I think coping with my emotions, or eating outside of my biological hunger/fullness cues it one of my biggest struggles that I *might* be turning a corner with. And perhaps the way some people talk about "unconditional permission to eat" trips me up sometimes. I've appreciated various videos and descriptions in the book about how IE is not about eating with reckless abandonment or having a free-for-all all the time...much less that I "should" eat something just cause it pops into my head or because I like chocolate (when I know how it might make me feel). Often I'm actually RELIEVED when I hear that I can still have some structure when I need it and if it will help me with my overall goals.
Last night, I became hungry, as I usually do after a choir rehearsal, and I realized I wanted popcorn! (I hardly ever want popcorn). Then it clued me in to how IE ideally IS about our biological hunger and fullness cues. Yes....people have warned against the "hunger/fullness diets." So then that puts me back into eating whenever and whatever.
But for me that's not progress. In order to change habits so that I can yes, feel better in my body and move throughout life (I want to run again, but I'm not doing it at the expense of my knees at my current weight), I DO need to change. And, in a way, adhering primarily to my hunger/fullness cues...in a way....DOES feel like a diet...only because it's a CHANGE. I know I can eat what I want...and when my BODY/MIND wants it. If I went with what just my mind wants all the time, I'd be feeling uncomfortable. So yeah...sometimes I feel like I need permission from others to EAT or to NOT EAT. So now, I need permission to NOT EAT if I'm not truly hungry (I'm allowing myself more freedom with the occasional snack that gets offered too).
Its so difficult to not 'see' a Diet Culture Monster in all the habits one has developed over many years. A big challenge for starting on one's IE journey is to hack away at all the Diet Mentality that HAS embedded itself in our minds and choices. Living a 'should' life may chaff, but it also has provided some structure that can be relied on for guidance - albeit often too misleading?
Early on in my IE journey I made use of asking myself - is (this choice) INternally occurring OR is it EXternally driven? In time, for me IE became In (tune) Eating since what I finally understood was that honoring what the body I lived in needed (yes even emotional comfort eating) was what would be best for me. Diet Culture consistently pushes what IT says is THE right way to eat. But when I think about it, HOW can it (Diet Culture KNOW what MY body needs??) Better for me to tune into my own bio-feedback and satisfy that.
Regarding how quiet this forum is, I agree! I would have set the posting categories up differently - based on the IE STAGES instead of the IE Principles. But this isn't my forum so that didn't happen. I did set up a forum of my own, but its not a good platform and I haven't found a better replacement.
I very much like how you ( lindstromal) just boldly picked a 'community' (aka principle/category) to post in. Getting what you need to share SAID is what such forums as this are all about.
