Eat when you're hungry stopped when you're satisfied.

I think I posted this about 3 years ago but it is interesting.

This is a guest post written by Skwigg. This girl is a walking dictionary of food and nutrition facts, has read and tried MULTIPLE fitness plans, and every time I check, she’s read another “hot of the press” diet book. And, she tells it like it is.

skwigg

Well, it took like 25 years of trial and error, but I am a happy eater. I follow no rules. I count no calories. I’m completely over nutrient ratios, meal timing and measuring cups. Plus, as an added bonus, I’m not fat. Any time I’ve flirted with this “intuitive eating” stuff before, I’ve quickly become too fat for my little pants. This time I’m gradually losing. I’m 5’8″ and weigh 135-137 most days. I don’t know my percentage of body fat. It’s possible that I’m losing muscle and brains. I’m not concerned enough to get out the calipers. My Tanita scale tells me that I’m between 14% and 24% body fat. Helpful, eh? It’s like asking a Magic 8 Ball. The readout may as well say “Concentrate and ask again.” Or “Signs point to yes.” All I know is that my yoga pants are loose! Woohoo!

So, why did intuitive eating work this time when it’s destroyed my abs so many times before? I’ve been trying to figure that out. I know that in the past I’ve used intuitive eating as an excuse to binge. I’d turn to it after a bout of really restrictive dieting, or when I couldn’t face my nutrition software, or when I wasn’t accountable to a trainer. My “intuition” would tell me to eat boxes of glazed donuts and sheets of cookies. I’d gain weight, scoff at the total lameness of this “embrace your inner cow” intuitive hoody-hoo, and go right back to obsessive dieting, tracking and measuring. I wrote down every single thing I ate or drank for TWO YEARS. That was not fun, and actually not helpful.

I’m more relaxed now. I don’t make food decisions from a place of frustration and panic. My intuition really likes strawberries. I eat chocolate every day. I like bagels. I like to eat out. I’m not limiting myself to dieter food but I’m very aware of portions. I eat one Cadbury Egg, not six. I eat mini-bagels, not those bakery bagels the size of my head. I understand that a typical restaurant serving is enough to feed four people.

Last time I tried intuitive eating, portion control was my downfall. I believed those books that said to eat as many cookies as I wanted and that eventually I wouldn’t want as many. Right!! Weeks later, I still wanted every cookie that had ever been baked. I was reeling out of control on a blood sugar rollercoaster. The more junk I ate, the more junk I wanted. I was never able to pull it together enough to even maintain my weight, much less lose.

Some things that really helped me this time:

- I weigh myself every day. If you’re not going to count calories or measure your food, you’d better be keeping an eye on something. It could be weight, waist measurement, a caliper pinch, a pair of jeans, but you need some kind of objective feedback. If you choose not to track your food and not to look at any of your measurements, then you’d better go buy some fat pants.

- I eat what I want but I always control portions. Generally, the more I want something, the more I need to watch out. I can play fast and loose with spinach but I’d better take my ice cream in a single-serving container.

- I share. I never used to share before. Sharing is the greatest thing ever! You get to eat whatever you want and make everyone around you fat. Try it! Order the double-fudge super cookie dough caramel delight. Eat three bites and watch your dining companions devour the rest of it like hungry hyenas. Share your French fries. Split the sandwich. Order three tacos and only eat one of them. It’s exhilarating! Plus, I always have great leftovers.

- I strike a nice balance of healthy food and treats. You can’t eat an all-treat diet and look or feel very good. I eat loads of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. I love whole grains. I eat nuts and seeds like I’m a squirrel. I’m a sucker for a big salad. I enjoy lean protein as long as it’s not forced upon me every 2-3 hours. I eat a lot of healthy whole foods but I like to add a Pop Tart or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for good measure.

- I don’t eat six times per day, or three times per day, or three meals and two snacks. I don’t follow anybody else’s rules because how does the book or the calculator know what I’m doing or when I’m going to be hungry? It doesn’t. So, I eat when I feel like it. On an active, hungry day I might eat 5-6 times. On a lazy day with restaurant food, I might eat 2-3 times. I’m no longer dumb enough try to force three more meals after lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.

- I grasp the importance of good nutrition. I’m not knocking diet plans or nutrition programs, especially if you’re trying to achieve a sports performance or body comp goal. A little bit of structure can be good. I base my eating on the healthy principles I’ve learned but I don’t allow myself to become a slave to the details. And don’t believe that I can eat as many cookies as I want and still lose weight. Big derrrr there!

- I flow. That’s significant because I used to battle. I battled my weight. I struggled with willpower. I waged a war against fat. I fought with the numbers. I kicked myself when I slipped. My mindset was one big bloody massacre. My fitness goals were always at odds with what I really wanted, which was to relax and eat Cheetos. Now, if I want to relax and eat Cheetos, I do so immediately. No struggle. No stress. No guilt. I know that for my next meal I’ll choose something a little more ab-friendly.

The above was posted by Blue Serenity but is very needful.

Carol,

I read that the last time you posted it and found it very helpful. It was good to read it again today!

I know I pop in and out here, sorry about that! I'll try to be more active on the threads.

