Finding satisfaction from food.
What is satisfaction?
Fulfilment of one’s wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this.
Dictionary Definition
Does every meal you eat provide satisfaction?
Every 3-4 hours we have the opportunity to create satisfaction in our lives through the food and meals we choose.
Have you ever wished for a ‘calorie’ refund?
How often have you eaten something and it didn’t quite hit the spot so you ate something else and then maybe something else?
I would guess that when you have done this you have been trying to be ‘good’ and making choices based on a restricted way of eating or making up for eating something recently which you now feel guilty about. You have substituted what you REALLY want for something you think you SHOULD have instead.
Making choices to be ‘good’ based on restricted eating leads to food cravings.
If we give in to these cravings we blame our lack of willpower rather than a biological need to eat enough and enjoy it!
Giving in to cravings can lead to eating uncontrollably and feeling guilty and shameful. We are also more likely to eat beyond comfortable fullness and the cycle of restriction and deprivation begins all over again.
This cycle of eating also leads to low self-esteem and negative body image.
Are we ever happy with how we look?
Nearly 12 years ago now I lost my dad to a short illness. It was always my worst fear as a child, losing my dad, we were close, he was my first love and I was a ‘daddy’s girl’.
Over the next 18 months, I developed Hyperthyroidism, which is an overactive thyroid, which we think developed through the stress I obviously experienced. I didn’t realise what was going on until the symptoms became really noticeable and I visited my GP for tests and diagnosis.
I tell you this story because there were a few family occasions around this time so I have photographic evidence of my slimmer figure. When I used to look back at these pictures I would think ‘I wish I looked like that now”.
At the time, however, I remember shopping for dresses for these occasions and not being happy with my body. I was obsessed with my ankles which were quite swollen (one of the side effects of the condition) and I didn’t see the slimming effects that I can see when I look back at the photos now.
Learn to be happy where you are NOW!
Don’t wait until you have achieved your health goals to find acceptance and even happiness with how you look today.
The thing is if we can learn to be happy as we are it will actually reduce stress and help us achieve the goals we are working toward, whilst being happy and enjoying life on the way.
I completely understand how difficult this is, I haven’t managed it 100% but I am trying, I am working on my positive body image and I am doing this through intuitive eating and finding satisfaction and joy in what I eat and I actually choose food that suits my body and make me feel energetic and healthy rather than self-sabotaging myself.
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Principle 5, the driving force of Intuitive Eating, is to discover satisfaction.
All the other principles will be easier to follow if you make satisfaction your goal.
What does satisfaction mean to you? What would it feel like to be satisfied emotionally and physically by what you eat?
Finding Satisfaction from food
You could …
- Wait until you are mildly hungry before you eat.
- Pick foods that suit your body.
- Eat until you are just full not over full?
- Engage all your senses?
- Don’t feel guilty about your food choices.
In many countries, pleasure in eating is encouraged.
Sharing the experience with loved ones through celebration, think of long lingering European lunches without rushing or stress. In Japan, one of the goals of healthy eating is to find pleasure.
How lovely would it be to experience this every time you ate?
Guidelines for finding satisfaction in eating:
- Be Mindful while eating
- Avoid tension
- Think about what you WANT to eat
- How do you want the food to taste or smell?
- What texture or temperature would you like – maybe depending on the weather
- Use tableware to make the experience more pleasurable
- Add candles or music
- Will what you are eating satisfy you for long enough?
- Think about your whole body, how will it make you feel afterwards?
Don’t forget, sometimes you may not be able to tick all the boxes, and your meal might not be perfect. Maybe you’re going to have to grab a meal on the go or not have a great choice available to you. This is ok, in a few hours time you are going to have the chance to find satisfaction all over again.
Satisfaction and menopause
I wrote this post a couple of years ago before menopause was truly on my radar.
I have made a few tweaks here and there but I still agree with everything I wrote and it seems all the more important knowing what I know about nutrition and the menopause journey two years on.
Nourish, don’t punish your body.
Life can be tough, find joy whenever and wherever possible, food can be a great source of joy if you let it.
Are you struggling with menopause symptoms?
Maybe you aren’t sure what you can do or what you can eat to alleviate these.
Book a complimentary 30-minute menopause assessment and have a chat with me about your current lifestyle and how you can support yourself to have an empowered menopause journey.
Are you unclear about what you want your life and menopause journey to look like?
Once we know our destination it is so much easier to plan the journey.
Create your Menopause Vision Statement via this free 30-minute workshop you will then be able to design your calm, happy and harmonious menopause journey.