Re: Giving up (long post sorry)

[Guest guest]

I understand how you feel - I just went thru a 'down' period in my IE

journey. I felt that I had been working at IE for over a year and here

I was - as 'heavy' as ever! Believe me I was UPSET. My first thought

was - try harder - and that resulted in me getting just plain angry.

So I decided to not take IE and myself so seriously and go back to the

'do what I can, when I feel like I want to' mode. That worked for me.

Taking 'time off' from ANYTHING can help re-establish objectives and

the heart of what you want to accomplish. TAKE CARE and all my best as

you go forth in you life. I think you will find that you always have

some IE 'with' you too

ehugs, Katcha

>

> In 1996 I spent 9 months Intuitive Eating - only I wasn't really

> aware it had a name.

>

> I had just found out I was pregnant.

>

> My first pregnancy was not a lot of fun. I worried the whole time

> about how I looked. I had actually tried to keep the weight down by

> being " careful " . I was very tired throughout the pregnancy, I felt

> sick, I tried some exercise because I thought I should but I soon

> gave up as I didn't like it. I was induced two weeks early and labour

> was uncomfortable, I needed an epidural and I took a while to recover

> emotionally and physically from the ordeal. I had a healthy baby boy

> but I returned from hospital 4 days later tired, sad and 26lbs

> heavier than when I first fell pregnant.

>

> Now here I was, 3 years later - pregnant again. This time I decided I

> might as well not bother dieting - I was going to gain weight anyway

> and hence my 9 month IE journey began....

>

> My pregnancy was amazing!

> I walked because I wanted to

> I celebrated my changing body

> I didn't think about eating when hungry, stopping when full, eating

> what I want etc...I just did it.

> Chocolate and other foods I binged on were no longer forbidden so

> they were not nearly as delicious as I thought.

> I loved fruit and fresh food

> I stopped wanting takeaway when my husband went out and bought it

> I didn't stress about eating in front of the TV, or while I was

> reading - I did what I wanted.

> I weighed in every month but it was a mild curiosity, the numbers did

> not affect me emotionally at all.

>

> I had a fantastic healthy pregnancy. I had so much energy. When my

> contractions started on the very early morning of the day I was due I

> did some laundry and hung it out before waking my family to take me

> to hospital. I had a great labour, quicker, no pain relief and I had

> a healthy baby girl. I returned to my home the same afternoon I gave

> birth, healthy, happy and 2lbs lighter than when I fell pregnant.

>

> I obviously returned to my eating disorder ways and here I am years

> later and trying to re-create that same success.

>

> I have struggled the last week or two. I realised that I have been

> working on IE for 2 years and still I have not reached that stage

> from all those years ago. I just think about it too much!!

>

> I am not dieting but I still worry about how much I eat, if it's too

> little, if it's too much, am I full, did I sigh, was it nutritious,

> did I eat slowly enough, did I sit at the table and not in front of

> the pc or television.... and so on and so on.

>

> I am tired. I don't want to think about it any more but at the same

> time I also feel scared to let go. I have decided to give it up for a

> while. To stop thinking and trying too hard....until after xmas which

> is when I planned to review how I feel emotionally and physically.

>

> Sharon

>

[Guest guest]

Well, Sharon, I am fairly new to the IE concept, but I have to

say...after reading your story, I am so impressed by the incredible

success you had during your second pregnancy! You were so healthy

and happy and in tune with your body's needs...so what do you think

happened to make you return to your binge-eating ways? Binge-eating

occurs for emotional reasons, so my guess is, something occurred in

your life or changed in your lifestyle to cause you to return to your

old ways.

I have only been IE for a few weeks, and initially I had weight gain,

and have yet to lose the weight I gained. Despite this setback, I

know that IE is the only method that will help me to develop a

healthy relationship with food and a mentally-healthy trust in my

body. I don't think you should give up IE because IE is the only

route to becoming a truly healthy and happy individual. Any diet

teaches you that you can't trust your body, and I think in that way,

you begin to hate your body and its need for food.

