Anyway, I come from the idea that IE was always about "giving yourself permission to eat" and just eating whenever whatever no matter what.  I thought it was "diet mentality" to limit anything or to stop eating or not eat for any reason.  If I want chocolate when I'm not hungry or when I know it will make me feel not so great....not only can I still have it...I HAVE to have it!

Or so I thought....I'm realizing that perhaps some of my OCD or religious scrupulosity might have an affect on my eating.  It's obviously a nightmare when it comes to diet culture.  But I've also approached IE with OCD tendencies as well.  "Still want to lose weight?  That's diet mentality!  Want to adhere mostly to your hunger and fullness cues?  That's diet mentality! Want to take it easier with sugar to see if that helps me feel better and more energized? That's diet mentality!"

But no.  I'm rereading the book and it sounds like I've been interpreting ANYTHING outside of a free-for-all as "diet mentality."  Whereas it does appear to be more about biological hunger, fullness and satisfaction.  Sometimes saying "no" to something yes, IS honoring my body.  Just not from an external source.  

I know I have permission.  I have several previously forbidden foods in my house.  And it's ironic.  I don't want it as much anymore (then the OCD voice says, "but IE says you have to have it if you think about it!").  I'm finding that it's a let down now because part of the appeal before was the "forbidden" nature of it.  Now I feel more in tune with how things FEEL with my body.  This DOES involve a change in habit, and therefore it feels like a "diet."  But in order to feel my best, perhaps it does need to feel that way for a while (and yes, I have some postural issues that necessitate needing to lose some weight...and I'd like to run again....but not through diet mentality, but through adhering to my body's signals).

Anyway, just thought I'd say "hi" and share part of where I am.

I had some time ago bought a blood glucose meter and used it to find that my blood glucose was within 'normal' ranges. I knew about a highly recommended book - Blood Sugar 101 - so bought and read that. It turned out that the #s determining 'normal' were not what was best for a healthy body! In fact the #s were only for the level at which one would be officially diagnosed 'diabetic' with organ damage already underway.

Because I as in the 'pre' stage of this disease, I decided to find out what I could do to prevent or at least put off and manage what could be required of me to do for dealing with such a condition. The Blood Sugar 101 book indicated that significantly decreasing carbohydrate intake could decrease insulin resistance (aka type 2 diabetes). I found and joined an online forum that discussed living with diabetes. There I found alternatives that I could choose from and in fact enjoy!

One by one I found, and have replaced high carbohydrate food choices with lower carb level foods. This has not only assisted lowering of blood glucose levels, but also helped my body to release excess 'reserves' (aka fat)! AND keep diabetes out of my life.

I had years back half joked that I wouldn't weigh myself until my pants fell off (lol). That has practically happened now. but my desire to know or honor such numbers has gone away. Instead I am happy to know that slowly I have chosen new (to me) foods that not only continue to satisfy me, but also assist my body in its health.

Wishing everyone the joys of Intuitive Eating.

https://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/16989363?access_key=key-aezpg2l9djymj775wet

Here's another interesting article -

Can You Really Be Addicted to Food? by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD

There has been a lot of media attention on food addiction research.  Scientists are curious about this possibility because the brain region (and neurochemicals) involved with substance abuse, are also implicated in overeating.   But there are a lot of reasons, other than addiction, that can explain the rewarding aspect of eating.

Survival of the Species - This brain-reward system is believed to be necessary in order to ensure human survival. This involves the brain chemical, dopamine, which triggers both a pleasurable feeling and motivation behavior. Engaging in activities necessary to survival (such as eating and pro-creating) triggers a rewarding-feel-good experience.

Hunger Enhances Reward Value-Hunger by itself, enhances the reward value of food, in which more dopamine is triggered.  For example, you might find yourself suddenly interested and motivated to cook a meal, if you discover you are hungry.   Dieting (which can be a form of chronic hunger) also has this effect.

Pavlovian Conditioning- The dopamine effect could be attributed to Pavlovian conditioning (recall the classic study, in which Pavlov’s dogs salivated at the mere ringing of a bell.  This anticipatory salivation occurred because the dogs were conditioned to receiving a treat after a bell rang, each time). This is not addiction.

Dopamine Deprivation? Many pleasurable activities trigger dopamine, including socializing, hiking, and playing games. The great majority of people I see in my practice who binge-eat, are often leading very unbalanced lives, which "deprives" them of the dopamine benefits. When needs are not being met, food becomes even more enticing, more rewarding.

Music Lights up Dopamine Brain Centers. Recently,a new study showed that when people listen to music, it lights up the same region of the brain (nuclear accumbens), which has been implicated in the euphoric component of psychostimulants, such as cocaine . Just the anticipation of hearing the music lit up the dopamine brain centers. (Yet, I really don't think you can make the case for "music addiction")

Food Addiction Studies Limited & Flawed-The research on "food addiction" is way too early to be drawing any conclusions. The great majority of studies have been on animals. The limited research on humans has only been brain-imaging studies with a very small amount of people and not much exclusion criteria .

Yale Food Addiction Questionnaire- has generated a lot of headline news.  Yet, upon a closer look, the questionnaire seems to actually be measuring compulsive eating or rebound eating from chronic dieting .  Here is a sampling of the questions:

• I find myself consuming certain foods even though I am no longer hungry.  (Classic compulsive eating or distracted eating can cause this).
• I worry about cutting down on certain foods. (Chronic dieting and overeating can cause this)
• I have spent time dealing with negative feelings from overeating certain foods, instead of spending time in important activities such as time with family, friends, work, or recreation. (Chronic dieting and compulsive eating can cause this)

To read more questions and details on scoring the questionnaire see

Studies Show Eating “Forbidden Food” Decreases Binge Eating--Finally, there are three studies to date, in which binge eaters, eat their "forbidden foods" as part of the treatment process. Binge eating decreased significantly in all of these studies.  If food addiction was a causative issue, you would not expect these types of results. Food addiction theory would predict increased binge eating, triggered by eating “addicting food”. Yet, the opposite happened. 

So rather than fear-mongering about food addiction, how about putting your energy into satisfying eating experiences, without distraction or duress; and working on creating a balanced lifestyle, while getting most of your needs met (which includes getting enough sleep).