I'd have to say that challenging the food police has been, and continues to be, the most difficult part of Intuitive Eating for me. (It might be a tie between that and coping with emotions without using food). The food police never seem to stop talking and new voices, presenting new ideas, crop up all the time. We are never free of all the messeges out there about food and dieting. I'm happy to say though, the shrill voices of the food police have diminished and quieted over time, leaving my life much more peaceful and calm.
In chapter 8 we learn about the voices of the food police and about the many other voices in our heads that we should use or ignore when learning to eat intuitively. I'll admit that some of the names the authors give to these voices are a little bit corny, but the ideas are good and necessary in learning to eat this way.
Question from chapter 8
1- List 3 ways the Food Police, the Nutrition Informant, and the Diet Rebel talk to you specifically. These should be messages that you hear and accept as true and that effect what or how you eat almost everyday.
2- The Food Anthropologist, the Nurturer, and the Intuitive Eater are all voices that the authors would like us to develop and tune into more often. Do these exist in your mind at all and do you ever base you eating decision on what they say to you? If so, how?
3- The authors point out several ways of thinking that can sabotage our efforts to become intuitive eaters. Pick two from this list and describe how you've seen them in yourself and how they manifest in your eating and relationships with food....
Dichotomous Thinking - all or nothing
Absolutist Thinking - one behavior with absolutely result in another behavior
Catastrophic Thinking - thinking in exaggerated ways i.e. I'll never be thin
Linear Thinking - getting to the goal without appreciating the process
It's really important to become hyper-alert to the food talk that inevitably arises when you approach eating situations. Observe what you're thinking each time you eat. Decide if what you are thinking helps or hinders your ability to eat in an intuitive way.
One last message from the Food Police
I've read the first part of this chapter, and so I have a few thoughts about what I've read so far.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to almost everything that this book says, so it's hard for me to pick out things to comment on and organize what I want to say in a way that makes sense!
I've come to realize over the past 5 years that in order to let go of a skewed perception of food, I have to see it as something that my body needs, regardless of anything else.
If you remember on the page describing the Food Police, it gave some common rules given by the Food Police, such as, "You didn't exercise today, better not eat dinner." I used to see food as a reward for working hard and if I felt like I hadn't worked hard that day, then I didn't deserve food. Food isn't something you EARN, it's a basic necessity of life. That helps keep it in perspective for me.
I still remember in the summer of 2004, about 6 months after Jon had finally convinced me that there was something wrong with my eating habits, and we were on a hike with Brad and Rosie and Julie and we started talking about eating. Julie asked me if I knew what Intuitive Eating was, and she said that it was really just eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. The whole rest of the hike, all I could think was that I didn't even know what it felt like to be hungry or full. And it changed me forever to hear it described so simply. Our bodies were made to know what they need! If we tune into the good voices talked about in this chapter, then food loses it's other definitions, and it's just seen as something to nourish our body with and enjoy.
I can't tell you how happy I am that you've joined the group. I'm loving your perspective. Thanks for what you've said. I think it's vital to release yourself from all the zillions of messages out there about food and just learn to listen to yourself. I believe so deeply that God provided us with bodies that know what they need or don't need. To truly have a peaceful relationship with food and ourselves, we need to learn to tap into that God given ability, as hard as it may be to learn after years of listening to everything else.
ReplyDeleteGotta love Julie for introducing us to Intuitive Eating. I will forever be in her debt.
Personally the internal food police are going to be hard to quiet down. But what really gets me is the external things we are bombarded with, and sometimes from the most well-meaning sources. Just last week I took Kylie to her pediatrician for her 2 yr check up and was told to not let her eat just what she wants - to offer her what is being prepared for the rest of the family and if she won't eat it to let her go hungry until the next meal - I was told if I gave in to her food choices she may become an even more picky eater. After starting to read Intuitive Eating, I can't help but think this is a little backwards - and would only silence the intuitive eater in her. I realize we can't really let our kids eat whatever they want all the time - it might only be chocolate milk and poptarts - but I do feel there needs to be balance. It is just frustrating to know that even doctors can become a source of negative food information.
ReplyDeleteJill:
ReplyDeleteThere is a very good book I think you might like. It's called "How to Get Your Kid to Eat..But Not Too Much" by Ellyn Satter. It's kind of an intuitve eating approach for kids. If you're really wanting your kids to re-find or keep the intuitive eater already in them, this is a good book for that. It's an approach that helps kids feel control over their eating choices, but helps parents teach healthy eating. The best place to get it is Amazon. It's an older book so hard to find in the book stores.
