Re: Letting Go of the Food......

[Guest guest]

I so relate. The battle between the " two minds " is so interesting. Even when

we know something isn't health or good for us (like harmful thinking patterns),

isn't it strange how we are more comfortable with the known and sometimes

continue to do it? Many times there are payoffs I get from thinking patterns

like that, and that is why I may continue the pattern. Sometimes the payoffs

are only imagined or it could just be habit, and yet, I still may continue the

pattern. ;-)

I really liked your post. It made me think.

Thanks,

KT

>

> Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am

trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other

not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so

much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me.

>

> I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called " control " I

think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food. It's really

scary for me to eat whatever I want, and feel like my body is going to still be

the way I want it. I'm hard on myself; with my body shape and feel like I

should be total muscle. It's crazy.

> So, my diseased mind tells me if I control my food then I will be ok, or my

body will not turn into something crazy. My sane mind knows for a fact that when

I try and control my food, diet, count calories, whatever, Food controls my life

and my thoughts. That is not what I want.

>

> I am also stuggling at night becuase this is when I am both tired and hunrgy

when I get home. I seem to always get my needs confused when I 'm tired. I

always think I need to eat to self soothe, but I really need to rest. I am also

struggling with the urge to continue eating/bingeing because it's a habit.

>

> So, that's where I am today. Again, I am so thankful for this group.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

You are very welcome But, now you just reminded me that I should do some

writing about what the pay off is for this behavior and or staying in these

thoughts. I know, and most of us are familiar with the fact that there is a pay

off, and that's why we continue to do certain behaviors even when we know they

are not the best choice. Now I thank you for making me think KT Have a good

day.

> >

> > Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am

trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other

not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so

much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me.

> >

> > I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called " control " I

think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food. It's really

scary for me to eat whatever I want, and feel like my body is going to still be

the way I want it. I'm hard on myself; with my body shape and feel like I

should be total muscle. It's crazy.

> > So, my diseased mind tells me if I control my food then I will be ok, or my

body will not turn into something crazy. My sane mind knows for a fact that when

I try and control my food, diet, count calories, whatever, Food controls my life

and my thoughts. That is not what I want.

> >

> > I am also stuggling at night becuase this is when I am both tired and hunrgy

when I get home. I seem to always get my needs confused when I 'm tired. I

always think I need to eat to self soothe, but I really need to rest. I am also

struggling with the urge to continue eating/bingeing because it's a habit.

> >

> > So, that's where I am today. Again, I am so thankful for this group.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Gillian has a turn of phrase that goes something like this - being IN CHARGE of,

instead of 'controlling' returns the choice and decision making to YOU (and

especially your body) back to and away from the 'good/bad' black/white thinking

that infects us with diet type thinking most.

BEST wishes - Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am

trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other

not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so

much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me.

>

> I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called " control " I

think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food. It's really

scary for me to eat whatever I want, and feel like my body is going to still be

the way I want it. I'm hard on myself; with my body shape and feel like I

should be total muscle. It's crazy.

> So, my diseased mind tells me if I control my food then I will be ok, or my

body will not turn into something crazy. My sane mind knows for a fact that when

I try and control my food, diet, count calories, whatever, Food controls my life

and my thoughts. That is not what I want.

>

> I am also stuggling at night becuase this is when I am both tired and hunrgy

when I get home. I seem to always get my needs confused when I 'm tired. I

always think I need to eat to self soothe, but I really need to rest. I am also

struggling with the urge to continue eating/bingeing because it's a habit.

>

> So, that's where I am today. Again, I am so thankful for this group.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi :

When I first committed to IE, I also had a history of food restriction and

bingeing as well as 'healthy' eating. I feared eating whatever food I saw or

thought about. So, rather than focus entirely on the freedom (WHAT) to eat

aspect of IE, I initially focussed on recognizing my body cues (hunger and

fullness) to learn WHEN and HOW MUCH to eat. As I learned to eat when I was

hungry and stop when I felt full, I found my natural, internal, intuitive

boundaries, which made me feel more 'in control' when I freely chose WHAT I

wanted to eat. That helped me learn to eat small to moderate amounts of foods I

had formerly overate during binges.

