Re: Beverages and IE

[Guest guest]

I'm hoping that someone with more experience with this chimes in... I guess my thoughts are: practice gentle nutrition. so recognize that these are probably not the very best choices, in terms of your body's needs, you can make, so limit them to when you really want them. in a similar vein, consume with mindfulness. do you enjoy your sweet beverages only while doing other things? can you try to make the switch to only enjoying them when you are focusing solely on them? 

that said, we should all try to eat and drink mindfully, no matter what the nutritional content of our food and beverages, so that's not meant to be a punishment.and while you are drinking mindfully, try to take a step back and observe your body. how do you feel when you drink sweet beverages? do you feel like they make you more or less hungry? does your body feel good after you drink them?

there's nothing inherently wrong with sweet drinks, and i think if you can try to follow these two things, and you find no ill effects from them... then don't worry about it!

best,abby

 

I really REALLY enjoy sweet beverages. They don't even have to have sugar in them. I love diet soda as much as regular soda. But there are some drinks, like fruit juice, milk, and sweetened tea that, before intutive eating and while dieting, we are all told to avoid because of the excess sugar and calories. But, if you simply apply intuitive eating principles, you would say that these beverages are fine if they are what you really want. However, I was wondering if there are any extra guidelines because you can drink so much of them and they don't really fill you up. The only signal my body gives me on these things is if I get a headache from the sugar. How do you decide when and how much of these beverages to have while folling IE principles? Thanks for the input!

[Guest guest]

Well, I don't have more experience, but will tell you that I'm in the same boat.

Loooove my sweet drinks, and unlike Sara, I'd just about rather die of thirst

than drink a diet anything, so it's full calorie, all the way, baby! LOL

That said, my therapist (who specializes in eating disorders and also works with

a nutritionist in her practice), has not tried to convince me to not have my

sweet drinks, BUT, she does say to recognize that drinks will not trigger a

fullness response the same way that food does. So, when deciding what to drink,

you may want to think about whether you really want to drink your calories.

Since weight loss is my goal, I don't want to drink excess calories, but I also

know that banning sodas outright makes me unhappy and makes me want them more.

I also know that drinking them is more of a habit than anything else, and that I

have the ability to cut down on them without too much internal conflict. So,

we decided, together, what my goal was with regard to sodas. Since, at that

point, I was averaging one per day, we decided that my goal would be to have one

every other day. I'm actually on my third day without one and not missing them

too much. Have decided that I am going to try to save my next one for

Thanksgiving.

I think this is an individual decision. One that probably doesn't have to be

made all at once. I wasn't drinking a ton of them, so I can't say that I feel

any better for not having had soda, so that's not the basis for my decision.

Realistically, if I liked diet drinks, I probably wouldn't have stopped drinking

them. If you like them and you feel fine drinking them, and you find that that

they don't replace more nutritious choices in your diet, why stop? Go by how

you feel. If you really want to stop or you find that they're interfering with

other goals you have for nutrition or otherwise, then yes, drink them mindfully

and with the knowledge that you will not have the same fullness response from

those drinks that you will from food, and so you will have to figure out how (or

if) you want to account for that in other choices you make throughout the day.

Josie

>

> >

> >

> > I really REALLY enjoy sweet beverages. They don't even have to have sugar

> > in them. I love diet soda as much as regular soda. But there are some

> > drinks, like fruit juice, milk, and sweetened tea that, before intutive

> > eating and while dieting, we are all told to avoid because of the excess

> > sugar and calories. But, if you simply apply intuitive eating principles,

> > you would say that these beverages are fine if they are what you really

> > want. However, I was wondering if there are any extra guidelines because you

> > can drink so much of them and they don't really fill you up. The only signal

> > my body gives me on these things is if I get a headache from the sugar. How

> > do you decide when and how much of these beverages to have while folling IE

> > principles? Thanks for the input!

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I did a similar thing with booze. I was full of resistance with the “idea†that I had to cut down because the calories were so high. I only have drinks every 6th week for our home-time off the truck, but it was adding up to a gain each time I left for the road. I never drink to get drunk, instead, I truly love the flavor of the good stuff. So taking it under MY control and decision making (none of that “should†or “shouldn’t†crap) I decided to cut all the types of booze that really weren’t ringing my bell and hone in on the best of the best. I decided that cognac was what I enjoyed the most and that is all I drink now as my savoury treat after dinner when home. I bought a very small snifter so that I can keep the amount I drink in small doses. So these two things, choosing the best flavour and choosing the small container made all the difference in a problem that plagued me for many years.

As an aside....I only use small containers to eat and drink from. I use a vintage child’s plate, bowl and small mug for most of my meals and small juice glasses to drink from. I also have a few very small bowls that hold 1 cup or less of food at a time that I love to eat from. I even moved to using salad and dessert size forks and spoons to eat with. It has had a major impact in eating for me.

