Stay Attuned ™: The E-zine for Nourishing Connections

Your journey to freedom from food and weight struggles presents an opportunity for not only a new relationship with food, but also a new relationship with yourself and others. Ultimately, it is a journey of nourishing connections with yourself, others--and yes--even food. Stay Attuned™ is committed to supporting you in this journey and to helping you develop nourishing connections that will last a lifetime. Remember, a journey always starts with one small step....

From fellow travelers,
Karin and Amy
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Nourishing Nuggets

"Every time you don't follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness " ~ Shakti Gawain

Reflections for Staying Attuned

If the "experts" are to be believed, for dinner, the majority of us need a piece of chicken the size of a deck of cards, a tennis ball worth of rice with some dice sized butter, and a salad (as much as you can eat) with a ping pong ball scoop of dressing (lo-cal or no-cal preferred). For a select few, an extra tennis ball of rice may be permitted.

How is it that we come to believe that some guy in a white lab coat in Wisconsin can determine what we need on any given day? Why is it that we believe that one tennis ball worth of carbs is the "right" amount?

"That guy in Wisconsin" is making a lot of money simply because we no longer believe that we can trust ourselves to determine how much food our bodies need. And to us, how much (and what) we need to eat is a highly personal and individualized matter—in other words, it’s none of their business!

Many of us have come to believe that "one-size-fits-all clothing" is a blatant lie. So why would we believe in the one-size-fits-all portion control approach to eating?

As reformed dietitians who long ago surrendered our plastic food models, we suggest that you, too, throw out the old food models and images that have previously informed you of the "correct" amount to eat. Sure, it is helpful to know that a deck of cards is approximately equal to three ounces of chicken, and in many cases, provides an adequate amount of protein for a meal. But the value of portion sizes ends there.

Really. What’s the difference between "Portion Control" and "Dieting" anyway? Both are about control. Both are based on someone else’s predetermined ideas about how much we should eat (whether these amounts are enough to meet our needs or not). And then, what happens when we eat more than our allotted portions because we’re hungry, or because we’re just feeling rebellious about that guy in Wisconsin? It’s the same as when we’re dieting—we’re off and running with the feel-bad-about-myself, off-the-diet, longing-to-feel-better-about-myself, back-on-the-diet-cycle once again.

The research on intuitive eating clearly shows that we are able to determine how much food we need. And, by extension, the same research also shows us that we do not need one-size-fits-all portion-control rules to ”properly” fuel our bodies and successfully be at our natural, healthy weight.

Don’t be tempted to jump on the one-portion-size-fits-all bandwagon. Stay attuned! And eat the "right" amount every time.

Stay Attuned Tip

At one meal today, after eating in an attuned way, non-judgementally notice if your protein portion was bigger, smaller, or the same size as a deck of cards.

Stay Attuned Affirmation

"I tune in and eat just the right amount.."

What's New at Nourishing Connections

Last month we highlighted JoLaine Jones’s GenuineYou ezine. This month, we are inspired again, this time by Meg Barnhouse, who is the focus of the September GenuineYou ezine. Among other amazing things, Meg is ">CI", a credential JoLaine has begun to give women who are greater than the Cultural Ideal, who accept themselves as they are, and who possibly even love themselves!

This ezine about Meg Barnhouse comes at a good time. More and more we hear from clients who are convinced that, until they are thin, they will never be happy (or married, or content, etc.). And while there are many women like Meg out there who have earned the >CI credential, we do not get much chance to hear from them. Thanks JoLaine! We need more role models like Meg!

And finally, enjoy Alex Beam’s 9/17/07 Boston Globe article, "Are You Calling Me Fat?" Beam writes, "Did Harvard make me fat? There has been a long-running, delicious food fight pitting a University of Colorado law professor and the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control against the Harvard School of Public Health on the subject of fatitude."

Feedback and Closing

Welcome to our new subscribers, and hello to current members! Stay Attuned™ exists for you. If you have ideas for topics or feedback (did you try an idea? how did it go?), please write us at dr.k@nourishingconnections.com.

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Stay Attuned™ is written by Karin Kratina, PhD, RD
(Dr.K@ nourishingconnections.com) and Amy Tuttle, RD, LCSW
(amyt@ nourishingconnections.com). Edited by Cassie Tuttle.
Please visit us at www.nourishingconnections.com!

© Copyright 2007. Dr. Karin Kratina and Amy Tuttle. All rights reserved.

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DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended to constitute a professional relationship between Karin or Amy or the reader, nor is it intended as therapy or counseling. Be sure to consult a qualified professional if you require medical or psychological services.
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