Intuitive eating.. your opinions?
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Those were exactly my thoughts in the beginning. Eating what you want for most people = eating copious amounts of fattening crap food.Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.0 -
I have read the Intuitive Eating book (my nutritionist recommended it) and I am practicing it. Note of caution: Intuitive Eating is NOT "eat whatever you want whenever" and it is not mutually exclusive with close tracking (I am a diligent MFP logger).
*~*Think of it this way: When you master a skill like piano, you can play with expression and you can improvise, because the "rules" of piano are so instinctual to you . But you can't just mash on the keys any way you want and expect a symphony.*~*
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize true hunger (physical sensation) versus appetite (emotional/psychological).
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize subtle signals of fullness.
Intuitive Eating is about learning to trust your body *because* of your good healthy habits.
Personal example: I make a point to eat well, healthy, and often (my diary is open, btw). I don't undereat (I'm averaging 1650 cal/day right now). I eat healthy (4-8 servings of vegetables every day, 1-3 servings fruits, whole grains, high-quality protein, etc.). I am careful to ensure that I'm feeding myself the right amount of protein/fats/carbs. I take a lot of supplements to try to avoid vitamin deficiencies. I eat 5-6 times a day so I'm never overly hungry. ..... THEREFORE, when I get hungry before a snack, I trust my body and eat. When a meal does not satisfy, I eat more. Because I maintain good habits, I can trust that if my body gives me a true growl-ache-twinge of hunger, then it is asking for fuel or nutriets or both, and I need to respect that request and obey it.
As I have done this, I had two days in the last two months where my calories intake spiked up to 1900 calories. That was a bit scary for me, but I kept trusting my body. Later when I went back to look at trends, I noticed that the two days after each spike has less calories (around 1,400) and that the weeks with the spike 1900-cal days still averaged the same: about 1,600.
So my point it, our body is very smart and it is a mechanism that is designed for survival and balance, so it will not lead us down an unhealthy path.
BUT, the prerequisite to making this work is to be consistent with healthy choices. In my experience, the best sequence is:
#1 - Establish a very healthy balanced eating routine over an extended time period (at least 1-2 months)
#2 - Start practicing Intuitive Eating
What doesn't work so well is to start from a place of being a mess about food and expect Intuitive Eating to work. Because your body will be in transition, will be confused, will be out of whack... in order to trust your body to be the amazing maching that it is, you first have to allow it to be calibrated to a good/healthy place. So if you are eating too few calories or are inconsistent in your eathing habits, best to work on that first. Learn the "rules" of healthy eating first, then your body can lead you Intuitively.
But remember, it is always a partnership between Intuitive and Good Judgment: When I get hungry, I respond (Intuitive Eating), but I respond with a high-quality, nutritionally dense appropriate food (Good Judgement). For example, I finished dinner 20 minutes ago and I am still hungry and I feel like something sweet. Good use of Intuitive Eating is to reach for a 1/2 cup of no-sugar-added canned peaches or one gluten-free cookie (or one of my other favorites healthy desserts). Bad Intuitive Eating would be to reach for a box of Oreos and munch on them without thinking, without a plan. (I don't even have stuff like that in my house anymore). Even when I follow a craving based on Intuitive Eating, I eat more of the types of things that I have already planned. For example, I might grab one of the 150-calories 15-net-carb snacks I have already portioned out.
Its like dancing: You need to learn the "moves" first (net calories of your fav foods, what your protein/carb/fat needs are, etc.). Then you can create your own choreography.
I hope that all made sense. :flowerforyou:0 -
My hope is that eventually, this journey will come full circle and bring me to a point where I can eat intuitively again. I used to...I was always lean and fit growing up...athletic, etc. Somewhere along the line I just got lazy.
I watch my friends who are "naturally" lean and fit (i.e. they're not on a diet or counting calories)...I watch the way they eat and compare it to what I used to do and what I used to think. Watching them has helped me see where I went so wrong.
