Learning How To Eat Again
Learning to understand why we eat can sometimes be a challenge. For instance, do we always eat to satisfy our hunger or is it to satisfy boredom? Perhaps its because we’re stressed or unhappy, maybe even thirsty but often, we resort to food as the solution.. Whatever the reason, it is important to understand and acknowledge these feelings. Learning to eat intuitively is a great skill to have. The basic principle with intuitive eating is learning to ‘eat when hungry and to stop when full’. It sounds so simple and yet so many people seem to struggle with it.
Cast your mind back to your childhood; did you ever experience your parents telling you to ‘finish what’s on your plate before you can leave the table’… I know I certainly did. Boiled carrots caused many a temper tantrum growing up in my family. Because of this eating behaviour we may lose our natural instincts which tell us when we are full and as a result often find ourselves over eating. Of course there are many reasons why one overeats and this is simply one theory.
‘Intuitively’ means the “ability to sense or know immediately without reasoning”, or to be able to understand immediately what our bodies are telling us. For many of us this may mean that we will need to re-learn how to eat and listen to our bodies.
We all know that we need to eat to survive. Some people eat 1 meal a day, others 3 and in some cases, people choose to eat 5 meals a day. Everyone is different and it’s important that you find out what works for you. One man’s food is another man’s poison! I always say the best way to begin learning about your body is by writing it down. Write down how you are feeling before you eat, while you eat and after you eat. This may sound like a hassle but if you are tired of feeling over weight, bloated, lethargic and uncomfortable it is the best and easiest way to find out how food affects you.
Here are two simple ways to start learning how to eat again:
Before you eat, ask yourself the question – “Am I hungry?” If it’s not necessarily time for you to eat then try and figure out why you are feeling hungry. Drink some water - hunger can sometimes be mistaken for thirst. Take a walk or find something to do, boredom is another reason why people overeat. Distract your mind and if your body is still telling you that it is hungry then feed it.
When it comes to meal time, make sure the environment that you eat in is a pleasant one. Turn off all noise, music, television and remove any distractions like books, newspapers and magazines. Really focus on the food that is in front of you. Between each mouthful put your knife/fork/spoon down and really enjoy each bite. Awaken your senses! By doing this you will notice that you won’t eat as much, you will start to notice when you are actually feeling full.
Learn to listen to your body and not your mind.
I found this fabulous website www.intuitiveeating.com which also gives some great advice about learning to eat intuitively.
