Eating the smallest amount possible is not only something that dieters try to do, but it reaches even further than that. Culturally, we are so afraid of obesity and fat, as well as villainizing “gluttony”, that en-mas we view food restriction as a virtue.

I would guess that even people who are not mentally burdened with diet-mentality still think that logically, eating the smallest amount possible, is a good thing.

But let’s think about that for a minute… does it make any biological sense to go through life eating the smallest amount possible at meals?

The smallest amount that can fill us up the better?

The least amount of calories to make us not hungry anymore?

Egg whites and fake noodles and and fat-free yogurt and lots and lots of fiber and water. Yum.

Or maybe its carbs that are feared so its all fats ad proteins and low-glycemic everything, stevia stevia, almond flour and cream.

And 20 minutes later: Grumble Grumble.

I have spent so much time how to figure up how to fill up on the least amount possible. And it has always been a misery. The problem is… it doesn’t make any logical sense. Even that phrase “fill up on the least possible” doesn’t make any sense. It is almost an oxymoron phrase.

Just biologically, if some of our ancestors… even just 150 years ago (no matter what they ate, that is not part of the my debate) went from day to day trying to eat the least amount of food they could- afraid to fill up -afraid to eat a little too much from meal to meal- other people would have thought they were legitimately crazy. Why on earth would they try to eat little? Even if they were afraid of getting fat like their Aunt Marge? Eating normal, nourishing amounts doesn’t make someone fat. They would have known that then! And seeing restrictive food behavior back then would have left their peers so confused.

Even if you are calorically filled up on your egg-whites and flax fiber, coming from the mental position of trying to eat the smallest amount possible is stressful. It is stressful to your mind that wants to survive and flourish and be fed and nourished. That stress alone creates health problems, and further denial-based disordered eating.

The sooner you can switch your eating mentality to one of Nourishment instead of restriction, you will already be setting yourself up to succeed.

We are not wired to thrive mentally or physically on the least amount of food possible.

Fuck That Diet Mentality!

This is more of a personal story than a list of facts, but here it is anyway:

From the standpoint of metabolism and adrenal recovery, caffeine is not the most helpful. It can tax the adrenals and spike cortisol making it difficult to completely restore the metabolism.

It is also used as a “diet aid”, as it can suppress the appetite and artificially speed up the system. This can only work for so long, eventually causing burnout, crashing and probably a slower system altogether in the long run.

I have been very addicted to coffee in the past. It was a crutch to my “intuitive eating”, and I would use it to stretch the time and hunger in between my “intuitive meals”. This was at a time when I was not eating very many carbs, and coffee was not only my appetite suppression, but my energy. I would always drink coffee with cream and no sugar. It was always the thing that I would go for if I was hungry but it wasn’t mealtime and I needed something to tie me over- it was very much my “happy” little vice.

It got to the point where no matter how much caffeine I drank, I didn’t feel a thing, yet I always craved it.

And while I don’t think that a life without coffee is anything that needs to be remedied, (if you don’t drink coffee, I am not telling you to start) my attempts at cutting out coffee completely made me sad! I really like coffee. I like the taste and I like the morning ritual. I didn’t want to be addicted to it, but I didn’t want to live without it completely either.

Adding It Back In

Of course we know that anything can be used and abused, coffee being a prime example of that, and caffeine is also addictive (they tell me). But after a few months without coffee at all (and upping my carbs) I decided to add it back in, thanks to reading Ray Peat.

He is a fan of coffee and claims that it supports the thyroid. How does that information compete with the evidence that it depletes your adrenals? No clue. One is wrong, both are wrong, one is right, one is wrong. Both are right. I don’t care. However, he always suggests it be consumed with food, or at least sugar. so it doesn’t spike and crash your blood sugar, which I have taken to heart.

So, I started back in with one in the morning with my breakfast….

and guess what?…

Having more carbs in general in my diet, makes me crave coffee way less as the day goes on. My body isn’t crying out for energy and stimulation as much as its used to be. And when I think I want a coffee in the afternoon like I used to have (due to boredom, or thirst, or hunger) imagining myself actually drinking a coffee -I realize I do not actually want it at all.

I happened to get my blood tested one morning after my coffee in that first week that I had added coffee back in, and the results came back without any elevated cortisol, so…. booya!

One cup (often a STRONG one) in the morning seems to end up being enough.

And I am very thrilled by the moderation…

Note: This is not a very scientific post…. obviously, but I figure some of you would like to know that a small to moderate amount of coffee isn’t going to senselessly ravage your adrenals.

Still, don’t forget about sleeping, working on stress, and eating food over drinking coffee, and you can probably indulge moderately.

So Fuck It! And drink a little coffee if you want.

Successful Intuitive Eating employs trusting & listening & letting go.

Because of that, part of Intuitive Eating’s success also rests on accepting where you are now and where your body is now.

Here is the thing: If you are attempting to eat intuitively, but still horrified and upset by your body, there will be a subconscious fight with your own intuition. It will be pushing and wishing to speed up the learning process. This can undermine your work. Because if you are secretly wishing you were craving less, or craving different foods, then you are not allowing the whole healing and nourishing process to take place. And you will wonder why you still feel like you aren’t allowed to eat some foods! Its because your subconscious is fighting your honest efforts: wishing you were at the end while you are still on the journey.

Allowing your body to be where it is for as long as it needs to be there is so helpful for supporting your Intuitive Eating Journey.

I know it is hard, but accepting where you are now is the only way to get where you want to go.

A real paradox.