Next Chapters

Sorry I'm so late with this. I was planning on posting Sunday, but it turned out to be an extremely crazy and busy day. Today wasn't much better. It's 9 0'clock and I'm finally sitting down to post the reading assignments and questions for this week.

First of all, much thanks to those who have commented. I've enjoyed reading what you have to say. I'm noticing that all of our experiences are different, but similar. I hope reading these books is helping you think and ponder on some of the thoughts you have about dieting, your body and food that might not be serving you well. Even if you don't completely adopt these ideas right away, it's still good stuff to think about.

This week we will read chapters three and four in Intuitive Eating and chapter two in Rethinking Thin. In your Intuitive Eating reading you will get an overview of the 10 principles of intuitive eating. They will give you a better idea of what's coming up. Each principle is briefly reviewed in chapter three. We will dig more deeply into each of them over the next few week.

I think you'll like chapter two in Rethinking Thin. It will give you a little history about dieting that I think you'll find interesting if not down right comical. Enjoy.

Here's the questions for this week. Comment if you feel the need.





Intuitive Eating questions:

Chapter 3

1 - At the beginning of chapter three it says, "Only when you vow to discard dieting and replace it with a commitment to Intuitive Eating will you be released from the prison of yo-yo weight fluctuations and food obsessions." When I read this the first time it sounded good to me. I had experienced too many weight fluctuations, and I was obsessed with food, although, the idea of discarding diets sounded a little scary. How do you feel about this statement?

2 - After reading chapter three it's easy to see that the process of learning to eat intuitively isn't quick and easy like some diets promise to be. Each step in the process can be a challenge depending on where you struggle the most. After reading through the different principles, which one do you think will be the most difficult for you. Which one the easiest?

3- There are several case studies written in chapter 3. Which one do you see yourself in the most?

Chapter 4

1- The authors say that if you want to learn to be an intuitive eater, weight loss should be a secondary goal and learning to eat intuitively a primary one. Weight loss a secondary goal? How do you feel about this idea?

2- On page 31 it says, "Keep in mind that the journey to Intuitive Eating is a process complete with ups and downs, unlike dieting, when the common expectation is linear progress (losing a certain amount of weight in a specific time period). If you decide to go on this journey will you be okay with the "ups and downs" the authors mention and graph on page 32.

3- The authors talk about coming from a place of curiosity during this process and not judgement. What do you think this means as it relates to the process of learning to be an intuitive eater.

4- Now the elephant in the room....the big question everyone doesn't want to ask.....Will I lose weight if I become an intuitive eater? It's clear that intuitive eating is not all about weight loss, but still it's hard not to hope for that if you dealing with being overweight.

Look at the questions at the top of page 33. Answers the questions for yourself, but also ask yourself if weight loss is the only goal worth striving for.

5- When was the last time your focus was on how you feel physically and mentally and not on the number on the scale?

6- If hitting diet bottom is stage one of Intuitive Eating, do you think you're there.

7- As you read through the stages, can you see yourself reaching them? Do they sound appealing to you? Do you think chocolate could really eventually have the same emotional connotation as a peach?




Rethinking Thin questions:

Chapter 2:

1- How does all the information about the history of diets you read about in chapter 2 effect the way you feel about diets in general and more particularly whether they work or not? It seems like all diets have been popular before and eventually just come back into style.

2- The chapter talks about Lord Byron, a famous celebrity of his day. What he did with his struggle with weight became entertainment for his fans. Does this remind you of anyone famous that we know of?

3- The chapter talks about the American tendency to devour our food instead of savor it. Do you feel like this is an American trait? How do you think things would change if we learned to savor our food instead of devour it?

4- A question is asked at the end of chapter two..."Are people struggling because the goals, the ideal body weights, have become unrealistic, or are the struggling because the perfect diet just has not been discovered? How do you honestly feel about this question?


Okay, the questions are done, but I just have one more assignment for you this week. Watch T.V. and find at least 5 commercials that reference weight loss or perfect body ideals. This won't take long, trust me. I think you'll find that it's no wonder we can't think normally about bodies and food!

Also wanted to leave you with a few numbers to ponder.....

16% of normal or underweight girls ages 8-11 are trying to lose weight
45% of American women are on a diet on any given day
165 - Weight of the average American woman in pounds
117 - Weight of the average American female model
87% of normal weight college students want to be thinner
48% of American women want to have cosmetic surgery