“Listen. Make a way for yourself inside yourself. Stop looking in the other way of looking.” ~Rumi
Becoming an attuned eater involves eating when we’re hungry and stopping when we’re full. So we practice tuning back into our hunger and fullness signals, reawakening to what was once a natural awareness of these sensations.
Eventually, we get good at sensing and responding to our hunger signal. But many of us may find that reconnecting with and responding to our fullness signal is much more challenging. If we are able to sense when we are full, we will often also become painfully aware of not being able to stop eating at comfortable fullness.
These difficult moments of eating past fullness are moments that matter. [private_membership circle] They guide us to a different way of caring for ourselves. And this way does not involve “better choices” or willpower with food. If we can pause – without judgment – in one of these moments, we’re likely to discover why we need to eat past comfortable fullness along with what, if not overeating, we could do for ourselves.
In these moments that matter, we might become aware of unpleasant and pleasant feelings that are hard to tolerate, or a “yes” when we wanted to say “no.” We might find that our work, rest, and play are out of balance. Or we may discover a lonely, wide open space with no friends in sight. And often, we’ll find harsh, judging words. “Now you’ve blown it!” “Just stop it!” “I’m a failure; I may as well finish eating the rest of this now.” “If I cared about myself, I wouldn’t keep eating this.” As we begin to identify the good reasons associated with our eating past comfortable fullness, we allow ourselves an opportunity to more skillfully respond to our true needs. And even if we still end up overeating, this awareness of what’s really needed is an important step in ending our emotional eating.
So in these moments that matter, while we begin to respond with understanding and compassion to the good reasons we eat past comfortable fullness, we can risk feeling our feelings by riding their waves, or journaling about them, or sharing them with a friend. We can say ”no” with as much entitlement as we can muster. We can rest. We can connect with others, with our animal friends, or with our own good company. And in doing so, we will find that we are not only able to stop more easily at comfortable fullness but also to experience more satisfaction in the moments in our life that matter.
Tip: The next time you’re aware of eating past comfortable fullness, if you are able to pause, ask yourself with kindness and curiosity “What’s the good reason?” And then, whether you continue to eat past fullness or not, ask yourself, “What, if not food, do I need?”
Affirming Statement: “I have the courage and compassion to tune into the good reasons I overeat.”
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Nutrition therapists Amy Tuttle, RD, LCSW and Karin Kratina, RD, PhD provide no-diet articles and resources including “Stay Attuned: The E-zine for Nourishing Connections” at their Nourishing Connections website. www.nourishingconnections.com
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