Intuitive Eating vs. The Desire To Eat

JUST FOR TODAY:  The sight and smell of food can trigger your desire to eat.  Pause before your next meal to check in with your intuition, rather than responding to your senses.

In my research about eating disorders and weight problems, I discovered that there are three reasons why we eat:  Physical Need, Physical Desire and Emotional Desire.  Basically, Physical Need is hunger.  Truly, you need to eat.  Physical Desire is that you want to eat.  Something looks good, smells good, or you anticipate will taste good.  Emotional Desire is that you want to eat to calm an intense feeling you're having.  That pint of Ben&Jerry's seems to be calling your name.  On a typical day, what percentage do you eat for each of these three reasons?  Many people with eating disorders and weight problems report something like this: 49% Emotional Desire, 49% Physical Desire, 2% Physical Need.  What is the intuitive way of eating?  Approximately 75% Physical Need, 20% Physical Desire, 5% Emotional Desire.  You can shift from a desire to eat to a need to eat by eliminating triggers such as the sight and smell of food.  Check in with your intuition to clarify what you plan to have for your next meal, instead of opening your refrigerator to "see what's there," or walking into the cafeteria and ordering what "smells soooo good."  Let your intuition guide you beyond your desires to your body's true needs.