Hi Jill!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been following along with this part of your blog, but I did get the Intuitive Eating book from the library & read it. I really liked it! It made me realize more all of the weirdness I have about food... hopefully I can now become less weird...
BUT, my real point here is that another blog I like to read (I have no idea now how I happened upon it) is www.katheats.com and today she has a whole review of Intuitive Eating that you would probably be interested in reading!
Kris
3 Messages from the Food Police:
ReplyDelete"You don't exercise enough - you are fat and only deserve food if you exercise."
I mostly never listen to this voice - although it use to plague me to no end, despite the fact that I could never live up to it. It is a hard one to get rid of because of my family background, but I am doing my best to crave exercise because of the way it makes my body feel and not using it as a way of purging food or to see it as making me "better" or "worse" than people who exercise. We just came from dinner with two couples in our ward and there was incessant talk about exercise routines and workout regiments and it was really hard not to have this food police voice screaming at me. Especially because I was the one who brought the devil's food cake with 7-minute frosting. (It was really good).
For me the "Diet Rebel" has always been closely linked to the above food police thought. So my "Diet Rebel" always tells me:
"Forget these people - yeah I'm fat and so what - watch me binge"
I've never felt like I could ever live up to what the Food Police tell me (and sometimes they've been real people who talk about more than just food) and so I have a serious self-sabotager "Diet Rebel" streak that has been pretty self-destructive. I can always tell when I'm feeling depressed and overwhelmed because this is the voice that sets in very loudly and makes Intuitive Eating tough.
The Nutrition Information: This is the one that I am most struggling with lately:
"Organic, locally grown foods are best for my body and much better than processed foods"
I have a hard time with this one. There is part of me that really believes that organic, locally grown foods are better for the environment, the people who grow them and the people who buy them and it's hard not to listen to that voice. I guess in some ways this is less a "food" issue and more a political, economic one. Does anyone have any insight about this?? Is eating local organic food incompatible with Intuitive Eating? I should clarify that I still eat Snickers and french fries from fastfood places when I feel like that's what I want to eat. . . (and we shop at a local co-op but mostly at big chain grocery stores because it's a whole lot cheaper and we can't afford to buy from the co-op as much as we'd like) but sometimes I do it with some guilt about contributing to a corporate economy that I don't want to. Is this a masked way of having an issue with Intuitive Eating?
Oh yeah . . .Jill can I just say you are a great writer and careful thinker. I've really enjoyed reading these essays and questions you've put together. Where do you find all your great pictures?
ReplyDeleteAnd I learn a lot from everyone's comments.
And Bryanna - I love your comments - thanks so much for your thoughts.
May I join this group? I am just learning about this blog and I will go out and get the books, and try to catch up. I have had a love hate relationship with food and would love to put it to rest.
ReplyDeleteHey Kris:
ReplyDeleteSo glad you read the book! I have to confess, I'm amazed that you would say that you have weird issues with food. I wouldn't think you would? You always seem to eat so normally. Anyway, interesting also that you would point out the katheats blog. I bumped into her blog a long time ago and I enjoy it. She has some great recipes on there. I enjoyed what she had to say about intuitve eating. I think this would be a good blog to link to later in the group, maybe when we get to the nutrition chapters. She really is good at combining nurtition and health with delicious eating.For instance, I will be making the sweet potato soup she just posted a recipe for. Thanks for sharing.
P.S. I miss you and we should get together soon. I've been craving the flatbreat appatizer at Trio. How about it?
Julie:
ReplyDeleteLoved your comments. It was interesting to read about your food rebel voice. I don't experience this one very often anymore because I would only hear it when I dieted, but this really can be a very destuctive voice because it doesn't encourage self-care.
As far as the organic, home-grown thing is concerned...I's say go ahead and eat like that when you can. I agree with you on the economic and political aspects of this and think these are really the only good reasons for eating this way since the health benefits of organic over non organic are minimal. I certainly think there is a place for this in intuitive eating as long as your eating this way for enjoyment, political and environmental reasons, and maybe even gentle nutrition, not as a way to control your eating or to psuedo diet. Only you can know if you're eating food like this for that reason.
Oh yeah, and thank for the nice compliments Julie, you always know just what to say to make me feel good. Love ya!
ReplyDeleteMamabear:
ReplyDeleteThis is Vicki L. right? Of course you can join the group. Anyone is welcome! It will be fun to see what you think of the books. I hope you enjoy. Can't wait for your comments!
