I'm starting more intensive eating disorder therapy with a group session today. I'll let you guys know how it goes. I've been so nervous about it I've been restricting heavily for the past week or so and binged/purged a few days ago. I'm really trying to come to terms with my body being okay as is.
Beginme- that is awesome! I have noticed that too.
Wannabe: I read that they have done studies that show a toddler will eat a balanced diet if you offer them the food but it won't be over a week, its over months. It can look alarming but as long as you are offering them a varied diet, they are getting all their nutrients. Also, toddlers are often grazers, its just how they like to eat. I have noticed as they get older they start settling more into meals. My 2.5 year old likes to snack all day long and usually doesn't even eat dinner. My 5 year old used to be the same way and my now 11 year old but they both eat meals and a scheduled after school snack now.
So I noticed today I was doing some eating when I wasn't hungry. Then this evening I ate some candy when I wasn't hungry and it made me feel bad physically. So, when I got a free moment I sat down and thought about why I was eating when I wasn't hungry. When I sat down and thought about my day and what had gone on and my emotions I almost started laughing. I have had several things going on today. Big not usual things, like husband vasectomy, reinitiating contact with my bio father, family stuff, kid stuff, etc... Until I sat down and thought about why I was eating when I wasn't hungry I didn't even feel any of those anxieties or emotions. I brushed them all to the side like they weren't important and just ignored them like they didn't matter, like they were a cloud of flies buzzing in my peripheral vision that I was choosing not to look at. I was honestly stunned by my ability to shove my feelings off to the side like I never even had them. Even after all these years, years of therapy and working on myself.
Anyway, Once I realized that my indiscriminate eating made sense and I was glad I had that to signal to me that something was wrong. Now I can feel all my stress, and I suppose that is good because at least I can deal with it. I deserve to feel my feelings and have needs and deal with them. It's hard to get that through my head sometimes.
It is super hard to give up the food even with my breakthroughs in physical sensitivity. Feeling too full actually makes me feel safe. Need to find a better way to accomplish that.
Hey gals it's me Cindy just checking in. I was here a lot about a year ago, and although I've had some challenging periods, I'm still on the IE bandwagon and at present feeling really good about it. It's funny how easy it is sometimes and how hard other times, but I sure enjoy the general wonderful normal feeling it gives.
Locke, good for you. I will check back in on how it's going.
Wannabe, just a nickel dime on food with your son. While I think snacks are fine, ultimately you should encourage him to enjoy a sit down meal with the family. I just really really believe in how important that time becomes at many levels, nutrition being just one of them. I also think that your time and convenience matter and while you are cooking it should be for the family. You don't want a food tyrant lol. Which is not to say he shouldn't get some snacks, but it doesn't need to be a smorgasbord either. I would keep the unprocessed carb stuff to a reasonable minimum. And honest I'm not saying not to let him have it at all and he is still very young, but you know we are creatures of convenience and the better nutrition in the choices I think it's setting him up to establish a good life path forward.
I used to take my two sons out for breakfast all the time, we went to a bakery place and I used to watch mothers come in with their kids and they'd get three donuts and a soda for breakfast. I never allowed soda and the rule (gosh I hate that term!) was one donut while they waited for their breakfast to be served. They still laugh about it but they love good breakfasts as healthy normal weight adults so it seemed to work out ok.
Last edited by CindySunshine; 01-10-2015 at 06:35 AM.
So I survived my first few days in a more intensive group program for my eating disorder. Right now I'm "eating mechanically" which means I eat dietitian approved meals and snacks every 3 hours whether I'm hungry or not. This is to get my body used to being fed all the time. I think this is probably a good thing because I've been eating very erratically for a while and purging quite a bit. I'm feeling pretty good about this. The model for the program is Health at Every Size (see book by Linda Bacon). It uses an intuitive eating approach after the mechanical eating period. There's a big focus on cognitive behavior therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy as well as mindfulness. So yeah things are looking up. I'm very hopeful. I'm also logging my meals, levels of fullness, and feelings.
Hi, I would like to join you! I'm coming back to intuitive eating, using Paul McKenna's "I Can Make You Thin" Plan (dumb name but GREAT book!). I also bought his journal. Starting today.
It was about a year ago I first heard of IE. What a concept, right? I didn't even get what it meant at first. I realize now that I am doing it. Some days I don't even eat meals and just graze though I am still always aware of what I've eaten. I like it because it makes me feel "normal". Most "normal weighted" people have never been food obsessed but still enjoy it when they eat it. I "get" that feeling now.
