Re: Living IE

[Guest guest]

Thanks again for sharing this post Debbie I have been doing IE since June and hope to get to where you are the guilt over eating food is something I work on every day some days I don't feel any guilt some days I do but I have to say I have lost weight and my body does feel better. I have not gotten to the weight where I feel comfortable yet but I know I will get there someday and I am noticing slow changes in my body for the better so that makes me happy. Eva

Hi everyone,Welcome to the newbies! I hope you find your journey as satisfying as I have found mine.Yesterday, at the movies, I realized JUST HOW FAR I'VE COME with my relationship with food. It's like improving any other relationship-- the process is slow, and full of false starts and setbacks, but if you keep at it long enough, you will definitely see progress.For those of you who are new, or who are just interested, I'm going to share a bit about the stages I went through in IE. This is not to say that my way is "right" or that you will go through the same things. But, I figure, if I'm going through something, there is a good possibility someone else is too. And, the story ends with a box of malt balls!In January of 2007, I started working on IE in earnest. I'd read the book several times, but only used it as an excuse to binge. Finally, I realized that there is, of course, a lot more to it than that. After getting sick and tired of the stupid cycle with food, I decided to read the book from start to finish, and apply the steps along the way.Well, it took me 8 months to legalize food. I ate all my old favorites, and, frankly, gained a ton of weight. But, I discovered what I like and what I don't. I started working on the guilt thing about food, and realized that "food is just food." I wasn't bothering to honor my fullness, or identify the inner "diet police" or any of the roles mentioned in the book. After 40 years of a poor relationship with food, I needed a VERY long time to make peace with food.Then, last August, I felt that I was ready to move on to the next step. This is the part where some of you may disagree, but stay with me here.I knew that if I did want to lose weight, I was going to have to eat less food and move more. Basic science. So, I started tracking my calories. Not to diet, mind you, but to see how much I was eating in comparison to how much fuel my body needed. I kind of went into science mode. It was an experiment to see what "2000 calories" felt like, and "1700 calories" and to learn how many calories are burned when I clean the house. I've eaten a specific number of calories before, but it was always because I was eating what I was told to eat. I wanted to learn to do it on my own, with my food, my hunger and fullness patterns...What was happening here that is important for IE is that I learned to trust my body. I learned that if I overeat one day, I naturally scale it back the next day. For me, my relationship with food had gotten so messed up, that the only way I could know what "normal" was, was to have some kind of external indicator. It didn't feel "diety" to me, nor did I ever at any time, not once, use it to beat up on myself. I just used it to observe my natural patterns.Well, in January, I got tired of logging my food. It got old. So, I stopped. Unlike my diet days, though, stopping logging my food didn't mean that I reverted to any old patterns. My new relationship with food is strong enough now, and internalized, that I can move on to the next phase of IE-- truly intuitive eating.I became a vegetarian in February, for personal reasons, and have been having a blast exploring new foods. I am exercising in ways that I love, and my body is looking very, very good. I have lost weight, I think, but I stopped weighing myself again because, frankly, I don't care what the number says anymore. What I care about is how I look in my jeans, and how fantastic my legs are starting to look.I am almost 42. I am not ever going to look like I did when I was 25. But, I can feel better than I did then, because I now love food and don't feel guilty about eating it. I eat what I want, when I want, in the quantities I want. How freeing is that?I realized, yesterday at the movies, as I was eating a box of malt balls, that it was the first time ever in my whole life that I just ate a box of malt balls and enjoyed them. It was also the first time I ever felt "full" after eating candy. I could feel it in my stomach. It wasn't the mindless stuffing my face of the past.There was no guilt, no saving up for the malt balls, no planning in anticipation for the malt balls. I didn't think about the malt balls later in the day.They were just a box of very delicious malt balls. I ate them. And it was over.Cool, huh? So, to you newbies who aren't sure that this is for you, let me just say that there are many phases of IE. You're going to bounce around a bit until you find your flow.But, I believe that inside every single person is a source that you can really, really trust if you just train yourself to listen to it.Intuitive eating is the path to a better relationship with food. Once all that energy you are currently spending battling with food is freed up, what will you be able to do with your life???Thanks for reading this far!!!------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Beautifully put! And I can relate to the calorie thing - I'm the geeky type that

enjoys a good

science experiement, too

> Cool, huh? So, to you newbies who aren't sure that this is for you,

> let me just say that there are many phases of IE. You're going to

> bounce around a bit until you find your flow.

