What is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating is an approach to eating that puts you in the driver's seat. (Our bodies are the vehicles that carry us through life. Therefore you should be the one who is in control of this precious vehicle). This approach helps you to develop a healthy relationship with food and your body. You will become more aware of your body’s cues, find it easier to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger, and be more confident to make your own decisions on what, when and how much to eat. It is literally ‘trusting your gut’! It is not about weight loss. Intuitive Eating is a well researched and evidence based framework as shown by numerous studies. The basis of this framework is 'The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating' which was devised by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995.
You can find my FREE ‘10 tips to begin to ‘unlearn’ Diet Culture and begin Eating Intuitively’ here
Who is Intuitive Eating and other Frequently Asked Questions
If you’ve already tried every diet out there, (maybe some more than once), you will realise that dieting is NOT the answer. Recent research shows that 95% of diets FAIL long term (most people who do manage to lose weight will regain all of it, and, quite often, more besides within 2-5 years) Therefore, you are not to blame, it is NOT your fault and it has nothing to do with your ability or your ‘willpower’! Diet culture has failed you - in order to guarantee repeat business and to continue their multi billion pound industry.
Do you relate to any of the following?
You have yo yo dieted for years
You are now heavier than ever
You’ve tried a variety of diets, plans, potions and pills
You have joined Slimming World (or other weight loss groups) possibly numerous times!!
You have counted calories, macros, points or syns
You have tried exercise to burn/earn calories
You have spent a small fortune on gym equipment/memberships
You avoid social occasions especially when food is involved
You dread meeting people who you haven’t seen for a while
Your relationships with partners, friends and family is affected by your body image
You do not know what to do next
Intuitive eating offers you a way out of this misery. It provides a route to food freedom and away from stress and anxiety. A life where your head is not completely full of thoughts about food. What will you eat? When? How much?
You will no longer see foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ’healthy’ or ‘junk’. Guilt and shame about your food choices will be a thing of the past! You will be able to eat and enjoy all of your favourite foods, (nothing is banned), meaning you will feel happy and satisfied. All of this, and more, is possible when you take the leap of faith into the unchartered waters of Intuitive Eating.
Is Intuitive Eating Healthy?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get! Research has shown that Intuitive Eating has far more health benefits than the weight cycling that most of us have undergone to try to lose weight. Our bodies are extremely clever at doing one thing in particular - keeping us alive!! When we restrict food, (diet), our bodies think food is going to be scarce so it implements various systems to keep us safe. This has a lasting, detrimental, impact on our health.
Another point to add here is that Health does not equate to Weight.
(Don’t get me started on the infamous BMI)!!
What are the benefits of Intuitive Eating?
Freedom from food obsession
Lower occurrence of eating disorders
More balanced metabolism
Improved cholesterol levels
Increased energy
Lower stress levels
Improved mental health
Improved body awareness
Enhanced self-esteem
Improved levels of happiness
I feel I should add at this point that there are many misconceptions around Intuitive Eating. If you were to believe many of the posts on social media you could be forgiven for thinking that is otherwise known as the ‘Hunger & Fullness’ diet. That you can eat exactly what you want, all day long. That you don’t have to think about nutrition.
All of this is false. Eating Intuitively means listening to your body. If you eat chocolate, crisps, biscuits or cheese like this you will not feel your best. Your body will let you know. (bloating, indigestion and tummy ache etc.) This is where your intuition comes in. Remember, you are in control. It is up to you whether you want to feel this way or to simply add some delicious, nutritious foods to your meals/snacks to add variety rather than taking away the foods you enjoy.
Satisfaction in eating good food is one of life's most wonderful gifts . Give yourself this gift, and find the deep level of joy that has been missing in one of your most fundamental life experiences. You deserve it. Make celebrations with family and friends something to look forward to and totally embrace them. Enjoy all the birthdays. Immerse yourself in every experience you can. Don’t put your life on hold until you’ve lost ‘X’ amount of weight, reached a certain clothes size or achieved a pre-designated target.
Finally, the biggest question of all ………..”Will I lose weight?”
Intuitive eating is NOT a diet. There are no rules. No wagon to fall off. No plan to fail at. You will probably find it difficult at first, especially if you have dieted or followed some kind of eating plan for a long time.
The whole concept is that all of us are different. We are meant to be. Lots of different things impact how our bodies look. Genetics and social environment play a huge part. Race and culture too.
The problem is - there is no money to be made in this!
The pharmaceutical industry would go bust if we didn’t ‘buy into’ their solutions for problems that don’t actually exist.
Weight loss pills
Cellulite creams
Injections like Wegovy
Bariatric surgery
How many gyms are there in your area that would go under if we stopped using exercise as a means of weight control? Instead of using enforced exercise as a means of punishment (because you ate something you shouldn’t have) or in order to ‘earn’ more calories, why not use movement to feel more energetic, gain more strength, reduce stress or to simply have fun?!
Imagine never having to buy another diet book again. Or join another slimming group. No more pills, potions, creams or supplements.
What if the world just accepted that we are all meant to be different? If there was no stigma attached to being in a large body. It is diet culture that creates this. It is not factual. There is an abundance of research that proves this. When you next see a news article quoting a research paper, please do your own research into who funded the research. Who were the people involved and what connections do they have with any organisations who may profit from the results. You will be amazed!!
So, rather than lining the pockets of the diet industry, let’s just allow our bodies to be whatever size they are happy to be. When you eat intuitively your body will decide what it needs.
At first you may gain weight, as you adjust to being ‘allowed’ to eat all foods without judgement. However, once your body accepts that there is no scarcity, it will adjust and keep you around ‘your’ ideal weight. (We all fluctuate slightly day to day, even hour to hour). This is called your ‘set point’ weight.
To conclude, the answer to the question “Will I lose weight?” is yes, you might do. On the other hand you may gain weight. And, quite possibly, you may stay the same. The more important question is “will you feel better?” The answer to that is ‘You won’t know until you try’. This may sound harsh but hear me out. If, like me, you have tried dieting over and over again, what can you lose (pardon the pun) by trying something different?
As Einstein said “Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity”
