This article originally appeared on TasteForLife.com.
Most of us have been there: we stick to a diet, lose weight, abandon the diet, and then put the pounds back on.
This yo-yo cycle is not always our fault. Research indicates that it happens to the vast majority of us.
Long-term dieting can destroy our relationships with food, and it can end up hurting us more than helping us when it comes to weight-loss goals.
What can you do when faced with such a vicious cycle? Consider approaching food more thoughtfully, that is . . . eating intuitively.
What is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating is not a diet or weight-loss plan. There’s no calorie, fat, or carb counting. Its premise is simple: eat when you’re hungry; stop when you’re full.
Created by registered dietitian Evelyn Tribole and nutrition therapist Elyse Resch, intuitive eating is about cluing in to your body’s hunger signals and choosing a wide variety of foods that satisfy.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? When you consider that we are born knowing how to do this, it makes a lot of sense. Think of babies. They turn their head away from the breast or bottle when they’re satiated, never consuming more than they need.
Healthy children retain this skill, eating when they’re hungry and stopping when they’re full. But as time goes on, some kids lose this innate skill due to stressful situations, learned rules, or external influences.
When we become adults, many of us still remain out of touch with our bodies’ cues and signals. We don’t listen to what our bodies truly want when it comes to nourishment.
Intuitive eating is about tuning back in to the body’s need to discover foods that are truly desired. This includes not only healthy items, but also those that satisfy you and bring you joy.
Minding Your Food
To start eating intuitively, listen to your body’s signals to see if you’re physically hungry. So many of us have gotten used to consuming food whenever we see something tasty, or eating at certain set times—whether we’re hungry or not.
- Pay Attention to Your Body Learn the signs of hunger. These can include a gnawing or empty feeling in the stomach, a headache, feeling irritable, or getting tired.
- Choose Your Foods Wisely Next, consider what you want to eat. Ask yourself: will this satisfy me? Do I really want this? Is there something else that may better satiate me?
- Slow Down and Enjoy Take time to taste and savor the food. Pause mid-meal to assess fullness levels. When you feel satisfied, stop. Be gentle with yourself if you slip up and eat more than intended.
A Continuing Practice
When you give yourself leeway to eat the foods you desire, cravings most likely will diminish. And if you consume what your body truly desires, you’re less likely to overeat and will be able to better recognize feelings of fullness.
To remove or cultivate obstacles to body awareness, here are some principles from Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.
- Give Yourself Permission Give yourself unconditional permission to eat. Don’t tell yourself that you can’t or shouldn’t have a certain food. This leads to feelings of deprivation, and can lead to uncontrollable cravings and binges.
- Shed False Hope Get rid of the articles and diet books that promise false hope of dropping weight instantly and permanently. Clinging to even one small promise that this will be the time it works will prevent the success of eating intuitively.
- Environment Matters Eat in an inviting and calming environment to bring pleasure to the meal and help you feel more satisfied with the food.
- Avoid Emotional Eating Resist the temptation to eat out of sadness, boredom, loneliness, or anxiety. In the short term, emotional eating provides distraction from pain. But in the long term, you’ll feel worse and will still have to deal with the emotions. Food doesn’t fix feelings.
- Honor Your Body Honor the body you were born with. It’s unrealistic to disregard your genetic blueprint. Respect and honor your shape, so you can feel better about yourself.
Change for the Better
The success individuals experience with intuitive eating is supported by research. More than 100 studies have found intuitive eating is associated with:
- greater well-being
- lower incidences of disordered eating
- better control over binge eating
- improved body image and self-esteem
Be aware of the pervasive nature of diet culture. Advertisements, social media, and even well-meaning family and friends can adversely influence your relationship with food. Feel at peace with what you eat. You are in charge.
Finally, don’t make intuitive eating into another diet plan. Know that it’s not necessarily about dropping lots of pounds. As your relationship with food continues to improve, your body will naturally settle into a healthy weight range.
Selected Sources:
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, FAND ($19, St. Martin’s Essentials, 2020)
“Intuitive eating for kids . . .” by Alina Petre, MS, RD, www.Healthline.com, 7/13/22
“Mindful eating, intuitive eating, and the loss of control over eating” by Brooke L. Bennett and Janet D. Latner, Eating Behaviors, 12/22
“Trust your gut: a beginner’s guide to intuitive eating” by Maria Godoy, www.NPR.org, 11/5/19
“What is intuitive eating?” by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, www.IntuitiveEating.org
“What is intuitive eating? 10 principles to follow,” https://health.ClevelandClinic.org 6/8/22