I often hear my clients struggling because many of them find themselves eating past a comfortable fullness. In my Intuitive Eating Workbook Club and during our sessions with clients, I hear them saying things, "I don't understand why I just cannot stop eating when I'm full." While it is important to understand that part of normal eating is "overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable" doing it more often than not could be an indication of a few things.
Before I go further, I want to say that most newbie intuitive eaters often eat past a comfortable fullness. This is especially true if you had been restricting your food for a long time before you started practicing intuitive eating. The longer you had been restricting, the longer this phase generally lingers. This is all part of the attunement process.
Other reasons why you may be eating past a comfortable fullness:
Not eating enough or consistently - Not eating enough during meals or snacks or not eating consistently throughout the day is likely the primary reason why people are frequently eating to an uncomfortable fullness level. When our bodies are not adequately fed throughout the day and they finally do finally get a chance to eat, they will do with intensity (referred to as primal eating). When this happens, even with the best intentions, they are not usually able to eat consciously or moderately. Has this ever happened to you?
Not honoring your body - If you are not allowing yourself to eat all foods (barring an allergy or food sensitivity or other medical reason) or you are not eating foods that are satisfying to you, this may also cause frequent bouts of eating past fullness. For example, you may not be dieting per say, but you may still have rules (even if they subtle) around how often and how much of certain foods, like carbs, you will allow yourself to eat. This is often due to fear of weight gain. While there are other reasons why people frequently eat past fullness, these are the two main reasons I often see in my practice.
Notice any similarities in these two situations? The common thread is that the body's needs are not being met. It is important to understand that the longer and more frequently our bodies needs are ignored, the more we erode our bodies sense of trust.
The ironic thing is that the freedom and peace that intuitive eating promises will not develop unless trust exists. But, since many do not trust themselves around food (which is usually due to their perceived sense of “failure” due to yo-yo dieting) because their internal food police are often telling them that they are "eating too often" or “carbs are fattening” they do not have this needed sense of trust.
This is quite a conundrum, right?
In order to experience this freedom and peace that you so well deserve, you will need to start eating more consistently. And, not just eating consistently, but consistently eating a variety of foods that your body is calling for (including carbs, fats, and refined sugars, if so desired = full permission) and foods that you believe will satisfy your body. Once your body knows that it will be fed again when it is hungry, it will not feel the need to eat past a comfortable fullness as often because it knows food will be available again when it is needed.
Reflective questions to ponder:
Are you eating often enough and eating foods that satisfy you throughout the day?
When you do eat, is it under ideal conditions so you can eat mindfully so you can experience greater food satisfaction?
Are you giving yourself full permission to eat or are you still subtly restricting certain foods or foods groups because you fear weight gain?
This message tumbled out of my heart and into this love note. I hope you it is helpful in some way.
If you're tired of battling with your weight, fed up with the cycle of yo-yo dieting, and yearning to be free from your obsessive thinking about food and your body, schedule your complimentary Embrace Anti-Diet Living Connection Session.
We’ll get clear on where you are now, what you want instead, and what might be getting in the way of your success.
I’ll also share some powerful recommendations and resources to get you started on creating a peaceful relationship with your body and food.
If you're tired of battling with your weight, fed up with the cycle of yo-yo dieting, and yearning to be free from your obsessive thinking about food and your body, schedule your complimentary Embrace Anti-Diet Living Connection Session.
We’ll get clear on where you are now, what you want instead, and what might be getting in the way of your success.
I’ll also share some powerful recommendations and resources to get you started on creating a peaceful relationship with your body and food.