How I'm Doing

[Guest guest]

asked:How long with Intuitive Eating?

Have you lost weight?

Do you find it somewhat easy to follow?Well , I read the IE book years ago, but I didn't really get it. I tried to turn it into a diet book with rules to follow. Needless to say, that didn't work and I constantly "failed" at it. Then I read Geneen Roth and had the same experience. I roller coasted for years, going up and down the scale 20-30 pounds, alternately restricting, overexercising, bingeing, and feeling miserable. Four years ago I broke my leg very severely while bicycling and was unable to walk for ten weeks. At the time, I'd been restricting and overexercising. After I was able to walk again, I gained 40 pounds over the course of the next couple of years because I couldn't stop bingeing and overeating. I finally sought help from a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. She helped me realize once and for all that I was choosing to use food in ways that weren't healthy for me. I finally understood that it was fine for me to eat a giant bowl of ice cream -- as long as I was willing to deal with feeling overfull, cranky, crabby the next day, and have urges to eat more then and the next day. Who wants to feel like that?!?As I started to eat more mindfully, I lost 25 pounds and my weight has been pretty steady for the past several months. I'm still a few pounds overweight, but my focus is on fully recovering from a sick relationship with food rather than on getting back into a size 6. Easy to follow? No. I'm not sure if it will ever become unconscious for me. However, it is not painful and I find it much easier to make healthier choices. I eat what feels good and tastes good to me. I don't eat much that is artificial because real food tastes soooo much better to me these days. I'd so much rather eat some greek yogurt with granola in it than a Twinkie. I don't go hungry -- I eat steel cut oatmeal with almond butter, fruit, and nuts in it most mornings because it keeps me satisfied, doesn't mess up my moods, and tastes fabulous. I know that I can eat a burger and fries whenever I want. Sometimes I order it and eat about half of it, but most of the time it just sounds greasy. Don't get me wrong -- I still LOVE dessert and other foods that aren't "healthy", but I've learned that if I eat more than a very small serving of it, I feel very out of sorts starting immediately afterward and continuing even into the next day. Anyway, LMK if you have other questions!

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