Intuitive Eating – Part 2

Posted: March 31, 2010 at 9:54 pm

Whew! Things have been super busy the past few days. I have been meaning to get this post going to continue the Intuitive Eating series for a few days. If you missed the introductory post, you can click here to get caught up. Even without reading it, I am sure you know that I am all for the intuitive eating style of doing things. I think it is the best way to honor the bodies God blessed us with and treat ourselves with respect. But it does take serious practice. I will now start going through the 10 principles the Intuitive Eating authors, Tribole & Resch, claim will help you become an intuitive eater yourself and how I have experienced them myself. I will only be able to get to 1 or 2 per post, so as not to weigh things down. Let's begin with #1 shall we? 🙂

Principle #1 - Reject the Diet Mentality

I guess the carrots fit my diet better...

Stop worrying about weight. Stop trying to find the next best diet, fastest weight loss routine, most powerful pill, amazing trick to shed those pounds, etc. The diet mentality is often to do something drastic for a short period of time to reach a goal....and then slowly watch it backfire as you go back to your normal lifestyle. It is not healthy to diet that way, yet that is the prevalent message in our culture today.

Supplements

Diet Books

The weight loss and supplement industry is a BILLION dollar industry. Because we just soak it in and believe all the lies. Has it ever crossed your mind that these people don't want you to succeed by following their methods? After all, how many people after not having the success they hoped for from a "diet" or "weight loss plan", will be looking at the next tool from that industry to do it all over again? A lot.

As passionate healthy living bloggers, a lot of us will stand up and claim that a diet is not the way to go, but a lifestyle change. That is great! And I agree wholeheartedly that you have to incorporate healthy living and eating into what works for the long haul, not viewing things as a 12 week program to do and then forget about. However, how many of us started that path towards a healthy lifestyle still as a means to a dieting end? How many of us shout the praises of roasted brussels sprouts, greek yogurt, oats, berries, and avocados but deep within view those foods as the "right" thing to eat to get (or stay) at our perception of our own perfect weight, size, etc?

I Heart Veggies!

I do believe many of us enjoy these foods for how they make us feel and the health benefits they bring, but there is still a bit of a dieter's mentality attached to them. For example, could you turn around and enjoy eating a decadent dessert that doesn't offer all the health benefits of broccoli and quinoa and still feel guilt free? Or not worry about it affecting your reflection in the mirror? Truthfully?

The first step to breaking away from the rules and embracing intuition in the kitchen is to not worry about how something fits into a diet. Not focusing on hitting X amount of calories or X amount of carbohydrate grams. Not worrying about having 5 mini meals a day because it fits the "plan". And you won't blow up from doing so. I blew off the diet mentality when I was working on losing the baby weight from Makenzie. I just ate healthy items, enjoyed treats when I really wanted something, and did exercise I enjoyed. I was able to be consistent with it because it was just a part of my life and I didn't stress over it. I kept eating how worked for me with no particular plan or calculations and let my body do its thing. And I ended up in the best shape of my LIFE! Even before the competition prep, when intuitive eating went out the window. (Once again, my feelings on comp prep are a post for another day and another time.) That proved to me that a "diet" was not necessary. Simply living and being mindful of my body was enough. And it can be enough for you too. Your body will do amazing things if you just listen to it. Screw dieting.

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No Comments to “Intuitive Eating – Part 2”
  1. Heather says:

    i really like this series since i’m trying to figure out how to eat intuitively myself. it’s not easy, but i was so excited that i actually did it today! every little step is worth a celebration 🙂

  2. I read IE a few years ago and it helped me alot. I don’t look at any food as good or bad – food it just food!

  3. inmytummy says:

    I have a lot of trouble with intuitive eating. While I don’t follow a gimmicky diet or anything, I have some problems telling if I’m hungry or not. I should read that book.

  4. Seriously. I agree with all of this. Intuitive eating is such a freeing way to eat! It totally removes all stress when it comes to diet.

  5. hannah says:

    Hi tina!!

    So i have been following your blog for a couple weeks now and i have to say I LOVE IT!! I find you very inspiring and refreshing in your look on health and fitness!! Keep up the good work and i will def be checking out this book!!!:)

    Hannah

    • Tina says:

      Thank you so much for your kind words!! They made my night. Feel free to comment more. I love getting to know my readers. 🙂

  6. Jenn N. says:

    I don’t think there is a “best” way to honor God. I happen to follow a mostly kosher diet b/c of my faith (I’m not Jewish). I felt like this way the best way for ME to honor God but don’t necessarily believe it’s the best way for anyone else to honor God.

    Some people function (for whatever reasons) better with more boundaries and labels. Others not so much. Everyone’s journey, past, and present is so different. What is helpful for one person may be havoc for another.

    I’m glad you have found a mindset that works for you. I’m interested in learning more as I have yet to read this book. 🙂

    • Tina says:

      VERY good points! I moreso meant it is the best way to honor God by not limiting ourselves from things we enjoy and a way of eating that brings us less stress and more satisfaction. Simply not eating something because you feel you shouldn’t, and then end up not at peace about it, is what is harmful and takes the focus off of God and puts more emphasis on food. So that eating style may be different for each person or have different restrictions, but they would still be eating intuitively by eating in a way that brings them peace, happiness, and satisfaction. Thanks for bringing this up though!

