Re: My need to chuck the 0-5 scale

[Guest guest]

Wow, Sara. Thanks for sharing this. What an inspirational post. SharonSubject: My need to chuck the 0-5 scaleTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Friday, June 5, 2009, 2:55 PM

I've recently (about a month ago) decided to chuck the 0-5 scale. And I have absolutely not regretted it.

I find that that scale just feels like another rule for me. Searching for the right level of hunger, searching for the right level of fullness, that all just makes me feel panicky. No matter how hard I tried, I had been overeating for the past few weeks with these thoughts. Of course, I was trying too hard. One day, I just got so sick of never finding the right balance. I just gave up. I thought, whatever weight my body wants to be, that's what it'll be. I'm done trying. I started eating whenever I wanted to eat, and stopped whenever I didn't want to eat anymore. I didn't think about hunger signals, fullness signals, or any of that. Almost immediately I saw a big drop in my obsessive food thoughts. I automatically felt like I was eating like a normal person ate. I ate mostly when hungry, but didn't think twice about eating when not hungry, if I wanted to. I feel completely free with food. I still overeat sometimes. Sometimes, I undereat,

just because I can't find anything that I want to eat until my hunger gets to a higher level. But I embrace eating, regardless of the outcome. But isn't that what someone who's Okay with whatever weight they are would do? Really, if I was truly okay with whatever my body wanted to weigh, would I obsess around and worry about eating without the proper hunger signals? Would someone with healthy food relationships feel guilty about eating a piece of cake just because they wanted it?

The thing I didn't expect was that my pants would actually feel a little looser. I feel fully satisfied all the time, and my pants are looser. It has occurred to me that the relationship between food and eating is not what we've all been led to believe. I know all the books say this, but I never really fully got it until now. It's not how much I eat. It's my attitude to eating. The more I embrace food, and revel in it, the more intuitive my eating seems to be. The more I focus on loving my body now, not on loving what it could be in the future, the more intuitive my eating is. I eat for whatever reason I want to eat. And I'm starting to realize, that the eating I use to blame on boredom or emotions was always panick eating. Eating because I wasn't "supposed" to eat. Now that I've taken the "supposed" to out, I always feel satisfied with food. Sometimes I eat a whole lot, but my pants are still that little bit looser. And if they weren't,

I've accepted that. I feel so much calmer and happier with food now.

You know how those people who are naturally slender seem to eat more than everybody else. Eating more and weight are not directly linked. Feeling deprived and weight I believe are directly linked. I have to remember this lesson. I forget that my thoughts have a direct influence on my weight. If my thoughts make me feel deprived, my body will respond with hormones and neurotransmitters that will end with weight gain, no matter how hard I try to be intuitive. To be intuitive is to be free.

Does anyone else relate to this?

Sara

[Guest guest]

I absolutely relate to this and thank you for writing it so clearly as it helps

me to remember!!

My best,

>

> I've recently (about a month ago) decided to chuck the 0-5 scale. And I have

absolutely not regretted it.

>

> I find that that scale just feels like another rule for me. Searching for the

right level of hunger, searching for the right level of fullness, that all just

makes me feel panicky. No matter how hard I tried, I had been overeating for

the past few weeks with these thoughts. Of course, I was trying too hard. One

day, I just got so sick of never finding the right balance. I just gave up. I

thought, whatever weight my body wants to be, that's what it'll be. I'm done

trying. I started eating whenever I wanted to eat, and stopped whenever I didn't

want to eat anymore. I didn't think about hunger signals, fullness signals, or

any of that. Almost immediately I saw a big drop in my obsessive food thoughts.

I automatically felt like I was eating like a normal person ate. I ate mostly

when hungry, but didn't think twice about eating when not hungry, if I wanted

to. I feel completely free with food. I still overeat sometimes. Sometimes, I

undereat, just because I can't find anything that I want to eat until my hunger

gets to a higher level. But I embrace eating, regardless of the outcome. But

isn't that what someone who's Okay with whatever weight they are would do?

Really, if I was truly okay with whatever my body wanted to weigh, would I

obsess around and worry about eating without the proper hunger signals? Would

someone with healthy food relationships feel guilty about eating a piece of cake

just because they wanted it?

>

> The thing I didn't expect was that my pants would actually feel a little

looser. I feel fully satisfied all the time, and my pants are looser. It has

occurred to me that the relationship between food and eating is not what we've

all been led to believe. I know all the books say this, but I never really

fully got it until now. It's not how much I eat. It's my attitude to eating.

