I want it back!!!

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Leana93412
Leana93412 Posts: 162
in Health and Weight Loss
When I was a little girl, I fussed when I was hungry and I stopped eating when I was full. And this is where my mom came into the picture. Telling me I HAD to finish everything on the plate.

But I want back that intuitive eating I had. I'm on my own now. My mom isn't in my life anymore. I need to stop finishing my plate of food when I'm not hungry anymore.

I've set up some rules for myself. (I am maintaining btw)

1. Eat healthy most of the time (which isn't a chore anymore because I've learned to like healthy food)

2. Allow 2 or 3 cheats that are portion controlled.

3. Use hand portion control. (Google if your confused)

4. Eat when stomach grumbles. Not otherwise.

5. Stop when satisfied (stomach stops grumbling), plate half finished or not. And drink water between bites.

6. Weigh often and eat 2 meals lighter for a while if pounds start coming on.

I really want to get back into this. Its so basic. Yet I struggle so much. I'm tired of counting (yes it does work, but I'm tired of it.)

Do you all think I would be able to maintain if I re-learn the above?

Replies

  • BlackPup
    BlackPup Posts: 242 Member
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    I think no 6 is really important. You don't want to put loads back on and have to re lose it. I did that recently and put back on 10 kilos not good. For me I think logging is necessary.

    Other options are partially logging food: logging 6 days a week and having a logging free day. If that works well you could go to a logging free weekend or logging but not weighing out food.
  • Leana93412
    Leana93412 Posts: 162
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    I think no 6 is really important. You don't want to put loads back on and have to re lose it. I did that recently and put back on 10 kilos not good. For me I think logging is necessary.

    Other options are partially logging food: logging 6 days a week and having a logging free day. If that works well you could go to a logging free weekend or logging but not weighing out food.

    One thing that will help me out I think is that hand portion control, you use your hands to meassure. I'm a small person so I have small hands. I would naturally meassure less food with my hands. :smile:

    One thing I also need to do is wait after eating...at least 20 minutes. Because I'm a fast eater, and it takes a while for your brain to tell your stomach that you've eaten.
  • Leana93412
    Leana93412 Posts: 162
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    :)
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    Yes, I think you can. Calorie counting is always here to fall back on if you do regain weight but if your goal is maintenance, I would think for some that learning how to do that with alternative guidelines (which hopefully turn into habits) may be easier so that you're not constantly thinking about food (which I think happens for some of us who do count). FWIW, I was able to maintain for several months using a similar set of rules, but then started bulking and am using calorie counting to cut. Good luck!
  • PaulFields56
    PaulFields56 Posts: 108 Member
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    I like your approach. For me, I think actually counting calories, no matter how I measure portion size, will continue to be a key, with two notes:
    1) I'm not at maintenance yet, but I will be soon. Maintenance may (or may not) be a whole new ballgame.
    2) Everyone is different. Find what works for you.

    Have fun!
  • Leana93412
    Leana93412 Posts: 162
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    I like your approach. For me, I think actually counting calories, no matter how I measure portion size, will continue to be a key, with two notes:
    1) I'm not at maintenance yet, but I will be soon. Maintenance may (or may not) be a whole new ballgame.
    2) Everyone is different. Find what works for you.

    Have fun!

    I lost all my weight counting. Been counting for a year and a half. Been maintaining for 6 months with counting. But like another poster said, all I'm thinking about these days is food food food!

    It wasn't like that in the past. Yes I was overweight, but I ate and moved on to the next thing. I didn't have healthy eating habits, my mom didn't raise me to be healthy.

    I don't want to demonize food, but I gained because I ate too much "junk". High calorie foods that weren't filling enough or left me hungry a few minutes later. But now I've learned new eating habits. And it's time to put them to work for good. The above rules are small changes to add. And very doable actually. For me. :smile:
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    It can be a breeze or hard work either way. I suppose you just have to try it and find out :)
  • Leana93412
    Leana93412 Posts: 162
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    It can be a breeze or hard work either way. I suppose you just have to try it and find out :)

    Wether we maintain with or without counting, we are still mindful of what we eat aren't we? :wink:

