For those who are not familiar with the IE approach, the basic principle is to eat when you're hungry, eat what you want, enjoy it, and stop when you're full. We incorporate mindful eating practices in order to tune into our hunger/satiety signals. All too often for those of us who are compulsive overeaters we think about food all day long and then as soon as we sit down to eat we turn our minds off food and onto something else. We obsess about food but we don't enjoy our food. We watch tv or use other methods of taking our focus off eating and I've been trying to correct that. So what is your process of eating? What does it take to get you to sit and eat besides the time of day or a craving?
For me, I'm learning to let myself get nice and hungry. I've tried to push the envelope and get REALLY hungry but then I start to feel either dizzy, nauseous, or out of control. But I let myself get hungry enough to be able to sit with it a bit and really take stock of what the feels like from head to toe. I've noticed a burning sensation at the bottom of my tummy, and sometimes a rumble.
When I've decided that those pangs are actual hunger I set out to eat. Sometimes I'm inspired by what's around me, other times i have to go out and get what I'm craving. I make a decent portion, I don't hold back and I make up what seems a nice full meal. Then I sit, put the tv away, put the phone and computer away and look at the food taking in the aromas, the textures and everything. I think about where the food came from, who farmed it, where I bought it, etc. This doesn't take long but it helps me get focused and lock myself into an eating state of mind.
When I first begin eating I feel a surge of anxiousness. I eat at a rapid speed, but try to allow a few seconds between swallowing and the next bite. This is harder than it sounds! I allow myself to eat quickly at first because trying to control that feels nervewracking. I quickly decide that there's usually something in my plate that I have no interest in after all, like the rice or the tomatoes in the salad, they're not enjoyable to eat at that moment so I relieve myself of the duty to eat them. I set a little barrier for myself, like once I've eaten half that chicken breast at a a comfortable pace I slow way down. Then I start to eat each bite slowly and savor it. I put my fork down between each bite.
Halfway through the meal I stop completely and take a 2 minute break from eating. I turn and talk to something, get up and go to the kitchen to put something away, head to the restroom, go put the clothes in the dryer, whatever it is I just stop eating completely and walk away. i come back and more often than not I'm no longer in the mood to continue eating. Sometimes I want a couple of more bites. I have read no literature yet about taking such a break but for me I have found it to be crucial! It gives my stomach the chance to catch up to my hunger level.... funny how all along people say to eat slowly but it really works. It's amazing how our system was even built this way!
Halfway through the meal I stop completely and take a 2 minute break from eating. I turn and talk to something, get up and go to the kitchen to put something away, head to the restroom, go put the clothes in the dryer, whatever it is I just stop eating completely and walk away. i come back and more often than not I'm no longer in the mood to continue eating. Sometimes I want a couple of more bites. I have read no literature yet about taking such a break but for me I have found it to be crucial! It gives my stomach the chance to catch up to my hunger level.... funny how all along people say to eat slowly but it really works. It's amazing how our system was even built this way!
Wannabe, Susanna Dee, author of "I've Tried It All, Now What?" suggests doing this very thing. She outlines a journaling process for the first 30 days that many swear made a huge difference for them, but it's not for me. However, stopping in the middle of the meal is part of that process. I think you'd find her methods interesting.
If you're interested in purchasing it, do NOT buy it on Amazon! She sells her book on her website thedonutwhisperer.com and I think someone probably bought her book in bulk (she has that option) and is selling it on Amazon for a ridiculous price.
It's really the first book I've ever read on IE, although I don't think she uses the term. I don't like it as much as Overfed Head & Overcoming Overeating, but it's an easy read and a nice addition to your IE collection.
At first I would use the hunger/fullness scale. If I wanted to lose weight, I'd let my hunger get to a 2. Lately, it's been a little difficult to get to that point, and I see what they say that you can make the scale into another "rule." So, part of me now thinks if I let myself get too hungry, that I'll be putting too much stress on my body and my metabolism will suffer for it. Is that diet talk? Maybe. Or denial, don't know. I've also been trying to eliminate the soul-crushing need to be thin and lose weight and play the game, so it's all gone hand-in-hand. I want to be real with myself. Talk about a work in progress.
Anyway, so I don't generally concentrate on the eating process so much anymore. I figure animals don't really do that in nature, and we don't think too deeply about peeing or any other bodily function. (Bad frame of reference?) I concentrate more on my overall well-being and how I'm feeling, moment to moment. I think by working on myself, it naturally spills out into how I eat. I can see when I want food for stress, and when I am just hungry even if my stomach is not grumbling. I feel an emptiness in my stomach that is not accompanied by pain or discomfort or noise of any kind. I know that's hunger because I don't feel it in my head or my throat.