I'm posting this for Bryanna, she said:
ReplyDeleteThere's something cool that I have to share... Over the past few years I really have been learning to eat when I need to and listening to my body. I started with dinner first a long time ago, and learned how to eat that intuitively. Then slowly worked my way to lunch. But for some reason I've had the hardest time with breakfast. Jon gets so exasperated with me because I'll measure out my cereal in the morning and not eat more than I think my body needs.
Another thing I've still struggled with is not just eating by the clock. Say, I can't have lunch before 12:15 and no dinner before 5:30, and no snacking in between. When I read this book, I realized that I was still dieting in a sense. And I'm usually so starving by the time I do eat my meals that I feel sick.
But I was ready to try something new when I read this. I think that's a big part of the process. You can know you should do something, but until you're ready to change, it doesn't do any good.
So this week I have been eating enough breakfast to fill me up. And the last couple of days I've been eating a snack in the afternood if I'm hungry. I know that sounds silly to be such a big deal, but to me it is. And it's amazing because I feel so much better and really do eat less at meals because I'm not so ravenous.
I did some deep soul-searching and realized that when I feel hungry, I feel like I am controlling and dominating my body, instead of my body being in charge. It's amazing how food can take on so many meanings.
I agree that this is a great blog and Jill's awesome. And I like your comments too, Julie.
Oh, and hi, Vicki!
Good job Bryanna. To quote Bob, it's all about baby steps. Breakfast is a hang up for many people. You're right about being ready to change...you have to really be sick of your old ways of living, realizing they aren't taking you in the right direction, and be ready to dive into something new. I appreciate you perspective. I would venture to say that most people who have joined this group have more problems with over eating than restricting, but I like having both perspectives. We can see a little bit of ourselves in everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I thought was interesting in your comments was your feeling of needing to control and dominate the body. Frankly, it's not hard to see why we are so inclined to want to do this. We are taught in our religion that the spirit should dominate our actions and we should control our bodily passions. This is good advice for some things we encounter in life but in the food arena it seems to have the opposite effect of what we are looking for. We should listen to our bodies and respect them. This would include giving our bodies what they need when they need it, AND not giving it more than it needs. This approach helps people who restrict too much and people who over eat too much. That's why I love Intuitive Eating, it works for all kind of food issues.
I am sure you're probably right Jill, that most have more problems with overeating. And I agree that all unhealthy relationships with food have common threads.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments this week. I've enjoyed reading what you've said. Here are my answers to a few of the questions for this week.
ReplyDeleteYes, This is Vicki L. Thank you for this blog. I could relate to Bryanna's comment about not feeling hunger or full. I never feel hungry and I never feel satisfied. Those two feelings are a mystery to me. Even when dieting I never really get physically hungry. I am always wanting to eat, but it's not because my body has figured out that it needs it. Eating the "proper" amount doesn't leave me full or satisfied. I'm not sure I know what that really means. I know that intuitive eating means letting go of "dieting" but that in and of itself is a scary thought. I am all about all or nothing thinking. I am either dieting or I'm not. There is no middle ground for me. I am either eating way too much or just enough to get by. I am an RD and know way to much about nutrition to really let someone else help me, but I can't seem to take my own advice. Interesting but maybe telling, I have dozens of diet books, both professionally and self interest, but did not have the intuitive eating book in my library. Thank you for this thought provoking blog.
ReplyDeleteVicki, I'm so glad you're joining with us and enjoying the book. The fact that you're an RD also has me surprised that you haven't been introduced to Intuitive Eating before. It's a good book to have on your shelf. They use this approach at many top eating disorder clinics around the country, but it's also great for everyone who has issues with body and food. That's about everybody right?
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued with what you said about never feeling hungry or full. Just out of curiosity, to you think these abilities are ones you never had or have you just lost them along the way while dieting etc? Do you think the abscence of these feelings is more physiological or phychological? Maybe a combination of both?
I think it is a combination of physiological and psychological. But probably mostly from dieting my whole life. My family genetics are strong for obesity and has been a struggle for all(all 2 of my siblings). If you will send me your e-mail I just received a study showing some interesting facts about dieting that I think will fit nicely into this forum, but I would like you to see it and comment since you are the moderator. I also took PHen-Fen for a short period, but what I did learn from that experience was: when I was on it I could pass by food or a food place and not think about eating. I remember thinking "this is what normal people must feel about food" That was somewhat liberating knowing that it really was something that my brain was dealing with rather than just lack of "willpower".
ReplyDeleteMay I join this group? I am just learning about this blog and I will go out and get the books, and try to catch up. I have had a love hate relationship with food and would love to put it to rest.
ReplyDeleteintuitive-readings