Use these clues to find out if your eating is disordered.

•  You rarely use your true hunger and satiety cues. Try using a scale between 1 and 10, 1 being really hungry and 10 being really full. Just noticing how you’re feeling is a great way to start listening to your body.

• You give an unreasonable amount of thought to food selection and you have little flexibility in your eating patterns. It is necessary to plan ahead, but when life happens, food selection should not be one of the factors that is causing stress. Recognize that all foods can fit in a healthy balanced diet.

• You are always in the clean plate club.  Do you ever let yourself leave some food on your plate?  We grew up having to finish every bite. This isn’t Swaziland! Throwing away those last few bites or saving them for later is a great way to eat intuitively for long-term weight control and health.

•  You eat emotionally … a lot. Do you find yourself frequently overeating or under eating? It is normal for emotions and stressful situations, and even lack of sleep to change eating practices.  However, recognizing the frequency of these disordered eating habits will help you to see if you should change your lifestyle to one that is less stressful. Find better ways of coping, like taking some deep breaths or even practicing yoga or a soothing shower. What are things that bring you comfort and satisfaction besides food?

 

These disordered eating patterns start with diets. Ninety-eight percent of dieters gain the weight back within 5 years of going on the diet. That’s the reason why the word "die" is in diet. First, “bad foods” are completely off limits. Next the dieter misses these “bad foods” and indulges and usually binges on these “bad foods,” leaving the dieter with feelings of guilt, failure, and often sickness from overeating. All of these feelings cause the cycle to begin yet again with the restriction of the bad foods, and thus, we have a disordered eating pattern. 

Use these tips to help you eat more mindfully and intuitively.

1. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat anything you want, whenever you want.
2. Take the stress out of eating.
3. What does the food sound like as you eat it?
4. Do you like it? Do you not like it? What about it do you like?
5. Try to notice any feelings you might have, don’t judge those feelings, just notice.
6. Take away the distractions.
7. Slow down the pace of eating
8. Honor the food’s origin. Where did it come from? How did it get to your plate?
9.  Take away that guilty feeling during or after eating.
10. Be aware of the effects of mindless eating.
11. Sit in a comfortable place and in a comfortable position.
12. Trust your body and listen to it.
13. Give yourself credit for all that you are and all that you do.

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I hope this helps you to relax and enjoy eating even more.  Savoring food is much more fun than stuffing it. Don’t go on a DIEt. Health is for life, not the short term, so eat today for the rest of your life. Take a deep breath and enjoy every bite!