So, I've been following IE since mid-December. Overall, I'm feeling really good about it. And I think, dare I say it, that my clothes are a little looser today. My wool coat was uncomfortable all buttoned up a few weeks ago but today it was okay. I have no idea if I've lost weight because I absolutely refuse to step on the scale. I know how detrimental that scale is to my self esteem.

I've started exercising every single day after work for 30-45 minutes. Everyday. This, in and of itself, is an absolutely amazing accomplishment for me. My 3 year old is *almost* conditioned that mommy will be exercising everyday when we get home and she can join in (Wii Just Dance games, Wii Zumba, exercise DVDs, etc.) or play quietly by herself. Since I'm focusing on just moving (as opposed to "I must do 60 minutes of intense cardio 6 days a week or this is pointless") exercise is no longer a huge chore for me. It gives me an energy boost for the rest of my evening routine, I'm sleeping like I'm dead and I wake up WITH energy. Sort of mindboggling.

I love IE. I know, over time with IE, I will get to my natural weight/size. I am totally okay with whatever weight/size that happens to be. What matters most is that I stop beating myself up about what I put in my mouth, start moving more, and never let my daughter see me stuck in crazy diet mode.

I got to thinking one day, it is better to do some movement than to sit.

These sentiments remind me of the quote, "Don't let "perfect" be the enemy of "good"." Meaning, don't get so hung up on doing something perfect that you don't do anything at all. I have that problem myself. I "go all in or go home". It's a destructive mindset that I'm trying to break.

Carolr - Great article as usual and good to read that again. Sometime we need those reminders.

The IE thread I'm on on the WW site read and discussed Principle #10 Honor Your Health - Gentle Nutrition in the IE book. I had to read it again this morning to participate in the discussion.

I liked the way Elyse Resche renamed junk food "Play Foods" in the book and the way they simplify eating healthy foods and how we are duped into thinking some things are healthy, but have just become another way for companies to make money and call it "diet food" such as fat free foods. I've decided that just as The Overfed Head has to be read over and over again, I think I also need to read Principle 10/Chapter 14 over and over again. Loved the idea of eating healthy nutrition 90% of the time and eat the "play foods" 10%. Even 80%/20% might work. The main thing is to allow for those treats we like so that we can get rid of that idea that we've eaten off plan or we have blown the whole deal. Maybe some of the foods that we think we couldn't live without will lose their flare if we felt free to eat them without feeling guilty. I for one would sure find that refreshing.

Telorida - Thinking along this line, they end the chapter on the 10th Principle saying not to let yourself be put on a food pedestal. As we begin to IE and it is working for us we can become known as "the health conscious one". They say that as we allow this to happen to us that we will experience deprivation and can feel that we have to "sneak around to eat" for fear of getting caught cheating. We must be free to order dessert with a meal if we want it as this is the way we show that you don't have be perfect to value health and fitness.

TallGirl - You are doing great. I too love IE and believe that it is the best way to lose weight and be healthy. I love Rob Steven's story of how he made his goal eating this way and then ended up losing more weight than he had planned. We may end up surprised at what our "normal" weight is when we get there.

One of the things that has amazed me is how certain foods don't really appeal to me anymore like chocolate candy bars. I crave strawberries now.

Almost had a binge tonight, but realized that I really wasn't hungry and didn't really want what I was getting ready to fix. A real accomplishment for me.

Read today in Stevens book Schwartz's Siimple 3-part formula which isn't much different from what some of us knew as the 4 Golden Rules.

He said

1. Eat only when you are hungry.
2. Eat exactly what you feel like eating.
3. Stop eating when you stop feeling hungry.

Then he says if you get it, believe it and at this moment actually able to do it, you can stop reading. He says he wrote the book because overweight people have trouble of either getting it, believing it or doing it. This makes me wonder which one do I have problems with or do I have a problem with all 3? I think I get it and believe it because I ate this when I was growing up. However, I think I have a problem doing it because I have a problem believing I can do it now.

For newbies who don't know the 4 GR they are...
1. When you are hungry eat.
2. Eat what you want not what you think you should eat.
3. Thoroughly enjoy what you eat.
4. Stop eating when you start to feel full or satisfied.

Carolr can correct me if I said any of it wrong.

I've had a craving for fish lately. Wierd isn't it?

Yes, any sort of prepackaged chocolate candy does not appeal to me anymore. I still eat some semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed with nuts when I want chocolate. I was eating this daily but the portion size has decreased and I'm eating it only 4-5 times a week instead of 7 days a week.

Well, I've realized that I don't have coping strategies to deal with feeling mad, sad, depressed, etc. OTHER than eating. That kind of stinks, LOL. I guess I've been using food for comfort for as long as I can remember. So, right now my alternative is tea with honey in it, sleep, or putting myself in Time Out. The time out thing really throws my 3 year old for a loop.

Have a nice day everyone!

June

I REALLY want to try this!!!!...but I'm afraid to do it. I've yo-yo'd so much in my life... and now I've lost 37 lb (this time) by counting calories, and currently on a 3-month plateau.... can't seem to lose that last 15 lb to reach goal weight. I would LOVE to be able to not "think" about my "diet" anymore. Love to just let food be food & nothing else.


THIS is what I want. I want ^^THAT^^ accomplishment, on a regular basis. Very scared to try this, but really, really want to.

Now there's an idea.