Re: don't know what to do....

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply Liz It makes me feel better to know that eating a lot

of sweets isn't abnormal!!!

Honestly, I think for a while I will probably want to eat sweets after just

about every meal :/ That scares me quite a bit because of course one of my

biggest worries is gaining more weight! Which...when I look at my situation

realistically, attempting to avoid sweets, depriving myself, overeating, and

then feeling guilty has only proven to make me gain weight...

Sooooo, maybe eating a little bit of sweets several times a day will take the

allure away from those foods and remove my urge to overeat them...?

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession

that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my

limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply Liz It makes me feel better to know that eating a lot

of sweets isn't abnormal!!!

Honestly, I think for a while I will probably want to eat sweets after just

about every meal :/ That scares me quite a bit because of course one of my

biggest worries is gaining more weight! Which...when I look at my situation

realistically, attempting to avoid sweets, depriving myself, overeating, and

then feeling guilty has only proven to make me gain weight...

Sooooo, maybe eating a little bit of sweets several times a day will take the

allure away from those foods and remove my urge to overeat them...?

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession

that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my

limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply Liz It makes me feel better to know that eating a lot

of sweets isn't abnormal!!!

Honestly, I think for a while I will probably want to eat sweets after just

about every meal :/ That scares me quite a bit because of course one of my

biggest worries is gaining more weight! Which...when I look at my situation

realistically, attempting to avoid sweets, depriving myself, overeating, and

then feeling guilty has only proven to make me gain weight...

Sooooo, maybe eating a little bit of sweets several times a day will take the

allure away from those foods and remove my urge to overeat them...?

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession

that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my

limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

As I keep reading the posts and abandoning my previous mindsets, I look around and see some overweight people in my daily life, and wonder how they feel. Although overweight myself, I am learning not to judge people, but realize they, too, are having the same struggle I am. I am learning to accept that I want to eat, that I have problems without hating myself because of it as well as not hating others because they are either overweight or have problems with eating, and allow my body to do much of the work for me. I am beginning to understand what the word "disregulated" means in terms of eating. This is not to say 'diet,' but to say that I am beginning to face my problems with understanding and appreciating myself. TaiTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 11:39 PMSubject: Re: don't know what to do....

Thanks for the reply Liz It makes me feel better to know that eating a lot of sweets isn't abnormal!!!

Honestly, I think for a while I will probably want to eat sweets after just about every meal :/ That scares me quite a bit because of course one of my biggest worries is gaining more weight! Which...when I look at my situation realistically, attempting to avoid sweets, depriving myself, overeating, and then feeling guilty has only proven to make me gain weight...

Sooooo, maybe eating a little bit of sweets several times a day will take the allure away from those foods and remove my urge to overeat them...?

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into "intuitive eating as long as I don't eat this or that food", which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

As I keep reading the posts and abandoning my previous mindsets, I look around and see some overweight people in my daily life, and wonder how they feel. Although overweight myself, I am learning not to judge people, but realize they, too, are having the same struggle I am. I am learning to accept that I want to eat, that I have problems without hating myself because of it as well as not hating others because they are either overweight or have problems with eating, and allow my body to do much of the work for me. I am beginning to understand what the word "disregulated" means in terms of eating. This is not to say 'diet,' but to say that I am beginning to face my problems with understanding and appreciating myself. TaiTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 11:39 PMSubject: Re: don't know what to do....

Thanks for the reply Liz It makes me feel better to know that eating a lot of sweets isn't abnormal!!!

Honestly, I think for a while I will probably want to eat sweets after just about every meal :/ That scares me quite a bit because of course one of my biggest worries is gaining more weight! Which...when I look at my situation realistically, attempting to avoid sweets, depriving myself, overeating, and then feeling guilty has only proven to make me gain weight...

Sooooo, maybe eating a little bit of sweets several times a day will take the allure away from those foods and remove my urge to overeat them...?

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into "intuitive eating as long as I don't eat this or that food", which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

As I keep reading the posts and abandoning my previous mindsets, I look around and see some overweight people in my daily life, and wonder how they feel. Although overweight myself, I am learning not to judge people, but realize they, too, are having the same struggle I am. I am learning to accept that I want to eat, that I have problems without hating myself because of it as well as not hating others because they are either overweight or have problems with eating, and allow my body to do much of the work for me. I am beginning to understand what the word "disregulated" means in terms of eating. This is not to say 'diet,' but to say that I am beginning to face my problems with understanding and appreciating myself. TaiTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 11:39 PMSubject: Re: don't know what to do....