Also focussing on my internal body cues helped me recognize how different foods

affected my body. Rather than just focus on the taste of each food I ate, I

noticed how the food felt in my body. Each eating experience taught me which

foods actually satisfied my hunger (rather than just tasted good) and felt good

in my body. From those experiences I developed my own ideas about WHAT to eat,

which freed me from previous diets and 'healthy food' rules.

Eventually I noticed symptoms which led me to test for food allergies. Those

food allergy diagnoses taught me that 'healthy food' is a relative term, because

people can react differently to different foods. I have diagnosed allergies (and

obvious reaction symptoms) to several foods that are considered 'healthy'.

Nevertheless focussing on my intuitive, internal body cues about WHEN and HOW

MUCH to eat helped me understand my body's cues about WHAT to eat.

Above all, learning to eat according to my hunger/fullness cues (when and how

much) helped me overcome emotional eating. After many episodes of emotional

eating binges, I realized that bingeing made me feel physcially and emotionally

worse, not better. So eventually I committed to eat only to the point of

comfortable fullness, no matter how emotionally distraught I felt or when I

began to eat. That helped me eliminate emotional eating binges, because I

realized that eating only made me feel full (or uncomfortably full when I

binged). When I allowed myself to eat when I was hungry, food that felt good in

my body, and stop when I was comfortably full, I didn't want to make myself

physically uncomfortable to distract myself from emotional distress.

Those insights and behavior changes didn't occur overnight. I practiced IE for 4

years, before I completely eliminated binge eating. However, I believe that

initially focussing on my physical sensations of hunger and fullness helped me

avoid weight gain and fears about 'food freedom' during my IE journey. Learning

obvious internal boundaries before experiencing 'freedom to eat anything' may

not work for everybody, but, in my life experiences, freedom comes with

responsibility. I wanted to take responsibility for my eating in a natural,

intuitive way.

SUE

>

> Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am

trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other

not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so

much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me.

>

> I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called " control " I

think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food. It's really

scary for me to eat whatever I want, and feel like my body is going to still be

the way I want it. I'm hard on myself; with my body shape and feel like I

should be total muscle. It's crazy.

> So, my diseased mind tells me if I control my food then I will be ok, or my

body will not turn into something crazy. My sane mind knows for a fact that when

I try and control my food, diet, count calories, whatever, Food controls my life

and my thoughts. That is not what I want.

>

> I am also stuggling at night becuase this is when I am both tired and hunrgy

when I get home. I seem to always get my needs confused when I 'm tired. I

always think I need to eat to self soothe, but I really need to rest. I am also

struggling with the urge to continue eating/bingeing because it's a habit.

>

> So, that's where I am today. Again, I am so thankful for this group.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you!

> >

> > Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am

trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other

not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so

much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me.

> >

> > I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called " control " I

think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food. It's really

scary for me to eat whatever I want, and feel like my body is going to still be

the way I want it. I'm hard on myself; with my body shape and feel like I

should be total muscle. It's crazy.

> > So, my diseased mind tells me if I control my food then I will be ok, or my

body will not turn into something crazy. My sane mind knows for a fact that when

I try and control my food, diet, count calories, whatever, Food controls my life

and my thoughts. That is not what I want.

> >

> > I am also stuggling at night becuase this is when I am both tired and hunrgy

when I get home. I seem to always get my needs confused when I 'm tired. I

always think I need to eat to self soothe, but I really need to rest. I am also

struggling with the urge to continue eating/bingeing because it's a habit.

> >

> > So, that's where I am today. Again, I am so thankful for this group.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Sue,I think that is a brilliant approach, starting with WHEN and HOW much to eat, not WHAT to eat. I think this would be helpful to lots of folks starting out with IE... so much less threatening! and it's an approach I am going to consider for myself as well!