The more I embrace food, and revel in it, the more intuitive my eating seems to

be. The more I focus on loving my body now, not on loving what it could be in

the future, the more intuitive my eating is. I eat for whatever reason I want

to eat. And I'm starting to realize, that the eating I use to blame on boredom

or emotions was always panick eating. Eating because I wasn't " supposed " to

eat. Now that I've taken the " supposed " to out, I always feel satisfied with

food. Sometimes I eat a whole lot, but my pants are still that little bit

looser. And if they weren't, I've accepted that. I feel so much calmer and

happier with food now.

>

> You know how those people who are naturally slender seem to eat more than

everybody else. Eating more and weight are not directly linked. Feeling

deprived and weight I believe are directly linked. I have to remember this

lesson. I forget that my thoughts have a direct influence on my weight. If my

thoughts make me feel deprived, my body will respond with hormones and

neurotransmitters that will end with weight gain, no matter how hard I try to be

intuitive. To be intuitive is to be free.

>

> Does anyone else relate to this?

>

> Sara

>

[Guest guest]

I guess I used the 0-5 scale until I really understood my body's hunger & satiety signals.  Then it became so ingrained in me, that I didn't have to rely on the numbers like I used to because I recognized the signals that went along with those numbers (though I still have those numbers as a tool anytime I need them).  I viewed them as a tool to help me re-learn what I was not able to recognize anymore in dieting mode, and they really were so helpful.  I think if you view them as a rule, then you are doing what is right for you.  The important thing is to recognize empty, and recognize satiety.  Sounds like you are on the right track!

I absolutely relate to this and thank you for writing it so clearly as it helps me to remember!!

My best,

>

> I've recently (about a month ago) decided to chuck the 0-5 scale. And I have absolutely not regretted it.

>

> I find that that scale just feels like another rule for me. Searching for the right level of hunger, searching for the right level of fullness, that all just makes me feel panicky. No matter how hard I tried, I had been overeating for the past few weeks with these thoughts. Of course, I was trying too hard. One day, I just got so sick of never finding the right balance. I just gave up. I thought, whatever weight my body wants to be, that's what it'll be. I'm done trying. I started eating whenever I wanted to eat, and stopped whenever I didn't want to eat anymore. I didn't think about hunger signals, fullness signals, or any of that. Almost immediately I saw a big drop in my obsessive food thoughts. I automatically felt like I was eating like a normal person ate. I ate mostly when hungry, but didn't think twice about eating when not hungry, if I wanted to. I feel completely free with food. I still overeat sometimes. Sometimes, I undereat, just because I can't find anything that I want to eat until my hunger gets to a higher level. But I embrace eating, regardless of the outcome. But isn't that what someone who's Okay with whatever weight they are would do? Really, if I was truly okay with whatever my body wanted to weigh, would I obsess around and worry about eating without the proper hunger signals? Would someone with healthy food relationships feel guilty about eating a piece of cake just because they wanted it?

>

> The thing I didn't expect was that my pants would actually feel a little looser. I feel fully satisfied all the time, and my pants are looser. It has occurred to me that the relationship between food and eating is not what we've all been led to believe. I know all the books say this, but I never really fully got it until now. It's not how much I eat. It's my attitude to eating. The more I embrace food, and revel in it, the more intuitive my eating seems to be. The more I focus on loving my body now, not on loving what it could be in the future, the more intuitive my eating is. I eat for whatever reason I want to eat. And I'm starting to realize, that the eating I use to blame on boredom or emotions was always panick eating. Eating because I wasn't " supposed " to eat. Now that I've taken the " supposed " to out, I always feel satisfied with food. Sometimes I eat a whole lot, but my pants are still that little bit looser. And if they weren't, I've accepted that. I feel so much calmer and happier with food now.

>

> You know how those people who are naturally slender seem to eat more than everybody else. Eating more and weight are not directly linked. Feeling deprived and weight I believe are directly linked. I have to remember this lesson. I forget that my thoughts have a direct influence on my weight. If my thoughts make me feel deprived, my body will respond with hormones and neurotransmitters that will end with weight gain, no matter how hard I try to be intuitive. To be intuitive is to be free.

>

> Does anyone else relate to this?

>

> Sara

>