I realize as I struggle with this disease is that I don't really fully comprehend when I am actually "full" due to my disorder. I don't know if its b/c the size and condition of my stomach is so messed up or what...
As such, I don't know when to stop eating. I always was brought up to finish my plate and I often obsess over ANY amount of food left on my plate - almost like I can't leave 1 ounce... its pretty ridiculous.
Can anyone give me tips on how you really know when to STOP eating? I've actually read you are not supposed to eat until your full but about 80% full - that's apparently what the Japanese do who live to be 100 years old... (per CNN, of course).
Yes, it will take you a while before you recognize the natural signals from your body. They are out of whack right now. I would recommend measuring out your meal plan, put it on your plate, eat only that and walk away. Don't distract yourself when you are eating or after you are eating. Just observe how you feel. Stop half way through your meal and observe.
It is perfectly normal to over do it or under do it at times.
Your body has a plan. Don't panic if the scale doesn't cooperate at first, your body will return to normal if you give it a little time and patience.
kitty, i think that's great advice, measuring out food. i feel like when you know how much satisfies you, it's a lot easier to say to yourself to just give the food time to get into your stomach and trigger your fullness.
listening to our bodies natural feelings of hunger/fullness is key to figuring out our ed's... i think.
Hey justforme,
I know how that feels I suffer from BED, so I empathise with you.
Are you getting help for your Bulimia hun?
Often when we eat we are trying to fill an emotional hole with the physical. This is obviously never going to work, as you can't so I would recommend following a meal plan and also when you get that trigger to continue eating...try to figure out what is going on in there...have you started to recognise the triggers yet?
Bulimia is a really complicated illness so don't be too hard on yourself hun.
1) Wait 20 minutes for more. Your body takes about 20 minutes to send cues to see if you are truly full or not, so after 20 minutes, if you still feel hungry, go back for more
2) There's also the apple rule. I find if I can imaging myself being able to eat an entire apple without feeling sick, then I'm still hungry.
3) Lastly, I figured out proper portions and measured. The measuring will eventually have to be taken away (which I'm working on now) but it' very helpful to put into perspective what a healthy amount looks like.
Try these two links for some advice there:
- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/quantit-eng.php
- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/choose-choix/fruit/serving-portion-eng.php
- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/choose-choix/grain-cereal/serving-portion-eng.php
- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/choose-choix/milk-lait/serving-portion-eng.php
- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/choose-choix/meat-viande/serving-portion-eng.php
Don't feel you have to limit yourself to those portions, but it gives you some perspective :) I hope it helps :)
i have the same problem but with me--i cant eat well enough when i should... hunger cues are a hard one to figure out--especailly when they are messed up from the ED. yes i would say measure out a portion that feel good to YOU and eating soemthing filling that you like--such as protein to help with fullness. for me --i love fruits and veggies but they dont fill me up--so avacadoes work for me. they are healthy and filling.
eat till you feel---what i would say --good. like--the question is --ae you still hungry or dizzy or need more food? or if you feel like you are eating too much--ask if im eating out hunger or emotion? it is hard , dont worry--this is a hard one to figure out with those who had/has ED...
im having trouble with it, too....
but in a while your body will regulate itself if you feed it consistently and through the day ---every few hours..
Hi Justme40, there are ways that you can help yourself know when to stop eating. First and foremost, don't ever force yourself to eat everything on your plate just because it's there. You can always wrap it up and save it for later. If it's a larger amount of food, look at it as 2-3 meals, even if you are out at a restaurant. Portions are really keep, keep them smaller and more manageable. Try eating 4-6 smaller meals per day [rather than 3 larger meals where you can over-eat], as this will keep your metabolism revved up and blood sugar level at bay. Once you train your body to do so, you will feel so good. Take baby steps to get there and you will feel so good when you finally achieve eating smaller portions more often throughout the day.
Definetly, prepping your portion before you sit down to eat. Limit you self to 2 types of liquids during the meal so that you dont develop an unhealthy habit of filling your self up with liquids rather than food. What i prefer to do is eat with a normal eater or with someone who know about my ED for support and guidance during the meal.