What is eatonomy?

eatonomy: the ability to make decisions about what, when and how much to eat based on personal instincts and preferences, independent from external influence, direction or control.

Nov 12, 2018Feb 9, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan, eatonomy® ~ 19 Comments

I started turning to food when I was around 12 years old. My emotional attachment to it had begun before that but I was about 12 when I started to binge habitually, in secret, to the point that I felt sick. As a result, I began to put on weight.

At 19, I did what we’re told to do if you want to lose weight – I started dieting. The restriction of dieting only served to ramp up my binge eating. With every diet, I’d lose weight and put it back on, and a bit more besides. As my weight increased further, my self-esteem, which had always been really low, plummeted even further. Continue reading “What is eatonomy?” →

How Does Writing Help Us Heal?

Aug 12, 2018Jan 27, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan, eatonomy® ~ 29 Comments

Does it sometimes feel as though your thoughts are like a thousand out-of-control driverless express trains simultaneously zipping through a labyrinth of tiny tunnels in your mind?

If so, you’re not alone.

People whose eating is emotion-driven often describe themselves as “overthinkers” – they’re so consumed by their thoughts that eating is the only way they find respite from the turmoil in their heads (that and going to sleep).

But how do you start making sense of your thoughts when they’re whizzing by so fast you can’t grab hold of any of them? Where do you even begin?

In my experience, the best way is to get a paper and a pen and start writing.

Continue reading “How Does Writing Help Us Heal?” →

What’s The First Thing You Say to Yourself in the Morning?

May 20, 2018Jan 27, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan, eatonomy® ~ 19 Comments

The alarm clock goes off.

Your eyes flutter open.

Still drowsy from sleep, you turn over and glance up to see someone who looks remarkably like Senior Drill Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from “Full Metal Jacket” standing over your bed.

He stares down at you, face like stone, eyes cold and unblinking, as he barks:

“Rise and shine, scumbag! Today you will eat healthy food and nothing but healthy food! You will exercise for precisely one hour – I do not give a rat’s ass about your so-called tendinitis! You will complete everything on your extensive “to do” list! I do not care if you did not sleep well or think you might have a case of the sniffles! There will be no excuses and no complaining! You will comply with these orders because your ass is mine!”.

Continue reading “What’s The First Thing You Say to Yourself in the Morning?” →

How Do You Handle Setbacks?

Apr 22, 2018Jan 27, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan, eatonomy® ~ 8 Comments

“It was going really well and now it’s not and I’m just so annoyed and angry with myself.”

This is something I hear a lot.

I understand.

You’ve been doing really well listening to your body about when you’re hungry, what you feel like eating and when you’ve had enough. You’ve been leaving food on your plate (something you thought you’d never do); you’ve turned down ice-cream because you didn’t feel like it (unheard of) and you ate just one brownie rather than devouring the whole batch (say whaaat?!).

Continue reading “How Do You Handle Setbacks?” →

Why Am I Doing This To Myself?

Feb 18, 2018Jan 27, 2023 ~ Julie de Rohan, eatonomy® ~ 11 Comments

Trigger warning: binge eating, abuse, trauma.

After I’d finished yet another secret binge.
After I’d made myself feel sick from the vast quantity of food I’d eaten.
After I’d told myself how weak and pathetic I was.
After I’d hated myself with utter conviction.

As I sat alone in physical and emotional pain, this is the question I would ask myself over and over again.

Continue reading “Why Am I Doing This To Myself?” →