My best buddy is a great example...he's lean and relatively fit and doesn't really work at it. He eats pizza (maybe twice per month)...and burgers and fish 'n chips and fried chicken (maybe a couple of times per month. He indulges in deserts and sweats (on occasion, not daily and not after every meal).
Conversely, back in my "prime" I could put down some fried chicken for breakfast, 1/2 a pizza for lunch, and follow it up with a burger and bratts for dinner...topped off with about 3 servings of ice cream. My diet pretty much looked similar to this abut 7 days per week...and that doesn't even include my snacks and sodas.
So, like I said...it is my hope that when all is said and done, I can return to being an intuitive eater...I believe MFP has taught me a lot and I've learned a lot just watching my friends and starting to simply care more about what I do to myself. I think ultimately, I'll be ok.0 -
I agree very strongly with your first two paragraphs. I know eating when I was hungry isn't what made me gain weight, eating for emotions/boredom/fun is what made me gain weight - and intuitive eating tackles the whole emotional/boredom eating thing.I have exactly the same thoughts as you. I think I would really like to be an intuitive eater, but I just want to lose some weight first ... and apparently that kind of thinking is just keeping me in the diet-binge cycle. I'm afraid, I'll admit it, that if I let myself eat what I want when I want I would be very obese. However, it's not eating when I'm hungry that got me overweight in the first place, it's the emotional eating (for me).
If you want to make it work I think you have to be super super careful and really listen to your body. At the same time you have to deal with all your hidden feelings/issues behind your emotional eating.
Right now I'm re-reading a great book:
'Overcoming Overeating' by Hirschmann and Munter
'Fat is a Feminist Issue' is also a great book and of course anything by Geneen Roth.
Mindful eating when it comes to real food doesn't seem too hard for me, stopping when I'm full wouldn't be difficult if all I had was meat and greens and brown rice on my plate. But when you throw cookies and cakes and chips and carby cheesy gooey snacks into the picture, then I feel like that's a WHOLE 'nother ballgame.0 -
Those were exactly my thoughts in the beginning. Eating what you want for most people = eating copious amounts of fattening crap food.Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.
Intuitive Eating =/= just eating what you want. Eating intuitively is all about being in tune with your bodies needs from both a caloric standpoint and nutritional standpoint. Good intuitive eaters know the difference between actual hunger and being bored and just eating to pass time...they understand and can feel when their bodies are depleted of some nutrient...and they will crave it and go on a broccoli binge or whatever to get it. Children are prime examples of intuitive eaters, as are many athletes.
I think Intuitive Eating is being confused with Compulsive Eating.0 -
I think intuitive eating is possibly a natural way to eat, but you have to be mindful of the years and years we probably used food for reasons other than just to sustain life. I know when I need protein, I just go crazy mad for fish.
If you do decide to go ahead with it, look to challenge how you deal with food. Why have you become overweight? What was it in certain foods which made you overindulge? Sort out the issues and you can be confident of the success.
Enjoy your food, taste it and pay attention to it. Stop when the flavour changes, its your bodies way of letting you know its becoming full. Always remember, stomach hunger over mouth hunger.0 -
See, I get that. And what you're saying is basically what I was saying in the first paragraph of my original post. I cut out all junk food. I got to a place where healthy healthy healthy was the norm, all I ate was the "good for me" stuff. THEN I was able to lose weight effortlessly. I was still tracking my calories but I wasn't necessarily forcing myself to eat a certain amount every day. The numbers just fell where they needed to be when I was only eating healthy foods. I never had the urge to eat more than necessary.I have read the Intuitive Eating book (my nutritionist recommended it) and I am practicing it. Note of caution: Intuitive Eating is NOT "eat whatever you want whenever" and it is not mutually exclusive with close tracking (I am a diligent MFP logger).
*~*Think of it this way: When you master a skill like piano, you can play with expression and you can improvise, because the "rules" of piano are so instinctual to you . But you can't just mash on the keys any way you want and expect a symphony.*~*
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize true hunger (physical sensation) versus appetite (emotional/psychological).
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize subtle signals of fullness.
Intuitive Eating is about learning to trust your body *because* of your good healthy habits.