>

> But, I believe that inside every single person is a source that you

> can really, really trust if you just train yourself to listen to it.

>

> Intuitive eating is the path to a better relationship with food. Once

> all that energy you are currently spending battling with food is

> freed up, what will you be able to do with your life???

>

> Thanks for reading this far!!!

>

[Guest guest]

Kudos to you Traci for finding YOUR IE path. That is one thing that

newbies do have difficulty with - personalizing IE so that it works

for them. Its all too easy and even somewhat normal to look for

'rules' when all that is being offered is 'guidelines'. Each person

has to come to grips with what works for them and what DOESN'T (I just

don't journal!).

Trusting yourself is the bottom line - congrats to you for finding

that too.

ehugs, Katcha

>

> Hi everyone,

>

> Welcome to the newbies! I hope you find your journey as satisfying

> as I have found mine.

>

> Cool, huh? So, to you newbies who aren't sure that this is for you,

> let me just say that there are many phases of IE. You're going to

> bounce around a bit until you find your flow.

>

> But, I believe that inside every single person is a source that you

> can really, really trust if you just train yourself to listen to it.

>

> Intuitive eating is the path to a better relationship with food. Once

> all that energy you are currently spending battling with food is

> freed up, what will you be able to do with your life???

>

> Thanks for reading this far!!!

>

[Guest guest]

That's awesome and exactly what I needed to hear! Living IE

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the newbies! I hope you find your journey as satisfying

as I have found mine.

Yesterday, at the movies, I realized JUST HOW FAR I'VE COME with my

relationship with food. It's like improving any other relationship- -

the process is slow, and full of false starts and setbacks, but if

you keep at it long enough, you will definitely see progress.

For those of you who are new, or who are just interested, I'm going

to share a bit about the stages I went through in IE. This is not to

say that my way is "right" or that you will go through the same

things. But, I figure, if I'm going through something, there is a

good possibility someone else is too. And, the story ends with a box

of malt balls!

In January of 2007, I started working on IE in earnest. I'd read the

book several times, but only used it as an excuse to binge. Finally,

I realized that there is, of course, a lot more to it than that.

After getting sick and tired of the stupid cycle with food, I decided

to read the book from start to finish, and apply the steps along the

way.

Well, it took me 8 months to legalize food. I ate all my old

favorites, and, frankly, gained a ton of weight. But, I discovered

what I like and what I don't. I started working on the guilt thing

about food, and realized that "food is just food." I wasn't bothering

to honor my fullness, or identify the inner "diet police" or any of

the roles mentioned in the book. After 40 years of a poor

relationship with food, I needed a VERY long time to make peace with

food.

Then, last August, I felt that I was ready to move on to the next

step. This is the part where some of you may disagree, but stay with

me here.

I knew that if I did want to lose weight, I was going to have to eat

less food and move more. Basic science. So, I started tracking my

calories. Not to diet, mind you, but to see how much I was eating in

comparison to how much fuel my body needed. I kind of went into

science mode. It was an experiment to see what "2000 calories" felt

like, and "1700 calories" and to learn how many calories are burned

when I clean the house. I've eaten a specific number of calories

before, but it was always because I was eating what I was told to

eat. I wanted to learn to do it on my own, with my food, my hunger

and fullness patterns...

What was happening here that is important for IE is that I learned to

trust my body. I learned that if I overeat one day, I naturally scale

it back the next day. For me, my relationship with food had gotten so

messed up, that the only way I could know what "normal" was, was to

have some kind of external indicator. It didn't feel "diety" to me,

nor did I ever at any time, not once, use it to beat up on myself. I

just used it to observe my natural patterns.

Well, in January, I got tired of logging my food. It got old. So, I

stopped. Unlike my diet days, though, stopping logging my food didn't

mean that I reverted to any old patterns. My new relationship with

food is strong enough now, and internalized, that I can move on to

the next phase of IE-- truly intuitive eating.

I became a vegetarian in February, for personal reasons, and have

been having a blast exploring new foods. I am exercising in ways that

I love, and my body is looking very, very good. I have lost weight, I

think, but I stopped weighing myself again because, frankly, I don't

care what the number says anymore. What I care about is how I look in

my jeans, and how fantastic my legs are starting to look.

I am almost 42. I am not ever going to look like I did when I was 25.

But, I can feel better than I did then, because I now love food and

don't feel guilty about eating it. I eat what I want, when I want, in

the quantities I want. How freeing is that?

