Thanks

[Guest guest]

Hi Robyn,I can share with you what it feels like to me.  Empty, or zero, feels like " I'm hungry, I want to eat now " - sometimes my stomach growls, other times it doesn't, but I know I'm ready to eat.  There are times when I ask myself kind of unconsciously, " I wonder if I'm hungry? " and I know I'm probably only about 3 or 4.  When I get too hungry, to the point of being shaky, irritable or feeling light headed, to me, that is beyond empty.  I don't like getting to that point personally.  Satisfied, or a 5, feels light and airy.  Just right.  I know that if I take one more bite, it won't taste as good anymore, and I will feel like I had too much.  I could get up from the table and feel just right.  There are some great books on Katcha's book list that really describe these to a T.  Jill Podjasek's The 10 Habits of Naturally Thin People and the 7 Secrets of Slim People by Vikki Hansen (both very IE minded books) describe hunger & satiety very tangibly.  I hope that helps!

Blessings,

 

Thank you all for your kind supportive words.  Micki...it's like you READ MY MIND with the parenting stuff.  That is EXACTLY the top 3 things we're going nuts about right now!  ;-)  So thank you!

I like the 0-5 idea.  However, it would be helpful if people wouldn't mind sharing what their 0 feels like and what their 5 feels like.  I know each of us will be different, but it will help me to perhaps identify my own 0 and 5 if I hear what others experience.  Thanks all for the the encouragement.

Robyn-- Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong!iBlog at www.trlw.blogspot.com

[Guest guest]

Hi Robyn,

I wanted to respond to the hunger scale question.

I sometimes use a 1-10 scale for my hunger and fullness level.

An 0 or zero to me would be famished. I would never want to go there. A

couple months ago I was at a meeting and hadn't eaten dinner before.

What was so interesting as I'd been following my body signals and not

done any overeating, was that I found myself getting unexpectedly very

hungry. I was so hungry that it was almost physically painful and it

was interesting how images of a turkey sandwich (what I was craving)

started to float in my head.

On my number/hunger scale, I like to eat at about a 3 and I like to stop

at a 5.

A three means that the desire to eat is coming from an internal physical

signal. It also means that I have a notion of what would be just right

to eat. It's a " hummer " not a " beckoner. "

This morning I ate from a 3. I have been feeling bloated from PMS and

also I think the heavy foods around the holidays--so I am very grateful

for my meal this morning.

The food that seemed right to eat was something like veggie pizza with a

nice crust. I did purchase this from the store; however when I was at

the store, and still checking in with my body--the idea of whole wheat

type pancakes with some veggie bacon, etc, also came up. Sometimes

around pms time I have this craving or nutritional need for wheat.

When I have two competing foods which come up like this--I try to

visualize which would be most satisfying, so I visualize how I will feel

after I have eaten the food. I opted for the pancakes (and when I made

them I added more bran and wheat germ to the recipe).

I also focused on eating them without distraction. I have not liked the

heavy, bloated and sometimes painful feeling I have had from a few

recent meals. So I focused on tasting the food and also tuning into

when I (stomach sensations) felt I had had enough. This worked out well

also. (I can always have more later).

My scale

4 is a little bit hungry, 3 or possibly 2 and a half are just right

hunger; 1 or 0--I don't even go there;

5 is satisfied, comfortably full. 6 is full with some discomfort and

perhaps some pain but doesn't last that long.

7 and above is painful and I try to avoid those numbers.

When I eat to points of fullness that are above where I want to be, I

low key it. It's part of the process, too.

>

> Thank you all for your kind supportive words. Micki...it's like you

READ MY

> MIND with the parenting stuff. That is EXACTLY the top 3 things we're

going

> nuts about right now! ;-) So thank you!

>

> I like the 0-5 idea. However, it would be helpful if people wouldn't

mind

> sharing what their 0 feels like and what their 5 feels like. I know

each of

> us will be different, but it will help me to perhaps identify my own 0

and 5

> if I hear what others experience. Thanks all for the the

encouragement.

>

> Robyn

>

> --

> Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong!

>

> iBlog at www.trlw.blogspot.com

>

[Guest guest]

Bonnie a member here - Arnie (and I seem to remember another gal too) are from

British Columbia and it seems that there are IE seminars in that area. You may

want to look into that alternative to going the distance to California! Bet the

cds are wonderful too.

Katcha

IEing since March 2007

Bonnie wrote:

I see that Geneen has a workshop coming up in California in May 2010. I'd love

to attend but can't afford the fee and travel costs (I live in British Columbia)

[Guest guest]

Many thanks to all who answered my post. I really appreciate and will follow-up

on the suggestions of attending an IE seminar in Vancouver (it just happens that

I live just outside of Vancouver, in Maple Ridge) and I'm also going to check

out the Geneen Roth site suggested. Christmas is a bit tough because it seems

that I have food coming at me from every direction but though far from perfect I

feel that I'm finally on the right path. And yes, I too was once a size 12 and

thought I was huge!! My we are hard on ourselves aren't we? I also must

apologize for the weird A's that appeared after every period I typed in my last

post. That doesn't show up on my screen and I don't know what causes

it...anybody out there know what I'm doing wrong?? Bonnie