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Greetings,  Salad-Swisher :)

Tell-Tale Signs of An Overeater…

How can you know if you are an overeater or not? Well, ultimately, it’s really up to you to decide whether you choose to identify yourself that way. In this section I’ll give some pointers about the typical behaviour and classic thought patterns of those who eat compulsively and to excess. You can read it over, see if you ‘tick any boxes’ and decide for yourself.

Do Any of These Sound Familiar?
*I am overweight or obese.
(Many overeaters are either overweight or obese. However - not all overeaters carry signs of their addiction so visibly. Some may be a standard weight for their size, yet still have compulsive issues with food.)

*A great deal of my time and energy is directed towards food. I find it difficult to be present with people or concentrate on activities because my thoughts are preoccupied with food.

*I eat in secret, binge-eat, fluctuate between bingeing and deprivation, eat when I’m not hungry, hide food wrappers, am dishonest about what I’ve eaten, find I start eating and feel like I ‘just can’t stop’ and so on.

*I eat moderately in front of others, then ‘make up for it’ in private with binges, especially on refined sugars and processed starches: ice cream, cakes, cookies, chips, etc.

*I feel compelled to eat everything available - I do not want to ‘waste’ anything, so I eat everything on my plate, often picking scraps/leftovers from fellow diners too.

*When I eat, my mood changes perceptibly - I use food for comfort, to pacify myself, deal with stress, reward myself, celebrate and so on. During and afterwards, I might feel guilt, shame, remorse, fear, self-disgust and more.

*I live in a crazy internal landscape where an obsession with slimness and body image exists in constant battle with the compulsion to eat. I typically look for a solution in endless cycles of dieting and weigh myself frequently.

*I might be very ‘particular’ and rigid, almost ritualistic, about the circumstances in which I want to eat. I may get upset and angry if the situation doesn’t seem to fit my ideal.
(This is not to be confused with having simple preferences, such as blessing food before eating. The pattern described above tends to be more specific and uncompromising, indicating a strong attachment to eating habits.)

I remember when I first looked over a similar list to this, I could identify with almost every characteristic of overeating listed. Yet I thought little of it. I really didn’t realise that this kind of relationship with food might be considered imbalanced.

It was only when I asked my partner at that time if he identified with these traits and discovered that he answered ‘no’ to almost every item that the strangeness of my own behaviour finally struck me. Other people didn’t do these things… This came as a surprise to me and I tried to imagine how different their relationship must be to food. To not spend a large portion of the day thinking about food (what, when and how to eat next); feeling able to leave food on the plate if full or to refuse food if not hungry; being able to keep and eat a bar of chocolate over a number of days, rather than wolfing the whole thing down in seconds - how different life would be if I were to behave like that.

“For the overeater, one compulsive bite of food is too many
and a thousand is never enough.”
--‘Overeaters Anonymous’ saying

You cannot fill an aching spiritual chasm with something physical. With hindsight, the fact that I didn’t even realise that my relationship with food was odd speaks volumes to me about how overeating is so glossed-over and even ‘mainstream’ in our societies. Whereas known alcoholics are unlikely to find people offering them drinks, food is something that people commonly share with others, obese overeaters included. As I have said, I consider addiction to highly processed foods and overeating to be among the most common addictions in the modern world. It’s so common in fact that it’s barely seen as unusual or even acknowledged. Plus, there is also the chance that if the eating pattern of one person in a community is called into question, others might fear (consciously or subconsciously) that the spotlight will be turned on their own eating patterns and they therefore avoid the topic completely.

Our Latest Tour Dates in N. America

Mr. Monarch's Spectacular September Offers

September is upon us and with it comes the following lengthy list of new special deals at TheRawFoodWorld.com - ENJOY :)

The following specials are available until September 30th...

Creamy Raw Almond Butter, 16oz - $13.97, Normally $19.95 - with 7% coup0n $12.99, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $12.29

[3-pack] Creamy Raw Almond Butter - $37.71, Normally $59.85 - with 7% coup0n $35.07, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $33.18

Chia Seeds, 16oz - $4.87, Normally $6.95 - with 7% coup0n $4.52, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $4.28

[3-pack] Chia Seeds - $13.14, Normally $20.85 - with 7% coup0n $12.22, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $11.56

Tahini, 16oz - $10.47, Normally $14.95 - with 7% coup0n $9.73, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $9.21

[3-pack] Tahini - $28.26, Normally $44.85 - with 7% coup0n $26.28, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $24.87

Cafe Gratitude Chocolate Fudge w/Candied Walnuts, 2.6oz - $5.57, Normally $7.95 - with 7% coup0n $5.18, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $4.90

Cafe Gratitude Lemon Cookies, 5oz - $5.57, Normally $7.95 - with 7% coup0n $5.18, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $4.90

Cafe Gratitude Thumbprint Cookies, 3.6oz - $5.57, Normally $7.95 - with 7% coup0n $5.18, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $4.90

[3-pack] Cafe Gratitude Cookies (1 of each flavor) - $15.03, Normally $23.85 - with 7% coup0n $13.98, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $13.23

Stainless Steel Water Bottle, 1L - $11.89, Normally $16.99 - with 7% coup0n $11.06, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $10.47

