Re: Yes, I do still exist...Missing Something...

[Guest guest]

,

It may not be possible for you to feel satisfied or full with sweets.

I usually can't. For example, I just had an " episode " tonight where I

over ate on ice cream. I've been craving ice cream for the past few

days and picked up two pints of different ice cream that appealed to

me on the way home. I decided to take a couple of scoops ice cream

from each container...ate them...didn't feel satisfied or

full...preceded to take a few more scoops from each container...then a

few more scoops. I didn't finish both containers, but there's not much

left. I had to stop myself because I recognized that I wasn't getting

satisfied or full. (In writing this, I just realized that consciously

making getting satisfied/full the goal may help center me more.)

The ice cream intake, put me on the prowl...I started looking through

my cupboards for something to eat to help me feel better. I decided

to eat something more substantial and ate some cheese and crackers, a

handful of chips, and small plate of mexican rice and chicken and

vegetables and the urge to continue to eat finally subsided. Looking

back now, going for a walk may have also helped my body get back to a

state of balance. The nice thing is that I was monitoring my fullness

as I continued to eat. As the more substantial food got into my

stomach I could recognize my fullness.

I've recognized this issue with not getting full from ice cream

before...yet I seemed to have some wishful thinking that maybe my body

would have a different response...NO, it didn't. Ice cream at the

beginning of a meal throws me completely out of wack...I'm taking in

energy and yet my body doesn't seem to recognize it. I believe that

it's similar with most sweets...they need to be balanced with other

foods. I need to have filling foods and have ice cream at the end of a

meal...if I want it, while honoring my fullness as best as possible.

For me, I've found that sweets also typically make me more

sluggish...they give me a nice drugged/ecstatic feeling in the

beginning then my energy level drops...probably reflecting the roller

coaster ride that my blood sugar is on. How does sugar affect you? Are

you really tasting the sweets when you're eating them? When I have too

many sweets my body gives me a yucky feeling and the thought of sweets

is revolting to me.

If you've been " eating massive amounts of sweets " , you may go through/

be experiencing sugar withdrawal effects that compel you to take in

more sugar to feel better. What's going on in your life that compels

you to make your life " sweeter " ? Are you moving regularly?, Do you

meditate? Can you sit with your feelings and body states?...What are

ways that you care for and nurture yourself? This part is extremely

important because getting through the ups and downs of emotions and

other inner physiological states without using food is near

impossible, if you don't cultivate ways to take care of yourself.

Best,

Latoya:)

> I feel like I am binging. I am defintely not stopping when I am

satisfied or even full. I am eating massive quantities of sweets. In

less than one month of IE, I gained 20 pounds! (I'm already obese.)

> I just think there is something i'm missing here.

>

[Guest guest]

Me again...

,

It also may be good to really develop your observer (food

anthropologist). I've found it helpful to track my eating in a

non-judgmental way at times so I can see if there is any relationship

with what I eat and my emotional or physiological states. I've taken

time to jot down what I'm feeling before I eat and then what I ate or

what I was feeling after I ate and what I ate. Through

tracking/observing myself, I've been able to see more clearly what was

going on with me, what my patterns of eating are during stress and

non-stress, and how to develop ways to help myself without using food

during more intense times. IE is an opportunity to get to know

yourself more deeply than ever before and to then be able to better

care for your whole self.

Latoya

Practicing IE since Jan '08

[Guest guest]

I think this is excellent advice, Latoya. I have found the same thing

to be true. I have to eat my sweets right after a balanced meal,

otherwise I am like a bottomless pit where sweets are concerned.

Well, maybe not bottomless, but it takes a LOT of candy to fill me up

and take the place of a meal. And then, as you said, that wreaks

havoc with my bloodsugar and I feel like I need MORE candy an hour or

two later.

>

> ,

>

> It may not be possible for you to feel satisfied or full with

sweets.

