Hello Brooke,

After listening to your podcast since the very beginning and much hesitation, I’ve joined your programme. I am not regretting it! Thanks for the great material that I’ve been inhaling for two weeks now.

I focus on over-eating as it has been an issue for me for 26 years now (I’m 42 years old). I’m very happy to report that I follow my protocol easily when on my own and that I have a lot of fun recording urges and collecting them on a list on my phone. I’m up to 56 now and they’re just passing thoughts.

However, I still struggle with social times. For instance, yesterday evening at a potluck I had decided to taste a little bit of everything that appealed to me: a piece of tortilla, a tablespoonful of tabouli, one muffin… And it worked, until I was done tasting everything and went for a second round… and then a third round. I did a thought download afterwards and realised that if I hadn’t had the other rounds of a little bit of everything, I would have felt uncomfortable, not knowing what to do with myself among my friends, hoping no one would ask me anything and that I wouldn’t have had to speak. I feel shy and vulnerable among people, even when I know and like them. Here’s the solution I have found: next time, I could still follow my plan of a little bit of everything but I would pause between each bite by putting my fork down so that it would only be one round. What do you think?

I also realise I wouldn’t have had the same problem if I had been with only one friend instead of several. Because yesterday, even if I knew intellectually that I had enough to eat, I couldn’t feel it. And yet, the good news is that as soon as I was on my own again, I could feel my overfull stomach. And it hurt. What do you make of it? Why am I so disconnected among friends at the dinner table? I see it as progress though, because I used to feel completely disconnected all the time. And I so want to feel my hunger and satisfaction all the time and take them into account. What could I do to make it happen?
Thanks!