Personal example: I make a point to eat well, healthy, and often (my diary is open, btw). I don't undereat (I'm averaging 1650 cal/day right now). I eat healthy (4-8 servings of vegetables every day, 1-3 servings fruits, whole grains, high-quality protein, etc.). I am careful to ensure that I'm feeding myself the right amount of protein/fats/carbs. I take a lot of supplements to try to avoid vitamin deficiencies. I eat 5-6 times a day so I'm never overly hungry. ..... THEREFORE, when I get hungry before a snack, I trust my body and eat. When a meal does not satisfy, I eat more. Because I maintain good habits, I can trust that if my body gives me a true growl-ache-twinge of hunger, then it is asking for fuel or nutriets or both, and I need to respect that request and obey it.
As I have done this, I had two days in the last two months where my calories intake spiked up to 1900 calories. That was a bit scary for me, but I kept trusting my body. Later when I went back to look at trends, I noticed that the two days after each spike has less calories (around 1,400) and that the weeks with the spike 1900-cal days still averaged the same: about 1,600.
So my point it, our body is very smart and it is a mechanism that is designed for survival and balance, so it will not lead us down an unhealthy path.
BUT, the prerequisite to making this work is to be consistent with healthy choices. In my experience, the best sequence is:
#1 - Establish a very healthy balanced eating routine over an extended time period (at least 1-2 months)
#2 - Start practicing Intuitive Eating
What doesn't work so well is to start from a place of being a mess about food and expect Intuitive Eating to work. Because your body will be in transition, will be confused, will be out of whack... in order to trust your body to be the amazing maching that it is, you first have to allow it to be calibrated to a good/healthy place. So if you are eating too few calories or are inconsistent in your eathing habits, best to work on that first. Learn the "rules" of healthy eating first, then your body can lead you Intuitively.
But remember, it is always a partnership between Intuitive and Good Judgment: When I get hungry, I respond (Intuitive Eating), but I respond with a high-quality, nutritionally dense appropriate food (Good Judgement). For example, I finished dinner 20 minutes ago and I am still hungry and I feel like something sweet. Good use of Intuitive Eating is to reach for a 1/2 cup of no-sugar-added canned peaches or one gluten-free cookie (or one of my other favorites healthy desserts). Bad Intuitive Eating would be to reach for a box of Oreos and munch on them without thinking, without a plan. (I don't even have stuff like that in my house anymore). Even when I follow a craving based on Intuitive Eating, I eat more of the types of things that I have already planned. For example, I might grab one of the 150-calories 15-net-carb snacks I have already portioned out.
Its like dancing: You need to learn the "moves" first (net calories of your fav foods, what your protein/carb/fat needs are, etc.). Then you can create your own choreography.
I hope that all made sense. :flowerforyou:
But intuitive eating says NOTHING is off limits. Foods that I "like" (& often binge on) which aren't healthy for me, according to the research I've done on intuitive eating, SHOULD be included in my diet. You SHOULD keep oreos in the house. You SHOULD go out to "bad" restaurants like fast food places, if you like them. And you should be able to "trust yourself" not to overeat despite being exposed to fattening/sugary/unhealthy foods. & that's the part that concerns/confuses/scares me the most.0 -
Thank you Bettyeditor, your post was very helpful to me. I will definitely try to do step 1 and then step 2 as you suggested.0
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Very good point, especially about children & athletes. I had similar thoughts after my initial, "everyone would just binge all the time then" interpretation.
Those were exactly my thoughts in the beginning. Eating what you want for most people = eating copious amounts of fattening crap food.Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.
Intuitive Eating =/= just eating what you want. Eating intuitively is all about being in tune with your bodies needs from both a caloric standpoint and nutritional standpoint. Good intuitive eaters know the difference between actual hunger and being bored and just eating to pass time...they understand and can feel when their bodies are depleted of some nutrient...and they will crave it and go on a broccoli binge or whatever to get it. Children are prime examples of intuitive eaters, as are many athletes.