Also, how will you " give up " IE? It's not a diet, and my opinion is,

if you are thinking about " giving up, " then you are probably viewing

it as some kind of nuisance in your life. Maybe

you could do some soul searching to really see why it is you still

struggle with food. I'm currently reading this book called " Life is

Hard, Food is Easy " by Spangle. She really helps you to

examine the emotional reasons behind your obsession with food. It's

really helpful and I highly recommend it!

Bottom line: don't give up. The other day I resolved that I was not

going to let my food obsession affect me for the rest of my life.

Life is too short and wonderful to let my food/weight problems run

the show, and IE is the best and arguably, the ONLY way to get to

that happy, healthy place.

Good luck, Sharon!

<3-----

>

> In 1996 I spent 9 months Intuitive Eating - only I wasn't really

> aware it had a name.

>

> I had just found out I was pregnant.

>

> My first pregnancy was not a lot of fun. I worried the whole time

> about how I looked. I had actually tried to keep the weight down by

> being " careful " . I was very tired throughout the pregnancy, I felt

> sick, I tried some exercise because I thought I should but I soon

> gave up as I didn't like it. I was induced two weeks early and

labour

> was uncomfortable, I needed an epidural and I took a while to

recover

> emotionally and physically from the ordeal. I had a healthy baby

boy

> but I returned from hospital 4 days later tired, sad and 26lbs

> heavier than when I first fell pregnant.

>

> Now here I was, 3 years later - pregnant again. This time I decided

I

> might as well not bother dieting - I was going to gain weight

anyway

> and hence my 9 month IE journey began....

>

> My pregnancy was amazing!

> I walked because I wanted to

> I celebrated my changing body

> I didn't think about eating when hungry, stopping when full, eating

> what I want etc...I just did it.

> Chocolate and other foods I binged on were no longer forbidden so

> they were not nearly as delicious as I thought.

> I loved fruit and fresh food

> I stopped wanting takeaway when my husband went out and bought it

> I didn't stress about eating in front of the TV, or while I was

> reading - I did what I wanted.

> I weighed in every month but it was a mild curiosity, the numbers

did

> not affect me emotionally at all.

>

> I had a fantastic healthy pregnancy. I had so much energy. When my

> contractions started on the very early morning of the day I was due

I

> did some laundry and hung it out before waking my family to take me

> to hospital. I had a great labour, quicker, no pain relief and I

had

> a healthy baby girl. I returned to my home the same afternoon I

gave

> birth, healthy, happy and 2lbs lighter than when I fell pregnant.

>

> I obviously returned to my eating disorder ways and here I am years

> later and trying to re-create that same success.

>

> I have struggled the last week or two. I realised that I have been

> working on IE for 2 years and still I have not reached that stage

> from all those years ago. I just think about it too much!!

>

> I am not dieting but I still worry about how much I eat, if it's

too

> little, if it's too much, am I full, did I sigh, was it nutritious,

> did I eat slowly enough, did I sit at the table and not in front of

> the pc or television.... and so on and so on.

>

> I am tired. I don't want to think about it any more but at the same

> time I also feel scared to let go. I have decided to give it up for

a

> while. To stop thinking and trying too hard....until after xmas

which

> is when I planned to review how I feel emotionally and physically.

>

> Sharon

>

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

This is a wonderful post! I think alot of us overthink the principles and concepts behind Intuitive Eating. I had the same "give up" feelings after my last binge - about 2 1/2 wks ago. But it was a positive "give up", like what you seem to be describing. I have just stopped thinking about it all so much. It's a leap of faith - my body will tell me what I need in ALL ways - sleep, food, movement, touch, etc.

Thanks for sharing all that, Sharon!!

