Re: Learning to NOT eat when NOT hungry

[Guest guest]

I never skip breakfast. For me, part of intuitive eating is knowing

what my body needs. I get up very early in the morning to be at work

by 7:00. If I don't eat before I leave for work, I won't get a chance

to eat until 9:30. I know that by that time, I will be ravenous. I

have to pack my mid-morning snack, so skipping breakfast means that my

mid-morning snack won't be enough to get me to lunch. By lunch, I'll

be so hungry that I'll just gorge and make really poor food choices.

So, for me, breakfast cannot be skipped.

However, some days my breakfast is smaller than on other days. If I'm

not very hungry, I'll have a couple of pieces of toast and a glass of

milk. If I'm really hungry, I'll have an egg and cheese burrito and a

glass of milk or an omelette and toast.

>

> I just wanted to put this out there and get everyone's thoughts on

> this...On every diet I was ever on, they talk about the importance of

> eating breakfast even if you are not hungry. I am slowly learning

that

> it is okay NOT to eat breakfast or any other meal if I am not

> physically hungry enough. This has been a very hard thing to move

> past, but it is really helping me to listen to my hunger. Has anyone

> else found this a hard thing to overcome?

>

[Guest guest]

I forgot to say that one of the things that they talk about in the

book " Intuitive Eating " is turning the food police into the food ally.

The food ally helps you make healthy nutritional choices. It's my food

ally, not the food police that tells me not to skip breakfast.

>

> I just wanted to put this out there and get everyone's thoughts on

> this...On every diet I was ever on, they talk about the importance of

> eating breakfast even if you are not hungry. I am slowly learning

that

> it is okay NOT to eat breakfast or any other meal if I am not

> physically hungry enough. This has been a very hard thing to move

> past, but it is really helping me to listen to my hunger. Has anyone

> else found this a hard thing to overcome?

>

[Guest guest]

I totally agree that this is hard to overcome. We keep hearing " you

must eat breakfast or you'll slow your metabolism " and " don't eat

three meals a day, eat 5 mini-meals, it will speed your metabolism " .

However, what has helped me to break free from these rules is to

realize that while it's a good idea to eat regular meals to keep me

from becoming overly hungry, the reasoning is always that we must eat

to maximize our metabolism. The idea is that we are cheated or

deprived and not getting all the calories we " deserve " if we don't eat

frequently enough. Now that I am more intuitive with my eating, my

purpose when I eat is to fuel my body and enjoy my food. My purpose is

not to eat the most possible food I am allowed. Food isn't the focus

of my life anymore, I don't really care if I don't get as many

calories as someone who eats mini-meals. I eat the way in accordance

with my own hunger rather than dietary laws.

Okay, so that's my take on that particular diet rule...

> I just wanted to put this out there and get everyone's thoughts on

> this...On every diet I was ever on, they talk about the importance of

> eating breakfast even if you are not hungry. I am slowly learning that

> it is okay NOT to eat breakfast or any other meal if I am not

> physically hungry enough. This has been a very hard thing to move

> past, but it is really helping me to listen to my hunger. Has anyone

> else found this a hard thing to overcome?

>

[Guest guest]

Breakfast, no. We eat dinner at 6pm and I rarely eat anything after dinner.

I also exercise at 5am so I am always very hungry for breakfast. Other

meals, yes. I am almost always hungry at mealtimes, but there have been a

few times we've gone out to eat with a group and for whatever reason, I'm

just not hungry. I almost always eat anyway, thinking it would just be too

weird not to eat -- or afraid that an hour later I'll be hungry and won't be

able to eat because we'll be doing whatever activity we've moved onto after

dinner.

>

I am slowly learning that

>it is okay NOT to eat breakfast or any other meal if I am not

>physically hungry enough. This has been a very hard thing to move

>past, but it is really helping me to listen to my hunger. Has anyone

>else found this a hard thing to overcome?

_________________________________________________________________

Get live scores and news about your team: Add the Live.com Football Page

www.live.com/?addtemplate=football & icid=T001MSN30A0701

[Guest guest]

I think you are right to do what works for you. Eat when hungry. At

the same time, I think that the time of day we are hungry is a product

of our eating habits. I believe that if you consistently eat

breakfast when you wake up, then your body gets used to fuel then and

is physically hungry then. You have to find a routine that works for

you and your schedule.

Many, many people get into the habit of not eating breakfast (for

reasons other than not being hungry) and eventually, they stop being

hungry. Your body stops giving you that hunger signal when it knows

not to expect food anyway. Skipping breakfast for these other reasons

is not intuitive and does lead to weight problems. For many people,

it's simply a lot easier to follow the diet rules of eating breakfast

than to make the necessary mindset changes to honor that morning hunger.

>

> I just wanted to put this out there and get everyone's thoughts on

> this...On every diet I was ever on, they talk about the importance of

> eating breakfast even if you are not hungry. I am slowly learning that

> it is okay NOT to eat breakfast or any other meal if I am not

> physically hungry enough. This has been a very hard thing to move

> past, but it is really helping me to listen to my hunger. Has anyone

> else found this a hard thing to overcome?

>