I think Intuitive Eating is being confused with Compulsive Eating.0 -
See, I get that. And what you're saying is basically what I was saying in the first paragraph of my original post. I cut out all junk food. I got to a place where healthy healthy healthy was the norm, all I ate was the "good for me" stuff. THEN I was able to lose weight effortlessly. I was still tracking my calories but I wasn't necessarily forcing myself to eat a certain amount every day. The numbers just fell where they needed to be when I was only eating healthy foods. I never had the urge to eat more than necessary.I have read the Intuitive Eating book (my nutritionist recommended it) and I am practicing it. Note of caution: Intuitive Eating is NOT "eat whatever you want whenever" and it is not mutually exclusive with close tracking (I am a diligent MFP logger).
*~*Think of it this way: When you master a skill like piano, you can play with expression and you can improvise, because the "rules" of piano are so instinctual to you . But you can't just mash on the keys any way you want and expect a symphony.*~*
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize true hunger (physical sensation) versus appetite (emotional/psychological).
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize subtle signals of fullness.
Intuitive Eating is about learning to trust your body *because* of your good healthy habits.
Personal example: I make a point to eat well, healthy, and often (my diary is open, btw). I don't undereat (I'm averaging 1650 cal/day right now). I eat healthy (4-8 servings of vegetables every day, 1-3 servings fruits, whole grains, high-quality protein, etc.). I am careful to ensure that I'm feeding myself the right amount of protein/fats/carbs. I take a lot of supplements to try to avoid vitamin deficiencies. I eat 5-6 times a day so I'm never overly hungry. ..... THEREFORE, when I get hungry before a snack, I trust my body and eat. When a meal does not satisfy, I eat more. Because I maintain good habits, I can trust that if my body gives me a true growl-ache-twinge of hunger, then it is asking for fuel or nutriets or both, and I need to respect that request and obey it.
As I have done this, I had two days in the last two months where my calories intake spiked up to 1900 calories. That was a bit scary for me, but I kept trusting my body. Later when I went back to look at trends, I noticed that the two days after each spike has less calories (around 1,400) and that the weeks with the spike 1900-cal days still averaged the same: about 1,600.
So my point it, our body is very smart and it is a mechanism that is designed for survival and balance, so it will not lead us down an unhealthy path.
BUT, the prerequisite to making this work is to be consistent with healthy choices. In my experience, the best sequence is:
#1 - Establish a very healthy balanced eating routine over an extended time period (at least 1-2 months)
#2 - Start practicing Intuitive Eating
What doesn't work so well is to start from a place of being a mess about food and expect Intuitive Eating to work. Because your body will be in transition, will be confused, will be out of whack... in order to trust your body to be the amazing maching that it is, you first have to allow it to be calibrated to a good/healthy place. So if you are eating too few calories or are inconsistent in your eathing habits, best to work on that first. Learn the "rules" of healthy eating first, then your body can lead you Intuitively.
But remember, it is always a partnership between Intuitive and Good Judgment: When I get hungry, I respond (Intuitive Eating), but I respond with a high-quality, nutritionally dense appropriate food (Good Judgement). For example, I finished dinner 20 minutes ago and I am still hungry and I feel like something sweet. Good use of Intuitive Eating is to reach for a 1/2 cup of no-sugar-added canned peaches or one gluten-free cookie (or one of my other favorites healthy desserts). Bad Intuitive Eating would be to reach for a box of Oreos and munch on them without thinking, without a plan. (I don't even have stuff like that in my house anymore). Even when I follow a craving based on Intuitive Eating, I eat more of the types of things that I have already planned. For example, I might grab one of the 150-calories 15-net-carb snacks I have already portioned out.
Its like dancing: You need to learn the "moves" first (net calories of your fav foods, what your protein/carb/fat needs are, etc.). Then you can create your own choreography.
I hope that all made sense. :flowerforyou:
But intuitive eating says NOTHING is off limits. Foods that I "like" (& often binge on) which aren't healthy for me, according to the research I've done on intuitive eating, SHOULD be included in my diet. You SHOULD keep oreos in the house. You SHOULD go out to "bad" restaurants like fast food places, if you like them. And you should be able to "trust yourself" not to overeat despite being exposed to fattening/sugary/unhealthy foods. & that's the part that concerns/confuses/scares me the most.