Thanks for the reply Liz It makes me feel better to know that eating a lot of sweets isn't abnormal!!!

Honestly, I think for a while I will probably want to eat sweets after just about every meal :/ That scares me quite a bit because of course one of my biggest worries is gaining more weight! Which...when I look at my situation realistically, attempting to avoid sweets, depriving myself, overeating, and then feeling guilty has only proven to make me gain weight...

Sooooo, maybe eating a little bit of sweets several times a day will take the allure away from those foods and remove my urge to overeat them...?

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into "intuitive eating as long as I don't eat this or that food", which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Katcha

I believe I really do struggle with that perfectionist mindset. I try

something, slip up and seem to give up quickly because I didn't do it perfectly

on the first try. I'm sure I've done that a thousand times with numerous diets

and I know I've done it with IE too. Even though I know it's not necessarily

always a forward moving process, I tend to believe I've failed and then I'm

looking for the next diet that will fix everything.

It's interesting that you noticed that for you eating sweets with other foods

such as protein and fat helped you to feel less of the highs and lows. That

made me think of how I eat sweets. Usually I substitute sweets for the main

meal because I worry about the excessive calories with eating both a meal and

dessert. This of course always backfires into eating excessive amounts of

sugar! Today I basically had a small amount of dessert after each meal, but

none of those desserts were excessive and I felt satisfied after each.

Hmmm...interesting!

Thank you for your support

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession

that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my

limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Katcha

I believe I really do struggle with that perfectionist mindset. I try

something, slip up and seem to give up quickly because I didn't do it perfectly

on the first try. I'm sure I've done that a thousand times with numerous diets

and I know I've done it with IE too. Even though I know it's not necessarily

always a forward moving process, I tend to believe I've failed and then I'm

looking for the next diet that will fix everything.

It's interesting that you noticed that for you eating sweets with other foods

such as protein and fat helped you to feel less of the highs and lows. That

made me think of how I eat sweets. Usually I substitute sweets for the main

meal because I worry about the excessive calories with eating both a meal and

dessert. This of course always backfires into eating excessive amounts of

sugar! Today I basically had a small amount of dessert after each meal, but

none of those desserts were excessive and I felt satisfied after each.

Hmmm...interesting!

Thank you for your support

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession

that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my

limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Katcha

I believe I really do struggle with that perfectionist mindset. I try

something, slip up and seem to give up quickly because I didn't do it perfectly

on the first try. I'm sure I've done that a thousand times with numerous diets

and I know I've done it with IE too. Even though I know it's not necessarily

always a forward moving process, I tend to believe I've failed and then I'm

looking for the next diet that will fix everything.

It's interesting that you noticed that for you eating sweets with other foods

such as protein and fat helped you to feel less of the highs and lows. That

made me think of how I eat sweets. Usually I substitute sweets for the main

meal because I worry about the excessive calories with eating both a meal and

dessert. This of course always backfires into eating excessive amounts of

sugar! Today I basically had a small amount of dessert after each meal, but

none of those desserts were excessive and I felt satisfied after each.

Hmmm...interesting!

Thank you for your support

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession

that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my

limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you Jane! That does make me hopeful that this can work for me to hear the

spot you are in. I can absolutely relate to the self-talk and reminding myself

that I am not hungry and that I need to find another way to deal with a

stressful situation.

This morning I was thinking about why I come home late at night and overeat.

I'm realizing that it's what I've been doing lately to unwind or 'de-stress'. I

have been under a lot of financial stress lately and trying to work a lot before

I start grad school this fall. I was thinking that maybe I would try to do some

yoga, stretch, or even try to meditate or sit quietly with my eyes closed for 15

minutes or so. Maybe that would help me to relax after a long day and I

wouldn't feel the need to 'numb' my anxiety with food.

