Guest guest Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 Cravings are real but they may not really be about food! IE suggests that you honor your body, especially when it 'talks' to you. IE is about re establishing TRUST in and for yourself (body). IF you honor a craving, doing that as mindful (savoring) as possible is probably the quickest way to work thru that which could minimize adding to your already existing concerns. I found that when I ate sweets (like that doughnut) I could end up to on a roller coaster ride of highs and lows where the 'craving' for MORE sweets would be triggered at each low. Adding a bit of protein or even fat could temper the swings to much more 'normal' levels. Its more about discovering YOUR reactions than the actual food - or so I've come to find. Katcha IEing since March 2007 > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 Cravings are real but they may not really be about food! IE suggests that you honor your body, especially when it 'talks' to you. IE is about re establishing TRUST in and for yourself (body). IF you honor a craving, doing that as mindful (savoring) as possible is probably the quickest way to work thru that which could minimize adding to your already existing concerns. I found that when I ate sweets (like that doughnut) I could end up to on a roller coaster ride of highs and lows where the 'craving' for MORE sweets would be triggered at each low. Adding a bit of protein or even fat could temper the swings to much more 'normal' levels. Its more about discovering YOUR reactions than the actual food - or so I've come to find. Katcha IEing since March 2007 > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 Seems like with IE the only way out is through. It's scary and has hazzards that must be negotiated along the way. But the desire to kill for a doughnut will be there as long as they are forbidden. For those souls who are truly able to never eat a doughnut again - restriction works. They probably represent 1% of humanity. Another few souls will eat one on rare occasion and not care if they have another possibly for months or years. For the rest of us - restriction feeds the desire for whatever is restricted until it's consumed. Afterwards, guilt, shame and recrimination ensues. Then the self-hate and the swearing off of whatever is to be forbidden. The cycle of addiction is broken in various ways through various systems - this path (IE) works a lot with awareness and backing off of restriction (diet mentality) in order to tamp down the flames of the internal power struggle that virtually propells one to eat what one thinks one must not. Too wordy?? > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 Seems like with IE the only way out is through. It's scary and has hazzards that must be negotiated along the way. But the desire to kill for a doughnut will be there as long as they are forbidden. For those souls who are truly able to never eat a doughnut again - restriction works. They probably represent 1% of humanity. Another few souls will eat one on rare occasion and not care if they have another possibly for months or years. For the rest of us - restriction feeds the desire for whatever is restricted until it's consumed. Afterwards, guilt, shame and recrimination ensues. Then the self-hate and the swearing off of whatever is to be forbidden. The cycle of addiction is broken in various ways through various systems - this path (IE) works a lot with awareness and backing off of restriction (diet mentality) in order to tamp down the flames of the internal power struggle that virtually propells one to eat what one thinks one must not. Too wordy?? > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 Seems like with IE the only way out is through. It's scary and has hazzards that must be negotiated along the way. But the desire to kill for a doughnut will be there as long as they are forbidden. For those souls who are truly able to never eat a doughnut again - restriction works. They probably represent 1% of humanity. Another few souls will eat one on rare occasion and not care if they have another possibly for months or years. For the rest of us - restriction feeds the desire for whatever is restricted until it's consumed. Afterwards, guilt, shame and recrimination ensues. Then the self-hate and the swearing off of whatever is to be forbidden. The cycle of addiction is broken in various ways through various systems - this path (IE) works a lot with awareness and backing off of restriction (diet mentality) in order to tamp down the flames of the internal power struggle that virtually propells one to eat what one thinks one must not. Too wordy?? > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 --- In IntuitiveEating_Support , " sanamu1234 " wrote > . . . this path (IE) works a lot with awareness and backing off of restriction (diet mentality) in order to tamp down the flames of the internal power struggle that virtually propells one to eat what one thinks one must not. Its like the command to NOT think about a green house . . . and what IMMEDIATELY pops into mind is - a green house ;-) Once something is brought to one's consciousness, its mighty difficult to NOT think about it. > > Too wordy?? Not at all! Keep posting such wonderful insights and feedback. I and I'm sure many others truly appreciate it. Katcha IEing since March 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 You reminded me of something very valuable Dr. May says in her materials. In situations where you feel like eating for reasons other than true hunger, you have 3 choices. The easiest of which is to just eat anyways, but you know you'll probably feel badly about it later in more ways than one. The 2nd option is to distract yourself, which works sometimes but doesn't do you any favors in the long run. The 