As I've been on this journey, there are a lot of things you have to sort through. One of the things within me that I am trying to honor right now is hunger.
That may sound weird, but to those of you who have not listened to your actual hunger in a long time, I think you know what I'm talking about. So much of what each human eats each day can be more emotional hunger than physical hunger.
When I suffered from my eating disorder I ignored my physical hunger so much that it just went away. My brain stopped wasting the energy to tell me my body was starving because I wasn't listening.
During the times that I have overeaten, I remember not feeling actual hunger for a really really long time because I never let my body feel it. I was eating too much and my body never got to have a break to process food, and then register an empty stomach. Have you ever had days or weeks like this? When was the last time you felt hunger and let your body just feel it for a little bit?
So, my new goal right now is to eat only when I actually feel physical hunger. This is harder than you might think because my body hasn't registered normal hunger feelings for many years. So, as I have been keeping my food journal, I'm not worried right now so much about carbs and fat and calories and all those things that get in the way. Right now my main concern is to eat only when hungry.
I encourage each of you to honor the wonder of your body by doing the same.
I'm posting a few of my recent food journals because a few of you have emailed me out of curiosity. I've been eating only when hungry. However, I'm hoping my hunger signals will improve. Just so you know, my boss/mentor looked this journal over and said that I actually wasn't eating enough, so I'm trying to see if my body can take time to adjust to a better hunger level. I think as I eat smaller meals more frequently then my metabolism with rise and I'll get more hunger feelings.
I really think another week or two of listening to my hunger will give my body the signal that it can start functioning normally in that respect. That might sound like a long time, especially when people on the biggest loser are losing double digits each week. But I'm not looking for a quick fix these days. I'm willing to put in the time, get to know my body, be kind and gentle and patient with myself. To me that's more of a revolutionary way of thinking than ANY quick fix!!
Sample Food Journals
(please note that I don't wake up until about 9:30 am each morning, and I go to bed around 1 am...I know! Crazy schedule!)
2/26/10
10:30 am—1 cup prune juice with 1 tbs spirulina
12:00 pm—2 eggs with tomatoes, spinach, fresh garlic, onion
1:00 pm—mint tea with spoon of honey and small cookie
4:00 pm—Salad: mixed greens, beets, carrot, cucumber, and rotisserie chicken. 2 tbs Caesar dressing
6:00 pm—Greek style honey flavored yogurt
9:30 pm—one apple
Supplements: fiber pills, garlic oil, turmeric, egg shell (pure calcium), Liquid kelp, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar in water
2/27/10
11:00 am—1 mango with ½ fresh lime squeezed over it, 1 banana
1:30 pm—mint tea, 1 tsp honey
2:30 pm—water with ½ lemon squeezed into it
3:30 pm—Salad: mixed greens, beets, carrot, cucumber, and rotisserie chicken. 2 tbs Caesar dressing
5:30 pm—small handful of almonds, 1 square of chocolat
6:15 pm—small handful of nuts, 1 glass milk
8:00 pm—cheese burger (gourmet from the best Swiss cows!), 15 fries, small salad (a work dinner with my patient)
Supplements: fiber pills, garlic oil, turmeric, egg shell (pure calcium), Liquid kelp, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar in water
3/2/10
11:00 am—1 plum, 1 natural yogurt (bio), 1 handful blueberries
1:00 pm—1 cup tea with 1 tsp honey and a dash of peppermint essential oil
3:00 pm—orange
4:00 pm—apple
5:30 pm—2 slices of brown bread (with nuts and oats) with 2 tbs organic peanut butter and 2 tbs strawberry jam.
6:30 pm—lavender tea (no honey) one square chocolate
8:00 pm—1/2 pita with hummus
9:30 pm—1 bell pepper stuffed with tuna (and mayo) and grilled with small slice of gouda on it
Supplements: fiber pills, garlic oil, turmeric, egg shell (pure calcium), Liquid kelp, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar in water
No comments:
Post a Comment