I had the day off from work yesterday and was enjoying an afternoon of what I like to call “piddling.” In between errands I stopped for lunch at a cool coffee shop in downtown Mebane. I chose a chicken salad wrap. It was pretty big and cut into 2 halves. I was really hungry, and I ate the whole thing.
It wasn’t until I was talking with a patient today about giving herself permission to eat as much as her body needs that I realized I still had a tiny little voice in the back of my head telling me that I “should” only eat half of my wrap. That voice is everywhere telling us that our body’s signals cannot be trusted. I ate the whole wrap because I was hungry. Giving myself full permission to eat as much as I need helps me listen to my body’s hunger and fullness cues. This permission also helps me leave half my food on the plate on days when I’m not quite as hungry.
Breaking the diet cycle takes consistent effort and some days are harder than others. Please know that you are not alone. We are in this together!