Intuitive eating
mandasimba
Posts: 782 Member
I have recently come to the conclusion that I have absolutely no idea about real feelings of hunger or fullness anymore (I blogged for more of an explanation). I think I am going to look into intuitive eating so I can re learn food - for a lack of better terms. Has anybody else tried this? Helped?
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Sounds ohhh so familiar. I"d love to hear what you come up with.0
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Manda - how have you been doing with this the past couple weeks?
I think it is definitely something all of us w/ an eating disorder have lost at some point. I know I for sure had gotten to the point where I couldn't differentiate between real hunger and emotional hunger. Or between thirst and hunger for that matter. It has gotten much better over the past 2 yrs, but is still something I need to work towards and pay close attention to.0 -
I find that when I am in control of my eating environment, I do much better at understanding when I have had enough. So, I make sure that I am sitting down at a table, with utensils, with no other distractions. If I´m watching TV or listening to the radio its much harder to pay attention to my body´s signals. It seems to help if I arrange the food in a nice way and take the time to look at it and smell it before taking my first bite.
I take small bites and chew very thoroughly. Sometimes I count the times I chew the food. If I keep this up, there comes a point where I pause between bites. I let the pause drag out and try to feel if I´m truly still hungry.
Maybe all this isnt what you were looking for, but I find it to be useful. Also, drinking water first when I think I may be hungry helps.0 -
That is an excellent strategy, and one they encourage big time in behavior therapy. I have a hard time with it because I am so used to eating alone in front of the computer. However, I have made good strides in doing this when I'm eating treat food. Great job to you LaEliFish!0
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Heyhey! I'm learning to eat intuitively and have blogged a bit about it too. I've read the book and really like the 10 principles, even if I haven't mastered them! Those damn Food Police are still a challenge as well as the diet mentality - but all in good stride.
Learning to not only listen but HEAR your body is new to a lot of people who have dieted chronically because they were so deadfast set on following a particular set of rules vs. paying attention to their bodies.
I like the way it was put in the book - toddlers are the greatest of intuitive eaters because they eat what they want and stop when they're full - there's no thinking about calories or nutrition - basic stuff. Now, as adults, we can take a gentle approach to nutrition with this same aspiration of not putting a limit on what foods we can and can't have and work towards eating intuitively just like those toddlers!
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Intuitive eating is one of my ultimate goals as well, and I think it is really the single most important thing to practice for keeping the weight off for good. I don't want to log my calories every day for the rest of my life, so learning to eat intuitively is so important.
I don't follow a book or any sort of plan for it, but I just really try to pay close attention to the sensations I am feeling, and giving my body only what it needs. Sometimes I will feel anxious and grumpy, and that it's sometimes caused by hunger. Sometimes I feel what I think is hunger, but is really only thirst (or uhh...digestive issues :blushing:) I was never a water drinker before starting a new healthy way of eating, and now that I am drinking adequate amounts of water throughout the day, it has made a huge difference.0
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