Yes, but realize the purpose of that recommendation to keep Oreos in the house if they are a trigger food for you: the point is to difuse any tension you have around Oreos.
For example, you don't have to stock EVERY food on the planet. If chocolate-covered ants are not a trigger for you, no need to stock them. LOL
I think you see my point. If a food has lost its tension for you, and you don't want it in your lifestyle, you'll never miss it. For example, even when I ate fast food 7x a week, I never ate ice cream. I dont' crave it. BUT I love cookies. So..... I now eat 1-2 cookies every day that fit me and my life (I'm allergic to gluten and dairy, so I get non-allergenic cookies that I love).
The point is, it's not about eliminating, but UPGRADING. Trade up your cookies for better ones. Trade up your cake for better cake. If you crave cake, then find or make a cake that has the protein/fats/carbs that fits your meals, and eat some for breakfast lunch and dinner if you like! It is YOUR life, you decide what you enjoy, so pursue it!0 -
See, I get that. And what you're saying is basically what I was saying in the first paragraph of my original post. I cut out all junk food. I got to a place where healthy healthy healthy was the norm, all I ate was the "good for me" stuff. THEN I was able to lose weight effortlessly. I was still tracking my calories but I wasn't necessarily forcing myself to eat a certain amount every day. The numbers just fell where they needed to be when I was only eating healthy foods. I never had the urge to eat more than necessary.I have read the Intuitive Eating book (my nutritionist recommended it) and I am practicing it. Note of caution: Intuitive Eating is NOT "eat whatever you want whenever" and it is not mutually exclusive with close tracking (I am a diligent MFP logger).
*~*Think of it this way: When you master a skill like piano, you can play with expression and you can improvise, because the "rules" of piano are so instinctual to you . But you can't just mash on the keys any way you want and expect a symphony.*~*
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize true hunger (physical sensation) versus appetite (emotional/psychological).
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize subtle signals of fullness.
Intuitive Eating is about learning to trust your body *because* of your good healthy habits.
Personal example: I make a point to eat well, healthy, and often (my diary is open, btw). I don't undereat (I'm averaging 1650 cal/day right now). I eat healthy (4-8 servings of vegetables every day, 1-3 servings fruits, whole grains, high-quality protein, etc.). I am careful to ensure that I'm feeding myself the right amount of protein/fats/carbs. I take a lot of supplements to try to avoid vitamin deficiencies. I eat 5-6 times a day so I'm never overly hungry. ..... THEREFORE, when I get hungry before a snack, I trust my body and eat. When a meal does not satisfy, I eat more. Because I maintain good habits, I can trust that if my body gives me a true growl-ache-twinge of hunger, then it is asking for fuel or nutriets or both, and I need to respect that request and obey it.
As I have done this, I had two days in the last two months where my calories intake spiked up to 1900 calories. That was a bit scary for me, but I kept trusting my body. Later when I went back to look at trends, I noticed that the two days after each spike has less calories (around 1,400) and that the weeks with the spike 1900-cal days still averaged the same: about 1,600.
So my point it, our body is very smart and it is a mechanism that is designed for survival and balance, so it will not lead us down an unhealthy path.
BUT, the prerequisite to making this work is to be consistent with healthy choices. In my experience, the best sequence is:
#1 - Establish a very healthy balanced eating routine over an extended time period (at least 1-2 months)
#2 - Start practicing Intuitive Eating
What doesn't work so well is to start from a place of being a mess about food and expect Intuitive Eating to work. Because your body will be in transition, will be confused, will be out of whack... in order to trust your body to be the amazing maching that it is, you first have to allow it to be calibrated to a good/healthy place. So if you are eating too few calories or are inconsistent in your eathing habits, best to work on that first. Learn the "rules" of healthy eating first, then your body can lead you Intuitively.
