Re: IE is not only about restrictive eating

[Guest guest]

thank you SO much Sara, this helps a ton!

Jen

>

> Jen,

>

> IE is NOT about learning how not to diet. It's about learning how to listen

to

> your body's natural cues.

>

> Now, how we have stopped listening to our body's natural cues is different for

> everyone. For some, that DOES involve shaking off restrictive eating

patterns.

> Others, like me, have rarely if never followed restrictive eating patterns.

>

>

> If anything, I'd say I haven't restricted myself enough! I eat everything,

and

> too much of it.

>

>

> Now, I don't always recognize myself on these boards, which is a little

> frustrating for me. I have never been a binger or purger...I rarely identify

> myself as eating emotionally. While I've read about all the diets, I have

> actually undertaken very few of them. I don't have any restrictive rules to

get

> rid of.

>

> Yet, I overeat. I did recognize myself when McKenna, in his tv special,

> mentioned people lifting another forkful of food before the bite still in

their

> mouths was done chewing. (that is actually where I first found the concept of

> IE)

>

> I recognize myself when I read about not wanting to waste money or food by

> leaving food on the plate, that *compulsion* for a clean plate.

>

> I recognize myself when I read about people seeking that next bit of pleasure

> from another (and another and another) bite of food, rather than savoring each

> bite carefully.

>

> I recognize myself when I read about people having learned to find comfort in

> that FULL sensation of an overstuffed belly.

>

> Although I am not fighting against any restrictive rules, IE has helped me.

It

> has helped me to recognize when I am mostly full, so I don't keep eating until

I

> end up STUFFED. It has helped me make the conscious decision to stop eating,

to

> leave food on my plate. It has helped me learn to clarify for myself that I

> don't really want that cake, that I know it will be dried out and not the

taste

> experience I was hoping for. It has helped me to remember to chew each bite,

to

> slow down, rather than shoveling food mechanically into my mouth repeatedly.

>

> I am still overweight, but a combo of IE and exercise helped me take off 30

lbs

> last year. I took it off slowly, over a period of 6 months. Except for a

> fluctuating 5 lbs, I have maintained that weight loss for over a year. I've

> relaxed my attention to IE, however, and I joined this board to help me get my

> focus back in place.

>

> I hope this helps explain how IE can help someone who is not a restrictive

> eater.

>

> Sara

>