Dear Open,

I read this as I am contemplating going on a two week cleanse which has at it's heart a mono diet of khichri( lentils and rice) . I did this a few months back and while many cravings reduced ,some of them came back.

When I do this consciously experiencing my feelings though ,it's far more effective. In my case ,my desire to have desserts has almost disappeared. There could be tubs of ice cream at home and I am not drawn at all. Don't feel like eating cakes etc either. This is a massive change for me because I was even a year back a classic comfort eater . For me many contractions were about body image ,deep grief and unmet childhood needs. As I learn to Be with all these dynamics within ,it gets so much easier.

After the cleanse I am hoping to be able to do at least 16 hour intermittent fasting . As you say ,it's about learning to experience satiation without food which is such a conditioned reflex. I'm also mindful to be very very kind to myself whilst transitioning . The very rigid 'dieting' of my younger days just seemed to reinforce the feelings of lovelessness that started the comfort eating in the first place .

Learning to see it as a spiral ,helps me a lot !

Hoping this helps someone out there ,trying to break cycles of comfort eating

Megha