  7. Vee says:

    Oh, diet industry is very, very bad. I avoid anything labelled ‘diet’, ‘low fat’ etc. Even now when I am on a mission to shape up for my beach holiday, I am still eating plenty of natural food home made food.

  8. This is a great post! i did the tst and got 0, what does that mean?! I definitely need to work on this! xx

    • Tina says:

      I think the test result thing isn’t working. The quiz just mainly pointed out some things to consider in my own eating habits. I wish it gave real results though!

  9. what a great post, tina, and i plan to post in the next few days about watching skylar eat intuitively and as parents, if we dont mess that up, and as a society if we learn to listen to our cues and not put crap food in our bodies, this way can work. mindfulness is key though! can’t wait for the comp prep post 🙂

    • Tina says:

      Love that idea! It’s so amazing to watch kids eat. They know how to do it. And I agree that we do have to be mindful. And if nothing is off limits, once we embrace that our bodies will naturally want the healthy stuff because we will recognize honestly feeling good.

  10. Jennifer says:

    Everything thing in this post is so true. Whether we like to admit it or not, sometimes just eating healthy still leads us to that “diet” mentality. I just found out that my local library has this book and I can’t wait to read it. I also look forward to your other posts about this subject. Great job!

  11. Again, another awesome post! I once read something about diets – don’t do it if it’s not they way you can live for the rest of your life. For example, becoming vegetarian just to lose weight but not for any other valid reason such as health benefits or personal/ethical reasons. Same for no carb, lo carb, high protein, cabbage only, gluten free, etc. only in the name of loosing weight.

  12. I agree, the diet industry doesn’t want you to lose weight, they want you to keep using their product! But the fresh produce industry will never try to make you do anything =)

  13. Sunny says:

    i love your posts miss tina!

    i’ve never read intuitive eating but i think it’s important to live a life free of the so called “dieting” mentality (which i have to admit is hard for me to do sometimes).. it’s sad that people even have these thoughts and take it to extremes. it’s one thing to be healthy and eat in moderation but it’s another to constantly be dieting & thinking about food. i think the media plays a BIG role in this. seriously..back in the day none of this was out in the open and i think people lived much happier and carefree lives. nothing we can do about it i guess except try and look past it!

  14. Kelly says:

    Could not agree more! A diet insinuates a beginning and an end…screw that! Let’s focus on a healthy lifestyle that has no end and is sustainable and good!! 🙂 LOVE THIS POST!

  15. Lindsey says:

    Nice post, Tina!

    I rarely feel guilty for eating something ‘unhealthy’, in fact, I’ve been sick for the past free days and veggies are just not doing it for me, the thought of em’makes me sick! LOL! I had ice cream for dinner last night…that was what I was craving.

  16. Love these posts, Tina! You’re so right about the importance of just being mindful and eating according to your body’s cues. I’m working on intuitive eating now. I calorie counted for years after losing 135lbs and I’m finally at a point where I think I can let the numbers go and stand on my own.
    I think you make a great point also about how we all have a slight diet mentality. I mean, it is impossible to not praise the healthiness of some foods and not others. Brussels aren’t the same as Snickers, so naturally there is a different thought process that goes on when eating each.
    Happy Thursday!

    • Tina says:

      Definitely true that foods are not created equal. It’s all about listening to our bodies. And if we truly do that, they will usually want the healthy items we enjoy. Because our bodies feel good with nutrients.

  17. Amen. I’ve really being trying to do this lately and I have to say, best thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s still a struggle sometimes but if you listen, if you TRULY listen to your body, it all balances out.

  18. Ameena says:

    I haven’t read Intuitive Eating but I don’t think I eat that way! Not sure what happened to me but now I feel compelled to eat certain things and not eat other things, instead of just eating what I feel like eating!

  19. Hallie says:

    Thanks for this post. I thought this was something I didn’t know how to do but now I realize I do, sometimes. Last night I picked up a pepperoni pizza for my boyfriend, and he wanted me to have pizza with him. But I really wanted soup with extra veggies because I knew the pizza would make me feel sick and the soup was homemade, and comforting and delish. I did end up having a tiny slice of the pizza and it was good, but I loved eating the soup more. I guess that was intuitive eating? Eating what I really want that I know will make me feel good, whatever “feeling good” is in that moment.

    • Tina says:

      Exactly! You ate what you wanted, and it happened to be the healthier option because you are aware of your body and how it feels in response to certain foods. Awesome example.

  20. lisaou11 says:

    love it! I actually had quite a good intuitive eating day today. def puts a smile on my face

  21. Amen! What a great post. This is my philosophy as well. It really breaks my heart to see someone I care about hop from one new diet to the next in hopes of finding the miracle they are looking for. The “miracle” is right in front of them but they just aren’t able to see it.

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