Hi Lauren! First of all, thank you for having such a great blog. Second, I wanted to talk to you. I have had taste hunger ALL FREAKING DAY for about a month, and been eating way too much every day. I just love food so much! Since I have a fast metabolism I haven’t gained a lot of weight, but I still want to stop doing this. I vow to myself every day that I will start eating intuitively that day, but I always find myself eating too much. Please help!
Thanks so much!
My first question would be, seeing as you have a fast metabolism, how do you know you are eating too much? There is a difference between eating a lot because it’s what your body needs and eating a lot because you are bingeing. I will assume your situation involves the latter.
I think you have to dig to the root of the issue: why are you feeling hungry all day? And is this physical hunger or emotional hunger? In this situation your overeating/bingeing is not the problem, it is the symptom. So the question is why do you feel the need to binge? What are common emotions that you feel before bingeing? Loneliness? Stress? Anger? Anxiety?
Once you figure out what the feelings are that are driving your desire to binge (which works as a form of numbing), you will be able to address those feelings in a healthier way. If you are lonely, instead of turning to food (which will never keep you company), call a friend! If you are angry, find a better way to release this anger – screaming into a pillow, hitting a punching bag, standing in a doorway with your hands to the side on the frame and pushing out with all your strength are all good ways of releasing pent up anger. If you are anxious, do some research to find ways to calm yourself and manage this anxiety.
Remember, Intuitive Eating isn’t about getting it ‘perfect’, it is about learning a better way to handle your feelings and emotions without turning to food while also learning to trust your body and feed yourself in a healthy, wholesome way.
Have you read any of Geneen Roth’s books? I would recommend reading “Feeding the Hungry Heart” and also “Breaking Free From Emotional Eating” – both are really good at addressing the connections between our feelings and our eating.
And there is nothing wrong with loving food – I love food, too! If it weren’t for food we wouldn’t be able to live! What is wrong is allowing our love to turn to obsession. So don’t be too hard on yourself – just make sure you are approaching things from a balanced perspective 🙂 There is nothing wrong with loving brownies or pizza or chicken salad – just because you love it, doesn’t mean you have to binge on it. It’s all about balance 🙂
I hope this helps!
~Lauren B.