But remember, it is always a partnership between Intuitive and Good Judgment: When I get hungry, I respond (Intuitive Eating), but I respond with a high-quality, nutritionally dense appropriate food (Good Judgement). For example, I finished dinner 20 minutes ago and I am still hungry and I feel like something sweet. Good use of Intuitive Eating is to reach for a 1/2 cup of no-sugar-added canned peaches or one gluten-free cookie (or one of my other favorites healthy desserts). Bad Intuitive Eating would be to reach for a box of Oreos and munch on them without thinking, without a plan. (I don't even have stuff like that in my house anymore). Even when I follow a craving based on Intuitive Eating, I eat more of the types of things that I have already planned. For example, I might grab one of the 150-calories 15-net-carb snacks I have already portioned out.
Its like dancing: You need to learn the "moves" first (net calories of your fav foods, what your protein/carb/fat needs are, etc.). Then you can create your own choreography.
I hope that all made sense. :flowerforyou:
But intuitive eating says NOTHING is off limits. Foods that I "like" (& often binge on) which aren't healthy for me, according to the research I've done on intuitive eating, SHOULD be included in my diet. You SHOULD keep oreos in the house. You SHOULD go out to "bad" restaurants like fast food places, if you like them. And you should be able to "trust yourself" not to overeat despite being exposed to fattening/sugary/unhealthy foods. & that's the part that concerns/confuses/scares me the most.
The only way to not be so afraid and to trust yourself is to get some experience under your belt. As you see yourself making good choices, you will develop that trust.
So keeping stuff at home is a good test. But set youself up for success. Are cookies 50% of a balanced diet, or 5%? Don't stock too many cookies. LOL Plan for success, not failure.
For restaurants, I plan ahead. Study the nutritional info on the website. Call ahead about substitutions for my allergies. Then I often decide what I feel like eating and enter it into MFP before I even leave. Ordering is easy! Or I prepare a couple choices and let my craving at the time of ordering lead me. But PLAN for sucess, and you will trust yourself and your body more and more over time.0 -
What I have to do now to lose weight is very different than what I had to do a 20yrs ago to lose the same weight. The result is that I am really weight now, whereas before I w bouncing up and down. The key difference is what I did to improve a diet that was already whole food centered, so that intuitive eating today is intuitive nutrition and not chasing cravings.
BEFORE: Whole food very grain heavy and minimal animal protein and very low fat and evened banned most fruit most of the time due to sugar content. I created a nutrition profile based upon Diet for a Small Planet, which emphasizes complex carbohydrates.
I could not work-out cardio intensely without creating weight. That's when I picked-up yoga and gardening and walking, so I could do something.
Sticking to a calorie count was a daily battle with cravings. And what I craved were starchy carbs.
There were soft bagels with chewy crusts, and I ate the whole wheat ones plain, so as not consume fat. Hardly ever touched sweets, but I could roll-up whole wheat lavash and eat several plain as snacks and still be under my kcal count. Lavash was even better with a thick layer of vegetarian no-fat refried(mashed) beans and salsa. Never touched chips--but I had ways of making low-fat low sugar whole grain scones, that only I could love. And oh, I saw high fiber benefits as legitimizing the low fat low sugar bran muffins I made and ate.
I was constantly hungry, so the "grazing" food culture suited me perfectly. Unfortunately I was usually grazing on grain carbs and not primarily on vegetables.
Oh and my vegetables I ate mostly plain--even toss salads, so as to avoid added fats. At least I still ate whole eggs.
It took another book for me to change my nutrition profile from carb heavy to something with a lot more fat, Nourishing Traditions.
NOW: In addition to whole eggs, I include whole milk. Butter and cheeses are back on the menu, in addition to more generous use of olive oil along with the addition of sesame oil and coconut oil. I eat a bit more meat. I no longer cook or bake low fat. Yes, I still like sourdough bread, oatmeal, cornbread, rice, faro, and some other grain dishes--but these are foods that appear a couple of times per week and not multiple times in a day. I have replaced relying on grains for my fiber count to incorporating many more legumes and vegetables and a little fruit for my fiber count.
