But then I had a thought, can you truly want to lose weight and be a practitioner of IE? Or does the subconscious take over knowing you're not happy with your body?
What an insightful thought and a really serious question to ponder! I don't think I've ever thought of this, but I suppose it could be a real possibility.
I still harbor diet thoughts, but mostly because I believe I need to lose the weight for optimal health and to get some relief from some chronic problems that have developed over the years. Unlike my brief foray into dieting in my early 20's, this has everything to do with health and zero to do with vanity. But I would be lying if I said I don't particularly like my body either, although I have become significantly more tolerant of my appearance since learning of and practicing IE (and I do mean PRACTICING!).
I want to lose weight, and I'd like to do it quickly (hence the diet mentality creeping in), but it's only because I want to feel better. Yet I do think that either factor (unhappiness with body OR unhappiness with health situation) can certainly push one toward dieting.
Most definitely this is something to be considered.
It's really hard to want to lose weight and do IE at the same time. I feel like even wanting to lose weight holds me back and makes me obsessive about food. For me exercise has been very helpful. It makes me feel in tune with my body and I find I eat more nutritious foods naturally, probably because I'm feeling better.
I think the answer to owlteaszombies quesiton is no. I cannot want to lose weight and do IE the way that really works. I think that is the paradox.
Like for example in Overcoming Overeating they ask you to imagine a gas that everyone breathes that makes it where you can never gain or lose another pound for a reason. Because that has to be your mindset. As soon as I start wanting to lose weight consciously or unconsciously, I have a harder time with IE.
Right now I am focused on some dietary changes and I am making them for my health. I CANNOT think about my weight or it won't work. But for me, really focusing on my health and eating more vegetables making me feel better, does work. I also agree with Locke, when I exercise more I do feel more in tune and make more healthful choices.
Do you guys cook a lot? I know that Palestrina likes to cook but I find myself eating a lot of cereal, toast with hummus, and other easy stuff these days. I'm wondering what you all do. I can't eat out a lot because it's expensive and I just don't feel like cooking most of the time, especially because it reminds me of diet mode where I'm batch cooking and planning EVERYTHING.
Yes, but keep in mind that I am a stay at home mom to a family of 5. I make a menu plan for the week and then once a week I go grocery shopping. That way there is never a doubt for what is for dinner. I don't plan to the day, I just come up with six dinners and a few things for lunch and breakfast is almost always the same.
I keep all my menu plans so I can look through them to get ideas. I have really picky/ sensory issue kids so I am limited on what I make. I get burned out on cooking often so I typically make simple things like burritos, quesadillas, pasta, casseroles, and the occasional crock pot meal. I like to make egg dishes like quiche because they are easy. I usually just have frozen vegetables because they are easier but I usually buy broccoli and green beans fresh to steam.
Do you guys cook a lot? I know that Palestrina likes to cook but I find myself eating a lot of cereal, toast with hummus, and other easy stuff these days. I'm wondering what you all do. I can't eat out a lot because it's expensive and I just don't feel like cooking most of the time, especially because it reminds me of diet mode where I'm batch cooking and planning EVERYTHING.
There came a time during IE when I got pretty good at it that I was sick to death of cooking and worrying about food. I only have 1 kid (Pinkhippie you're a hero), but even one kid is a lot of work when it comes to food. In the morning I have to wake up, get him his breakfast. Then I have to pack him a lunch and a snack for school. Then after I take him to school I have to deal with my own breakfast. Then I shop for dinner. Then it's time to eat lunch. Then I pick my son up from school and get him a snack. Then I start dinner. Then I clean up after dinner. That's how every day goes. It's exhausting, not just because of how much work it is but it keeps me thinking about food all day long. I've found ways of simplifying it but it still has to get done. We order in once a week and on the weekends we brunch out at a restaurant. But the rest of the week I'm chopping salads, prepping sandwiches, cooking dinners, it's a lot. So I know what you mean.
When I want something easy, I normally make myself some eggs and cheese on an english muffin. It's one pan, one plate, I can eat it with my hands.
For dinner if I'm feeling lazy, I usually take a flatbread, shove some tomato sauce and veggies and a protein on it, throw it in the oven and call it pizza
And then there's just a baked potato and salad that happens a lot.
I got up pretty early (about 4:00 am) so I decided to walk this morning rather than early afternoon. I was able to increase my walk to 2.5 miles this morning, which made me feel accomplished. I wasn't particularly hungry when I went to the Y but was pretty hungry when I finished the walk.
I then went to the post office and then to the grocery store to pick up some lottery tickets. I'm not a big lottery player but one of our games (Fantasy 5) is up to almost $1M which is pretty high, so I decided to gamble a couple of bucks on it. Feeling lucky!
Then I decided to quell my hunger with a donut! Yes, indeed! Got it to go, got home, sat down with a cup of coffee and just enjoyed the heck out of it. No guilt at all.
That's good to hear SouthernMaven, you're back in the swing of things and you're already more fit!
How does one ward off guilt? Been having a hard time with that lately. I seem to have problems when I try to incorporate gentle nutrition, I can only seem to manage it for a few days before overeating again. Anyone else here who can make decisions based only on what their body needs? I'm still stuck in wanting to appease both my body and my mind unfortunately.
How does one ward off guilt? Been having a hard time with that lately. I seem to have problems when I try to incorporate gentle nutrition, I can only seem to manage it for a few days before overeating again. Anyone else here who can make decisions based only on what their body needs? I'm still stuck in wanting to appease both my body and my mind unfortunately.
I understand the struggle, Palestrina.
Getting rid of the guilt has definitely been a challenge, and I have certainly not conquered it. Some days I think "Now I know I could have eaten better than that!" and it's frustrating. I just take it day by day.
I just got back from therapy. My therapist and I decided that I need to let go of weight loss as a goal completely. I just need to focus on intuitive eating and living life the way I want to live it. It's really a sad, scary thing to let go of. It's going to take a lot of work to undo a life time of diet and body related issues. But I'm willing to let the doubts and dieting thoughts happen and ignore them. Like Maven said it's a one day at a time type of thing. I'm going to throw away my scale when I get home.
I am not in a very good place right now. I fell a few weeks ago and wound up with a broken arm and an assortment of other minor injuries. I felt so silly. At 40 something, I would have thought I had at least mastered walking.
I have been in moderate binge mode ever since. IE? What's that? Somehow food has turned back into a comfort. So frustrating as I had so many months of good IE. Of course, even as I type this, I realize how much of sounds like diet mentality...I was "good" now I'm "bad".
Sorry to hear about your fall beginme, I hope you're on the mend soon!
Why is it a bad thing that food is a comfort? Food IS a comfort, and that's ok. When you try to fight that idea is when you can get in trouble. I like to think food as A comfort, but not the only comfort there is. When I think of it this way I feel as if I have options. It's also important to understand that there will be certain periods of eating more and eating less. Just go with it, ride the wave but don't try to control the wave. The concept of going with the flow does not get explained well in IE but I believe it to be crucial.
Food is comforting. There's only a problem when it becomes the way you deal with most of your problems. Food is a pretty crappy solution to any problem other than hunger. If you're lonely or upset there are better ways of coping that will do more to help.
