Intuitive eating is often billed as a revolutionary approach to eating that has gained popularity in recent years. In actuality, intuitive eating has been around since the dawn of humans. We are born knowing how to eat. Our bodies send us hunger and fullness cues, and we react instinctively. As we get older, we take in external signals rather than trusting our body and what it’s telling us. For those of us who have been following diets or popular “healthy lifestyle” plans such as noom, paleo, keto, intermittent fasting etc., we’re often ignoring or even directly going against our bodies signals.
Diets don’t work.
This has been proven over and over again. And most people know this. It’s why most diets aren’t even called diets anymore. But the goals are the same. If you are following an eating or exercise plan to lose weight or keep your weight in check, you are still following a diet. And you are almost certainly going to fail, because we are not meant to ignore our internal cues about hunger and fullness.
For every pound we lose through dieting and restriction, we tend to gain it back, and as time goes on, we often gain back just a little bit more. For many people, this is what feeds the endless diet cycle. And it’s not just our bodies that suffer. Our self-esteem suffers too. We experience extreme highs and lows depending on what the scale says or whether we feel skinny or fat on any particular day. Or we compare ourselves against our naturally thin friends and family and feel like losers because we don’t naturally look that way. Over time, this cycle of failure leads to deep shame.
It took me a long time to understand that my body is naturally broader and more muscular and/or fleshy than many. I was never going to be capable of achieving the level of thinness I desired. I did everything within my power to change that, including medically supervised weight loss programs and prescription pills. And when I couldn’t achieve that thinness, I sought to at least achieve athletically so people wouldn’t think I was a worthless slob. Inside, I was never good enough. If I wasn’t pushing and striving and achieving, I was nothing. It took a family crisis for me to see that I needed to address my own issues around food, and that dieting wasn’t the answer. Enter, intuitive eating.
Quick disclosure: This article is intended for educational purposes and is not meant to be considered medical advice.
What Is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating is not a diet, although there are people who have tried to turn it into one. It is also not a weight loss plan. The goal is not weight loss, although you might lose weight with intuitive eating. But you may not lose weight with intuitive eating. You may also gain weight before you lose weight. I’ve written a post about what might happen to your body when you start intuitive eating. Most people coming into intuitive eating are naturally still hung up on their weight, but with time, this will become less of a focus as you learn to again enjoy food and move for joy rather than burning calories. It’s a framework for making peace with food and learning to trust your body again.
While intuitive eating can be a powerful tool for improving your relationship with food and your body, it is also not a quick or easy process. Understand that it could take years for you to fully transition into an intuitive eater, but you will start to see a shift in your mindset much faster. Here are some tips to help ease you into intuitive eating.
Tips to Get Started with Intuitive Eating
1. Understand the principles of intuitive eating.
Before you begin practicing intuitive eating, it’s important to know the principles behind it. The 10 principles of intuitive eating, as developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch over 25 years ago, are:
- Reject the diet mentality
- Honor your hunger
- Make peace with food
- Challenge the food police
- Feel your fullness
- Discover the satisfaction factor
- Cope with your emotions with kindness
- Respect your body
- Movement–feel the difference
- Honor your health with gentle nutrition
Tribole and Resch have published a book called Intuitive Eating, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy, so you can read through the principles and really understand what they mean. Remember, intuitive eating is not a diet or a set of strict rules to follow. Rather, it’s a mindset and a way of approaching food and your body with respect and compassion.
2. Start with self-compassion.
Intuitive eating is all about learning to be kind to yourself. This means letting go of negative self-talk, perfectionism, and the idea that you need to “earn” or achieve your worth or value, especially through food or exercise. Instead, try to approach yourself and your eating habits with curiosity, kindness, and empathy.
One way to cultivate self-compassion is through mindfulness practices like meditation or breathing exercises. These can help you tune into your body and your emotions, and become more aware of your thoughts and feelings around food. Another way to practice self-compassion is to surround yourself with positive influences, like supportive friends or social media accounts that promote body positivity and intuitive eating.
3. Give yourself permission to eat.
One of the most important, if not the most important, aspect of intuitive eating is allowing yourself to eat all foods without guilt or shame. This means letting go of the idea that some foods are “good” and others are “bad” and should be avoided. Allow yourself to enjoy the foods you truly love and rediscover those that you’ve cut out of your life.
