IE is not only about restrictive eating

[Guest guest]

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