Re: I thought it would never happen

[Guest guest]

That's awesome - good for you!!

-- I thought it would never happen

I've posted before about my struggle to make nutritious foods legal,and my desire to fill up mostly on sweets. For the past year I havebeen in the pattern of eating a small lunch, filling up the rest ofthe way on some hot cocoa and maybe a cookie, and the same pattern fordinner. Even if we had dinner in a restaurant it wasn't unusual for meto eat something like 1/4 of a cheeseburger and fries so that I couldsave room for a treat at home. Nothing necessarily wrong with that. Everyone has favorite foods, andthere should be a place to have your favorite foods often, right?Well, for me the problem was that physically, I wasn't feeling quiteas good. Probably because I wasn't getting enough of certainnutrients, I suspect. A couple weeks ago I began to honor my cravings for some whole grainbreads, cheese, salads, and fruits. I didn't force them down, only hadthem when I was hungry for them, and gave myself the option of fillingthe rest of the way up on the entree or saving room for dessert,instead of automatically doing the latter. Since then, I feelphysically and mentally better. Instead of my old pattern ofautomatically having treats twice per day, I have had treats when Ihave a craving for something sweet. Thus I think I've had about 4treats this week (a frosty at wendy's, a mug of hot chocolate twice,and an ice cream sandwich). Each treat has been very enjoyable. Moreso than when I was eating sweets 14 times a week (at a minimum).This has really been a victory for me. I don't want to be enslaved toanything, and I feel like I have a more balanced outlook now. For thepast year, I have felt somewhat dependent on sweets, like I NEEDED tosave room for sweets after a meal, otherwise I couldn't have sweetsbecause I wouldn't be hungry. I have a new attitude now, though. Idon't NEED to save room for sweets after each meal. I can if I chooseto, but since I keep my kitchen well-stocked I know they will alwaysbe there for when I want them and can enjoy them most.I just wanted to share this because I thought (even a few weeks ago)that I would be forever deprived if I didn't have sweets at least onceor twice a day. It's turned out not to be true, though. I learned thatpart of intuitive eating is paying attention to what foods one's bodyis physically asking for and eating them inside of hunger and fullness- not just eating whatever within hunger and fullness. This revelationhas really had an impact on my physical and mental health.Peace,

[Guest guest]

, great post - very helpful - THANKS!

One of the things I'm just now learning about

IE is that it's gong to cause me to go broke!

Okay, kidding, but I am seriously finding that

I need to keep a greater variety of food around

than I ever used to. Because when I'm really

paying attention to what my body is wanting

and needing, it isn't necessarily going to be

the " old normal " stuff I used to keep around.

Small example: I always eat oatmeal for

breakfast, partly because it's really good

for me and my digestive system, it fills me

up very nicely and it does good things for

the body overall. And I do like oatmeal.

But this past week or so, for some reason,

I get up in the morning and just cannot

stomach another bowl of oatmeal. But the

PROBLEM has been I really don't have much

of anything else around as a breakfast option,

other than stuff that would take longer to

prepare than I normally have in the mornings.

So I'm going to have to remember this weekend

to buy some greater variety of breakfast

options - of all kinds of options - so that

when I'm sitting in front of the refrigerator

going, " Hmmnn, I SHOULD eat that because it's

there and will go bad if I don't, and.. "

well, whatever.... I can instead sit in front of

the refrigerator and think, " Of all the many

options I have before me, what do I WANT?

What does my body NEED right now? What would

be both a good choice for me and would be

an enjoyable experience? " But that's going to

require me to have more options available.

[Guest guest]

I do agree with this, that I think I spend more on my grocery bill, just because everytime I go to the store, I think of all the things I might like to have for the week when making out my list. My refrigerator and pantry were never this well stocked in my dieting days. But I really like having the variety and many options as I never know what I want from day to day or even meal to meal. In my dieting days I would always plann out my meals based on whatever food plan I was following at the time. I have had to make some adjustments in my budget to allow for this. I would say that I am probably spending between $100-200 per week and it is just my son and I. Some of this could also be the fact that he is a teenager and there are times when he eats me out of house and home and often his friends are over joining in whatever we are enjoying.

--Alana

-------------- Original message --------------

, great post - very helpful - THANKS!One of the things I'm just now learning aboutIE is that it's gong to cause me to go broke!Okay, kidding, but I am seriously finding thatI need to keep a greater variety of food aroundthan I ever used to. Because when I'm reallypaying attention to what my body is wantingand needing, it isn't necessarily going to bethe "old normal" stuff I used to keep around.Small example: I always eat oatmeal for breakfast, partly because it's really goodfor me and my digestive system, it fills meup very nicely and it does good things for the body overall. And I do like oatmeal. But this past week or so, for some reason, I get up in the morning and just cannotstomach another bowl of oatmeal. But the PROBLEM has been I really don't have much of anything else around as a breakfast option,other than stuff that would take longer to prepare than I normally have in the mornings

..So I'm going to have to remember this weekendto buy some greater variety of breakfastoptions - of all kinds of options - so thatwhen I'm sitting in front of the refrigeratorgoing, "Hmmnn, I SHOULD eat that because it'sthere and will go bad if I don't, and.." well, whatever.... I can instead sit in front of the refrigerator and think, "Of all the manyoptions I have before me, what do I WANT? What does my body NEED right now? What wouldbe both a good choice for me and would be an enjoyable experience?" But that's going torequire me to have more options available.