All rights and credit go to Carla and Shauna, however, if I may put it in my own words the idea is to pay attention to what you eat, be mindful of what you eat and to take notice of how it makes you feel in body, mind and soul. For full details download this awesome podcast, in my opinion it is one of their best; I love them big.
I must admit I am too addicted to the scale and calorie counting to fully envelope this idea into my everyday at the moment. But, I am all for paying closer attention to how food makes me feel and I would love to one day have the hang of what this body needs and wants in appropriate proportions. So, I got half-on the intuitive bandwagon immediately and paid much closer to attention to how I felt after eating and, you know what I learnt something...let me set the scene first...
It wasn't the most typical day for me because I met with a friend at PF Changs; and since it was my first time I copied her and ate some seriously good kung pao shrimp and stir fried vegies (otherwise known as Buddha's feast - and you know, if Buddha says "feast", who am I to argue). Afterwards I browsed through Cost Plus Worldmarket, again a new experience for me, and delighted in seeing Vegemite and Bundaberg Gingerbeer on the shelves. They had the magic of Fluff there too; I'm sure a non-event to most northern americans but had me intrigued. The sales lady was beyond lovely and told me it was a marshmallow creme and was lovely on cakes, cookies or made into s'mores. So basically its a pantry essential, right? And the company has been using the same traditional recipe for over 75 years - well, if its tradition then who I am not to try this whipped spread from the angels? Besides, Mr C and I may very well build a fire, play cards and make s'mores with all our buddies from camp.
I got the Fluff home and had to try some - just a little bit - straight from the jar on a spoon. And then maybe a little bit more. Hey, its got that evil corn syrup in it and everyone knows that is kryptonite to even the best self restraint. Completely tooth-achingly sweet. Well, I can see why they haven't changed their recipe in over 75 years, anyone who trys it wants more and if the recipe changed then where would we be? Deprived, thats where. Ok, maybe not deprived per say but we'd be sad for sure. Don't even try to tell me you're not a "sweet tooth", after this stuff you'll be one whether you acknowledge it or not.
About five minutes after I had this sugar-cloud-on-a-spoon I felt fantastic. I know this stuff is bad for me. So, I thought, thats where my intuitive eating takes me - marshmallow creme - delicious but might leaving me looking like I'm made from the stuff myself. And I reiterated to myself that intuitive eating is not for me, regardless of how its packaged - I'm mindful that I like sugar and you know what, when I eat it it makes me feel great, so there.
About two hours later I seriously thought about calling off my evening walk to Mr C's work, I was yawning and really thought I could do with a nap. I didn't know what was going on - maybe I was coming down with a cold and I thought "heavens, just as well I have the Fluff, I bet it is like a cold remedy-cure-all".
Then. A light bulb switched on, an Oprah-style Aha-moment indeed. I wasn't unwell, I was having a sugar crash. I'm about to sound like a complete idiot but I didn't think this happened to me - I thought my insulin production was so awesome and self regulated that there is no way a little extra sugar would confuse my body and give immediate energy only to zap it all away later. I was wrong. Noted.
So I picked myself up, gave myself some slap therapy* and exercised. So maybe I can get to an intuitive place, or at least a mindful place and realise I am not an exception to the rules of physiology.
* Slap therapy is a useful term some friends came up with - I take no credit for it (if anyone knows the one true originator let me know and I shall give credit with each use forthwith).
It is the therapeutic equivalent to giving one a "slap". Following the slap, the slappee "gets it", whatever it may be (examples range from: that man is just no good; you look fantastic and should know it; you're obsessing over something not worth your time or effort; you're just plain acting crazy girl) and is very grateful to the slapper.
In my example I am the slappee as well as the slapper and it was the fact that I was most likely hypoglycemic following the ingestion of far too much sugar and my pancreas responding completely appropriately by producing copious amounts of insulin to deal with it, which ultimately resulted in low sugar levels.
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