feel your fullness

Intuitive Eating Principle #5.

Our bodies are clever beings. We have a few mechanisms in place, like hormones, receptors and nerves that signal to us we have eaten enough and we are full.

So why do we too often eat beyond fullness?

We all have a unique experience with this because of our upbringing and exposure to culture and society. Here’s a few themes, which may resonate with you:

It is common in society that we must “finish our plates”. You may have grown up in a household with the expectation to finish your plate, ignoring your fullness cues.

For me, I was so rigid and obsessed with ‘clean’ eating that there were a lot of rules and restriction around the types of foods I would eat, and how much. I didn’t allow certain foods in the house, out of concern I wouldn’t be able to control myself and eat them (red flag+++). If I was out, or at other people’s houses, I would have access to foods I wouldn’t allow myself, and lost the sense of control with these foods, often overeating.

A common theme among those on diets, restrictive or unhealthy eating patterns is a ‘restriction/binge’ cycle.

If we are restricting our energy intake (dieting), it actives mechanisms in our brain that want to keep us alive. They send us messages like, “yo, we aren’t getting enough fuel here, we can’t function, we need fuel”. However, to us this may feel like cravings, obsession with thoughts about food and the desire to eat, eat and eat. We desire and crave ‘calorie dense foods’ laden with carbs and sugar (the exact fuel our brain desires). But, you are on a diet, so you can’t have those foods. You start to feel like you’re failure and have no willpower. The internal drive and signals from our most basic evolutionary processes are screaming. Soon, you give into the cravings, and you eat, and eat and eat. You feel guilty, rinse and repeat. This is the restriction/binge cycle.

There will be times when all of us eat beyond out fullness, maybe we are on holiday, eating out or there is a special occasion. This is ok.

How to Feel your Fullness:

-Become more self-aware, are you seeking to fill physical hunger or emotional hunger? Food is commonly used as a coping mechanism, or to soothe difficult emotions. What other strategies can be used to fill emotional hunger?

-Be present and connected with your body. Listen to the signals about how full you feel. What does fullness feel like in your body?

-Use the ‘Hunger/Fullness’ scale

-Eat enough! Ensure you are eating adequate calories, to avoid the deep physical hunger drive that can lead to binge eating.

-Allow all foods as part of a healthy and balanced eating pattern.

-Practice self-compassion. You have adapted and learnt these patterns because of culture, society and/or coping mechanisms. Don’t feel guilty or be hard on yourself because of these eating behaviours.

-Eat mindfully, without distractions from screens, work, driving, etc.

M x