It Just Feels Good

I've been away for a few days, visiting family for Thanksgiving. While I was away I did not focus very much on eating when I was hungry or stopping when I was satisfied. Though there have been many Thanksgivings when I have maintained an iron grip focus on hunger and satiety and I have managed to eat in accordance this year I decided not to focus for these few days...instead to enjoy family, to enjoy a much needed break from work.

Though my eating was far from clean, and though I may gain a pound or two as a result I am happy with my choice. Eating when we aren't hungry is something that normal eaters do from time to time. They do not ALWAYS eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied. Sometimes they enjoy eating socially, when they are not particularly hungry. Sometimes they gain a pound or two from their social eating. They don't get wacky and worry that they are going to go crazy and never stop eating. They know that they will return to what is normal for them.

For me one of the crucial tenents of successful intuitive eating is trusting myself. I need to trust that if I relax for a day or two and do not focus as tightly on hunger and satiety as I normally do, that I will not go off the deep end and forsake intuitive eating in favor of unrestrained eating.

What I have learned is that I looked forward to the return to what has become normal to me. Though I enjoyed the freedom of not checking in with myself and not trying to schedule my eating around everyone else's schedule for the past four days I am happy to be back to listening for hunger and satiety and eating in harmony with my body's signals.

Eating in harmony with hunger and satiety just feels good.