I realized, yesterday at the movies, as I was eating a box of malt

balls, that it was the first time ever in my whole life that I just

ate a box of malt balls and enjoyed them. It was also the first time

I ever felt "full" after eating candy. I could feel it in my stomach.

It wasn't the mindless stuffing my face of the past.

There was no guilt, no saving up for the malt balls, no planning in

anticipation for the malt balls. I didn't think about the malt balls

later in the day.

They were just a box of very delicious malt balls. I ate them. And it

was over.

Cool, huh? So, to you newbies who aren't sure that this is for you,

let me just say that there are many phases of IE. You're going to

bounce around a bit until you find your flow.

But, I believe that inside every single person is a source that you

can really, really trust if you just train yourself to listen to it.

Intuitive eating is the path to a better relationship with food. Once

all that energy you are currently spending battling with food is

freed up, what will you be able to do with your life???

Thanks for reading this far!!!

Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!

[Guest guest]

Traci,

Thanks for sharing your experience. Very encouraging to all, I'm sure.

--Alana

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

Hi everyone,Welcome to the newbies! I hope you find your journey as satisfying as I have found mine.Yesterday, at the movies, I realized JUST HOW FAR I'VE COME with my relationship with food. It's like improving any other relationship-- the process is slow, and full of false starts and setbacks, but if you keep at it long enough, you will definitely see progress.For those of you who are new, or who are just interested, I'm going to share a bit about the stages I went through in IE. This is not to say that my way is "right" or that you will go through the same things. But, I figure, if I'm going through something, there is a good possibility someone else is too. And, the story ends with a box of malt balls!In January of 2007, I started working on IE in earnest. I'd read the book several times, but only used it as an excuse to binge. Finally, I realized that there is, of course, a lot more to it than that. After getting sick and tired of the stupid cycle with food, I decided to read the book from start to finish, and apply the steps along the way.Well, it took me 8 months to legalize food. I ate all my old favorites, and, frankly, gained a ton of weight. But, I discovered what I like and what I don't. I started working on the guilt thing about food, and realized that "food is just food." I wasn't bothering to honor my fullness, or identify the inner "diet police" or any of the roles mentioned in the book. After 40 years of a poor relationship with food, I needed a VERY long time to make peace with food.Then, last August, I felt that I was ready to move on to the next step. This is the part where some of you may disagree, but stay with me here.I knew that if I did want to lose weight, I was going to have to eat less food and move more. Basic science. So, I started tracking my calories. Not to diet, m

ind you, but to see how much I was eating in comparison to how much fuel my body needed. I kind of went into science mode. It was an experiment to see what "2000 calories" felt like, and "1700 calories" and to learn how many calories are burned when I clean the house. I've eaten a specific number of calories before, but it was always because I was eating what I was told to eat. I wanted to learn to do it on my own, with my food, my hunger and fullness patterns...What was happening here that is important for IE is that I learned to trust my body. I learned that if I overeat one day, I naturally scale it back the next day. For me, my relationship with food had gotten so messed up, that the only way I could know what "normal" was, was to have some kind of external indicator. It didn't feel "diety" to me, nor did I ever at any time, not once, use it to beat up on myself. I just used it to observe my natural patterns.We

ll, in January, I got tired of logging my food. It got old. So, I stopped. Unlike my diet days, though, stopping logging my food didn't mean that I reverted to any old patterns. My new relationship with food is strong enough now, and internalized, that I can move on to the next phase of IE-- truly intuitive eating.I became a vegetarian in February, for personal reasons, and have been having a blast exploring new foods. I am exercising in ways that I love, and my body is looking very, very good. I have lost weight, I think, but I stopped weighing myself again because, frankly, I don't care what the number says anymore. What I care about is how I look in my jeans, and how fantastic my legs are starting to look.I am almost 42. I am not ever going to look like I did when I was 25. But, I can feel better than I did then, because I now love food and don't feel guilty about eating it. I eat what I want, when I want, in the qu

antities I want. How freeing is that?I realized, yesterday at the movies, as I was eating a box of malt balls, that it was the first time ever in my whole life that I just ate a box of malt balls and enjoyed them. It was also the first time I ever felt "full" after eating candy. I could feel it in my stomach. It wasn't the mindless stuffing my face of the past.There was no guilt, no saving up for the malt balls, no planning in anticipation for the malt balls. I didn't think about the malt balls later in the day.They were just a box of very delicious malt balls. I ate them. And it was over.Cool, huh? So, to you newbies who aren't sure that this is for you, let me just say that there are many phases of IE. You're going to bounce around a bit until you find your flow.But, I believe that inside every single person is a source that you can really, really trust if you just train yourself to listen to it.