This can be challenging if you’ve spent years dieting or restricting certain foods. If you need to, start by allowing yourself to eat one “forbidden” food each day, and gradually work up to incorporating more variety and flexibility into your meals and snacks. While you might initially think to yourself, “I don’t have any food rules or forbidden foods,” it’s highly likely you will discover you have lots of “hidden rules” around food or foods you have avoided or limited in your life for a variety of reasons.
Diet culture has taught us that emotional eating is wrong and that we should only eat to fuel our bodies, but food is also a source of pleasure, comfort, and connection. We eat for many reasons beyond hunger, and this is part of us being human. It will take time to learn to enjoy food without guilt or shame, even when you crave comfort food or you’re hungry when you don’t think you should be. Allowing yourself to enjoy the foods you love without guilt or shame can help you cultivate a more positive relationship with food and your body.
4. Listen to your body.
Intuitive eating is all about learning to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, and using them to guide your eating habits. This means paying attention to how your body feels before, during, and after eating, and making choices based on what feels good and satisfying to you.
Some people will take this advice to the extreme, and turn every eating experience into an experiment, where you’re constantly checking in with yourself about whether you’re hungry, starting to get to full, or are already full. I would caution you against this. While some people early on may find it helpful to journal and record hunger and fullness levels before and after meals, others coming from diet culture will find that interrupts their ability to tune into their body. Remember, your body knows what it needs, and learning to trust its signals can be a powerful tool for improving your health and well-being.
5. Practice self-care.
Intuitive eating isn’t just about what you eat; it’s also about how you take care of yourself. For many of us, this means healing our relationship with ourselves. It also means prioritizing rest, relaxation, movement, and other forms of self-care. For many of us who have suffered from poor self-worth because of our bodies, this will require time and intention.
Some examples of self-care that can support intuitive eating include:
- Getting plenty of sleep. Lack of sleep can disrupt your hunger and fullness cues, making it harder to listen to your body.
- Moving your body: Exercise can be a great way to connect with your body and improve your overall health. Choose activities that you enjoy and that feel good to your body. If you’re coming from a place of extreme exercise for the sole purpose of weight loss, you may feel lost or uncertain about what is “normal” at the beginning of this process. Walking is always a great starting place. Try not to overthink it. If you need to take a time out from movement, do it.
- Reduce your stress: Stress can disrupt your eating habits by blocking the signals to your body. Find ways to manage stress that works for you. Meditation, yoga, therapy, journaling, massage, or long baths are a few ways to help manage stress.
- Find your joy: Intuitive eating is all about finding pleasure and satisfaction in food as well as nourishing your body. Make time for activities that bring your joy and pleasure, such as reading, listening to music, dancing, spending time with friends and family, or doing a hobby.
6. Seek support.
Intuitive eating may seem overwhelming or confusing at first, especially if you’ve spent years dieting or struggling with disordered eating. It’s important to seek out support from those who will others who can help you stay motivated, accountable, and compassionate with yourself.
Some examples of support that may be helpful for your intuitive eating journey include:
- Working with a registered dietitian who specializes in intuitive eating: A dietitian can help you understand the principles of intuitive eating, develop personalized strategies for listening to your body’s cues, and provide ongoing support and accountability.
- Joining a support group or community: Connecting with others who are also practicing intuitive eating can be a great source of inspiration, encouragement, and validation. Look for online groups, local meetups, or workshops that focus on intuitive eating and body positivity.
- Reading books or listening to podcasts about intuitive eating: There are many resources available that can help you deepen your understanding of intuitive eating and provide practical tips for getting started. Some popular books on the topic include “Intuitive Eating” by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, “Body Kindness” by Rebecca Scritchfield, and “Anti-Diet” by Christy Harrison.
7. Embrace the process.
Intuitive eating is not a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s a journey that involves learning to trust yourself, let go of old habits and beliefs, and cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness and self-compassion.
Be patient with yourself and embrace the ups and downs of the process. You may have days when you feel confident and in tune with your body’s signals, and other days when you struggle with old patterns of thinking or eating. Remember that every step you take toward intuitive eating is a step in the right direction, and that the journey is just as important as the destination. I think of intuitive eating as the ultimate “trust the process” exercise.
To sum it up, intuitive eating is a powerful tool for improving your relationship with food and your body. By understanding the principles of intuitive eating, practicing self-compassion, listening to your body, prioritizing self-care, seeking support, and embracing the process, you can begin your intuitive eating journey in a positive and realistic way. Remember that intuitive eating is not a diet or a set of strict rules to follow, but a way of approaching food and your body with kindness, curiosity, and respect. With time and practice, you can develop a more intuitive and joyful relationship with food that supports your overall health and well-being.