Re: Re: really want this to work for me...

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I kept a food journal when I was going to Weight Watchers and boy, was it a real drag! It only seemed to feed into my obsessiveness and preoccupation with food.

A feeling journal sounds like a pretty useful tool to reconnect with your emotions or identify feelings, especially if as they say in "Intuitive Eating" you're emotionally unaware and don't know why you're eating.

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I kept a food journal when I was going to Weight Watchers and boy, was it a real drag! It only seemed to feed into my obsessiveness and preoccupation with food.

A feeling journal sounds like a pretty useful tool to reconnect with your emotions or identify feelings, especially if as they say in "Intuitive Eating" you're emotionally unaware and don't know why you're eating.

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Congratulations on all your wonderful progress, Seth! And I wish you continued healthy successes and progress!

Thank you for the reminder of Gillian's wonderful post! A lot of good suggestions in it for sure! Don't think it got my attention initially the first time I read it. But what really stuck out for me this time was when Gillian talks about working on trust between you and your body. It really struck a chord when she said, "You don't trust your body because you haven't been tuned into it for a long time and you aren't sure you can count on it to tell you what it needs." A rather powerful realization!

Thanks for sharing!

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Same for me--logging food makes me totally obsess over it. What I ate,

what I'm going to eat in the future; all I'd do is think about food. A

log or journal about feelings is quite different, and if some people

find it helpful for them, go for it!

Sohni

J W ELLER wrote:

Hi,

I kept a food journal when I was going to Weight Watchers

and boy, was it a real drag! It only seemed to feed into my

obsessiveness and preoccupation with food.

A feeling journal sounds like a pretty useful tool to

reconnect with your emotions or identify feelings, especially if as

they say in "Intuitive Eating" you're emotionally unaware and don't

know why you're eating.

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Same for me--logging food makes me totally obsess over it. What I ate,

what I'm going to eat in the future; all I'd do is think about food. A

log or journal about feelings is quite different, and if some people

find it helpful for them, go for it!

Sohni

J W ELLER wrote:

Hi,

I kept a food journal when I was going to Weight Watchers

and boy, was it a real drag! It only seemed to feed into my

obsessiveness and preoccupation with food.

A feeling journal sounds like a pretty useful tool to

reconnect with your emotions or identify feelings, especially if as

they say in "Intuitive Eating" you're emotionally unaware and don't

know why you're eating.

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Same for me--logging food makes me totally obsess over it. What I ate,

what I'm going to eat in the future; all I'd do is think about food. A

log or journal about feelings is quite different, and if some people

find it helpful for them, go for it!

Sohni

J W ELLER wrote:

Hi,

I kept a food journal when I was going to Weight Watchers

and boy, was it a real drag! It only seemed to feed into my

obsessiveness and preoccupation with food.

A feeling journal sounds like a pretty useful tool to

reconnect with your emotions or identify feelings, especially if as

they say in "Intuitive Eating" you're emotionally unaware and don't

know why you're eating.

Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Before I started on the IE path, I was a lot like you. I used Fitday

to not only log everything I ate, but to track all my nutritional

intake as well (and it's not a bad program for someone who needs to

learn more about nutrition). I thought it was keeping me together, and

I felt pretty guilty giving it up...at first. Then I realized how much

of a weight it had been around my neck--rather than keeping me

accountable, it was keeping me enslaved. It didn't make me eat better;

it just made me feel worse when I didn't eat as well as I "should." It

was a huge, huge relief to feel like I had permission to stop doing

it. So try it and see how it goes. You may be surprised to find how

good and free you feel.

Sohni

jeni4305 wrote:

Hi Abby,

I really think I want to give up the food journal. It's just giving me

all this anxiety thinking about giving it up! I keep thinking that

somehow I need to be held 'accountable.' Like if I write it down,

it makes it better somehow???

My goal is to eat like you said, naturally, not analytically. So, I'm

going to give this a try. One meal at a time, give up the journal. It's

sad that before I finish eating a meal I'm thinking about sneaking off

to write it down!

Thank you!!!

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Before I started on the IE path, I was a lot like you. I used Fitday

to not only log everything I ate, but to track all my nutritional

intake as well (and it's not a bad program for someone who needs to

learn more about nutrition). I thought it was keeping me together, and

I felt pretty guilty giving it up...at first. Then I realized how much

of a weight it had been around my neck--rather than keeping me

accountable, it was keeping me enslaved. It didn't make me eat better;

it just made me feel worse when I didn't eat as well as I "should." It

was a huge, huge relief to feel like I had permission to stop doing

it. So try it and see how it goes. You may be surprised to find how

good and free you feel.