> I usually can't. For example, I just had an " episode " tonight where

I

> over ate on ice cream. I've been craving ice cream for the past few

> days and picked up two pints of different ice cream that appealed to

> me on the way home. I decided to take a couple of scoops ice cream

> from each container...ate them...didn't feel satisfied or

> full...preceded to take a few more scoops from each

container...then a

> few more scoops. I didn't finish both containers, but there's not

much

> left. I had to stop myself because I recognized that I wasn't

getting

> satisfied or full. (In writing this, I just realized that

consciously

> making getting satisfied/full the goal may help center me more.)

>

> The ice cream intake, put me on the prowl...I started looking

through

> my cupboards for something to eat to help me feel better. I decided

> to eat something more substantial and ate some cheese and crackers,

a

> handful of chips, and small plate of mexican rice and chicken and

> vegetables and the urge to continue to eat finally subsided. Looking

> back now, going for a walk may have also helped my body get back to

a

> state of balance. The nice thing is that I was monitoring my

fullness

> as I continued to eat. As the more substantial food got into my

> stomach I could recognize my fullness.

>

> I've recognized this issue with not getting full from ice cream

> before...yet I seemed to have some wishful thinking that maybe my

body

> would have a different response...NO, it didn't. Ice cream at the

> beginning of a meal throws me completely out of wack...I'm taking in

> energy and yet my body doesn't seem to recognize it. I believe that

> it's similar with most sweets...they need to be balanced with other

> foods. I need to have filling foods and have ice cream at the end

of a

> meal...if I want it, while honoring my fullness as best as possible.

> For me, I've found that sweets also typically make me more

> sluggish...they give me a nice drugged/ecstatic feeling in the

> beginning then my energy level drops...probably reflecting the

roller

> coaster ride that my blood sugar is on. How does sugar affect you?

Are

> you really tasting the sweets when you're eating them? When I have

too

> many sweets my body gives me a yucky feeling and the thought of

sweets

> is revolting to me.

>

> If you've been " eating massive amounts of sweets " , you may go

through/

> be experiencing sugar withdrawal effects that compel you to take in

> more sugar to feel better. What's going on in your life that compels

> you to make your life " sweeter " ? Are you moving regularly?, Do you

> meditate? Can you sit with your feelings and body states?...What are

> ways that you care for and nurture yourself? This part is extremely

> important because getting through the ups and downs of emotions and

> other inner physiological states without using food is near

> impossible, if you don't cultivate ways to take care of yourself.

>

> Best,

> Latoya:)

>

[Guest guest]

" IE is an opportunity to get to know yourself more deeply than ever

before and to then be able to better care for your whole self.

Latoya

Practicing IE since Jan '08 "

You said it perfectly. As much as I'd like this to be about weight

loss, it's about me. The more I get to know myself, grow to nurture

myself, and care about myself, the more I realize food is not a good

substitute for what I'm really needing. The journey IS the blessing.

It's a wonderful, healing feeling to care so deeply about yourself.

dawnz

[Guest guest]

Kip, that is not only a marvelous 'success story', but a lovely

inspiration for us all too. IE is a process and one pretty much has to

go thru it to get it. Congrats on your journey and a big thanks for

sharing it with us too

ehugs, Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

>

> ,

> I gained a lot of weight when I started intuitive eating and thought

I was doing something wrong. I had been dieting for so long I ate and

ate and ate just because I could. I gained ~50 pounds in the first

year or so (I was around 205 when I started in September 2006 and in

January 2008 I was around 250). The urge to eat does go away though.

And it really helps to stop weighing youself. Focus on how you

feel...how your stomach feels after eating, how you feel in your

clothes, etc. I have maintained my weight for about a year now. And

I don't know that becuase of the scale. I know because I am wearing

the same clothes and for the last several months they have been

feeling looser.

>

> I have also learned to accept that I am a bigger person. I always

have been and I may always be. It's not the end of the world. The

lowest weight I ever remember being was 190 lbs and that was after

starving myself on WW for 3 years. I'd rather be a happy 250 pound

woman than a starving, food obsessed 190 pound woman.

>

> Keep at it ...I was doubtful at the start and thought I was

doing somethign wrong too!

>

> Kipkabob

> (Intuitive eating since September 2006)

>