My breakthrough: eating like a "normal" person

I've been on CC for a few years now, and struggled through 20 years of disordered eating or flat out eating disorders before that. I've counted, weighed, measured, stretched, burned, sweat, and still managed to fluctuate in the same 5lb range for the past three years.

A few weeks ago I decided to let it go. I gave myself a few new rules:

1. Eat when I'm hungry. And really LISTEN to my body.

2. Make the best food choices I can, for the most part.

3. Stop eating before I "feel full."

4. Exercise more days than not.

5. When eating out, use a three-bite rule: first bite focus on taste, second on texture, third is for memory. Being mindful...

I have not logged, counted, checked my carb/protein/fat ratios, considered my burn meter, or spent any time obsessing about food and weight.

And for the first time in years, I'm consistently losing weight and it's visibly noticeable. And I'm feeling at peace, more or less. I'm eating chocolate before bed, and still stop at McDs for a hamburger and small fries.

I know that technically it should all be about the math. The math hasn't been working for me, thanks to some hormonal imbalances I've been struggling with for the past year.

This change is still a bit scary at times. It's hard to let go of the constant mental calculations, but I'm doing it (for the most part).

And I'm losing weight. And feeling better about myself. FWIW.

I love hearing about people have success by eating this way! Makes my fear of letting go of the math obsessions a little less scary.

Nice.  The three bite rule sounds cool, too.

Thanks for posting - that 3 bite rule is great - I'm going to use it when ever I eat out.

Well done on your success,

Ax

Awesome! I have a hell of a time trying to keep track of calories and to be honest I hate doing it so this is something I'd like to try. Can you explain the 3 bite rule when eating out a bit more? You don't mean you only have 3 bites of food when you eat out obviously....

And the eating chocolate before bed, what do you have because I LOVE chocolate but have thought I need to give it up cold turkey.

Original Post by raven21:

Awesome! I have a hell of a time trying to keep track of calories and to be honest I hate doing it so this is something I'd like to try. Can you explain the 3 bite rule when eating out a bit more? You don't mean you only have 3 bites of food when you eat out obviously....

And the eating chocolate before bed, what do you have because I LOVE chocolate but have thought I need to give it up cold turkey.

 

 It depends on what you eat.  Quite honestly, if you are eating out, where you have several different items, I suspect that 3 bites of everything other than the vegetables would be sufficient.  Now, if ALL I got was a chicken breast, I'd probably eat half of that.  A steak?  (I never order a steak - too much to eat for me - but IF I did...) I'd certainly have a very few bites.  A restaurant burger?  I guarantee you I'd have no more than 3 bites!!  

Original Post by raven21:

Awesome! I have a hell of a time trying to keep track of calories and to be honest I hate doing it so this is something I'd like to try. Can you explain the 3 bite rule when eating out a bit more? You don't mean you only have 3 bites of food when you eat out obviously....

And the eating chocolate before bed, what do you have because I LOVE chocolate but have thought I need to give it up cold turkey.

 

The three-bite rule is for each kind of food on the plate, essentially. So if I have a burger and fries, I might actually cut three bites off the burger with a fork and knife (weird, but easier to see how much I'm putting in my mouth!), and then three fries. The bottom line is just being mindful.

But like fitmom said, it also depends on what you order. If I order a salad with no dressing and poached salmon on top, I might eat the whole plate! :)

But when in doubt, I'm using my mindful 3-bite rule, and noticing that after three bites, I don't really need/want any more.

As for chocolate, I usually have one or two dark Lindt truffle balls or something like that. I suck them slowly and enjoy them while reading or something before lights out. And that's pretty much the only time I eat chocolate now.

Feydruss - I just started eating normal for the first time since December.  No calorie counting, examining every last gram of fat/protein/carb ratio...and I've lost 2 pounds!  I think we sometimes need a break mentally.  I just got back from a long family vacation with a Grandma who lives to cook so I definately over ate and over indulged myself.  It was heaven. LOL  The math didn't work for me either though so we'll see what I do next.  I love CC though, whether I calculate calories or not, the people here, forums and motivation are worth sticking around. :)

i have been trying to stop my binge eating problem. i'm at a healthy weight, i exercise alot, and try to make generally healthy choices. anyway, i just wanted to say that this is exactly what i needed to hear. i have been reading up on how to stop bingeing, and it says that calorie counting is a no-no. i just know that i am going to have such a hard time with this, but it is so encouraging to hear someone being successful this way. i went to japan earlier in the summer, and i totally ate like this. i wasn't really able to count calories, but i ate mindfully, and my jeans were really loose when i came home. i formally exercised less but did lots of walking, and it was just a nice way to live. i'm trying to get back to that but its hard breaking old habits. so thanks for the inspiration!

congratulations feydruff,

from using cc, i think its clear thats its just a tool to help us find what works. for some, looking the at the cals work, some not, and its just finding what works for you.

so great for finding the key for you,  i'm really pleased for you X