3rd option is to find out what emotion is driving the desire to eat. While #3 is the most helpful, it's also the hardest. I can say for myself I honestly have not figured out how to do this yet... > > > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 You reminded me of something very valuable Dr. May says in her materials. In situations where you feel like eating for reasons other than true hunger, you have 3 choices. The easiest of which is to just eat anyways, but you know you'll probably feel badly about it later in more ways than one. The 2nd option is to distract yourself, which works sometimes but doesn't do you any favors in the long run. The 3rd option is to find out what emotion is driving the desire to eat. While #3 is the most helpful, it's also the hardest. I can say for myself I honestly have not figured out how to do this yet... > > > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 You reminded me of something very valuable Dr. May says in her materials. In situations where you feel like eating for reasons other than true hunger, you have 3 choices. The easiest of which is to just eat anyways, but you know you'll probably feel badly about it later in more ways than one. The 2nd option is to distract yourself, which works sometimes but doesn't do you any favors in the long run. The 3rd option is to find out what emotion is driving the desire to eat. While #3 is the most helpful, it's also the hardest. I can say for myself I honestly have not figured out how to do this yet... > > > > How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Well, this particular time, I did decide to eat the doughnuts (2). They were very satisfying, and I did not detect any ill effects from eating them. I found myself more able to be present where I was. I know there had been a lot of emotions earlier in the day that had been stirred up. I was actually surprised that there weren't more ill effects from eating them. And I definitely did not crave more than what I ate, plus I had no craving at all today for doughnuts. Interesting to me. I really appreciate all the feedback about cravings though. It was ver helpful to me. You reminded me of something very valuable Dr. May says in her materials. In situations where you feel like eating for reasons other than true hunger, you have 3 choices. The easiest of which is to just eat anyways, but you know you'll probably feel badly about it later in more ways than one. The 2nd option is to distract yourself, which works sometimes but doesn't do you any favors in the long run. The 3rd option is to find out what emotion is driving the desire to eat. While #3 is the most helpful, it's also the hardest. I can say for myself I honestly have not figured out how to do this yet... - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Well, this particular time, I did decide to eat the doughnuts (2). They were very satisfying, and I did not detect any ill effects from eating them. I found myself more able to be present where I was. I know there had been a lot of emotions earlier in the day that had been stirred up. I was actually surprised that there weren't more ill effects from eating them. And I definitely did not crave more than what I ate, plus I had no craving at all today for doughnuts. Interesting to me. I really appreciate all the feedback about cravings though. It was ver helpful to me. You reminded me of something very valuable Dr. May says in her materials. In situations where you feel like eating for reasons other than true hunger, you have 3 choices. The easiest of which is to just eat anyways, but you know you'll probably feel badly about it later in more ways than one. The 2nd option is to distract yourself, which works sometimes but doesn't do you any favors in the long run. The 3rd option is to find out what emotion is driving the desire to eat. While #3 is the most helpful, it's also the hardest. I can say for myself I honestly have not figured out how to do this yet... - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Hi. Well, I think you start eating intuitively by doing things like becoming aware of hunger signals, your emotions around food, what you like to eat and how much, etc.. Not all at once, but in small steps. You also usually realize that restriction doesn't work and only brings on binging behavior, guilt, negative self-talk, more restriction and the cycle continues. You're doing great by journaling and trying to be aware of your non-hunger reasons to eat. However, just because you are aware does not mean you will never feel that kind of "hunger" or that you will never again eat emotionally. It's important to not deprive yourself of food even if you feel that you "shouldn't" eat or that you don't have a good enough reason to eat. That usually renders IE just another diet that you may eventually rebel against. If you are dying for a doughnut, have one. Observe why you are eating it, what it tastes like, how you feel in your body during and after. If you can't observe that much, it's OK. Just notice what you can. The allure of that doughnut will eventually fade and it will be just another thing to eat when you feel like it. It won't be magic anymore! Mimi Subject: food cravingsTo: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Saturday, October 29, 2011, 4:15 PM How to handle these? I am paying attention, journaling, learning a lot, and yet I would kill for a doughnut right now. If I don't restrict myself I'm going to gain a lot of weight. I have done it before and hate the thought of it but I can't figure out how to get from here to eating intuitively. Embarrassing to admit, but damn it, if I don't reach out I will eat because I'm isolated as well as feeling all kinds of other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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