Well, I've posted a bit about my thoughts on the concept of Intuitive Eating ... and today I'm going to post a bit on my progress with it, and the results I've seen thus far, and what I hope to do with this in the future.
So far, I've broken more promises to myself in the past week or so than my ex did in the four years we spent together. I've eaten when I wasn't hungry, I've eaten because I thought someone wanted me to, I've eaten for anger or stress, I've eaten more than I knew I needed ... the list goes on. But ... I've learned to notice those things, now that I've opened up my mind to their occurences.
So the next steps to take? Learn not only to notice when I'm breaking my promises ... but to keep them. And don't get me wrong, I've done that too. I've skipped a lunch because I wasn't hungry, I've eaten in the middle of "meal-times" because I was hungry. I've had a few bites of ice cream without feeling guilty. And I've broken the hold that SparkPeople held on me with the diet mentality.
I spent a lot of time there in the past two years ... and I learned a lot. I learned so much about what to eat and what not to eat, how to avoid empty calories, and how to get my water in every day. I learned a lot about which workout burns the most calories, and which foods have the fewest calories for a calorie-stretched day. I also learned, thankfully, that those low-cal foods tended to already be my favorites. I love me a bowl of broccoli for lunch ... but not every day. And sometimes I love me a bowl of ice cream for a late dinner ... now that I can have one. I haven't seen a weight loss yet though ... even though there are many changes in my body. Lots of places that just seem to have a bit less flesh on them. I've been doing a bit of strength training though, too, so since my weight loss has been so slow this far, I'm not surprised to see that the addition of the muscle mass has stopped the loss. However, I'm not gaining, so I have also seen some changes in my body percentages, and that's nice.
I'm glad that I'm able now to look at my body too ... not just the scale.
I've heard my stomach growl a lot in the past few days too. God forbid, I'd never tell my mother that ... I can hear her now - "I just knew you'd be starving yourself to death. Why don't you eat something, honey?" But that's not it. It's just that for me, that's the most reliable hunger-indicator that I've got. So I keep busy, I drink plenty, and when my belly says, "Hey, how 'bout we eat something?" I do. I eat something. Sometimes it's too much, and sometimes it's just enough. I'm working on making the "enough" times outnumber the "too much" times ... and I know that I'll get there. It's just a matter of time, and of paying attention to me, to my body and my needs.
So far today? All good. I've had a bit to eat, but not much because I haven't been hungry. Then again, I haven't been moving much either. And it's time to change that, so look for more posts later, LOL ...
