What about my health?
One of the biggest misconceptions I hear about Intuitive Eating and letting go of dieting is that it is “just letting yourself go” or “not caring” about your health.
This is completely false!
Intuitive Eating is a self care framework that prioritizes both your mental and physical health. Reading the book, Intuitive Eating is a great way to get a deeper understanding of the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating, along with the body of research that supports it. I highly recommend reading it! There’s also an Intuitive Eating Workbook and meditation book.
Intuitive Eating gets this poor misconception because people get stuck in the beginning stages of Intuitive Eating which are focused on unlearning diet culture and letting go of your food rules and restrictions. If you have lived with years of restriction and avoiding certain foods, it’s very likely to start with binge eating some of these foods. This is a normal part of the Intuitive Eating process of healing, but it shouldn't stop there. This is just the beginning and this phase is temporary!
The trap that I see happen all the time is when your feel SO SICK AND TIRED of dieting, that you decide to quit dieting and “try this Intuitive Eating” thing for a while.
You dive into the “unconditionally allow all foods” principle and go crazy eating all the foods you had previously restricted. This can lead to feeling sick to your stomach, overly stuffed and bloated. Not fun! You end up thinking “there is no way this is healthy for me” and return to your prior dieting routine because it feels safe and familiar. This pattern only keeps you stuck in the vicious cycle of dieting/binging you were originally trying to break free from! There are other principles of Intuitive Eating like: Gentle Nutrition, Joyful Movement, and honoring hunger and fullness.
I say stick with it! Have patience and get support!
These are keys to success and making a permanent change. This is not a passive process, there is work to be done to unwind years of dieting behaviors. As your Intuitive Eating coach, I would recommend slowly breaking down your dieting rules in a way that feels safe and supportive. Maybe this is enjoying an ice cream cone out with friends, rather than bringing home pints of Ben and Jerry’s. Or maybe you try a new recipe with one previously restricted ingredient, rather than pulling up to an “all you can eat” Chinese buffet.
If you ready to take your relationship with food to the next level, schedule a free breakthrough session HERE to see how you can benefit from this self care framework!
xxoo Kate