intuitive eating

[taurushead]

hi guys!!

so..im not out to lose weight, nor do i eat too much (although we all have days ... eheh) or too little or as obsessively healthy as i used to, but i definetely still keep an eye on my variety of nutrients etc.

the thing is..ive been doing even THIS less..and feel like i have more energy and satisfaction than ever before. but don't want to wind up missing something? if that makes sense?

like tonight, dinner is planned and its a relative high iron type of a meal..but what im reallllly craving is toasted cheese etc. , will it damage me to continue listening to what i actually want to eat even if its not balanced? does your body balance itself out in the long run and do you crave what you need? if that makes sense? coz im so much happier eating what i want than what i should...evidently. im tired of Shoulds. ive lived with them for 23 years. sigh.

x

[ryudo2]

Here's what worked for me : tried a SMALL PORTION of my crave food and DUMPED THE REST IN THE BIN. No, seriously. It's the balance that matters - if you keep turning to your comfort food you'll NEVER be able to cut it out of your diet(it was pizza for me), but on the other hand extreme suppression will eventually lead to binge-eating....:(

In the end, strong self-will is all that matters :d

[ryudo2]

Also, think about what makes you happier - toasted cheese or a trim, healthy body???

[taurushead]

fair point , good advice for someone craving calorie dense foods while trying to lose weight but i more mean substituting pretty much calorie-equal things that are just higher in...other stuff..that i might have already gotten rather than things i haven't. if that makes sense? ie. ive had yogurt, ive had soy milk, ive had piles of protein and calcium today..so if i was eating 'correctly' id have something else for dinner. y'know? this is just one example..dunno if it makes sense...
oh well. ill figure it out!! :)

[Just_Kris]

Taurus, I think I recall that you have posted on the ED board as well but please let me know if I'm mistaken. I think our bodies are very smart and communicate with us in subtle ways, including what it needs or wants to eat. Alot of our problems come from listening to our mouths instead of the rest of our bodies. I have no doubt that if you are actually feeling better with more energy by listening to your body that you are doing the right thing. As long as you are getting a variety of nutrients throughout your days, perhaps you are freeing your brain from the obsession of counting stuff. Keep it up!

[SugarBlue27]

If you're feeling good then I would keep going with what your gut wants...
I'm sure whatever your craving isnt horribly un-nutritious anyways, I think its the anxiety around "eating perfectly" that will create problems in the long run (it has for me).

From reading your previous posts I know you'll still be eating healthy, even if you do substitute a grilled cheese for something more balanced here and there. However, beleiving your body and listening to it is hard...especially when you've had an ED so dont get frustrated if you cant eat completely intuitively just yet.

I would maybe stick to your planned meals for say two meals a day and then dinner could just be whatever you feel like? Start with that if you're scared you'll be eating less balanced if you go full force on the intuitive thing.

I do this on the weekends now and it seems to be helping me gradually get rid of my obsession to be balanced....but I'm definitely a work in progress!

Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

[Libellula]

Taurus, when I am craving a specific food, I will eat it. A lot of people have given me flack for eating a peanut butter cup or potato chips instead of an apple with peanut butter or a baked potato. What I crave is the flavor and texture of the foods, as well as soemthing in them they provide. If you really really want a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, add some soup and a salad to it and eat it! Eating what is planned for dinner may not be as satisfying to you as the grilled cheese, because it isn't what you specifically want.

For example, today I had planned to pack potato and cheese pierogies for my lunch at work. I woke up this morning with a craving for peanut butter and potato chips. Rather than tossing my pierogies into my lunch with my salad and fruit, I made up a PBJ sandwich, a fruit cup, and my potato chips. By doing that, I am less likely to overeat later to make up for a craving i didn't satisfy.