The tough part is putting it into practice! I know being mindful and present is

an important part of this process

J

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> >

> > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> >

> > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession

that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my

limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> >

> > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > J

> >

>

[Guest guest]

J,

What an excellent idea to try some relaxation techniques when you first walk

into your home. I remember when I was single and child-free, how I'd walk in

the door, put my stuff down, and go directly to the kitchen to eat. It was an

automatic response and how I numbed any stress. It became so habitual that it

didn't stop until my routine changed - got married, quit my job, moved across

the country. I admire you for brainstorming how you can actively take

responsibility for changing your pattern in what you recognize as a problem time

in your routine. Good for you! And remember, if your first ideas don't work

for one reason or another, maybe a totally different tactic will, like calling a

night-owl friend to talk to about your day or journaling. Hard to say what will

work, but changing something in your routine instead of eating when you're not

actually hungry is positive.

Jane

> > >

> > > Hi everyone,

> > >

> > > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> > >

> > > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> > >

> > > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this

obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness.

With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> > >

> > > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> > >

> > > Thank you,

> > >

> > > J

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

J,

What an excellent idea to try some relaxation techniques when you first walk

into your home. I remember when I was single and child-free, how I'd walk in

the door, put my stuff down, and go directly to the kitchen to eat. It was an

automatic response and how I numbed any stress. It became so habitual that it

didn't stop until my routine changed - got married, quit my job, moved across

the country. I admire you for brainstorming how you can actively take

responsibility for changing your pattern in what you recognize as a problem time

in your routine. Good for you! And remember, if your first ideas don't work

for one reason or another, maybe a totally different tactic will, like calling a

night-owl friend to talk to about your day or journaling. Hard to say what will

work, but changing something in your routine instead of eating when you're not

actually hungry is positive.

Jane

> > >

> > > Hi everyone,

> > >

> > > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> > >

> > > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> > >

> > > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this

obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness.

With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> > >

> > > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> > >

> > > Thank you,

> > >

> > > J

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

J,

What an excellent idea to try some relaxation techniques when you first walk

into your home. I remember when I was single and child-free, how I'd walk in

the door, put my stuff down, and go directly to the kitchen to eat. It was an

automatic response and how I numbed any stress. It became so habitual that it

didn't stop until my routine changed - got married, quit my job, moved across

the country. I admire you for brainstorming how you can actively take

responsibility for changing your pattern in what you recognize as a problem time

in your routine. Good for you! And remember, if your first ideas don't work

for one reason or another, maybe a totally different tactic will, like calling a

night-owl friend to talk to about your day or journaling. Hard to say what will

work, but changing something in your routine instead of eating when you're not

actually hungry is positive.

Jane

> > >

> > > Hi everyone,

> > >

> > > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been

aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well

as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just

can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest

excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work

for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about

every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into " intuitive eating as long as I

don't eat this or that food " , which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also

gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of

them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what

to do.

> > >

> > > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that

back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar

for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But

now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into

a drug for me.

> > >

> > > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this

obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness.

With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question.

> > >

> > > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating

myself and I want my life back...

> > >

> > > Thank you,

> > >

> > > J

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

That's how it worked for me Jeni. At first I really needed a sweet thing after diner every day. And yes, I gained...but then I figured out, if I had the sweet before I was full I'd be better off. See I had been eating my dinner until satisfied and then wanting a sweet after. That is overeating because I wasn't hungry when i took the sweet. So the next step was to have the sweet before I was full mainly because I worried I might not get hungry again before bed and if that happened, I wouldn't get my sweet. Made sense to me. Now, I really don't find I need sweets so much and I sure don't want more than a couple bites. Some of my favorite things like carrot cake, are now too sweet for more than a couple bites. So werid. I never thought I'd say anything was too sweet. Oh, I am another one with Metabolic Syndrome, (T2D, Insulin Resistance, High BP, cea, Obesity, etc...I don't have PCOS though) so sweets really wreak havoc on my system.

Sunny

Re: don't know what to do....

Thanks for the reply Liz It makes me feel better to know that eating a lot of sweets isn't abnormal!!! Honestly, I think for a while I will probably want to eat sweets after just about every meal :/ That scares me quite a bit because of course one of my biggest worries is gaining more weight! Which...when I look at my situation realistically, attempting to avoid sweets, depriving myself, overeating, and then feeling guilty has only proven to make me gain weight... Sooooo, maybe eating a little bit of sweets several times a day will take the allure away from those foods and remove my urge to overeat them...?

