Morning After Binge

Recently, I've been asked:

• Why do I feel so hungry in the morning after an evening of non-stop eating? Shouldn't I feel full instead?

You feel hungry because the food you binged on was not what your body needed for nourishment. When you eat because you're stressed, frustrated, angry or bored, it has nothing to do with nourishing your body. Imagine if you put the wrong gas in your car, even if you overflow the tank - it won't run.

• Why does my body feel so sluggish and bloated? What happens physically?

Physically, you've clogged your pipes. When you eat without noticing how your body feels, you're abusing yourself. Even though your body is efficient, it still has to sort through, digest and get rid of the evening's onslaught.

• Why does this affect my mood, outlook and self-esteem? I feel like I'm a failure, have no self worth, and that this negative downward spiral seems to be my destiny - a life of self-inflicted ups and downs - all caused by abusing food.

It's frustrating to feel out of control. Your mood, outlook and self-esteem are not the result of abusing food. Instead they are the result of abusing yourself.  Your body is not an object, it's a very real connection with your heart and psyche. The first rule of intuitive eating is to protect yourself. It's part of your survival instinct. 

Use the intuitive tool of patience to give yourself grace. When you're patient- instead of angry with yourself, you can understand what pushes your button and how to protect yourself against it the next time. Once you use patience, you will discover you feel more peaceful. Then use the intuitive tool of foresight for self-defense. Make a plan to protect yourself.

• Why do I want to punish myself by abusing my body and my heart?

You don't! However you have been programmed by diet programs to believe eating certain foods is "bad" and that you are "bad" for craving them.  Programming whether it's from our parents, media or programs is inner dialogue that runs like a script in our heads. Your inner voice is your intuition. It may warn you with a gut feeling but it will never lead you to punish yourself. Read the sections Am I Really Hungry that explain how to know the difference between your inner voice (intuition) and inner dialogue (media/parents/programs). Use the index and get in-depth answers.

•  Why is so hard to regain control after several days of overeating? 

You may have all kinds of chemicals and sugar in your system keeping you out of touch with your body. If you're finding you're uncontrollable, treat food like a drug. If this drug is screwing with your body, it's destroying your health. Without your health, you cannot live.

Confusion caused by a chemical imbalance is hard to deal with. It's time to use tough love which is doing what is right instead of what is easiest. Read the chapter called Satisfaction in Am I Really Hungry to get some clear ways to do this.

• How can I get back in touch with my intuition and break this cycle?

Life is always going to have unexpected stresses. Forgive yourself and allow yourself to get back in sync with your body and mind. Focus on using your 5 senses when you're around food. When you feel an emotional drive to binge, take control by giving yourself 3 minutes to use foresight and patience. Make a commitment to honor yourself. Every day, every meal is a new opportunity to recommit to protecting yourself.

Listen to your body. Ultimately your body has a 'mind' of it's own and is clear about what feels satisfying and what foods make you physically at peace. 

More great tips and easy answers to eating challenges when you download: Am I Really Hungry? 6th sense diet : Intuitive Eating.

Overeating hurts! Eating is supposed to feel good.

You go out with friends to feel good. If you focus on food at a party, instead of feeding your present physical, social or emotional hungers, it doesn't feel good. Overeating is a trap because it never feels good physically or emotionally. 

To stay your healthy weight, remember that eating is supposed to feel good.  It's personal,  a direct response to your physical needs. It's intuitive to stay aware of how your body feels when you eat.

Is this you? :

• I eat fast and I eat a lot so I don't miss anything. This results from a habit of starving yourself as a form of control instead of realizing your body always tells you when you're hungry and when you're full.

• I stay by the buffet at a party because eating feels comforting. Overeating is never comforting to your body. Focusing mainly on food at a party is being dishonest with yourself because it leaves you feeling emotionally and socially starved.

• I go for 2nds and 3rds because I have high metabolism and everyone watches how much I can eat or
• I always talk about my diet at parties.  It's emotionally twisted to use eating to get attention, and it backfires. No one admires a pig. Also, no one really enjoys being with someone who complains about their diet or their body, instead of joining the fun.  

Intuition is action. Use intuition when you celebrate. If it feels good, do it!

• Listen to your heart and tune in to your libido. Use all of your senses at a party to feel good while you're there and feel satisfied with yourself later.

1. Eye contact with people opens doors that are gently exciting.
2. Listening to conversation and adding your thoughts feels good because communication nourishes your heart.
3. Really tasting your food slows down eating and is a way of experiencing pleasures that you notice with your mind.
4. It's mutually satisfying to talk about pleasure. Be sensual. If the chocolate mousse is like a dream on your tongue, talk about it. 

