'm sure they'll be gone quickly.
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