How many diets have you started in your life? How many times have you felt like it was hopeless and you’ve given up?
Here in the U.S., diets are all the rage. It seems everyone is always trying a new one and their friends are always expressing just how crazy it seems. You commit for a few days or weeks and then you feel like you’re super restricted. You might lose weight but it’s never something that really works in the long run. We even have competition shows based around who can lose the weight the fastest.
There’s another way that feels less restrictive and is more sustainable in the long run.
Intuitive Eating is quite literally the nutritional philosophy that encourages you to listen to and follow the cues your body is giving you. Through the process you learn to build the mind-body connection with what it is you eat every day.
Compared to what you’re used to, it can sound pretty scary. But when you learn to listen in, it becomes natural.
The first thing to know is that this isn’t a diet— it’s a way of life. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I don’t “do diets” per se, but believe in eating whole, clean foods as a lifestyle. You may have heard people reference the fact that they “just eat real food” or live an 80/20 lifestyle. While these two things aren’t identical to Intuitive Eating, they do get you heading down the right path. Just eat— and give yourself flexibility.
The next thing you need to know is that you must honor, and trust, your body. This means that you do not beat yourself up over the Snickers you ate last night. And equally, if your body is telling you that you are starving, you allow yourself to eat a bit more — however, that doesn’t mean you have a free license to overeat. 🙂
It also means that you must learn to listen to the signals your body gives you. What this really means is that you must slow down while you’re eating. Often times we overeat because we inhale our food faster than our bodies can signal that we’re full. (Does this sound familiar?) Take your time and enjoy what’s going in your mouth and recognizing those signals becomes easier.
It can take some time to adjust to this new way of life. You won’t see the inches fall off overnight. But the more you pay attention, the more you’ll start to hear your body telling you what you really need. You will mess up on the journey and that’s okay. You’re learning to change the signals your body (and society!) has told you to think and eat your entire life.
Focus on building your relationship with your body day-by-day and you’ll quickly see how easy it is to incorporate this into your daily life.
If you are struggling in this area of your life, it would be my privilege to help you reach your breakthrough to healthy living. Schedule a FREE breakthrough session with me >>CLICK HERE<<