BR>Intuitive eating is the path to a better relationship with food. Once all that energy you are currently spending battling with food is freed up, what will you be able to do with your life???Thanks for reading this far!!!

[Guest guest]

Congrats on living IE!! And thanks so much for telling your story! It gives me hope that I'll be there someday! :)Traci Vujicich wrote: Hi everyone,Welcome to the newbies! I hope you find your journey as satisfying as I have found mine.Yesterday, at the movies, I realized JUST HOW FAR I'VE COME with my relationship with food. It's like improving any other relationship-- the process is slow, and full of false starts and setbacks, but if you keep at it

long enough, you will definitely see progress.For those of you who are new, or who are just interested, I'm going to share a bit about the stages I went through in IE. This is not to say that my way is "right" or that you will go through the same things. But, I figure, if I'm going through something, there is a good possibility someone else is too. And, the story ends with a box of malt balls!In January of 2007, I started working on IE in earnest. I'd read the book several times, but only used it as an excuse to binge. Finally, I realized that there is, of course, a lot more to it than that. After getting sick and tired of the stupid cycle with food, I decided to read the book from start to finish, and apply the steps along the way.Well, it took me 8 months to legalize food. I ate all my old favorites, and, frankly, gained a ton of weight. But, I discovered what I like and what I don't. I started

working on the guilt thing about food, and realized that "food is just food." I wasn't bothering to honor my fullness, or identify the inner "diet police" or any of the roles mentioned in the book. After 40 years of a poor relationship with food, I needed a VERY long time to make peace with food.Then, last August, I felt that I was ready to move on to the next step. This is the part where some of you may disagree, but stay with me here.I knew that if I did want to lose weight, I was going to have to eat less food and move more. Basic science. So, I started tracking my calories. Not to diet, mind you, but to see how much I was eating in comparison to how much fuel my body needed. I kind of went into science mode. It was an experiment to see what "2000 calories" felt like, and "1700 calories" and to learn how many calories are burned when I clean the house. I've eaten a specific number of calories

before, but it was always because I was eating what I was told to eat. I wanted to learn to do it on my own, with my food, my hunger and fullness patterns...What was happening here that is important for IE is that I learned to trust my body. I learned that if I overeat one day, I naturally scale it back the next day. For me, my relationship with food had gotten so messed up, that the only way I could know what "normal" was, was to have some kind of external indicator. It didn't feel "diety" to me, nor did I ever at any time, not once, use it to beat up on myself. I just used it to observe my natural patterns.Well, in January, I got tired of logging my food. It got old. So, I stopped. Unlike my diet days, though, stopping logging my food didn't mean that I reverted to any old patterns. My new relationship with food is strong enough now, and internalized, that I can move on to the next phase of IE-- truly

intuitive eating.I became a vegetarian in February, for personal reasons, and have been having a blast exploring new foods. I am exercising in ways that I love, and my body is looking very, very good. I have lost weight, I think, but I stopped weighing myself again because, frankly, I don't care what the number says anymore. What I care about is how I look in my jeans, and how fantastic my legs are starting to look.I am almost 42. I am not ever going to look like I did when I was 25. But, I can feel better than I did then, because I now love food and don't feel guilty about eating it. I eat what I want, when I want, in the quantities I want. How freeing is that?I realized, yesterday at the movies, as I was eating a box of malt balls, that it was the first time ever in my whole life that I just ate a box of malt balls and enjoyed them. It was also the first time I ever felt "full" after eating candy. I

could feel it in my stomach. It wasn't the mindless stuffing my face of the past.There was no guilt, no saving up for the malt balls, no planning in anticipation for the malt balls. I didn't think about the malt balls later in the day.They were just a box of very delicious malt balls. I ate them. And it was over.Cool, huh? So, to you newbies who aren't sure that this is for you, let me just say that there are many phases of IE. You're going to bounce around a bit until you find your flow.But, I believe that inside every single person is a source that you can really, really trust if you just train yourself to listen to it.Intuitive eating is the path to a better relationship with food. Once all that energy you are currently spending battling with food is freed up, what will you be able to do with your life???Thanks for reading this

far!!!

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