[3-pack] Stainless Steel Water Bottle - $32.11, Normally $50.97 - with 7% coup0n $29.86, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $28.26

Overcoming the Food Imprint DVD, Valya Boutenko - $5, Normally $19.95 - with 7% coup0n $4.65, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $4.40

Raw Food Works, Various Authors - $9.95, Normally $22 - with 7% coup0n $9.25, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $8.76

Medicinal Herbs

[9-pack] Medicinal Herb (1 of each Herb) - $95.08, Normally $150.92 - with 7% coup0n $88.42, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $83.67

Mucuna, 2oz - $9.24, Normally $15.40 - with 7% coup0n $8.59, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $8.13

[3-pack] Mucuna 2oz - $24.95, Normally $46.20 - with 7% coup0n $23.20, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $21.95

Mucuna, 16oz - $58.57, Normally $117.14 - with 7% coup0n $54.47, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $51.54

[3-pack] Mucuna 16oz - $158.14, Normally $351.42 - with 7% coup0n $147.07, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $139.16

Shilajit, 2oz - $12.61, Normally $21.02 - with 7% coup0n $11.73, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $11.10

[3-pack] Shilajit 2oz - $34.06, Normally $63.06 - with 7% coup0n $31.67, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $29.97

Shilajit, 16oz - $72.22, Normally $144.43 - with 7% coup0n $67.16, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $63.55

[3-pack] Shilajit 16oz - $233.97, Normally $433.29 - with 7% coup0n $217.59, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $205.90

Amla Extract, 2oz - $8.30, Normally $13.84 - with 7% coup0n $7.72, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $7.31

[3-pack] Amla Extract 2oz - $22.42, Normally $41.52 - with 7% coup0n $20.85, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $19.73

Ashwagandha Extract, 2oz - $5.20, Normally $8.66 - with 7% coup0n $4.83, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $4.57

[3-pack] Ashwagandha Extract 2oz - $14.03, Normally $25.98 - with 7% coup0n $13.05, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $12.35

Bacopa Monreri, 2oz - $16.56, Normally $27.60 - with 7% coup0n $15.40, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $14.57

[3-pack] Bacopa Monreri 2oz - $44.71, Normally $82.80 - with 7% coup0n $41.58, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $39.35

Holy Basil, 2oz - $7.70, Normally $12.84 - with 7% coup0n $7.16, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $6.78

[3-pack] Holy Basil 2oz - $20.80, Normally $38.52 - with 7% coup0n $19.34, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $18.30

Tribulus Terrestris Saponins, 2oz - $4.87, Normally $8.11 - with 7% coup0n $4.53, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $4.28

[3-pack] Tribulus Terrestris Saponins 2oz - $13.14, Normally $24.33 - with 7% coup0n $12.22, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $11.56

Valerian Extract, 2oz - $9.56, Normally $15.94 - with 7% coup0n $8.89, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $8.42

[3-pack] Valerian Extract 2oz - $25.82, Normally $47.82 - with 7% coup0n $24.01, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $22.72

Turmeric, 2oz - $19.26, Normally $27.51 - with 7% coup0n $17.91, and 12% 'Inner Circle' coup0n $16.95

To access these offers, click the link below, or type - hnymn - in the search box at the top right hand corner of www.TheRawFoodWorld.com.

Click Here For "At Cost" Specials
Additionally, you can redeem this coup0n at www.TheRawFoodWorld.com by typing in - HONEYMOON - in the coup0n number section, to get an additional 7% off your order. This coup0n will be good through September 30th, 2010 and can be redeemed at: www.TheRawFoodWorld.com

You can get 12% off your order and ALL FUTURE ORDERS by joining the Inner Circle Community HERE for ONLY $9.97 a month.

WIN A Copy of Ani Phyo's New Book - Last Few Days :)

Thank you for ALL the amazing entries already submitted for this month's giveaway (over 300 entries already ;O...) In case you haven't sent in *your* answer yet, we're into the last few days for this contest, which closes on September the 3rd...so get your entries in quick if you'd love to win - here are deets again:

I am *thrilled* to say that the RawReform Giveaway Prize this month is a brand new, shiny copy of dear raw si*star* Ani Phyo's latest book "Ani's Raw Food Essentials" - yeeeeeeeee-HAH :)
Ani's first raw book "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen" has long been my favourite raw recipe book and now I'm wondering if this new "Essentials" book might take over that position...those of you who are familiar with Ani's work will know what an absolute expert she is in creating simple, delicious raw meals with few ingredients, yet lots of flavour and love...she produces such gorgeous food and stylish books - love her work ;) ...and now you can win a FREE copy of her latest book - YAY :)
To be in with a chance of winning this lovely addition to your library, just send in your answer to the following Q to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it :

"What is *your* 'essential' raw food recipe
that you love to make?"

Send your entires in by September the 3rd to be in with a chance of winning...the winner shall be picked at random and with joy shortly thereafter...enjoy ;)

~ With butterfly flutters of joy... :) ~

Angela Stokes-Monarch. xxx

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RawReform - The Natural Way to Weight Loss
http://www.RawReform.com
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Online Store: http://www.TheRawFoodWorld.com
Blog: http://rawreform.blogspot.com
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