How to start eating intuitively (when you live in a culture obsessed with dieting)
Intuitive eating is normal eating. We are all born intuitive eaters. Think about the way babies or little kiddos eat. They ask (or cry) for food when they’re hungry; they eat until they are satisfied, and they move on. They don’t count calories, track their macros or do quick funny math to determine how many burpees they need to do to “make up for it”. They move their bodies gleefully, not for compensation or punishment. They don’t view food in black or white terms (good foods vs bad foods), there are just foods they prefer and those they don’t care for. Somewhere along the way, almost inevitably, we lose this innate ability to decide what sounds good and in what amount...and become reliant on external indicators for satiety.
The reason there are now providers like myself teaching others how to eat intuitively is because of diet culture. So many of my clients come to me saying, “please just give me a meal plan because I have no idea what to eat anymore!”. While I empathize with this, it is not up to me to decide what they anyone should eat, even as a dietitian. YOU are the true expert of your own body- but society has brainwashed you into believing you cannot trust your body. Unlearning diet culture’s beliefs about what you should and should not eat requires time, patience, and curiosity.
More likely than not, you live in diet culture. Diet culture is our societal obsession with thinness, and preoccupation with eating the “right” foods, in the right amounts. You know, so-called “clean” eating, “its not a diet it’s a lifestyle” (definitely still a diet), along with the more traditional diets (hi, Jenny Craig). Oftentimes, eating according to diet culture’s moralistic, rules-driven standards causes us to lose touch with our body’s wisdom. We are all equipped with appetite regulation (our hunger and fullness hormones ghrelin and leptin, respectively), however, when we rely on arbitrary external rules (such as eating at certain times of day), we are led further and further away from the ability to listen to our bodies.
I know what you may be thinking (because I was once there, too)….”listen to your body” sounds too good to be true. And trust me, re-wiring your mindset doesn’t happen overnight. For me, it took years of practice to realize I could trust my body. But the freedom is SO worth it.
If you are fed up with diets and tired of constantly waging war against your body, then perhaps its time to make a shift. To be clear, Intuitive Eating (the brainchild of Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch) is not a diet, it is the antidote to the diets.
So, at this point you may be thinking, how do you start eating intuitively??
Here’s your step-by-step guide:
Take a break from your scale, or better yet- ditch it altogether
Ahhh, the scale. Can we all agree this pesky bathroom fixture is a major bummer? Not only does it offer very little valuable information, but if you’re anything like many of my clients, it can make or break your day. And no inanimate object should hold that much power over you, especially when all it does is show a meaningless number. Do yourself a favor and spare yourself. Chances are, it is only going to hijack or sabotage your relationship with food and your body. No matter what the number is, it cannot inform you how healthy or worthy you are or how well you are taking care of yourself. It is a highly useless measurement. Have a friend hide it, put it in the attic, or shove it in a dumpster :)
Remember, scales are for fish!
“Unsubscribe” from diet culture
Rejecting the diet mentality is a fundamental component of becoming an intuitive eater. This takes time, practice and patience and won’t happen overnight! The first step is bringing awareness to where diet culture is showing up in your life.
o Stop purchasing magazines that promote diets or weight loss strategies
o Toss diet books promising weight loss or restrictive eating patterns
o Head to the “resources” tab in my website for books to read instead!
o Unsubscribe from any e-mails filling your inbox that have diety messaging
Try these two journal prompts:
o Make a list of your values. Now, how well do your exercise and eating choices align with those values?
o Make a list of the things your body does for you, and the things you appreciate about it that have nothing to do with the way it looks
Pump the breaks on your exercise routine, if you feel it may be coupled to your disordered eating/ eating disorder
o Sometimes, food and exercise become intertwined in a transactional relationship (that is, they are used to compensate for each other). This can be very damaging and hiders our ability to have a pleasant relationship with both
o It’s OKAY, encouraged even, to take a break from exercise altogether if you feel has become obsessive, or if you feel guilty for missing a workout. It will always be there.
o Intentions matter!
Clean out your social media.
o “Unfollow” accounts that you find yourself constantly comparing your food, exercise and appearance to
o Instead, follow accounts that promote Health at Every Size (HAES), Intuitive Eating, and body positivity
Write down a list of body-affirming mantras and stick them on your desk, bathroom mirror, or somewhere else you could see them everyday
o Some ideas:
o My body is not a problem
o I do not exist to be put on display or for other’s viewing pleasure
o It is not my life’s purpose to become the smallest version of myself
o My body is a vessel that enables me to live out my values and dreams
Ask yourself what sounds good
o Years of dieting can cause us to lose the ability to decide what we actually want to eat!
o Get curious about what you are in the mood for, what would be satisfying, and honor that!
Get your hands on a copy of “Intuitive Eating”
o This book will guide you through the Ten Principles of IE and introduce you to the premise of this new way of thinking about food (basically the bible for IE)
Seek support
o You do not need to be sick or at “rock bottom” to deserve help! You are worthy and deserving of a life free from dieting, restriction, food and body preoccupation right now. If any of this seems impossible for you, know that it can absolutely work for you. Intuitive eating is for everyone