    So as far as a breeze or hard work, once my rules become habits, it might just be as easy as counting. :smile: That's what I think anyway.
  • DebTavares
    DebTavares Posts: 170 Member
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    Yes, you can do it. You pretty much have to form solid habits around portion control. You have to be very honest with yourself though. I believe you can eat any foods doing this.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    I know what you mean. Since starting this process I find I can't eat as much. I have to really fight with myself to leave food on the plate. I hear my father's voice, "I paid for that and you're going to eat it." Or my mother's, "Well, at least just finish the meat." I'd love to get rid of the voices and just learn to eat again. I'm always amazed when a little kid can eat a cookie and leave one bite. One bite! How do they do that? :laugh:
  • DebTavares
    DebTavares Posts: 170 Member
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    I know what you mean. Since starting this process I find I can't eat as much. I have to really fight with myself to leave food on the plate. I hear my father's voice, "I paid for that and you're going to eat it." Or my mother's, "Well, at least just finish the meat." I'd love to get rid of the voices and just learn to eat again. I'm always amazed when a little kid can eat a cookie and leave one bite. One bite! How do they do that? :laugh:

    I know! Skinny people who never diet do the same thing. I have two very skinny co-workers who eat fast food everyday but it's always small portions. One had a bag of smartfood that lasted weeks and the other had a bar of toblerone that lasted months. If it were me they'd be gone in a day or two.
  • Leana93412
    Leana93412 Posts: 162
    Options
    I know what you mean. Since starting this process I find I can't eat as much. I have to really fight with myself to leave food on the plate. I hear my father's voice, "I paid for that and you're going to eat it." Or my mother's, "Well, at least just finish the meat." I'd love to get rid of the voices and just learn to eat again. I'm always amazed when a little kid can eat a cookie and leave one bite. One bite! How do they do that? :laugh:

    Lol I used to do that too. Or I'd eat 3 cookies and then I didn't want dinner because I got full on the cookies. :wink:
  • PennyVonDread
    PennyVonDread Posts: 432 Member
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    When I was a little girl, I fussed when I was hungry and I stopped eating when I was full. And this is where my mom came into the picture. Telling me I HAD to finish everything on the plate.

    But I want back that intuitive eating I had. I'm on my own now. My mom isn't in my life anymore. I need to stop finishing my plate of food when I'm not hungry anymore.

    I've set up some rules for myself. (I am maintaining btw)

    1. Eat healthy most of the time (which isn't a chore anymore because I've learned to like healthy food)

    2. Allow 2 or 3 cheats that are portion controlled.

    3. Use hand portion control. (Google if your confused)

    4. Eat when stomach grumbles. Not otherwise.

    5. Stop when satisfied (stomach stops grumbling), plate half finished or not. And drink water between bites.

    6. Weigh often and eat 2 meals lighter for a while if pounds start coming on.

    I really want to get back into this. Its so basic. Yet I struggle so much. I'm tired of counting (yes it does work, but I'm tired of it.)

    Do you all think I would be able to maintain if I re-learn the above?

    I had similar problems, too. When I was young and my parents got divorced, my Grandparents (who had survived the depression) moved in with us to help my dad raise us while he was working overtime.

    I had lunch at school around 10:20 am. I would come home, and if Grandma was cooking, I was not allowed to eat until supper. We usually ate at 5:30pm or so. Some meals got started early in the day, definitely by the time I got off school and arrived home around 3:00pm. "You'll spoil your supper" and so I can't eat. That's 7-8 hours without food for an active child.

    Then, I would be given a large portion of food (I wasn't allowed to plate myself until I was 14, because Grandma would get stressed about the kids around the hot serveware) because I had been complaining about being "So hungry" and I would be forced to finish everything on my plate before leaving the table. They wondered why I was chubby. I had a few secret eating and binge habits growing up because I never knew if I'd be allowed to eat. In her defense, she wasn't a bad Grandma and it was a grand retro-style/homemade meal every night when she lived with us; I realize now that they're a victim of their generation and experience and couldn't see how this was wrong, or how these habits lead to unhealthy relationships regarding food with my siblings and I. I lost the weight really easy once I was able to control my own intake and I eat all the time now, but in small, consistent snacks/meals. I'm pretty sure I prefer eating like this (mostly subconsciously) because of how stressful food was growing up.

    Reclaiming your eating habits is a liberating experience. At least you realize some of the influences that have affected your eating habits from an outside perspective. Good luck on your journey.

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