Many of us grew up with parents that wouldn't let us leave the dinner table until our plates were finished. Over the years, children have spent countless hours held hostage at the dinner table trying to force feed themselves last bites of "whatever" in an attempt to clean their plates and earn freedom away from the table.
As a health and fitness professional, I cannot tell you how harmful this parenting strategy has been to a number of clients I work with. There are a couple of generations worth of individuals struggling with being overweight, and a large contributing factor to this is that they have become completely removed from intuitive eating habits. If as children we are insisted to eat well beyond being full, and when food is no longer appetizing, then over time we become disconnected from our bodies, and eating becomes more of a job and responsibility. Eventually, important signals that convey we are getting full, or even becoming uncomfortable are ignored and a negative feedback loop is formed and well-reinforced. This negative feedback loop conveys that it doesn't matter how we feel, we must push on through meals like war time soldiers or there will be negative consequences from authorities. Ironically, the negative consequences incurred are weight gain and poor self-body image.
Habits and patterns laid down during our important, childhood formative years are serious and long-lasting. Once we've disconnected our minds from our bodies, it is very hard to reconnect the two. Unhealthy relationships with food and eating can be very damaging, and some of the hardest to get a handle on because eating is always necessary. This is a very different scenario from an alcoholic's choice to quit drinking. Remove alcohol, no problem. Remove food, you die.
Simply put, we must pay attention to our bodies and our bodies signals to us. What are the signs and indicators you get when you are getting full? Do you find your eating slows? Do you find a tightness in your middle? Pay attention to such things and try to leave a last bite or two on your plate. Tell yourself it is ok to not finish, and do so guilt-free. Explore the world of what feels right for your body, and find your way back to intuitive eating. Reconnect with what your body needs, and disconnect from your unhealthy, childhood eating habits. Trust in the intelligence built into your body, and it will bestow upon you a new belief system about yourself and your relationship with food.
