Have you ever felt physically unpleasant from an eating experience?
I am not a psychic, but my intuition tells me that your answer is “DUH” or “Yes, alllll of the time.” Every single human has experienced overeating to the point of physical and/or emotional unpleasantness at some point in their life.
What Do We Consider “Overeating?”
Intuitive eating tells us that we have unconditional permission to eat, meaning that we can eat whatever and however much we want. So is it even possible to “overeat” as an intuitive eater?
Yes!
Let’s make one thing clear: we don’t define “overeating” as eating a larger amount than the designated serving size of a certain food in one sitting. First of all, the serving size of chips is one ounce, which should be considered a crime. Therefore, you are likely going to eat more than this small portion size in order to satisfy your hunger.
Instead, we define overeating as feeling very physically unpleasant – to the point where you have stomach pains or need to lay down. On the other hand, you may feel emotionally unpleasant. There’s thoughts in your head saying, “You shouldn’t be eating this.” “Why are you eating this?” “You don’t deserve this food.” “You’re such a pig.” “I can’t believe you just ate all that.”
Physical Unpleasantness Versus Emotional Unpleasantness
Physical unpleasantness: an overwhelming feeling of fullness, i.e., stomach pains, unbuttoning of your pants, feelings of nausea
Emotional unpleasantness: the voices and negative thought processes that exist in your head
If you experience these feelings after every single meal – you are not alone. This is a common experience, especially when you come from diet culture, which teaches us to couple physical unpleasantness with emotional unpleasantness.
So now we’re left with the question: how do we handle this?
Build Awareness
Recognize your feelings after you overeat. Are they only physical symptoms present? Or are there emotions wrapped up in there too? Realize that you can feel physically unpleasant, and you can also feel emotionally unpleasant. However, there are differences between physical and emotional unpleasantness that need to be acknowledged.
Uncouple Physical and Emotional Unpleasantness
This could be as simple as pulling out a piece of paper or the “Notes” app on your phone. Write two different lists – physically unpleasant and emotionally unpleasant – and jot down the things that fit in each category when you’re experiencing it. This helps us build awareness around what we are feeling.
Become a Neutral Observer
Unfortunately, you cannot get rid of feelings of physical discomfort with the snap of a finger. As much as I wish this were the case, that is not how our bodies work. However, what we CAN do is work on redirecting the emotional unpleasantness.
Imagine that you are eating with your best friend who expresses that they ate too much and feel nauseous. Would you say to them the things you think about yourself? Ex: “Why are you like this?” or “You are such a bad person for doing that.” Would you say this outloud to your best friend? Never, right? Your friend probably would not want to be friends with you anymore.
What makes these things okay to say to ourselves? Bottom line: it is NOT okay. You can start replacing these intrusive thoughts by reframing them. When you start to hear those voices, try to switch them from negative voices to a neutral observer. Being a “neutral observer” means that you accept your current circumstances for how they are. Ex: “I feel uncomfortable right now,” “I ate past a point of comfortable fullness,” or “I am not a bad person; I am a human being.”
Eventually, with time, practice, and LOTS of unpacking, these uncomfortable feelings will start to go away.
Want to learn more about intuitive eating?
Click here to listen to the Find Food Freedom Podcast #39: FAQ: What do I do if I feel “bad” after eating?
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