I notice when I eat fast - it's usually at work when people are putting a lot of pressure on me to get things done, including myself. Need to get the food in my stomach fast so I can move onto the next thing. That has been REALLY challenging. I've read so many intuitive eating type books and it didn't really click until last summer what it meant to concentrate on the food and enjoy eating, and that I think I do for the most part. I don't like to eat while watching t.v. or at the computer or reading a book anymore. I think about wild animals focusing entirely on their kill...lol...to the exclusion of almost anything else.
I'm hesitant to venture into the topic of mindful eating again but thought I'd share with those who are thinking of adopting IE the difference between mindful eating and IE taken from here:
Veterans may already know of the difference but I was curious after the last thread on mindfulness so googled and found the article.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating encompasses a variety of concepts, but at its core, it centers on how we eat rather than what we eat.
Pace - A key aspect of mindful eating is paying attention to the pace at which we eat our food. All too often, we rush through meals, eating more quickly than we should. This is often done out of habit, or because we are too distracted during meals or are rushing due to hectic, busy schedules. To eat mindfully, you would pause between taking bites, chew your food more thoroughly, and pay attention to your breathing and how full you feel.
Avoiding Distractions - Mindful eating involves staying away from life's many distractions, including your TV, radio, computer, phone or other mobile devices. You should also refrain from eating while you drive.
Assessing Level of Hunger - Think of your hunger as ranging from 1 to 10, with 1 being absolutely starving and 10 being completely stuffed. Assess your level of hunger before you start eating and gauge this level throughout your meal to know when to stop. With mindful eating, it's encouraged to veer away from a rigid eating strategy.
Enjoying & Appreciating Food - Learning to find pleasure in eating and fully recognizing all of the senses you're using simultaneously in the process is essential to mindful eating. Appreciate how food nourishes your body while savoring each bite. Also key is paying attention to your reactions to food without judging yourself.
Recognizing Mindless Eating Habits - Being cognizant of mindless eating behaviors (and their consequences), such as emotional eating and overeating, are crucial to mindful eating. Mindful eating also can incorporate meditation.
Intuitive Eating
The term "intuitive eating" originated in 1995 when two registered dietitians, Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole, wrote a book on the subject, appropriately titled Intuitive Eating. These authors explain that mindful eating and intuitive eating share the same philosophies. According to research, intuitive eating involves three main concepts (which are covered below), with the overarching goal being to achieve a healthy relationship with food and to throw out the notion of dieting. It aims to remove the feeling of guilt you may get when you give in to foods you've sworn off because no foods are "off limits" with intuitive eating.
Unrestricted Go-Ahead to Eat - Unconditional allowance to eat anything you want, at any time, as long as you are truly hungry. You are encouraged to remove any guilt associated with eating and to avoid any rigidity with your eating habits.
Eating Mainly by Physically-Driven Reasons - Avoiding using emotional motives to initiate eating is a key concept. Eat to nourish your body.
Trusting Innate Cues for Hunger & Satiety - Feed your body what it wants when it is truly hungry. The core idea here is to trust your own internal instincts about when you're hungry and full.
The research on intuitive and mindful eating is fairly new, but it's believed that they share similar main ideas that can help people achieve their wellness goals for a lifetime, rather than for a short-term period of time.
Wannabe I honestly cannot believe how far you have come in a few short weeks. Your calm and insightful posts are so positive you can't ever go back to the dark side!
Magical, why are you hesitant to venture into the topic? Thanks for the insightful information you provided. My eye caught this sentence "Recognizing Mindless Eating Habits - Being cognizant of mindless eating behaviors (and their consequences), such as emotional eating and overeating, are crucial to mindful eating. Mindful eating also can incorporate meditation." I wonder how and what this means.
It has been strange to make my eating so theatrical but these are all fancy moves designed to help me slow down, enjoy the experience of eating and pay attention to when I'm satisfied. The problem with dieting is that you're only eating what you're allowed to eat and therefore you eat every last bite of it resentfully. And then you fear your next moment of hunger because your selected diet won't allow you to satisfy that hunger the way you want to. If you think about it, going about eating like this feels a lot more theatrical to me "oh look at me, I'm eating a salad and that makes me a good person!"
Thanks Cindy, I might sound like I know what I'm talking about but it is a struggle at the moment. I've caved in to non-hunger eating a few times I won't lie.
One thing that I'm learning properly now is that sometimes I don't know I overate until well after I've done so. That's why eating slowly and taking pauses is so important. Yesterday after breakfast I knew I ate a little to much but 30 minutes later I felt terrible! I could hardly move and I felt uncomfortably full. This is something I used to crave, feeling overly full was pleasant. I am now starting to dislike it more and more, all the more reason to slow down and leave a little more on my plate.
IE - The process of eating
but thought I'd share with those who are thinking of adopting IE the difference between mindful eating and IE taken from here:
