Intuitive Eating Chapters 6 and 7 - Rethinking Thin Chapter 4

I have a fun cartoon that I think applies very well to chapter 6 which is about honoring hunger. The idea is that if you don't keep you body fed biologically with adequate energy and carbohydrates you can trigger a primal drive to over eat. All you have to do is think about how you feel when it's time to eat after a long fast Sunday and you'll know what I'm talking about. This guy here is so hungry he can't think of anything but food......



Intuitive Eating - Chapter 6

1- When you have dieted in the past did you experience anything similar to the men in the Dr. Ancel Keys study? When you diet do you find yourself more preoccupied with food or less?

2- The authors state that the hunger drive is truly a mind-body connection. Have you experienced the hunger drive with both mind and body. If so, how?

3- How often would you say that you eat in response to the internal cue of gentle hunger and how often do you eat or not eat in response to other internal or external cues such as emotions, time of day, social situations or self imposed rules? Do you eat only when you're ravenously hungry or are you one who stays fed to the point that the feeling of hunger is rare in your life? Maybe you're somewhere in between these two?

Intuitive Eating Chapter 7

1- I'm sure most of us have experienced psychological deprivation and can attest that it's a powerful and real thing. How have you experienced psychological deprivation, even outside of the food arena?

2- Feeling deprived in other areas of your life may lead to heightened feelings of deprivation when dieting or restricting food. Have you experienced this?

3- Have you ever experience anything like the story of Heidi and her chocolate as described on page 76-77?

4- Have you experienced "last supper eating?" If so, how?

5- Refer to the list of subtle forms of rebound eating described on pages 78-79. Do you see behaviors of your own in any of these descriptions? Which ones?

6- Have you ever experienced the see-saw syndrome as described in chapter 7? If so how?

7- When the authors suggest giving yourself unconditional permission to eat, and you imagine yourself doing this, what are your feelings? Do you believe that you would eventually experience food habituation like the authors say that you would?

This week, make a list of foods you enjoy but don't keep around the house, don't allow yourself to eat, or eat, but feel extreme guilt when you do eat them. This list will include foods that you feel you would never stop eating if you gave yourself unconditional permission to do so. If you feel brave enough, go ahead and try an experiment. Pick one food from your list, keep it around, give yourself unconditional permission to eat that food, and see what happens.

Rethinking Thin Chapter 4

1- Dr. Stunkard has proven pretty clearly that being overweight is not a result of psychological issues. Have you blamed any of your weight problems or issues with food on psychological factors? Do you believe there are certain behaviors that separate fat people from skinny people? Do overweight people bring their weight problems on themselves?

2- Carmen mentions in one of his diet classes that he believes the theroy that a person is only as fat as they want to be. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?

One favor this week..... I find that I'm basically writing the questions and posting the only comments, with the exception of one or two others. If you are still reading with us will you let me know. Just say something like, "I'm still here." I don't expect people to answer any of the questions, but it would be nice to know that I'm not the only group member left. Thanks gals!