Sohni

jeni4305 wrote:

Hi Abby,

I really think I want to give up the food journal. It's just giving me

all this anxiety thinking about giving it up! I keep thinking that

somehow I need to be held 'accountable.' Like if I write it down,

it makes it better somehow???

My goal is to eat like you said, naturally, not analytically. So, I'm

going to give this a try. One meal at a time, give up the journal. It's

sad that before I finish eating a meal I'm thinking about sneaking off

to write it down!

Thank you!!!

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Before I started on the IE path, I was a lot like you. I used Fitday

to not only log everything I ate, but to track all my nutritional

intake as well (and it's not a bad program for someone who needs to

learn more about nutrition). I thought it was keeping me together, and

I felt pretty guilty giving it up...at first. Then I realized how much

of a weight it had been around my neck--rather than keeping me

accountable, it was keeping me enslaved. It didn't make me eat better;

it just made me feel worse when I didn't eat as well as I "should." It

was a huge, huge relief to feel like I had permission to stop doing

it. So try it and see how it goes. You may be surprised to find how

good and free you feel.

Sohni

jeni4305 wrote:

Hi Abby,

I really think I want to give up the food journal. It's just giving me

all this anxiety thinking about giving it up! I keep thinking that

somehow I need to be held 'accountable.' Like if I write it down,

it makes it better somehow???

My goal is to eat like you said, naturally, not analytically. So, I'm

going to give this a try. One meal at a time, give up the journal. It's

sad that before I finish eating a meal I'm thinking about sneaking off

to write it down!

Thank you!!!

[Guest guest]

I do daily food logs. Goal 3 meals, 2 snacks. Also to strive to be consistent in my eating so my body gets balanced. I list the foods I eat but don't worry about the amount. I list my hunger before I eat & a number after. Also thoughts feelings behaviors while I ate. It helps me to find patterns or triggers to my binge eating or restricting behaviors. It does get boring or tedious sometimes, but it has helped more so I keep doing it. Especially to write things down when I don't want to is revealing too.

I listen to the IE tape in my car all the time & it helps me alot to reinforce and stay connected. I just joined this group also to add support for myself. I have been an emotional eater, dieter, yo-yoer, etc for many years so it is not going to change quickly. But I have hope to get out of this. Intuitive eating along with group, my counselor, has helped immensely. I don't feel like a failure or ashamed like I used to. I am also not alone. I am searching for solutions. Thanks, Tricia

Re: really want this to work for me...

Thank you so much for the responses everyone I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond because like I mentioned, this is SO frustrating for me!Meg, what you wrote about emotional eating and never feeling satisfied really struck a chord with me. I feel like that a LOT! After I'm done eating, I'm no longer hungry, but I'm still looking for something to fill me up. And I can't put my finger on what it is.Another thing I'm struggling with is keeping a food journal. I've done it for so long with diets, counting calories etc. that it feels like I'm forgetting something when I don't write food down. I've been trying to just write times and what I'm eating instead of counting. But, I still find myself using that just like the scale, as another way of judging myself and classifying a day as 'good' or 'bad.' Part of me thinks ditching the food journal is the best option, just like I threw out the scale But, I guess I'm scared... Maybe I could just use it as a 'feelings' journal?It's a complicated journey ;)Thanks for reading, >> Hi ,> > I know what you mean about feeling frustrated but wanting to make it work. I've been working at it for about five months now, on and off, and while sometimes I feel like I do a really good job of locating and responding to my hunger, much of the time I feel like not much has changed. I do think that my outlook on eating and food issues is changing, though, and I think that is an important first step.> > One of the things that I focused on from the beginning was learning to distinguish when I am hungry. For me, this feeling includes a physical feeling of hunger- pangs, feeling lighter, etc. I have also noticed that when I'm hungry, or about to be hungry, I start thinking about food and it seems very appealing- like I am excited to find something to eat and know I will be satisfied by it. This is different from when I want to binge or overeat for emotional reasons. In those cases, I want food and I often eat something, but it doesn't really do the same trick or seem appealing in the same way as when I'm physically hungry. In those cases, I am often left with a feeling that I could eat mountains of more food and still be searching for something to satisfy me. > > Hope that helped.> > Meg>

[Guest guest]

I do daily food logs. Goal 3 meals, 2 snacks. Also to strive to be consistent in my eating so my body gets balanced. I list the foods I eat but don't worry about the amount. I list my hunger before I eat & a number after. Also thoughts feelings behaviors while I ate. It helps me to find patterns or triggers to my binge eating or restricting behaviors. It does get boring or tedious sometimes, but it has helped more so I keep doing it. Especially to write things down when I don't want to is revealing too.

