Reply to I mean - do any of you just choose quality of life vs. endless watching of food?

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Reply to "I mean - do any of you just choose quality of life vs. endless watching of food?"

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[quote=Anonymous]I can't read the stuff that I am certain is in this thread, but yes, I have OP. I found a dietician (covered by my insurance!) that is trained in the official Intutitive Eating framework. Not the made up twisted versions you see on social media. I met with her weekly, then started moving down and down until it is about once every 3 months.

After 25 years of dieting and being in a very bad weight yo yo cycle, I can't tell you how freeing it has been. Is it perfect? No. And I had a LOT of anxiety and stress in the beginning. I'd cry in my appointments. I tried to apply a control and diet framework to everything. I had to seek out some counseling that was aligned with what I was trying to do.

I'm about 16 months into it now and it is a lot better. I spend so much less time and mental energy on food. I actually get to enjoy eating, and it also makes foods lose their power over me. I'm amazed how long some foods I used to binge on (when off a diet) can sit in my house.

Physically, my blood work number are great. Better than when I was thinner. It is amazing what stress will do to you. My bathroom "situation" has also gotten incredibly regular which I seriously thought my body wasn't capable of. I used to struggle so bad with that. It is one of the things that has given me hope through the process that the promises are true that the body will set in to the right spot for me if given the care it needs.

I have gained weight, and that has been hard, not going to lie. But my dietician and doctor are both fine with it. I do not get rid of bigger or smaller clothes currently, because I want to be open to my body fluctuating. I do move them to a different rack (or into bins) as they don't fit either direction, because having clothes that feel good on my body and not a closet full of things I can't wear has been CRUCIAL for my mental health.

Being fat is not what was making me miserable. Wishing I was thin is what made me miserable. And it still comes up ALL THE TIME. And society is toxic about that idea, and you have to shield yourself from that. And people will say "oooo, you'll be miserable when you get diabetes." But like I said... my numbers are better than before! Disconnecting body size and health is a really difficult road. Unlearning the "truth" about calories in/calories out is like cult deprogramming. I didn't even understand how I could unlearn it when I could look at any food and know the calories down to the serving size... and eyeball a serving size within a few grams when I put it on the scale.

I don't think people should just "throw caution to the wind" and start eating whatever they want. That is more like a swing of the pendulum to the other side, sort of an over reaction. But I do think working with professionals to take the shame and pressure our of food has been an amazing change in my life, without it feeling like I was just avoiding the topic. I've done a lot of hard work around food and exercise in the last 16 months. It just isn't about control, which is what all my past efforts on those topics were about.

I won't be reading responses because there is so much misinformation out there. But food and body freedom are out there and are real. Lots of great resources to start on Instagram but BEWARE of people turning it into a diet. I recommend only following licensed professionals like Dieticians certified by Triboli's Intuitive Eating or Bacon's Body Respect. I also like the work by Ellyn Satter Institute. It is a little old looking and initially seems geared at kids, but it is about a healthy relationship with food overall and a couple of the books are relevant to adults. It also can help untangle some of the messed up things that happened as a kid that got you into a control cycle with food. They have a blog and you'll know quickly if the ideas resonate with you.

Best wishes. [/quote]

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