So...what IS your relationship with food?

Just got back from Memphis and was at a loss for a topic for this weeks blog, but talking with another food-lovin'/hatin'  person gave me an idea! :)

We talked not only about how food is always on our minds but why food is always on our minds. We talked about our relationship with food.  

Some people gain weight because they just eat more than they burn. For them, there is little or no emotional attachment...they drop their portions and they drop weight.

But for many of us food becomes so much more than the sustenance it once was when we were infants.  The moment we began to actively take part in our own lives, the experiences we had, and the people we had those experiences with, began to shape, and often change, our relationship with food.  

My sustenance-only relationship with food changed the moment I started eating solid food!  

Seriously, I grew up in a family where the topic of conversation at lunch was what to eat for supper! And, my parents and grandmother came from homes that had to ration food so having lots to eat meant success.  Oh, and did I mention we owned, and lived in, a general store??  We never ran our to food.  Both my parents worked 6 long days a week in the store, so when I was bored, or tired, or cranky...the fix-all was food.  And then when I was old enough to be allowed to get my own food from the store, I self-medicated with food.  I was not allowed to help my self to candy so I quickly learned if I baked cakes and cookies no one would monitor my intake.  And if ice cream was in our family freezer, it too good to go!

So, I can sum up my current and past relationship with food:

1. never run out - I'm not so stressed out by this one now; I'm confident each day will contain food.:)

2. always know when the next meal is coming - I now know planning and obsessing are two different     things.

3. food solves problems - Well, this one's a no brainer, right??

Do any of these describe your relationship with food??

 So take a moment to think about what exactly your relationship entails...it may not be fun, it may be painful but you cannot solve a problem without identifying it first.