[taurushead]

thanks so much guys! sorry to be quick but have to go to work. will reply to individual responses when home.
i ate what i wanted and was so much more satisfied as has happened the last few times i'd done that. libellula,i particularly identify with the whole 'that way i don't overeat' thing. usually when i go with what i 'should' have, even if its the same amount of calories im still 'hungry' and either end up distracted or just eating both:) eheh. dinner was great. PLUS i had it when i was hungry, not when i 'should' have had it (ie. later so i wouldn't get hungry before bed, as ive been doing. because ive been waking up during the night) BUT...ironically...turns out , through trial and error that in fact when i eat a few hours before bed and shed the fear that ill get hungry again and end up eating more, i sleep better and don't wake up!! nifty discovery that...
anyway, ill be back..sorry!! and thanks. life is so much better these days.
x

[paisleyjane]

does your body balance itself out in the long run and do you crave what you need? if that makes sense?

I have a somewhat scientific answer for you! :) I actually just wrote a paper on this for Biological Psychology. The answer is both YES and NO.

Basically, our signals of hunger, satiety, and cravings are produced from our hypothalamus. Low glucose triggers the hypothalamus to make us feel hungry. Once we feel hungry, our paraventricular nucleus sends signals based on the types of foods our bodies need to function. This is the source of cravings. For example, if our body is low on calcium, the paraventricular nucleus will trigger a craving for calcium-rich foods.

There are a few problems why we can't rely on this 100 percent, though! The paraventricular nucleus also has a contribution in satiety (feeling of fullness) by inhibiting the lateral hypothalamus. Studies have found that people with a malfunctioning paraventricular nucleus are insensitive to the signals for satiety, causing them to eat larger amounts of food than they physically require. So, if your counting on your body to tell you when you're full it doesn't always work for everybody.

The other problem is that a lot of food is designed to look, smell and taste good. These foods that appeal to the senses often are higher in calories and lower in nutritional value. Unfortunately, when we get a craving for something, we may choose the tastiest version of whatever it is we are craving instead of the healthier, whole version. (ie craving pizza when we should be eating some whole grains, or craving juice when we should just eat a piece of fruit, etc)

The only other thing that can be a problem with cravings is that if you have a high-carbohydrate diet then you might be craving foods that just turn to sugar in your system. (Breads, pastas, junk food, chocolate, etc) You would crave these foods simply because your body isn't used to having your glucose at a normal level so it triggers cravings for more sugary foods to bring the glucose back up.

I certainly do agree that you SHOULD be listening to your cravings. You just need to be careful that you UNDERSTAND them. If you are craving junk-food, try to pinpoint what the main nutrient is, or should be, so that you can make a more healthful, whole-food choice to fill that craving. I also think that you should intentionally balance your diet, regardless of cravings, by eating each food group every day.

Good Luck, and good for you for being interested in listening to your body!! :)

[ryudo2]

good luck to you! With that much savviness about your own needs you're bound to follow the right road :)

[*AHIMSA*]

I woke up this morning with a craving for peanut butter and potato chips. Now I want a peanut butter sandwich with potato chips inside!!! :drool:

[eggplant]

Since you have an ED history, I think it's great that you're developing the ability to listen to your body and that you're eating what you want when you're hungry. It doesn't sound like you're sitting around eating chips and candy all day, so you're probably doing fine. I think what's important now is that you're eating regularly and enjoying your food. It's also probably a good idea to take a multi vitamin for some extra insurance.

[leminchyl]

Here's what worked for me : tried a SMALL PORTION of my crave food and DUMPED THE REST IN THE BIN. No, seriously. It's the balance that matters - if you keep turning to your comfort food you'll NEVER be able to cut it out of your diet(it was pizza for me), but on the other hand extreme suppression will eventually lead to binge-eating....:(

In the end, strong self-will is all that matters :d

agreed. take a little bit of what you want and eat something else with it. ive always heard (and it applies to me, too), that if you deny yourself what you really want (when you want it), then you'll crave it more and more and then youll eat more than you would have, had you originally eaten it.

[ryudo2]

Hear hear :-D