Thanks for sharing that,Abby

 

Thank you!

> >

> > Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me.

> >

> > I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called " control " I think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food. It's really scary for me to eat whatever I want, and feel like my body is going to still be the way I want it. I'm hard on myself; with my body shape and feel like I should be total muscle. It's crazy.

> > So, my diseased mind tells me if I control my food then I will be ok, or my body will not turn into something crazy. My sane mind knows for a fact that when I try and control my food, diet, count calories, whatever, Food controls my life and my thoughts. That is not what I want.

> >

> > I am also stuggling at night becuase this is when I am both tired and hunrgy when I get home. I seem to always get my needs confused when I 'm tired. I always think I need to eat to self soothe, but I really need to rest. I am also struggling with the urge to continue eating/bingeing because it's a habit.

> >

> > So, that's where I am today. Again, I am so thankful for this group.

> >

> >

> >

>

--

[Guest guest]

Great post Sue and I totally agree - starting with whatever 'clicks' and works

for you is very smart and yields great payback/results too. Just being able to

select and stick to 'one' thing can be challenging at first, but having some

success builds for more.

Ehugs, Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Hi :

> When I first committed to IE, I also had a history of food restriction and

bingeing as well as 'healthy' eating. I feared eating whatever food I saw or

thought about. So, rather than focus entirely on the freedom (WHAT) to eat

aspect of IE, I initially focussed on recognizing my body cues (hunger and

fullness) to learn WHEN and HOW MUCH to eat. As I learned to eat when I was

hungry and stop when I felt full, I found my natural, internal, intuitive

boundaries, which made me feel more 'in control' when I freely chose WHAT I

wanted to eat. That helped me learn to eat small to moderate amounts of foods I

had formerly overate during binges.

>

> Also focussing on my internal body cues helped me recognize how different

foods affected my body. Rather than just focus on the taste of each food I ate,

I noticed how the food felt in my body. Each eating experience taught me which

foods actually satisfied my hunger (rather than just tasted good) and felt good

in my body. From those experiences I developed my own ideas about WHAT to eat,

which freed me from previous diets and 'healthy food' rules.

>

> Eventually I noticed symptoms which led me to test for food allergies. Those

food allergy diagnoses taught me that 'healthy food' is a relative term, because

people can react differently to different foods. I have diagnosed allergies (and

obvious reaction symptoms) to several foods that are considered 'healthy'.

Nevertheless focussing on my intuitive, internal body cues about WHEN and HOW

MUCH to eat helped me understand my body's cues about WHAT to eat.

>

> Above all, learning to eat according to my hunger/fullness cues (when and how

much) helped me overcome emotional eating. After many episodes of emotional

eating binges, I realized that bingeing made me feel physcially and emotionally

worse, not better. So eventually I committed to eat only to the point of

comfortable fullness, no matter how emotionally distraught I felt or when I

began to eat. That helped me eliminate emotional eating binges, because I

realized that eating only made me feel full (or uncomfortably full when I

binged). When I allowed myself to eat when I was hungry, food that felt good in

my body, and stop when I was comfortably full, I didn't want to make myself

physically uncomfortable to distract myself from emotional distress.

>

> Those insights and behavior changes didn't occur overnight. I practiced IE for

4 years, before I completely eliminated binge eating. However, I believe that

initially focussing on my physical sensations of hunger and fullness helped me

avoid weight gain and fears about 'food freedom' during my IE journey. Learning

obvious internal boundaries before experiencing 'freedom to eat anything' may

not work for everybody, but, in my life experiences, freedom comes with

responsibility. I wanted to take responsibility for my eating in a natural,

intuitive way.

>

> SUE

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I really do understand. You have all this nutrition information in your head so it's very hard to quiet that and go by internal bodily cues. It must feel frustrating at times. It will probably take time to become more able to trust internal bodily cues. I think possibly the more you develop trust of your internal bodily cues, the more you can follow them.