Kim

IE since Aug 08

Subject: Giving up (long post sorry)To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Sunday, November 23, 2008, 5:08 AM

In 1996 I spent 9 months Intuitive Eating - only I wasn't really aware it had a name.I had just found out I was pregnant.My first pregnancy was not a lot of fun. I worried the whole time about how I looked. I had actually tried to keep the weight down by being "careful". I was very tired throughout the pregnancy, I felt sick, I tried some exercise because I thought I should but I soon gave up as I didn't like it. I was induced two weeks early and labour was uncomfortable, I needed an epidural and I took a while to recover emotionally and physically from the ordeal. I had a healthy baby boy but I returned from hospital 4 days later tired, sad and 26lbs heavier than when I first fell pregnant.Now here I was, 3 years later - pregnant again. This time I decided I might as well not bother dieting - I was going to gain weight anyway and hence my 9 month IE journey began....My

pregnancy was amazing!I walked because I wanted toI celebrated my changing bodyI didn't think about eating when hungry, stopping when full, eating what I want etc...I just did it.Chocolate and other foods I binged on were no longer forbidden so they were not nearly as delicious as I thought.I loved fruit and fresh foodI stopped wanting takeaway when my husband went out and bought itI didn't stress about eating in front of the TV, or while I was reading - I did what I wanted.I weighed in every month but it was a mild curiosity, the numbers did not affect me emotionally at all.I had a fantastic healthy pregnancy. I had so much energy. When my contractions started on the very early morning of the day I was due I did some laundry and hung it out before waking my family to take me to hospital. I had a great labour, quicker, no pain relief and I had a healthy baby girl. I returned to my

home the same afternoon I gave birth, healthy, happy and 2lbs lighter than when I fell pregnant.I obviously returned to my eating disorder ways and here I am years later and trying to re-create that same success.I have struggled the last week or two. I realised that I have been working on IE for 2 years and still I have not reached that stage from all those years ago. I just think about it too much!! I am not dieting but I still worry about how much I eat, if it's too little, if it's too much, am I full, did I sigh, was it nutritious, did I eat slowly enough, did I sit at the table and not in front of the pc or television.. .. and so on and so on.I am tired. I don't want to think about it any more but at the same time I also feel scared to let go. I have decided to give it up for a while. To stop thinking and trying too hard....until after xmas which is when I planned to review how

I feel emotionally and physically.Sharon

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thank you very much for such a thoughtful response to Sharon's

original post. I found both posts (yours and hers) quite

helpful. ... And the title of the book you recommend : " Life is Hard,

Food is Not " made me laugh out loud (prob because it's true). It

makes sense that we focus on a " controllable " thing when we are

struggling in life.

>

> Well, Sharon, I am fairly new to the IE concept, but I have to

> say...after reading your story, I am so impressed by the incredible

> success you had during your second pregnancy! You were so healthy

> and happy and in tune with your body's needs...so what do you think

> happened to make you return to your binge-eating ways? Binge-

eating

> occurs for emotional reasons, so my guess is, something occurred in

> your life or changed in your lifestyle to cause you to return to

your

> old ways.

>

> I have only been IE for a few weeks, and initially I had weight

gain,

> and have yet to lose the weight I gained. Despite this setback, I

> know that IE is the only method that will help me to develop a

> healthy relationship with food and a mentally-healthy trust in my

> body. I don't think you should give up IE because IE is the only

> route to becoming a truly healthy and happy individual. Any diet

> teaches you that you can't trust your body, and I think in that

way,

> you begin to hate your body and its need for food.

>

> Also, how will you " give up " IE? It's not a diet, and my opinion

is,

> if you are thinking about " giving up, " then you are probably

viewing

> it as some kind of nuisance in your life. Maybe

> you could do some soul searching to really see why it is you still

> struggle with food. I'm currently reading this book called " Life

is

> Hard, Food is Easy " by Spangle. She really helps you to

> examine the emotional reasons behind your obsession with food.

It's

> really helpful and I highly recommend it!

>

> Bottom line: don't give up. The other day I resolved that I was

not

> going to let my food obsession affect me for the rest of my life.

> Life is too short and wonderful to let my food/weight problems run

> the show, and IE is the best and arguably, the ONLY way to get to

> that happy, healthy place.

>

> Good luck, Sharon!

>

> <3-----

>