> > Hi everyone,

> > > > I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into "intuitive eating as long as I don't eat this or that food", which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what to do.

> > > > I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided sugar for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into a drug for me. > > > > I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question. > > > > Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating myself and I want my life back...

> > > > Thank you,

> > > > J

> >

>

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Jeni, I agree with everything Sandy said. Something you said towards the end of the post is that you don't know HOW to do it. Or you can't do it? The 'how' is learning to listen to your body functions, or signals. It takes time and is most satisfying to do so. When I first learned IE, I had many questions and some posters helped me with their experiences and recognitions. I never KNEW hunger signals, I had to literally wait. THEN when I learned all foods are

legal, I went on a year long binge and of course I gained weight. I literally ate for one year all the candy, chips, ice cream -- you name it that I had forbidden myself before that.To a degree, however, I learned to stop when I felt full so I didn't gain an exorbitant amount of weight, but gain I did. Now I'm not even weighing myself (got rid of the scale) but am on the learning curve and happy to be there.

Tai

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 7:27 AMSubject: Re: don't know what to do....

Jeni, Welcome. Glad to have you here and thanks for such an honest posting. I too have a hard time with sweets although I don't think quite as much as you do. But I sure understand that you are having a hard time believing IE will work for you. Especially since it asks that you accept the fact the there is no forbidden food. When I first started on this I did eat a lot of sweets, all those forbidden foods that I wanted for years of dieting, like hot fudge sundaes, and chocolate. I ate the sundaes just about everyday until I got so sick of them that I no longer even cared for them. Oh I know I can still have them, I just don't right now. And yes I did gain weight. Now I have reached a point where I am embracing more of the IE principles. The ones I had overlooked. As has been mentioned in this group, it is probably best to go easy and start with one or two, like "eat when you are hungry and stop when

you are full". I was eating the sweets just when ever I felt like it. And I now am also thinking about "honoring my body" and feeding it what it needs. But all of this is a process and being gentle with yourself is also key, although hard to do. Eating with full awareness and no judgement is especially challenging. I been dieting for over 50 years so I am not going to unlearn all that in a few weeks. I think this IE is more challenging then a diet because it doesn't have "rules" like exact rules of when to eat(3x a day), or what(no carbs, all carbs, etc.) or how much( one ounce of chicken, 3/4 plate of salad, etc.). I hope I am making sense. Another thing here is to take what fits for you and leave the rest. Please keep in touch. We learn so much from each other and I am sure you will get a lot of good responses. Again thanks for your honest post. Sandy

Hi everyone,I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into "intuitive eating as long as I don't eat this or that food", which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what to do.I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided

sugar for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into a drug for me. I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question. Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating myself and I want my life back...Thank you,J

[Guest guest]

Jeni, I agree with everything Sandy said. Something you said towards the end of the post is that you don't know HOW to do it. Or you can't do it? The 'how' is learning to listen to your body functions, or signals. It takes time and is most satisfying to do so. When I first learned IE, I had many questions and some posters helped me with their experiences and recognitions. I never KNEW hunger signals, I had to literally wait. THEN when I learned all foods are

legal, I went on a year long binge and of course I gained weight. I literally ate for one year all the candy, chips, ice cream -- you name it that I had forbidden myself before that.To a degree, however, I learned to stop when I felt full so I didn't gain an exorbitant amount of weight, but gain I did. Now I'm not even weighing myself (got rid of the scale) but am on the learning curve and happy to be there.

Tai

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 7:27 AMSubject: Re: don't know what to do....

Jeni, Welcome. Glad to have you here and thanks for such an honest posting. I too have a hard time with sweets although I don't think quite as much as you do. But I sure understand that you are having a hard time believing IE will work for you. Especially since it asks that you accept the fact the there is no forbidden food. When I first started on this I did eat a lot of sweets, all those forbidden foods that I wanted for years of dieting, like hot fudge sundaes, and chocolate. I ate the sundaes just about everyday until I got so sick of them that I no longer even cared for them. Oh I know I can still have them, I just don't right now. And yes I did gain weight. Now I have reached a point where I am embracing more of the IE principles. The ones I had overlooked. As has been mentioned in this group, it is probably best to go easy and start with one or two, like "eat when you are hungry and stop when