I have learned that grain carbs--even whole grains--is the same thing as sugar in my body. And as long as I am fueling on sugar, cravings rule what I want and when I want it. Today, I can trust my hunger intuition much more, because it is my body talking and not cravings.0 -
You sound so much like me!!!
I have wanted for years to be an intuitive eater. And I've realized that unfortunately I still LOVE junk food too much to do that 100% of the time, because with junk food, I tend to not EVER feel that satisfied feeling. So until I no longer want to eat junk food regularly (and I do eat it most days, in portion-controlled amounts), then I simply cannot be a pure intuitive eater.
However, it remains a goal for me. Some day I will be an intuitive eater. And that day will come when I no longer want to eat junk food regularly.
I believe that for me, the only way to be an intuitive eater will be without regular junk food eating. And recently I was able to let go of emotional eating completely, which has helped with my overeating problems. Now I am able to always stop after a serving or two of any junk food.
So I'm taking baby steps towards becoming the kind of intuitive eater that I know I will be some day.
For now, I want to track my food.
I'm sick of seeing it as so all-or-nothing, you know? Which is what it sounds like you are doing, another reason that I think we are alike. :flowerforyou: It's not INTUITIVE EATING or TRACK EVERYTHING. One can find a middle ground. For me, right now that middle ground is listening to my hunger signals, then tracking what I ate. Some days I'm under my calories, some days I'm over.
Okay, I think that this has turned into a REALLY long response, so I'll shut up now. :bigsmile: Just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone with these thoughts and with the goal of being a "normal" eater.0 -
Tried that around 165 pounds. I quit weighing myself because I believed (from the book) that my body would naturally settle at the weight that was right for me.
Several years and increased sizes later, I weighed again to discover I had ballooned up to 207 pounds. I don't care if a weight higher than that is the right weight for me; I have no intention of going there. The small bones of my feet hate carrying my current weight (about 185) around.
The problem (I think) is that I can't tell the difference between "I'm hungry" and "I feel like eating something". They feel exactly the same to me - gnawing sensation at the stomach, pulling at the throat, inability to get my mind off eating. I'm not much of a junk food eater (bleh!), and I never like to eat a lot at one time. I got big from eating basically healthy foods in pinches and bites and off small plates.
So now I have a meal schedule and a calorie goal. I'm struggling to break the habit of going into the kitchen 50 times a day to get "a little something". If I ever get past that, I might have a chance at normal eating habits.0 -
I always eat only when am hungry. I used to eat only in the evenings for a very long time as that would be the time when I have a sit down home cooked hot meal. And I love to cook so I look forward to cooking yummy meals. I mean for me intuitive eating means being hungry. And hunger for me means feeling like am crashing, weak, like my whole world is crumbling down in front of my eyes etc etc. I know it's a bit dramatic but when am hungry that's how I feel like it's the end of the world. Just writing this, am realising how anal it sounds.
Anyways as I said for a very long time I would eat only one huge meal at night probably around 2000 calories and during the day I wouldn't feel hungry at all. I would just drink water etc etc. But I ended up being underweight as I wasn't eating enough and now I have to consciously make a decision to eat whether I am hungry or not. I run a lot and for a long time I was running during the day without eating that's how I ended up underweight even with eating 2000 cal a day. And plus I eat really clean as I grew up in a farm with everything fresh and organic so that habit stuck with me till now. So that 2000 cal of a huge meal consisted of only clean fresh food which wasn't helping me a lot.
In a way, it's good to eat intuitively as it makes sure that you only eat when you are truly hungry and don't associate food with emotions, moods etc etc. You know like you see food separately from everything else and can deal with it on its own and you don't just eat for the sake of eating whether you are hungry or not. For a very long time that's how I was and still am majority of the time but these days I consciously eat during the day so I don't get too underweight. I joined this site to gain weight and get advice on muscle building etc etc hopefully. I have never associated food with my emotions etc etc. I just see food as a requirement for living; as a necessity inorder to survive. Apart from that, I don't constantly think about it etc etc. Never had an ED or anything. Just the way I am. I love food. I love eating. But I just eat when am truly hungry that's all. And when am done, am done. Can't eat an extra spoonful even. And although, 98% of my diet is clean eating, I still have junk food when I want to, if am going out with friends etc etc . I don't have any restrictions on which food I can have or not. I guess not having restrictions contributes to it as well. Sometimes, even if I have had dinner at 9pm and I wake up at 1 in the morniing and feel hungry, I would still wake up cook and eat it. I don't really pay much attention to anything. Yea I am working on changing that too.