•  Pause, look at who you're talking to and notice yourself. It's intuitive to be clear about where you are and what you're doing. You'll discover some amazing and amusing things, and you'll change your habits because you won't like everything you see. You know yourself best. Notice what you notice.

If eating doesn't feel good to your heart or body - don't do it. Tune-in to your body and trust it by not abusing yourself.

Trade Stress for Satisfaction

I am so excited to share what changed my life from feeling trapped to knowing that I'm in control of my choices. It was connecting with my intuition, and you can do it too!

Learning how to recognize intuitive cues from my body helped me trade stress for satisfaction. Am I Really Hungry will guide you out of the traps of dieting to the life changing satisfaction of self-control.

There are 3 requirements: stop "dieting", tune-in to your body and start trusting your 6th sense.

Intuitive eating frees your mind from trying to control your body. It does this because it's something you sense (like seeing or hearing) not something you think about. That why intuition works by giving you physical cues. Eating is all about our physical being.

Because dieting imposes limits and rules on your body, it creates physical and emotional stress that ultimately you intuitively rebel against, which is why diets ultimately fail.

It's much easier to work with your body by responding to it then to work against it by ignoring it.

Hunger is personal. You have mental, emotional and intuitive needs to nourish along with your physical needs. All of this creates cravings. Until you recognize what you're really hungry for these are easy to confuse.

Intuitive eating is common sense. It includes checking in with your body, mind and emotions and doing exactly what feels right. Learn to connect with your body to keep weight off by recognizing intuitive cues and you won't be manipulated by unhealthy cravings.

Instead of stress you connect with self-control at mealtime and the big reward is: you like your body and you like yourself! You can feel the relief.

Start now by using the 3 Minutes Rule to get through confusing food cravings to connect with what you really want. It's called "Doing the Intuitive Pause".

1. Stop yourself from being mentally manipulated.

Ignore the craving by focusing on being kind and patient with yourself for 3 minutes. Tune in to your body's needs and your state of mind. It's intuitive to respect your body by remembering your physical priorities.

2. Notice your attitude towards yourself.

Don't compromise who you are because you're angry, frustrated, lonely, stressed or bored. Instead, find something besides food to make you feel better.

3. Use all of your senses to notice what's triggering your appetite.

This includes using common sense to notice what's impacting you outside of your body. Common sense is the intuitive way of being alert.

4. Decide how you will feel about yourself if you eat what you're craving.

If you won't be happy with yourself an hour later, it's not physical hunger.

5. If you recognize the food craving is from your body, then enjoy eating it by noticing how satisfied your body feels while you're eating. It's intuitive to enjoy eating. In fact, you get 70% more nutrition from food when you enjoy it!

Get more hints, cues and answers on my new website: www.AmIreallyHungry.com

I look forward to seeing you there!

It's too hot for stress and guilt!

Wow- Summer is half-over but the heat won't let up and there are still weeks ahead of wearing clothes that reveal every unwelcome bulge. The surprise is- only you see flaws. Other people see pleasing curves. We are all our own worse critics.

Did you know that being hard on yourself can make you fat?! That's right, stress and guilt sabotage weight loss. Our bodies are primitive. Energies like stress and guilt feel threatening. When your body's threatened, it holds on to fat.

To be your ideal weight: work with your body, don’t fight it or ignore it.
People who diet have the habit of ignoring their bodies.
So, why not connect with your intuition and get some relief?

Eating based on a book or a program is stressful because it's not about you, your body or your life realities. Rushing to lose weight, forcing yourself to follow a program, or starving yourself all create stress. It's really too hot in August to bring on more heat from stress.

Eating intuitively puts you in sync with your body. You feel comfortable with yourself. It's refreshing. Why not cool off with intuitive eating?

Becoming an intuitive eater is natural; it doesn't create stress.
Everyone can do it because using intuition is being plugged into yourself. Your appetite is personal, just like your fingerprints or DNA.

Eating is as easy as breathing and as important for your health and energy level. If you tried to restrict your breathing the way you control your eating, what would happen?

Diets create stress. Intuitive eating is long term satisfaction.
August is too hot for stress.

People who don't diet and stay a healthy weight are intuitive eaters that have tools to stay in sync with their body goals. These tools demolish hot buttons like stress and guilt that sabotage weight loss.

Nourishing your self is done with food, ideas and emotions. It's all connected inside you. Your senses work with your mind and your body to let you be clear about what is nourishing.

Use your intuition and get rid of dieting for good.
Am I Really Hungry? 6th sense diet : intuitive eating  has the answers you're looking for.