you are full". I was eating the sweets just when ever I felt like it. And I now am also thinking about "honoring my body" and feeding it what it needs. But all of this is a process and being gentle with yourself is also key, although hard to do. Eating with full awareness and no judgement is especially challenging. I been dieting for over 50 years so I am not going to unlearn all that in a few weeks. I think this IE is more challenging then a diet because it doesn't have "rules" like exact rules of when to eat(3x a day), or what(no carbs, all carbs, etc.) or how much( one ounce of chicken, 3/4 plate of salad, etc.). I hope I am making sense. Another thing here is to take what fits for you and leave the rest. Please keep in touch. We learn so much from each other and I am sure you will get a lot of good responses. Again thanks for your honest post. Sandy

Hi everyone,I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into "intuitive eating as long as I don't eat this or that food", which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what to do.I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided

sugar for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into a drug for me. I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question. Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating myself and I want my life back...Thank you,J

[Guest guest]

Jeni, I agree with everything Sandy said. Something you said towards the end of the post is that you don't know HOW to do it. Or you can't do it? The 'how' is learning to listen to your body functions, or signals. It takes time and is most satisfying to do so. When I first learned IE, I had many questions and some posters helped me with their experiences and recognitions. I never KNEW hunger signals, I had to literally wait. THEN when I learned all foods are

legal, I went on a year long binge and of course I gained weight. I literally ate for one year all the candy, chips, ice cream -- you name it that I had forbidden myself before that.To a degree, however, I learned to stop when I felt full so I didn't gain an exorbitant amount of weight, but gain I did. Now I'm not even weighing myself (got rid of the scale) but am on the learning curve and happy to be there.

Tai

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 7:27 AMSubject: Re: don't know what to do....

Jeni, Welcome. Glad to have you here and thanks for such an honest posting. I too have a hard time with sweets although I don't think quite as much as you do. But I sure understand that you are having a hard time believing IE will work for you. Especially since it asks that you accept the fact the there is no forbidden food. When I first started on this I did eat a lot of sweets, all those forbidden foods that I wanted for years of dieting, like hot fudge sundaes, and chocolate. I ate the sundaes just about everyday until I got so sick of them that I no longer even cared for them. Oh I know I can still have them, I just don't right now. And yes I did gain weight. Now I have reached a point where I am embracing more of the IE principles. The ones I had overlooked. As has been mentioned in this group, it is probably best to go easy and start with one or two, like "eat when you are hungry and stop when

you are full". I was eating the sweets just when ever I felt like it. And I now am also thinking about "honoring my body" and feeding it what it needs. But all of this is a process and being gentle with yourself is also key, although hard to do. Eating with full awareness and no judgement is especially challenging. I been dieting for over 50 years so I am not going to unlearn all that in a few weeks. I think this IE is more challenging then a diet because it doesn't have "rules" like exact rules of when to eat(3x a day), or what(no carbs, all carbs, etc.) or how much( one ounce of chicken, 3/4 plate of salad, etc.). I hope I am making sense. Another thing here is to take what fits for you and leave the rest. Please keep in touch. We learn so much from each other and I am sure you will get a lot of good responses. Again thanks for your honest post. Sandy

Hi everyone,I need help. I feel like I'm in a never-ending vicious cycle. I've been aware of intuitive eating for a few years now. I've read books about it as well as about emotional eating. I feel like I know how to do it, yet I guess I just can't commit to giving it a real shot. I'm not really sure why. My biggest excuse I think is that I feel like I have a sugar addiction and IE won't work for me because that food gives me such intense cravings that I binge just about every time I eat it. So, IE ends up turning into "intuitive eating as long as I don't eat this or that food", which I'm sure is NOT intuitive eating. This also gives such a power to certain foods (mainly sweets) that I am honestly scared of them. I feel absolutely out of control. I feel helpless and I don't know what to do.I've been trying to diet on and off for several months...no, i take that back, it's been many years. I've had small successes where I've avoided

sugar for a few weeks and I've felt so much more in control of my life and happy. But now I can't even make it half a day without it. It's sad that it's turned into a drug for me. I feel like this is rock bottom. I'm SO mentally drained by this obsession that it's stealing my life away from me. It's stealing my happiness. With my limited financial resources, getting counseling is out of the question. Can anyone please share some advice that may help? I'm so tired of hating myself and I want my life back...Thank you,J