Dr. Kathleen Fuller

I know what I really want for Christmas. I want my childhood back. Nobody is going to give me that ……I know it doesn’t make sense, but since when is Christmas about sense, anyway? It is about a child of long ago and far away, and it is about the child of now; in you and me waiting behind the door of our hearts for something wonderful to happen.
——Robert Fulghum
Here is what to do in the second of six articles that will give you the next step to be free from Inner Child memories lurking in your subconscious. The first Inner Child article is at http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com/article_21.html .
1. Gather photos of you as a small child.
2. Invite yourself to look deeply into your photo eyes and ask yourself to be aware of what you felt at that moment in your life. Make yourself safe in a private uninterrupted place to do this exercise.
3. Have a journal next to you. Then ask yourself what was going on around you, in your family, and in your environment at the age you were in the above photo. Put today’s date and note how old you were (you can guess if you don’t know exactly) and write whatever you remember using feeling words. Easy feeling words to use are angry, scared, sad, and happy.
4. Have a support friend that agrees to support you by not advising you but agreeing to be a good listener for you in this process as needed.

The following poem seems to clearly convey the feelings you might have if you grew up sensitive and in an unhealthy or chaotic home environment.

Auguries of Innocence by William Blake

Every Night and every Morn
Some to Misery are born.
Every Morn and Every Night
Some are born to Sweet Delight,
Some are born to Sweet Delight,
Some are born to Endless Night.
Some are born to Sweet Delight,

Contemplate Healing Your Inner Child

Find the answers to your eating issues in this book.

Can’t Stop Eating at Night? What Do You Do?
What if this is you? Imagine you have enjoyed a good dinner. However, in a short period of time the cravings start. You’ve had a nourishing dinner, but emotionally you are still feeling empty. Later you decide to sleep but you toss and turn trying to go to sleep but instead you lay awake with your stomach craving something. Can’t sleep? So you get up and go for favorite high calorie snack. This doesn’t happen just one time it happens infrequently throughout the night. By morning the extra food intake during the night inspires guilt and shame, which can again lead to avoidance of breakfast, helping to keep the cycle going.
Many individuals have feelings of shame because they don’t have control over food; night eating syndrome is a real disorder and you can get help. If something similar happens to you, you probably have night eating syndrome.
More Information on what is Night Eating Syndrome?
A person with night eating syndrome experiences a daily cycle with respect to food intake Understanding this cycle is the first step to being able to plan the gentle changes. After a large amount of food consumed during the night (33% or more of daily calories after dinner according to Stunkard AJ, Grace WJ, Wolf HG: The night-eating syndrome Am J Med 1955; 19:78–86), the person has no desire to eat much for breakfast. Minimum food intake continues through the day, while depression becomes more pronounced at the end of the day. A significant amount of food is consumed for dinner, but 33% or more of the food intake occurs after dinner and at one or more times during the night. This eating does not normally qualify as binging because it is usually occurs over several hours during the night.
During the nighttime, individuals with night eating syndrome have a decrease in the hormone that accompanies sleep, melatonin. Researchers have found that the drop in melatonin contributes to their sleep disturbances. (Go to my products page and click on Our Health Coop and order Melatonin. Our Health Coop has the best price you’ll find anywhere. http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com/products.html )
Who is at Risk of Developing Night Eating Syndrome?
Night-eating syndrome is thought to occur in 10% of obese people seeking treatment for their obesity.
Researchers have found that the triggers are:
1. Depression
2. Anxiety
3. Interpersonal stressors
4. Boredom
5. Prolonged dieting
6. Body image dissatisfaction

How is Night Eating Syndrome different from Binge Eating and Bulimia?

Relatively small snacks are frequently eaten that are high in calories at night. Individuals with binge eating disorder and/or bulimia consume large amounts of food in a short time frame. The binges may be infrequent.
Check out the Treatment Tips to decrease or eliminate night eating:
(one – two percent of the population has night eating syndrome, but the rate is as high as six percent among those who are obese. The emotionally charged eating tends to run in families with addictions according to The American Journal of Psychiatry.)
• Progressive muscle relaxation with affirmative healing statements have been shown to reduce symptoms associated with night eating syndrome Go to Food Impulse Control Hypnosis Mp3 downloads on my products page. http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com/products.html This MP3 download Food Impulse Control has shown to be successful in reducing symptoms associated with night eating syndrome
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• 5 HTP has shown to be helpful in reducing the carbohydrate cravings that can be a part of the night eating syndrome and 5-HTP addresses the stress by reducing the body’s need to release the stress hormone cortisol. The food consumed at late hours is often high-calorie, starchy food. Carbohydrates adjust the chemical balance in the brain, increasing serotonin levels. Increased serotonin, in turn, helps the person to sleep. 5HTP can do this without the weight gain and can be ordered here: (Go to my products page and click on Our Health Coop Banner at the top far right of that page and order 5-HTP. http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com/products.html Our Health Coop has the best price you’ll find anywhere.)
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• For hormonal issues, one way to combat night eating syndrome is to administer tryptophan. Tryptophan has a similar effect to carbohydrate consumption; it ultimately results in a raised level of serotonin. This is 5HTP and the link to order is: (Go to my products page and click on Our Health Coop Banner at the very top right of that page and order 5 HTP. http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com/products.html Our Health Coop has the best price you’ll find anywhere.)
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• Of course, it is also helpful to address the issues that create stress. This often calls for some form of mental health counseling. http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com/counseling.html
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• Structured nutritional meal plans are a means of reducing the episodes of dietary restriction and the urges to binge and purge, plus natural weight loss can happen. (See article link at )
1. Skipping meals is a trigger for night eating. Make a commitment to change and plan three meals a day.
2. Spread your calories out evenly over the day to avoid feeling overly hungry
3. Eat breakfast even if you don’t feel like it
4. Plan a healthy after dinner snack in a pre-portioned package
5. Eat a serving of whole grains with dinner
6. Adequate nutritional intake can prevent cravings and promote satiety (See article at)

The following are more practical suggestions to curb night eating
• Brush your teeth after dinner and after any snack
• Freeze dinner leftovers for lunch or next dinner so you don’t snack on them later
• Chew XyliChew Gum – Peppermint from a health food store (order from my resource pages scroll down to Peggy’s Natural Foods Banner http://www.notyourmothersdiet.com/resources.html
• Keep your kitchen free of junk food by making a grocery list of wholesome choices and buying them
• Find other activities like drawing, knitting, to keep your hands and mind preoccupied or go for a walk

Kathleen Fuller’s, Not you Mother’s Diet: The Cure for your Eating Issues, is an amazingly well written book on the very complex topic of eating problems. As a Psychologist in the field for thirty years I have come across many interesting books on this subject, however, most were either too complex or too basic for the average reader. This book on the other hand is the perfect balance. It is very specific with numerous real life examples and easy techniques that are really helpful. It’s a type of workbook that doesn’t read like a typical workbook, which are often too difficult to read and digest. Dr.Fuller’s book is a sweet, loving, and gentle read, easy to get through, yet, packed with so many practical hands on techniques that are so useful. I have already recommended this fantastic book to many family,friends, and patients/clients, and have found it useful as a psychotherapist myself in my own clinical work with patients. In addition, the techniques in this book are easiy generalizable to other problems like stress, anxiety, and depression. I give this fantastic book my highest review/recommendation!