I listen to the IE tape in my car all the time & it helps me alot to reinforce and stay connected. I just joined this group also to add support for myself. I have been an emotional eater, dieter, yo-yoer, etc for many years so it is not going to change quickly. But I have hope to get out of this. Intuitive eating along with group, my counselor, has helped immensely. I don't feel like a failure or ashamed like I used to. I am also not alone. I am searching for solutions. Thanks, Tricia

Re: really want this to work for me...

Thank you so much for the responses everyone I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond because like I mentioned, this is SO frustrating for me!Meg, what you wrote about emotional eating and never feeling satisfied really struck a chord with me. I feel like that a LOT! After I'm done eating, I'm no longer hungry, but I'm still looking for something to fill me up. And I can't put my finger on what it is.Another thing I'm struggling with is keeping a food journal. I've done it for so long with diets, counting calories etc. that it feels like I'm forgetting something when I don't write food down. I've been trying to just write times and what I'm eating instead of counting. But, I still find myself using that just like the scale, as another way of judging myself and classifying a day as 'good' or 'bad.' Part of me thinks ditching the food journal is the best option, just like I threw out the scale But, I guess I'm scared... Maybe I could just use it as a 'feelings' journal?It's a complicated journey ;)Thanks for reading, >> Hi ,> > I know what you mean about feeling frustrated but wanting to make it work. I've been working at it for about five months now, on and off, and while sometimes I feel like I do a really good job of locating and responding to my hunger, much of the time I feel like not much has changed. I do think that my outlook on eating and food issues is changing, though, and I think that is an important first step.> > One of the things that I focused on from the beginning was learning to distinguish when I am hungry. For me, this feeling includes a physical feeling of hunger- pangs, feeling lighter, etc. I have also noticed that when I'm hungry, or about to be hungry, I start thinking about food and it seems very appealing- like I am excited to find something to eat and know I will be satisfied by it. This is different from when I want to binge or overeat for emotional reasons. In those cases, I want food and I often eat something, but it doesn't really do the same trick or seem appealing in the same way as when I'm physically hungry. In those cases, I am often left with a feeling that I could eat mountains of more food and still be searching for something to satisfy me. > > Hope that helped.> > Meg>

[Guest guest]

I do daily food logs. Goal 3 meals, 2 snacks. Also to strive to be consistent in my eating so my body gets balanced. I list the foods I eat but don't worry about the amount. I list my hunger before I eat & a number after. Also thoughts feelings behaviors while I ate. It helps me to find patterns or triggers to my binge eating or restricting behaviors. It does get boring or tedious sometimes, but it has helped more so I keep doing it. Especially to write things down when I don't want to is revealing too.

I listen to the IE tape in my car all the time & it helps me alot to reinforce and stay connected. I just joined this group also to add support for myself. I have been an emotional eater, dieter, yo-yoer, etc for many years so it is not going to change quickly. But I have hope to get out of this. Intuitive eating along with group, my counselor, has helped immensely. I don't feel like a failure or ashamed like I used to. I am also not alone. I am searching for solutions. Thanks, Tricia

Re: really want this to work for me...

Thank you so much for the responses everyone I really appreciate you all taking the time to respond because like I mentioned, this is SO frustrating for me!Meg, what you wrote about emotional eating and never feeling satisfied really struck a chord with me. I feel like that a LOT! After I'm done eating, I'm no longer hungry, but I'm still looking for something to fill me up. And I can't put my finger on what it is.Another thing I'm struggling with is keeping a food journal. I've done it for so long with diets, counting calories etc. that it feels like I'm forgetting something when I don't write food down. I've been trying to just write times and what I'm eating instead of counting. But, I still find myself using that just like the scale, as another way of judging myself and classifying a day as 'good' or 'bad.' Part of me thinks ditching the food journal is the best option, just like I threw out the scale But, I guess I'm scared... Maybe I could just use it as a 'feelings' journal?It's a complicated journey ;)Thanks for reading, >> Hi ,> > I know what you mean about feeling frustrated but wanting to make it work. I've been working at it for about five months now, on and off, and while sometimes I feel like I do a really good job of locating and responding to my hunger, much of the time I feel like not much has changed. I do think that my outlook on eating and food issues is changing, though, and I think that is an important first step.> > One of the things that I focused on from the beginning was learning to distinguish when I am hungry. For me, this feeling includes a physical feeling of hunger- pangs, feeling lighter, etc. I have also noticed that when I'm hungry, or about to be hungry, I start thinking about food and it seems very appealing- like I am excited to find something to eat and know I will be satisfied by it. This is different from when I want to binge or overeat for emotional reasons. In those cases, I want food and I often eat something, but it doesn't really do the same trick or seem appealing in the same way as when I'm physically hungry. In those cases, I am often left with a feeling that I could eat mountains of more food and still be searching for something to satisfy me. > > Hope that helped.> > Meg>