How eating cheese made me happy

Today, my body said that I wanted two slices of cheese instead of only the one slice that I had planned to eat. I had the reflex to tell my body "no, that's enough dairy for you!" But after tuning in to what my body really needed, I ate another slice. This felt good for two reasons: 1. I took time to listen to what my body wanted, and 2. I was able to overcome a silly mental food rule of "don't eat more than one slice."

A few years ago, I couldn't say that I would have listened to what my body needed. I would have said, "you absolutely cannot have that cheese," sent my body to a time-out, and not let it out of its room for at least an hour or until it apologized.

But the truth is that our bodies are intelligent organisms that are able to self-regulate the nutrients they need. For me, it comes to down to tuning in to what my body needs, to listen to what foods it needs to consume. In short, it comes down to eating intuitively.

I realized I needed to eat intuitively when I found myself counting calories, testing to see how long I could go without eating, and having food on my mind all the time (even when I wasn't eating). I was both obsessed and haunted by food measurements and rules: only eat half of what is on my plate, skip breakfast, eat in private but not in public, feel guilty with every bite, etc. There were these little food police in my head blowing their whistles every time I lifted a spoon or even eyed food.

It was all these destructive habits that convinced me that I needed to make peace with food.

Here's what helped:

-There was a class at BYU that taught intuitive eating. My roommates took the class with me and we were able to talk about our individual eating issues.

-Reading the Intuitive Eating book by Resche & Tribole.

-Practicing intuitive eating principles on a daily basis. My habits didn't make it necessary for me to see a nutrition counselor or go to an eating disorder center (though for some people this is most effective and I support that). But I definitely needed the principles to break the bad habits I had formed.

Motivation:

I thought that limiting my food intake was making me a better person. Subconsciously, I wanted to be the exception: the one who needed very little food to function. But in my efforts to be an exception, I was distracted from living my life. I was internally struggling so much that I wasn't able to focus on my daily tasks and my relationships.

But I found that when I gently nourish my body by eating intuitively, I am a better friend, daughter, and sister. I can listen better and I am less irritable. Things that seemed overwhelming when I wasn't eating (like schoolwork or callings) are more pleasurable when I am feeding myself. And most of all, I don't beat myself up all the time. I don't feel bad, guilty, or broken. Instead, I feel fed, happy, and educated.

So, I've called a truce with food. And my life is 100 times better for that white flag.

Resources:
-"Intuitive Eating" by Resche & Tribole
- http://intuitiveeating.com/
- http://centerforchange.com