Intuitive Eating #15

carolr3639 · 02-06-2012, 02:08 PM

That is very interesting, Trish. Keep us posted.

one small bowl · 02-07-2012, 12:37 AM

Hi everyone, decided to peek in and see what others are experiencing. I have a few opinions thoughts and ideas to share.

I first learned of IE in the early 90's. I loved all of the methods that came from two books I had at the time. The problems I expereinced were that no matter how practical and natural it was to practice IE, I found a few concepts did not work for me at all, for instance having trigger foods in the house. I failed that repeatedly and realised that my head was just not in the right place. IE at that time did not work for me.

I started a traditional diet in 2009 and counted calories, but had no food restrictions. I could eat whatever I wanted but had to enter it in my nutritional program. This freedom to eat the foods I wanted to really helped me stay on my goal of just keeping some sort of track. I finally saw patterns in my eating I never realized before. After a time, I began to switch to paying attention to calories and lost a good deal of weight.

Last year I started to falter. I had resentments about the diligence in tracking and the weight loss slowed dramatically. I began to restrict more to help the weight loss and that of course set myself up for the constant battle. I'd eat well for 4 or 5 days, eat too much for a couple and back again. This kept my weight stable for a long time but all the tracking left me feeling hopeless. Towards the end of the year I started bingeing again. Not horrible binges and certainly not anywhere near the scope of those I ate for many years. But the mindset was there, the urge was there and the only thing that kept them from all out insanity was that I could no longer hold that much food and I hated feeling sick.

I am on my 124th week of dieting. Or journey or whatever one wants to call it. I am not ready for full fledged IE, but I am burnt out on calorie counting. I mean so burnt out of weighing and measuring and entering data that I am finding myself angry all the time. I find myself staring at the numbers with no more insight than I had in the beginning. It's all so old hat. I have stopped enjoying food. I am not happy anymore. While I have no desire to return to how I use to eat, while I have no cravings, nor wishes to eat junk foods or in restaurants, I feel so wrapped up in something that is no longer working because I haven't the heart to look at another number.

I am diabetic and I know what foods I have a sense of wellbeing on and what spikes my BG. I know what foods help me lose weight and which ones keep me locked in an eternal battle. I am totally (and always have been) against food restriction or bad foods lists, so even though I don't eat the foods that spike my BG, I leave them in the realm of possibility. Having this freedom of choice balanced with full knowledge of consequenses or benefits keeps me honest with myself. Recently I realized that it is actually time for me to move to the next step as I have learned all I can from the initial phase of tradtional dieting. It helped me lose the dangerous excess weight, my BG is stable and I feel a sense of wellbeing with the foods I eat.

I have long practiced the method called One Bowl. It was a turning point for me many years ago that actually got me past bingeing and opened the door to bring joy back into eating. It was a small book by Don Gerrard. It was basically a mindful eating book and made it special with a simple task of finding the right bowl, one that was pleasing, one that became the nurturing vessel to reconnect one with eating.

What I wanted to share is that sometimes all of our past history with food/dieting/binges can be of value as necessary catalysts towards change. while not one particular method worked 100% of the time, I am finding that many of them do work depending on whether I am truly ready for it. My mistake last year was to fail to recognise it was time to move to the next step and instead continueing to do the same thing over and over again expecting a new result.

Today, I filled my bowl, felt pleasure in eating for the first time in what seems like forever. No counting, simply mindful eating. I paid attention to hunger, I paid attention to the tastes. The bowl is my guide, it feeds me the amount I like to eat and leaves me at just the right state of satisfied and not hungry. The act of washing my bowl after every meal is the respect I return to the bowl for holding the nurishing food. Today I felt like everything was falling into place. I only hope to continue down this new path, as I have eventually found myself stumbling and leaving it in fear. Maybe this time I will find myself ready to embrace IE or perhaps another form of mindful eating.

carolr3639 · 02-07-2012, 10:53 AM

One small bowl, a good friend once told us that his doctor told him just to eat less of everything concerning diabetes.

pattygirl63 · 02-07-2012, 04:47 PM

one small bowl - Thanks for sharing your story.

Telorida · 02-07-2012, 06:30 PM

I love the "one small bowl" story... that's great and it looks like it's been doing well by you, too.

So, for the ladies who are IE ... does anyone find that they feel less in control during their period? I am finding it a lot more difficult to listen to my body on when I should stop eating. I am letting myself have whatever it is that I want, but I am having to really be careful about how much because I'm falling into mindless munching.

CatholicCajun · 02-07-2012, 08:02 PM

Hello all. Fell off the wagon today, but I am not going to beat myself up about it, what is done is done. I am NOT going to snack after supper tonight. Tomorrow is another day and I will be home all alone, so I think I will do ok. Today one of my pitfalls was King Cake, but on the plus side instead of bringing the rest of it home I gave it to the manager of the store I worked in today, there was a time that it would have come home with me and be eaten by bedtime, so although I had a setback it was progress by giving it away. Have a blessed evening.

carolr3639 · 02-08-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

there was a time that it would have come home with me and be eaten by bedtime,

Bravo!!!

pattygirl63 · 02-08-2012, 06:35 PM

I went for my 3 month checkup this morning. I had lost 7 lbs since my last appt and my A1c was the same as it has been for the last 3 checkups. I told the doc that I was doing WW with Intuitive Eating. That I eat only when I'm hungry and stop when I'm satisfied. He was pleased with my progress and seemed fine with IE. He was familiar with this way of eating but not aware that was what it was called. I was pleased with how things were going.

Truffle · 02-11-2012, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pattygirl63

I went for my 3 month checkup this morning. I had lost 7 lbs since my last appt and my A1c was the same as it has been for the last 3 checkups. I told the doc that I was doing WW with Intuitive Eating. That I eat only when I'm hungry and stop when I'm satisfied. He was pleased with my progress and seemed fine with IE. He was familiar with this way of eating but not aware that was what it was called. I was pleased with how things were going.

Good for you, Trish! Sounds like things are working well for you.

Truffle · 02-11-2012, 11:14 AM

I'm 12 pounds down from my highest weight.

carolr3639 · 02-11-2012, 03:34 PM

Hi Becky. Prayers are being answered.

Truffle · 02-11-2012, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolr3639

Hi Becky. Prayers are being answered.

Thank you, Carol.

Enjoy your weekend!

CatholicCajun · 02-12-2012, 06:14 PM

Congtatulations to Becky and Trish We drove 9 hours from home to here in Dallas, it took 9 hours, hoping NOT to get rain, snow and/or sleet! Not sure how well it will go with the eating, just going to go with it and not make myself crazy, we are at the Dallas market so it will be a lot of walking, not fast walking, but walking anyway.

carolr3639 · 02-12-2012, 06:52 PM

Any walking is good.

carolr3639 · 02-15-2012, 10:20 AM

Out West visiting the kids and grandkids.