What is satisfaction?

 

Satisfaction is defined as “fulfillment of one’s wishes.”

 

However, when it comes to food, that can be so hard to actually nail down.

 

Why Finding Satisfaction Again Can be Tricky:

·      What we’re craving changes on the daily.

·      Hunger cues are not present (esp in the early ED treatment days).

·      Diet Culture restrictions and food rules.

 

When I asked my nutrition group what “satisfaction” is to them, it was pretty difficult to narrow down. We came to the conclusion the feeling of “completeness” was a common feeling experienced after a satisfying meal or snack.

 

Satisfaction Could Look Like:

·      10-course tasting menu

·      Adding cheese to your salad

·      Getting the milkshake with the burger

·      Using real cream in your coffee instead of drinking it black

·      Having full-fat yogurt instead of the soy version

·      Using the whole egg instead of opting for the egg whites

 

 

Commonly, diet mentality tells us to take the components out of our foods that we actually enjoy to limit calories, fat, etc., but where does that leave us post-meal?

 

We are left hungry, with a short list of “safe foods,” and if we eat outside of this list, endless guilt and shame is certain.

 

It creates a feeling of deprivation.

 

Sound familiar?

 

Let me give a personal example. When I was deep in dieting behaviors, my “safe” food were salads. These salads were always the same: kale base, heavy on the raw veggies, add in some lean protein, and call it a day (or so I hoped).

 

I hated these salads so much and when I was finished, I was left hungry, unsatisfied, and often, ended up eating what I ACTUALLY WANTED (with a side order of guilt, of course). I couldn’t stop eating and couldn’t figure out WHY (spoiler alert: I wasn’t feeding myself appropriately).

 

When You Have Satisfying Meals, You Can Expect:

1.     To stay in tune with hunger cues.

2.     Stop thinking about food.

3.     Choose the non-diet option without fear.

4.     Find PLEASURE in food again! (most important!)

 

Remember, like all other Intuitive Eating principles, satisfaction, is a practice. When you’re beginning your journey out of dieting and into intuitive eating, the road will not be linear.

 

Sometimes focusing on adequacy (eating ENOUGH) will be the biggest challenge and there won’t be room to consider satisfying meals.

 

I hope you’ve been able to catch a glimpse of what your daily life could be with a food freedom-focused approach to eating. Know that the mindset required to get to this place takes effort but is fully within your reach, especially when working with an anti-diet food, food freedom dietitian to help get you there!

 

Ready to get started? Book a discovery call with me here.