From: josiesjunkmail

Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 11:09 PM

To: IntuitiveEating_Support

Subject: Re: Beverages and IE

Well, I don't have more experience, but will tell you that I'm in the same boat. Loooove my sweet drinks, and unlike Sara, I'd just about rather die of thirst than drink a diet anything, so it's full calorie, all the way, baby! LOLThat said, my therapist (who specializes in eating disorders and also works with a nutritionist in her practice), has not tried to convince me to not have my sweet drinks, BUT, she does say to recognize that drinks will not trigger a fullness response the same way that food does. So, when deciding what to drink, you may want to think about whether you really want to drink your calories. Since weight loss is my goal, I don't want to drink excess calories, but I also know that banning sodas outright makes me unhappy and makes me want them more. I also know that drinking them is more of a habit than anything else, and that I have the ability to cut down on them without too much internal conflict. So, we decided, together, what my goal was with regard to sodas. Since, at that point, I was averaging one per day, we decided that my goal would be to have one every other day. I'm actually on my third day without one and not missing them too much. Have decided that I am going to try to save my next one for Thanksgiving. I think this is an individual decision. One that probably doesn't have to be made all at once. I wasn't drinking a ton of them, so I can't say that I feel any better for not having had soda, so that's not the basis for my decision. Realistically, if I liked diet drinks, I probably wouldn't have stopped drinking them. If you like them and you feel fine drinking them, and you find that that they don't replace more nutritious choices in your diet, why stop? Go by how you feel. If you really want to stop or you find that they're interfering with other goals you have for nutrition or otherwise, then yes, drink them mindfully and with the knowledge that you will not have the same fullness response from those drinks that you will from food, and so you will have to figure out how (or if) you want to account for that in other choices you make throughout the day.Josie > > >> >> > I really REALLY enjoy sweet beverages. They don't even have to have sugar> > in them. I love diet soda as much as regular soda. But there are some> > drinks, like fruit juice, milk, and sweetened tea that, before intutive> > eating and while dieting, we are all told to avoid because of the excess> > sugar and calories. But, if you simply apply intuitive eating principles,> > you would say that these beverages are fine if they are what you really> > want. However, I was wondering if there are any extra guidelines because you> > can drink so much of them and they don't really fill you up. The only signal> > my body gives me on these things is if I get a headache from the sugar. How> > do you decide when and how much of these beverages to have while folling IE> > principles? Thanks for the input!> >> > > >>------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

My husband and I both love diet Pepsi, the only soda we drink. My husband slams down a can of soda in a couple of gulps. I sip mine, sometimes taking all day to consume 1 can. We talked about it, about the enjoyment of it and I heard him say that he felt he never got enough of it, and it is true, he will drink more than a 6 pack a day. He said he didn’t like it when the fizz is gone, therefore drinks them fast. I asked him at what point is the dwindling fizz unacceptable? lol. Of course he could not answer and I told him these are the things that I think about to help me make decisions. For me, I wait until I feel a strong pull to have the flavour of the soda and then have one. I don’t have one just because it is there, as we always have plenty around.

What I find sad is that the way my husband’s mind works is that he would only cut down in his consumption if he feels it costs too much. We will be returning home to Denmark in about 3 years, and the cost of soda there is three times what it is in America. So THAT makes him think of cutting down. Not what his body needs or doesn’t need.

As I mentioned in another email, I try to think through what I like the very best and let go of the items that really don’t spark me. I also think through what would REALLY taste good right now....tea? A Soda? water? coffee? I imagine the flavor of each before deciding the one that sparks me. Then (when I can) I chose the right container to enjoy it from. I have a couple of lovely bone china cups and saucers that I drink tea from. I have a few lovely small glasses to drink soda or water from. I use children’s size mugs to drink coffee from. Oh, and I never eat or drink from the containers the stuff comes from. This is a way for me to comprehend that I need not consume everything from the store bought container just because it is there. I am refocusing my thought process that the container I consume from is part of the pleasure of enjoying what I am eating or drinking and it becomes MY CHOICE of the amount consumed.

Enjoying your sweet drinks can be a celebration of the enjoyment you receive by drinking them by giving it more attention and consideration than just drinking them.

From: sara_fry@...

Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 1:20 PM

To: IntuitiveEating_Support

Subject: Beverages and IE

I really REALLY enjoy sweet beverages. They don't even have to have sugar in them. I love diet soda as much as regular soda. But there are some drinks, like fruit juice, milk, and sweetened tea that, before intutive eating and while dieting, we are all told to avoid because of the excess sugar and calories. But, if you simply apply intuitive eating principles, you would say that these beverages are fine if they are what you really want. However, I was wondering if there are any extra guidelines because you can drink so much of them and they don't really fill you up. The only signal my body gives me on these things is if I get a headache from the sugar. How do you decide when and how much of these beverages to have while folling IE principles? Thanks for the input!------------------------------------