I am glad to hear that. I felt a little silly sharing that as its so personal and hard for some people to understand. Im glad it resonated with you.

So, I have been eating donuts for DAYS now. Seriously, I realized I needed to re-legalize them or something. And so I have been. I didn't allow myself donuts for like years and years so I have a lot of donut eating ahead of me. Im not tired of them yet. I am glad you shared your donut story Wannabe or I don't think I would have realized it. Donuts have been on my unconscious not allowed list for so long I didn't even realize I wasn't allowing myself to have them.

Thank you for revealing those feelings. A couple of weeks ago in another 3FC section, I posted about the emotions behind my binges, particularly the compulsion to devour and destroy the food that I crave, to somehow obliterate the "enemy." Although no one responded, perhaps some member did silently take solace in the words. But, unlike you, I deleted it in a moment of vulnerability. Glad you shared. Many of us surely do understand.

Wow. I am in awe of all of you for your openness toward each other. I just found out about IE about 20 minutes ago and I am more than intrigued. I've only just begun my weight loss journey so I'm not sure where to begin with this intuitive eating but I will definitely check out those books some of you posted about.

I feel guilty just reading this. I miss him, kind of. But I'm also so excited to have my DAY back. I can work, I can focus on my work, I can focus on what I'm doing without splitting my mind 10 different ways. I can complete each task I set out to do. Being home with a LO means constantly attending to his needs and now I'm free to do what I like. So yes, I miss him but I've missed my independence more. I'll be seeing my NT next week thankfully.

Thank you. It is hard when no one responds. I think though that people still are taking in and absorbing the words and maybe even they are having an impact even if they don't respond. I have deleted things too. I didn't see what you wrote, I mostly stick around the IE thread on this forum, but that sounds interesting and like something I could relate to. I have a hard time sharing myself and being open and I figure this is also part of my IE journey and on my path to grow as a person.

Don't feel guilty! You know, I only have one child missing from my usual day to day and all of a sudden I am thinking of going back to school and finishing my degree, taking a creative writing course, all kinds of things that haven't even been on the forefront of my mind because I have not been focusing on ME at all. It's amazing what a difference it makes. I am really enjoying having this time to myself and Im starting to feel a little more like a human with wants and desires, not an automan who exists soley to meet other's needs. Glad you will be seeing your NT soon!

Welcome! Feel free to ask any questions that maybe we can help you with. Glad to see you here.

There are some sections on the forum that are not very active, perhaps that's why no one responded. Can you repost that here? Those are the sorts of things we tackle here. Also, a lot of people here on other threads do speak of foods as being evil, being the enemy etc and when that is challenged they feel very uncomfortable. There is a thread right now called Pizza is NOT Evil by another IEer somewhere around here and someone has already responded by saying "Yes it is."

Thanks for answering my question, I am going to check on the books and youtube video you mentioned. You all share a lot on here and it helps to know we are having similar eating and life issues i.e. loneliness. I had a recent breakup with my boyfriend which I believe added to my weight gain and occasional overeating d/t stress. I know I will work my way through it though.

I have come to the realization that almost my entire self worth has been wrapped up in my weight and how I look. I grew up feeling like how I looked was all I had to offer, my only strength. Recently I have been feeling really good about myself and realizing that I actually do a lot every day, that I am not useless and inept and that I do offer more than how I look. I know that can be easy to misread and interpret as I think I am some gorgeous creature, but that isn't it at all. I guess I was just raised that how I looked was VERY important and even made me more loveable.

Anyway, I have made a real effort these past weeks to disconnect my eating from thoughts about my body or my weight. I also realize I totally can't exercise right now because its too closely linked to feeling bad about how I look and trying to change it. Im hoping eventually I can get over that since I know exercise is very important for health.

Anyway I got triggered this evening watching an old show and someone said something about how ladies watched their figure and the character only had tea instead of biscuits or something. I immediately felt all heavy and slovenly and like I needed to skip a few meals ASAP. Its very hard to remain true to myself and my bodys needs with messages like that out in the world. I just remind myself over and over again that *I* can't diet. Maybe other people can, but I have an eating disordered past and it will only lead to out of control binges and misery. I need to stay on my path and go eat a donut if I want it. Or an entire box. Its more important that I listen to myself and satisfy my desires than that I even try to restrict a teeny bit or it will hurt me in the long run.

Thanks for listening to me ramble.

@Wannabeskinny: The point about decriminalizing food is a good one, and I see it echoed in many people's messages here. I'm finding that it's not so much about the food itself as it is about how one uses it. I do adore eating, cooking, and reading about food. Food becomes unhealthy for me, though, when I eat beyond the point of natural satisfaction and enjoyment -- when I use it to search for excitement or fulfillment or when disordered eating becomes a form of self-abuse, a familiar way to express malaise and despair.

@JayZeeJay and Pinkhippie: An earlier post about taking up space reminds me of a feminist spoken word performance that I saw on YouTube recently. The speaker observed that, in certain circles, it's a rite of passage for women to gradually shrink in relationship to the surrounding environment, to banish excess fleshiness, excess noisiness, and everything that might be deemed unladylike. Building physical strength (as you mentioned, JayZeeJay) is a way of countering that in a positive way.

@TamTam, PyrettaBlaze, and kmruby1: It's great to see you. Here's to a good week for us all.

Had to babysit the grand-dog this weekend--he went home yesterday afternoon-Thank you Jesus!!! My eating is good. I need to start packing more of what I want to eat for lunch, the other day I threw out what I bought because it did not appeal to me, it was just something to grab and eat that was in the refrigerator. The problem is that I don't leave work for lunch, but need to be more selective on what I bring. Hope you all have a blessed day.

Before I forget. The guy who wrote the Overfed Head has some short videos on the ***********.com website in case you want to check him out.

Ok it won't let me post the link. So go to daily motion and look him up.

Hello all! I got the Intuitive Eating book by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch from the library. I've just begun reading but it's making a lot of sense. I almost worry that I'm not ready for IE mentally. How do you get over the initial fear of letting go of your old habits of dieting and the like?

It's not easy!!! I am still trying to overcome the diet mentality. I think it's baby steps and there are some forward and some backwards, but keep on trying.