This whole Intuitive Eating thing really is a trust exercise between you and you. This week I’m supposed to be working on Making Peace with Food. I made my list and plan on freeing myself from the stigma of “DO NOT EAT THIS” in my head. I don’t think that is the hard part. Right now the hard part is giving myself permission to eat any food on the list or not. I don’t trust myself with food. It’s hard to explain.
The damage of years of dieting has left me deathly afraid of ever just being hungry. I don’t let myself get empty, so I always end up eating when I’m not hungry. This doesn’t help me figure my body’s needs out.
So, my real challenge for this week is to ONLY EAT WHEN I’M HUNGRY. And when I am hungry I can eat whatever I want. This is going to be weird. Because like I said about this weekend – I don’t think I am hungry when I normally feed myself. We’ll see.
I had a business lunch today at this cute restaurant I’ve been to before. I got a lunch special that came with soup and an egg roll.
My main dish was tofu and veggies, rice and salad. I don’t like baby corn, so I left it. What is up with baby corn anyways? Why isn’t’ there baby bell peppers or something cute like that? 
Before we went I had an apple. Exciting, I know.
This afternoon I broke into 2 afternoon snacks. I genuinely felt hungry only a few hours after lunch.
I ruined my dinner by eating a bunch of crackers and hummus while in the kitchen. I do this everyday, hence the need to only eat when I’m hungry. 
BIG Salad with over a cup of chickpeas, because I bought the farm.
I ate a pound of watermelon while cutting it, even though I was full. 
And I figured, why stop there? And ate this ice cream bar. 
I have this white board that breaks down the week by day. I’ve been using it for meal planning so I know what we need from the store and what I am making each night. I don’t always stick to it, but I think it helps…
I find it so interesting when I ask you guys about your hunger or when you eat (on the clock or your tummy). Seriously, I never just eat because my body tells me to. I don’t know what to expect, but I’m curious at least to see what I will eat, how often and how much?!
P.S. I forgot to mention…I know you are probably almost done with the ginormo can of chickpeas, but if not, check out Eat, Drink and Be Vegan for some great recipe ideas. I just borrowed the book from the library and all the chickpea recipes (there are a TON) sound amazing 🙂
I struggle with eating whatever I want too. I think we’ve had it drilled into our heads by magazines, commercials, movies, etc…that ice cream, pasta, chocolate are “bad.” It’s hard to break free from this thinking when it’s all you’ve known. I wish the conversation would change about food in the media. I think Intuitive Eating is trying to do just that by talking about food in a different way than we’re used to. I hope it catches on.
I love how your posts feel like exactly what I would say. Your honesty is such a refreshing change. I am also trying to listen to my body but still counting calories to make sure I do not go crazy.
When I initially lost weight my main struggle with my diet was being hungry all the time. I now have the same fear because being hungry=being miserable. And all for what? So now I find myself eating because I think I “should”, not because my body needs fuel. It’s more of a habit than anything. How do you learn to break the bad habits of eating when you’re not hungry?!
Wow, I just can’t get over how honest you are in your posts–it’s awesome! I had just come to that same conclusion about trusting one’s body. Why is it that we can learn to trust the therapist, the nutritionist, etc., but it’s so hard to listen to the one asset that really knows the most: our body? Progress, progress, progress–we’ll get there!
My problem is waiting to long to eat. It’s such a frustrating thing because it seems that eating should be the most natural thing! The problem is that by the time we leave childhood, so man of us become disconnected from what hunger feels like and how to honor that hunger properly. It really is like relearning how to eat!
You’re doing a good job, and helping a lot of people in the process. Keep it up!
Rose – that’s what I was thinking, we should brainstorm!
I think finding a good balance with intuitive eating can be hard. I used to wait until I was simply ravenous to eat and then in coming away from that, I found myself afraid to be hungry as well. It takes practice and time. I know that’s a pretty dry answer. But, it’s all I know that works. Practice listening to your body 🙂
I know what you mean about trusting yourself.. It’s like you tell yourself you can have the cookies (or insert your food here) and you aren’t hungry but you still proceed to eat 5. Not intuitive eating. I get it. I have to work on the you can have one when you are hungry thing.
I think it’s the best way to go, personally! Not only do I feel better physically – but also mentally.
We should start a challenge or something.
Wow, reading your post is like reading my own mind. I know exactly how you feel:) I’ve been through an eating disorder, so I have a weird relationship with food too. Your intuative eating sounds intriguing! I’ve also been following your blog for a while, but never commented till know because you post tonight really just hit a cord with me! Can I add you to my blogroll?