Volumizing Your Food Ends Up Turning Off Your “Enough” Switch

I was known in my family as the salad girl.

Not just because I was constantly eating salad, but because I would eat it out of a gigantic bowl that was only mine, separate from everyone else's salad. The size of my portion was bigger than the rest of the family's portion combined.

I did the same thing with most vegetables, plus soups and other low-calorie foods. This is called food-volumizing and it encourages people to eat higher quantities of lower-calorie foods to fill up, so that there is the illusion of eating more without actually eating more.

This was my way of life for so many years that I could not fathom eating a "normal person" portion of anything without feeling like I was deprived in some way.

Even as my Intuitive Eating journey continued, I found it difficult not to feel disappointed in plates or bowls that weren't overflowing.

This is a normal response to restriction, both physically and mentally. When your food is regulated and judged, you will crave more and more of it. You will learn the only way to satisfy this hoarding mentality is to stockpile portions of "acceptable" foods so you can have the best of both worlds. (At least, in between binges, when the actual stockpiling forces its way in.)

I remember the first time I had a "regular" portion of dinner and realized it was enough. This was shocking to me, because a "regular" portion of anything had only ever felt like disappointment.

But when your body gets food without modifications or restrictions, it starts to understand what "enough" really is. You aren't broken, and you can find your "enough" switch. But it only happens when you aren't manipulating it elsewhere. And it takes time. Keep going.