Re: Re: Keeping an Eye Open

[Guest guest]

Thinking of the desire for a food (usually outside of physical need) as the memory of having had pleasant sensations with it before -- this very interesting. It brings me a question: remembering the taste and sensations from before, wanting it again, remembering that when I had that before I wanted more and more and couldn't stop and ate too much of it, unwisely..... is it possible that it *might* be better just not to start on that one? Is it possible my intuition is telling me not to go there?Ellie To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Friday, December 9, 2011 7:18 AM Subject: Re: Keeping an Eye Open

I don't actually like the term "mouth hunger at all", because for me it doesn't seem to be coming from my mouth. It's more like mind-hunger. It's my mind that tells me that it wants something. Stomach hunger I get, though sometimes it's more like whole body. A character talked about that in Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible, where the family was essentially starving, the difference between stomach hunger and body hunger. She said the feeling in your stomach goes away, but then your whole body in NEEDING food. Of course we're never at that point, but sometimes I will get a bit shaky, and very cranky, and be unable to make any decisions, and my first thought is not that I am hungry, but usually I am, and eating takes care of it.

Ideally, what your mouth wants will be something that will satisfy your body as well. I'm really trying to listen to that.

Tilley

> > >

> > > a while back, folks were talking about "mouth hunger" versus "stomach

> > > hunger."

> > >

> > > i thought this was a helpful thing to think about. what sounds like it

> > > would taste good right now versus what would feel good in my stomach.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thinking of the desire for a food (usually outside of physical need) as the memory of having had pleasant sensations with it before -- this very interesting. It brings me a question: remembering the taste and sensations from before, wanting it again, remembering that when I had that before I wanted more and more and couldn't stop and ate too much of it, unwisely..... is it possible that it *might* be better just not to start on that one? Is it possible my intuition is telling me not to go there?Ellie To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Friday, December 9, 2011 7:18 AM Subject: Re: Keeping an Eye Open

I don't actually like the term "mouth hunger at all", because for me it doesn't seem to be coming from my mouth. It's more like mind-hunger. It's my mind that tells me that it wants something. Stomach hunger I get, though sometimes it's more like whole body. A character talked about that in Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible, where the family was essentially starving, the difference between stomach hunger and body hunger. She said the feeling in your stomach goes away, but then your whole body in NEEDING food. Of course we're never at that point, but sometimes I will get a bit shaky, and very cranky, and be unable to make any decisions, and my first thought is not that I am hungry, but usually I am, and eating takes care of it.

Ideally, what your mouth wants will be something that will satisfy your body as well. I'm really trying to listen to that.

Tilley

> > >

> > > a while back, folks were talking about "mouth hunger" versus "stomach

> > > hunger."

> > >

> > > i thought this was a helpful thing to think about. what sounds like it

> > > would taste good right now versus what would feel good in my stomach.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Sure, but I think this is an area we can be a little careful with. Is it your intuition telling you this food does not honor your body, or your mind saying that you cannot be trusted around food? Sometimes I have trouble distinguishing. When I begin to restrict based on the belief that I am out of control with a particular food, it only heightens the cravings for me. If I have overeaten on a food in the past it does not mean that I am doomed to repeat that whenever I eat the same food. Maybe I overate because the food was formerly forbidden (either overtly or covertly) or because I was in need of emotional comfort and I couldn't nurture myself in any other way at the time. In any case, I try to have as few hang-ups around food as possible, even when I choose not to eat something I do want for "intellectual" reasons such as nutrition, etc. Even in those cases, I

am making a choice based on honoring my body, not restriction or punishment for past bad behavior.MimiSubject: Re: Re: Keeping an Eye OpenTo: "IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >Date: Friday, December 9, 2011, 10:00 AM

Thinking of the desire for a food (usually outside of physical need) as the memory of having had pleasant sensations with it before -- this very interesting. It brings me a question: remembering the taste and sensations from before, wanting it again, remembering that when I had that before I wanted more and more and couldn't stop and ate too much of it, unwisely..... is it possible that it *might* be better just not to start on that one? Is it possible my intuition is telling me not to go there?Ellie

[Guest guest]

Sure, but I think this is an area we can be a little careful with. Is it your intuition telling you this food does not honor your body, or your mind saying that you cannot be trusted around food? Sometimes I have trouble distinguishing. When I begin to restrict based on the belief that I am out of control with a particular food, it only heightens the cravings for me. If I have overeaten on a food in the past it does not mean that I am doomed to repeat that whenever I eat the same food. Maybe I overate because the food was formerly forbidden (either overtly or covertly) or because I was in need of emotional comfort and I couldn't nurture myself in any other way at the time. In any case, I try to have as few hang-ups around food as possible, even when I choose not to eat something I do want for "intellectual" reasons such as nutrition, etc. Even in those cases, I

am making a choice based on honoring my body, not restriction or punishment for past bad behavior.MimiSubject: Re: Re: Keeping an Eye OpenTo: "IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >Date: Friday, December 9, 2011, 10:00 AM

Thinking of the desire for a food (usually outside of physical need) as the memory of having had pleasant sensations with it before -- this very interesting. It brings me a question: remembering the taste and sensations from before, wanting it again, remembering that when I had that before I wanted more and more and couldn't stop and ate too much of it, unwisely..... is it possible that it *might* be better just not to start on that one? Is it possible my intuition is telling me not to go there?Ellie