For the past 10 days or so, I havent calculated a thing when it comes to my diet... And it feels wonderful for a change! Im not going to lie, this whole intuitive eating philosophy is pretty awesome. I have been eating exactly what I want, and have simplified my diet rules down to a few basic principles that are really important to me. For instance, my husband and I agreed a few months ago to reduce our sugar intake down to the recommended amount (24g for women and 32g for men per day). Given I have a terribly addictive sweet tooth, this low-sugar rule is important for me to keep, because taking even a small step backwards will very likely lead to me binge eating again. Another rule that I decided to keep was prepping my food for the work week. This rule isnt so much about me being afraid of eating fast food on the go; honestly, Id rather commit to not spending extra money on meals that I can just as easily (and more nutritiously) make at home to bring with me. Besides, when you rely on food-on-the-move, you seldom get exactly what you want. Prepping your food gives you the freedom to eat anything! Rule #3 that I have implemented is eating when I am hungry, not when a prep coach or textbook plan says I should eat. The whole 5-meals per day rule was simply becoming too exhausting. I was never full because the meals were literally too small to fill my belly. I was never satisfied, probably because I was never even close to full. And my cravings became worse and worse because all I could think about was that next meal. Contrary, prepping BIG meals for myself has really helped me reduce all of the above! I have decided not to snack in between meals. If my meal was filling, I shouldnt be hungry for quite some time, which means if I reach for a snack its out of boredom or stress and I dont NEED it. If I am truly hungry and consider grabbing a snack, I sit down and eat a MEAL instead. And the final rule Im following is probably the most important one to me. I decided that following strict standards was literally damaging my relationship with my family. We go to the beach on the weekends, and there is pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, parties, licor... You get the point! While everyone was having a blast all around me, I was sulking about all the yummy things I couldnt have. And if I gave in, and had something, I immediately felt like a failure. Feeling like a failure would lead to sadness, guilt, shame, and stress... Which led me to binge eating again. Its SO MUCH more rewarding to think, Okay, that pizza looks AWESOME and I want some! So when I get HUNGRY, Im going to have it! And then after eating that pizza, I feel proud for waiting until I was hungry, for not feeling guilty about it, and for feeling SATISFIED with both the yummy pizza and MYSELF! I have really enjoyed this past week and a half! I even lost a pound! Sure, I only ate vegetables Monday through Friday, but you know what... I felt HAPPY, and that is what matters the most! **Remember, its okay to want to look and feel better. But you cant hate yourself, you cant beat yourself up every day along the way!**
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 01:07:44 +0000
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