Hunger Directed Eating...... my thoughts so far
Today a co-worker who had been on vacation since the week before Thanksgiving came back today and said "Wow! Are you losing weight? I can really see it in your face." Yeah BUUUUUDDY!!!
I feel slimmer, and I feel better about myself. I have NO CLUE "how much" weight I have lost and I don't care to know. I refuse to ever again let a tiny little electric box tell me how I should feel about myself. I can't even TELL you how many times I was feeling AWESOME about a diet, only to step on the scale, see the number had not changed-- or worse, had gone UP... and watched every ounce of that AWESOMENESS be immediately sucked out of me... which then led to 'Oh well... this isn't working and there is a box of cheez its and a pint of Ben and Jerry's out there calling my name! All I know is that my clothes feel more comfortable and I feel better than I have in a LONG time.
My BODY is in control, not the food OR my emotions.
I can eat WHATEVER I WANT when I am hungry. And trust me, I DO! I had a slice of cake for dinner Monday night.
Yesterday, I ACTUALLY RECOGNIZED when I was satisfied at lunchtime... AND STOPPED EATING! Even though there was stuff left!! I did it again today with my dinner. There is a 3/4 eaten bowl of food sitting right in front of me, and I don't need to eat it.
There is also ONE piece of spice cake left out in the kitchen that is NOT calling my name. In the past I NEVER could have left that there because SOMEONE ELSE MAY EAT IT!! And also for no other reason than IT WAS THERE!
Between the two books I have just finished, I have the learned SO much about myself and my habits and why I do things and how to make changes. I really can't recommend them enough. The first one (that Started in the beginning of November), Breaking Free Emotional Eating was very "get inside your head" and "learn to take care of your soul" ish. There were some parts that I thought were dumb, and the writer clearly has some 'issues,' but I think that's part of what helps drive the points home. The second book "How to Have Your Cake and Your Skinny Jeans Too: Stop Binge Eating, Overeating and Dieting For Good Get the Naturally Thin Body You Crave From the Inside Out (Binge Eating Solution)" Has such a dumb, shallow, teenagerish title, that I almost didn't bother with it. But I read the sample on my kindle and got sucked in with all the research studies and facts that PROVE that DIETING DOESN'T WORK and actually MAKES YOU FATTER!!! If you could only choose one of them to read, I would recommend the second book. I found it a lot more concrete and as a person who loves research studys, facts, figures, and tools to put into use, it was much more my style than the touchy feely vibe of the first. But honestly, both as a team were what really drove the point home.
I will NEVER diet again. Bye Bye low carb. Bye Bye Weight Watchers. Sayonara My Fitness Pal. Hello ME!!
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I hope you're proud of yourself, Colleen! Wow! Actually, I learned this when I lived in Fresno and joined WW. I followed the plan at first until I finally HEARD the 2 messages that the leaders often presented: 1. You can eat whatever kind of food you desire / need and 2. Stop eating when you are SATISFIED...not full. I did that for 5-7 years.
ReplyDeleteThis year, though, and although I thought "it" had become my natural way to eat (aka, a permanent behavior change that didn't require effort), I lost my all motivation and action and have paid the price in pounds. Pun intended. I've figured out --and am willing to accept (probably KEY)-- the root cause. Perhaps motivation and action will follow cause I feel lousy.
Geesh, here's the "addiction" raising its ugly head: be sure to get the stuff to make peppermint bark and those Irish (?) nachos and fried ravioli.... OMG OMG OMG.