Re: Working to find balance

[Guest guest]

I didn't bring everything into the house. I have so many forbidden foods, I

don't think that's even possible! LOL But I do keep a few. I usually pick up

a couple things that particularly strike me each time I grocery shop. I've had

a couple of days when I have definitely eaten more of something forbidden than I

thought I should. I think that's normal, as I'm still testing the boundaries.

And there will probably be more days like that, too, as I don't expect to be

perfect at this right off the bat. But for the most part, I find comfort by

having them here and have been able to eat these items in reasonable portions

along with a meal when I am hungry.

Josie

>

> Did any of you bring all of the " forbidden " foods into your house at the same

time or did you bring them in slowly? I brought several of them in at the same

time and now as I read through the book it talks about introducing them one at a

time and then moving to the next. Just wondering if anyone has any insight on

how this worked for them.

>

> I brought several of them into my house in the last two weeks and find that

I'm still drawn to these foods more often. It terrifies me that I'll continue

to gain weight because I am eating them so often. It's difficult for me to

mentally let go of the diet and not worry as much about weight and size. I'm

still obsessed with negative thoughts about myself and my body. Each day I try

to challenge these thoughts and remind myself that I am a good person, and have

wonderful friends and family, a good job, and many other things in life that

make me happy.

>

> How have the rest of you coped with getting out of the mental diet? Thanks,

>

> Tai

>

[Guest guest]

I didn't bring everything into the house. I have so many forbidden foods, I

don't think that's even possible! LOL But I do keep a few. I usually pick up

a couple things that particularly strike me each time I grocery shop. I've had

a couple of days when I have definitely eaten more of something forbidden than I

thought I should. I think that's normal, as I'm still testing the boundaries.

And there will probably be more days like that, too, as I don't expect to be

perfect at this right off the bat. But for the most part, I find comfort by

having them here and have been able to eat these items in reasonable portions

along with a meal when I am hungry.

Josie

>

> Did any of you bring all of the " forbidden " foods into your house at the same

time or did you bring them in slowly? I brought several of them in at the same

time and now as I read through the book it talks about introducing them one at a

time and then moving to the next. Just wondering if anyone has any insight on

how this worked for them.

>

> I brought several of them into my house in the last two weeks and find that

I'm still drawn to these foods more often. It terrifies me that I'll continue

to gain weight because I am eating them so often. It's difficult for me to

mentally let go of the diet and not worry as much about weight and size. I'm

still obsessed with negative thoughts about myself and my body. Each day I try

to challenge these thoughts and remind myself that I am a good person, and have

wonderful friends and family, a good job, and many other things in life that

make me happy.

>

> How have the rest of you coped with getting out of the mental diet? Thanks,

>

> Tai

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tai. When I first started IE, like you, I went to the grocery store and

brought home several items. When I was hungry, and it came time to choose what

I wanted, I was tempted to overeat because there were too many good things to

choose from in the house. I have found, for me, that it is better to choose one

or two food items each week that really appeal to me and stop there. Plus, it's

been kind of fun to look forward to new and exciting foods each week that have

previously been forbidden.

Another thing that I have realized about myself is how difficult it is for me to

throw food out. So, if I over buy, I find myself eating up everything

(especially perishable items) just for the sake of not wasting them regardless

of hunger. The feeling against being wasteful seems to override the sense of

fullness.

I did initially find it difficult to identify what I really wanted, so I started

to make a list of foods that I really enjoyed eating. Some were restaraunt

foods and others things I could pick up at the grocery store. That helped me

identify things that I really liked that were also a little more healthy, rather

than always going for the chips or the ice cream, although I love both and I'm

free to eat them now.

It is a challenge, but as others have already shared, you have to find out what

works best for you. I think the IE book refers to this as the " exploration "

phase.

Best wishes,

PJ

>

> Did any of you bring all of the " forbidden " foods into your house at the same

time or did you bring them in slowly? I brought several of them in at the same

time and now as I read through the book it talks about introducing them one at a

time and then moving to the next. Just wondering if anyone has any insight on

how this worked for them.

>

>

> Tai

>