As for wanting a muscled body of a certain shape, yes I had a certain body in mind which I had wanted also. I always had, in my dieting days, "the ideal body" in mind and I never could quite achieve it, but I kept thinking I could if only I tried harder or stuck to the diet better. I always fell short and beat myself up and hated my body in those days. For me it wasn't as much the muscles, but it was a super thin "Jane Fonda" body, lol. I was in college back when Jane Fonda put out all her exercise and toning tapes. Turns out she was bulimic! But we didn't know that then; my friends and I would do her exercises and feel really virtuous, and do great with our calorie restricting. We'd go to Hardees (like Mcs), order one hamburger and split it, each eating only half. I really don't miss these behaviors at all!! Of course ended up binging. In our college days we didn't have much money so

me and my roomate would get those philsbury biscuits and eat about 12 each!! I know, very insane really!

When I stopped dieting, it just wasn't enough to eat intuitively; for me I had to deal with body image and question whether my idea of the "ideal body" really was my body at my natural, healthy weight; of course the answer was no! I read "When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies" plus some other body image workbooks. I did mirror work and so on. I also had to deal with emotional issues from a crappy childhood. And I guess when I did enough of these things, I started to like my body as is. I actually do love my body right now but I'm happy to lose weight if it's just a side effect of eating intuitively. But I don't control it at all anymore; I let it take care of itself. Easier said than done of course :.)

Laurie

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Tue, December 15, 2009 11:20:45 AMSubject: Letting Go of the Food......

Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me. I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called "control" I think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

as a fellow future dietitian, I get it. Totally. It's really hard to turn off

the RD mind that we walk around with all day and slip into our IE way of

thinking. Some if it seems counter-intuitive, right?

And I too have distored visions of how my body should be...specifically, my 27

year old self before my wedding, when I was super thin but exercising like a mad

woman and dieting like crazy.

And I too come home at the end of the day, usually after class, and I'm

exhausted so I turn to food, instead of just resting.

I think that these are tools you (and I) will just learn eventurally. That when

you come home, you'll recognize food isn't the answer, and maybe watching TV or

reading will be.

In terms of body image, I think that's going to come with time. I went through

something last week when I realized I was mourning my " ideal body, " this vision

that I had in my head which kept me dieting that wasn't realistic at all. I'm

trying so hard now to be nurturing and love myself even with a few extra pounds.

But it takes work.

I heard a quote once that starting something new (a business, a new way of

thinking, like IE) is like a baby...you have to take it VERY slowly, and it will

be rocky. So if you treat IE and this new way of " being " very tenderly and

slowly, and just put one foot in fromt of the next...soon you might see that

you've made some huge progress!

Just remember, you have all of us right there with you! (Btw, my life mirrors

yours so much it's scary!)

Best,

>

> Hello everyone, I need to share a couple things I am struggling with. I am

trying IE now for my second week. I have had really good days/meals, and other

not so good days. It's tough for me because I am a dietitian, and I have so

much food knowledge in my head, and it always turns on me.

>

> I guess what has been the hardest is surrenduring the so called " control " I

think I have when I am controling, dieting, restricting my food. It's really

scary for me to eat whatever I want, and feel like my body is going to still be

the way I want it. I'm hard on myself; with my body shape and feel like I

should be total muscle. It's crazy.

> So, my diseased mind tells me if I control my food then I will be ok, or my

body will not turn into something crazy. My sane mind knows for a fact that when

I try and control my food, diet, count calories, whatever, Food controls my life

and my thoughts. That is not what I want.

>

> I am also stuggling at night becuase this is when I am both tired and hunrgy

when I get home. I seem to always get my needs confused when I 'm tired. I

always think I need to eat to self soothe, but I really need to rest. I am also

struggling with the urge to continue eating/bingeing because it's a habit.

>

> So, that's where I am today. Again, I am so thankful for this group.

>

>

>