Guest guest Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 April - I love the way you talk to yourself like a scared child. That advice really hit home for me.Now I just have to remember to do it.Thanks Hi, . Hang in there - it absolutely DOES get easier! If you've dieted for many years your brain and body are used to being threatened with deprivation (and even starvation!) all the time. It takes a while of feeding yourself - as much as you want of something delicious every time you're hungry - for your system to get the message that there is no deprivation to worry about. As the anxiety quiets down, you'll start to notice that eating the whole pint of ice cream might not actually leave you feeling as comfortable in your body as, perhaps, eating a sandwich and a bit of ice cream, or whatever, and that your stomach just feels better when it's not overfull. But in the process of collecting enough eating experiences to reassure your system that you will always be well fed with no rules and no judgments, you are going to overeat the forbidden foods for a while. It's scary but hang in there. It absolutely will calm down. What made that hard phase go faster for me was catching myself every time I ate and noticing that I would start to think things like "You've eaten too much, you'll have to eat less, you're out of control" and instead consciously talking to myself like a scared child, saying, "It's okay, sweetie, I'm going to feed you as much as you feel you need, and as soon as you get hungry again I'm going to feed you again." Good luck! April Hi everyone,My name is and I just read Intuitive Eating over the weekend and am giving it a shot (starting yesterday). I have dieted over and over again and always end up back where I started. I really want to make peace with food and exercise.I started by allowing myself to eat foods I've restricted for a long time, and by letting go of "rules" around them (only eating certain amounts or at certain times). The problem right now is that I am NOT eating them in moderation. I still feel like I've been deprived for so long that I'm just digging right into these formerly forbidden foods at all times of the day. Will I eventually even out and be able to eat these foods in moderation?Thanks and glad to be here!------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Yes, , it does get easier with time as you give yourself permission to eat and repeatedly assure yourself that you really can eat whatever you want. The key for me is recognizing Diet Mentality whenever it rears its ugly head, because the minute I start thinking that I " should cut back on something I love " , then, of course, I can't think of anything else but that food, and I go overboard as if there's no tomorrow. However, when I enjoy a meal to the max, which still isn't 100% of the time, it truly satisfies me, I don't stuff myself, and I get on with life. Bon courage! > > Hi everyone, > > My name is and I just read Intuitive Eating over the weekend and am giving it a shot (starting yesterday). I have dieted over and over again and always end up back where I started. I really want to make peace with food and exercise. > > I started by allowing myself to eat foods I've restricted for a long time, and by letting go of " rules " around them (only eating certain amounts or at certain times). The problem right now is that I am NOT eating them in moderation. I still feel like I've been deprived for so long that I'm just digging right into these formerly forbidden foods at all times of the day. > > Will I eventually even out and be able to eat these foods in moderation? > > Thanks and glad to be here! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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