Friday, January 28, 2011

Follow up post

Hi everyone!

I might be the weirdest person on the planet, but I'm not looking forward to the weekend. I guess my "work days" aren't exactly packed so the weekend comes around and I'm always left wondering "What's the big deal?" I'm honestly much happier being crazy busy then having the time to sit around and do nothing.

I've decided to do a follow up to my previous post, because I've had a mini-revelation since then.

I was really baffled by the whole snacking issue, because it seemed that I was eating way more then I actually needed. I'd often start off hungry and finish eating stuffed as opposed to comfortably full. Not only that, but my stomach has often been really bloated afterwards (bad balance of foods is my first guess). I knew something was wrong, so I decided to find out what.

I posted a thread on We Bite Back (a recovery forum I am a member of - I highly recommend it to anyone !) about this and someone replied with some interesting links about mindful eating.

I'm not saying here that I binge or overeat - because I don't. But reading through those links did open my eyes to a few important things.

- I tend to eat my snacks very quickly and "on the go". I rarely stop to enjoy what I eat and so it's easy for my body to get confused as to how much it actually needs. Another reason I eat quickly is that snacks are the only meals that still have "anxiety" attached to them as they are "extras" for most people and not really "required".
- I am (or rather was) in a bit of a food rut with my snacks. I would eat the same things each day - mainly because they were readily available and I don't usually feel like taking the time to eat something I really want. So instead of eating what I wanted or craved I'd just "eat whats there". As a result my stomach might be satisfied but my taste buds aren't and I am left feeling "hungry".
- If I make the effort to 1. enjoy my food more, 2. eat what I want, even if it takes a few extra minutes to prepare, I will be more in tune with my body. As a result I am less likely to "overeat" or be left with a bad feeling after snacks.


Since making the effort to do all of the above in the past few days I've really noticed an improvement. I feel GOOD after I eat, I eat just the right amount and have way fewer digestion issues then I did in times past.

Sometimes it takes a little extra effort to treat yourself and your body well, but it always pays off in the end.

What did you do recently to be "kind to yourself"?




In other news I've started a new blog. This one is more healthy eating/living oriented. If you want to , feel free to have a look : http://abiteofgoodness.blogspot.com/

3 comments:

  1. Hey, I'm so happy to hear that you were able to figure out your problem and fix it, rather than continuing to be a victim to ED thoughts. The fact that it seems to have lessened your digestive issues seems like the perfect added bonus! I love hearing you say that you feel good after eating. That is how people should feel, and I think that too many of us (both with and without ED) do not. The effort to treat ourselves well is definately 100% worth it.

    Recently, to be kind to myself, I gained a relatively large amount of much needed weight. It may be psychological, but I think I already feel physically better because of it.

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  2. I'm following your new blog. It looks great!

    I'm so glad that you've had that revelation. It's so important to realise that food isn't just about shoving it into your gob so that you can function for the rest of the day, it's about pleasure as well. If I don't get pleasure from a food, I won't eat it. Say if I really want a chocolate biscuit but the "voice" is telling me to go for the apple, I will of course go for the biscuit because I know I will get pleasure from it and therefore be more satiated in the mind and the tummy. You're doing amazingly well, L :)

    The kindest thing that I have done for myself is that I haven't been pushing myself to do things I truly don't want to. Either that be exercise, or even doing chores. Sometimes all you want to do is sit in a comfy chair and read a good book.

    xxx

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  3. I'm glad you're doing better! Being kind to ourselves is a foreign concept for many of us, but completely essential for our health and happiness.
    "hugs"<3

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