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5 thoughts

1. 2-minutes of nothing website.

Have you heard of this website? You go to it and then do nothing for 2 minutes.  It’s been helpful for me when I feel like my mind is going to a million places and I need to ground myself a bit.

2. These watercolors.

I’m so in love with Kristine Brookshire’s watercolor paintings and will probably be ordering this one for the nursery.  I love her nude figures too, but think that would be odd to place in a nursery.

3. I so loved that ABC and NBC shows started this week.  

We watched This is Us and The Good Doctor.  I really enjoy having a show to look forward to that’s not on Netflix / Hulu.  Are you watching either of these? OH AND TRADING SPACES IS COMING BACK IN 2018?!!  I freaked out when I heard that.  I LOVED THAT SHOW! That and The Look for Less with Elisabeth Hasselbeck where some of my fav shows in my teen years.

4. GI health and elimination diets podcast

I had several people mention this podcast episode to me and tell me how great it is.  And it is great! I always love anything with Marci on it.  It’s worth a listen if you haven’t listened to it already! 

5. People who think a salad is healthier than a burger.

You know when you order a salad and someone says, “oh you’re eating healthy today.”? Or when someone orders a burger and makes a side comment along the lines of, “I’m not eating healthy today.” I hate that.

A salad isn’t healthier than a burger.  If you’re craving a salad…then yes the salad is the healthier choice.  But if you’re craving a burger…then the burger is the healthier choice. 

When eating out, the most unhealthy choice on the menu is if I were to order something that wasn’t in line with my cravings.  It feels so wrong to eat what I’m not craving…and just pointless.  I don’t want to order a salad when I’m craving pizza and leave the restaurant still thinking, “pizza, pizza, pizza”.  You fo’ sho should’ve just eaten the pizza so you’re satisfied and not spending the evening thinking about pizza…and then, likely, eating around your pizza craving later in the evening.  I think constantly depriving your cravings is a mild form of self harm.  Part of recovery from disordered eating is learning to do nice things for yourself and one of those nice things is satisfying your tastebuds.

I 100% believe that sometimes you don’t have access to what you are craving, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.  I talked about how every meal isn’t a gourmet experience here.  Here I’m talking about if you are at a restaurant and one thing sounds good but you choose something else.  Or if you are in your disordered eating right now then I imagine when you go out to eat 75% of the menu may be off limits so you don’t get a chance to satisfy your cravings because your food rules are running the show.

I’m a fan of tapping into my satisfaction cue every time I eat.  AND I’m a fan of having most food groups at every meal I eat – protein, carbs, fat, dairy, fiber (aka a fruit or veggie) – because that combo is satisfying to my tastebuds and works for the rest of my body.  And anything (whether a burger or salad) on a restaurant menu is going to hit the majority of those components and be the energy my body needs and the taste my tastebuds need.  

Any thoughts?

15 comments

  1. I LOVE this post!! Those watercolors are incredibly pretty. Regarding GI health, I still love how you brought up the discussion of bloating. I feel so “normal” and not alone. However, I see what are supposed to be humorous posts that make me wonder. One said, ” why is my stomach flat in the mornings until I eat a crumb and I’m suddenly 8 months pregnant with twins.” So many people commented that this was them. Are we as females way too observant of our stomachs or is something changing? It seems that shouldn’t be the norm. I do have days like that, but hormones. Those pesky changes can cause it. Anyway, I just wanted your thoughts, if you don’t mind. :) Lastly, yesss to #5! I couldn’t agree more. I was eating a pulled pork sandwich at lunch, and one of my coworkers said, “I didn’t know you ate that. That’s something I would eat.” Like hello, it’s freakin’ food. Yes, I eat it. When I want a salad, I have a salad. When I don’t want one, I don’t eat one. Geez. My manager also loudly made fun of my small arms on Friday when the nurse was administering flu shots to us staff. That’s another discussion. {eye roll}

  2. I love those watercolors! I’ve been wanting something new to hang in our bedroom and one of the beach ones would be perfect!

  3. I definitely agree with #5. In the past, I was notorious for selecting very specific things on the menu (salad, grilled chicken, soup, etc.), when really I might have wanted the pasta. Opening myself up and allowing satisfying foods back in my life has been a game-changer in many ways. The first time I ordered pasta I was with my husband and he said, “I’ve been waiting 10 years for you to ENJOY a meal with me.” It really caught me off guard, but it was so obvious how much my own issues were impacting him and our relationship, as well. Now our meals out together are so much more enjoyable for the both of us and it actually means LESS focus on the food and more on each other. :)

  4. Kylie, I’ve been lurking forever but I just love your writing and your messages. I admire how in-tune you are with yourself. I definitely try to listen to what I am craving and incorporate those foods into my day, but sometimes I feel like I don’t have a strong sense of what it is I really crave. Usually it’s just “What’s in the fridge? What are my go-to meals? What’s cheap/easy?” if there’s no strong “give me _____.”

    Do you have any tips for how to better identify cravings or explore different foods that aren’t ones that I “normally” eat, not for any restrictive reason but more just for the sake of simplicity/lack of strong craving cues?

    Thanks :)

  5. My chiropractor asked me what I was having for lunch on Monday, when I said a salad with chicken (because I was craving that) she said “Good Girl” Blah….

    • blah is right. That’s frustrating. I’ve heard acupuncturists give the MOST restrictive food recommendations…but haven’t heard of chiropractors giving nutrition advice. BLAH

  6. I LOVE your 5 thoughts posts. Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to be more intuitive with my eating, but I’ve noticed that when I try to figure out what to eat, I’ll always be in between two items of equal weight. Because of this I’d takes me FOREVER to figure out what to eat for breakfast and dinner (lunch doesn’t excite me as much as those two so I don’t worry about choosing that). It’s a struggle for sure. I know you said that not every eating experience has to be OMGAMAZINGFIVESTARS, but I like to enjoy my dining experiences. ;) Is it normal to be indecisive like this in the beginning or is it common along the whole journey? I rarely have an intense craving for one thing, which feels wrong…I feel insane sometimes.

    • Hi Ali,
      I feel the same sometimes, where I just don’t really know what I feel like. Usually, what helps for me is to “decide” on one thing (something I usually like, but not necessarily feel like at that moment) and then see how I feel about that “decision”. Sometimes, by tricking my mind that way, I will get a clear idea of what I do and don’t feel like.. Does that make sense at all?

  7. SO excited that This is Us is back on! I still haven’t watched the premiere – I had to record it now I’m just waiting for a time my mom and I can sit down and watch it together…soooo anxious to watch it though!

  8. hi Kylie, thank you for this post. I have been working on intuitive eating for about a year now. I’m getting better at choosing what I want to eat instead of what I feel like I should eat. It gets a little tricky when you add a husband and children into the mix, though. I have to meal plan ahead of time and prepare foods that are appropriate for a working man and growing teenagers, even if I would be hungry for simply cereal or a smoothie. Of course, I have the option to eat something alternative if I am not necessarily feeling what I have prepared, but that feels kind of weird and it’s own way. Anyway, thanks for reading these random thoughts of mine. Blessings to you for the work that you do.

  9. OMG! SO very true! I feel like stressing about eating “bad” food is waaaay unhealthier for you mentally and physically than just eating that food in the first place! Thank you for bring that up!

  10. So true! Also, love the watercolor, too!!!

  11. Thanks for writing POSITIVE blog posts and helping others get out of the diet mentality. I’m now proud to say I’m completely recovered from my eating issues. I’m an intuitive eater and I’m NEVER going back to my old ways! Keep up the good work! 

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