I think a lot of it is to do with my upbringing, that's how we were brought up as kids. There were no set meals except for dinner at night and we only ate when we were hungry.
It's different for everyone. And I guess everyone have to find what works best for them. For me I think it's just a habit and how I was brought up. I am trying to change that and eat more during the day.
Please don't bash me guys as am new here and looking to change my ways lol0 -
That's really interesting.Tried that around 165 pounds. I quit weighing myself because I believed (from the book) that my body would naturally settle at the weight that was right for me.
Several years and increased sizes later, I weighed again to discover I had ballooned up to 207 pounds. I don't care if a weight higher than that is the right weight for me; I have no intention of going there. The small bones of my feet hate carrying my current weight (about 185) around.
The problem (I think) is that I can't tell the difference between "I'm hungry" and "I feel like eating something". They feel exactly the same to me - gnawing sensation at the stomach, pulling at the throat, inability to get my mind off eating. I'm not much of a junk food eater (bleh!), and I never like to eat a lot at one time. I got big from eating basically healthy foods in pinches and bites and off small plates.
So now I have a meal schedule and a calorie goal. I'm struggling to break the habit of going into the kitchen 50 times a day to get "a little something". If I ever get past that, I might have a chance at normal eating habits.
I've found that I CAN tell the difference between being truly hungry and just wanting to eat. It's just that often, I choose not to pay attention for long enough to determine which is which, OR the desire to "just eat" is so strong that I do it regardless of the fact that I know I'm not hungry.
I'm curious, what's your definition of "junk food?" and what's your definition of "healthy food"? I know when I was eating only healthy food, it was extremely difficult for me to overeat.0 -
I can't keep from posting on this thread so much because I feel so passionate about this topic....
Here is what I have learned about CRAVINGS:
#1 - I am not as out of control as I always thought
#2 - I am not as much of an emotional eater as I though
#3 - The issue behind cravings is *physical* rather than psychological WAY more of the time than I thought
Read this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/923729-learning-what-true-hunger-is
When you feed yourself correctly, 99% of the cravings vanish! Honest! You don't have to have iron-man self-disicpline! I swear :flowerforyou:
Overcoming cravings and eating in a balanced intuitive way and not being plagued by cravings takes WAY less self control than you imagine. It mostly takes organization and planning, to have the right kind of foods and snacks always stocked up and available.0 -
That's exactly what i was trying to get at... you put it much better than I did.0
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Junk food = pretty much anything from a fast food restaurant, fried food, refined grains, chips, roasted nuts, candy, cookies, cake, anything where sugar is one of the first three ingredients.
Healthy food = whole grains, fruit, vegetables, raw nuts, lean meats, organic dairy (I prefer 2%), fish.
I can eat the devil out of nuts - a whole bag, one tablespoon at a time; those can drive your weight up in no time. And I was probably right about being hungry most of the time since I was eating such small amounts; it never really satisfied. An apple here, a pinch of nuts there, a slice of bread with cheese, a cup of cereal with Greek yogurt, on and on and on and on and ....
Now I put together a meal with about 250-350 calories when it is scheduled, it is more satisfying than a single pinch, then I wait 3 hours for the next meal (on a good day). For me, it's like what the poster above said about cognitive learning. I'm learning what a meal is supposed to look like rather than going through my day pick-pick-pick-pick-pick .....
Oh, and as you pointed out above, sometimes I knew I wasn't eating to feed my body but to celebrate something or distract myself from something; many reasons. I didn't get the tools from Intuitive Eating that I needed to overcome this behavior. Scheduling and learning does.0
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