Intuitive eating
The principles of intuitive eating revolve around listening to your body, what your body needs, and how it responds to food. Reseanterventions that are aimed specifically at losing weight and focus on dieting and restrictions are often ineffective long-term and can be psychologically damaging (NAAFA). Calorie counting, strict exercise routines, and diets may result in weight loss for some individuals, but for others, it can be a step in the wrong direction and delay the journey to long-term health.
What are the guiding principles?
Your natural cues
Your body is well equipped to send you natural hunger cues when it needs more sustenance, however, over years you may have learnt to override or ignore these cues. Denying your body of food can lead to a state of excessive hunger, making it a whole lot more difficult to eat moderately and consciously. Just like with hunger cues, your body will also let you know when you are full. Eat slowly, taste the food and be mindful of what you are eating. Your body will let you know when you are comfortably full. Don’t feel the need to finish your plate just because it is there.
Conscious cravings
Make peace with food and reduce the desire to label food as good or bad. If you tell yourself that you can’t eat a certain food or deny your cravings for it, it can lead to strong impulses to binge. If you feel like chocolate - instead of going around in circles snacking on crackers, muesli bars, dried fruit, or anything else that might curb your craving, just go ahead and have a moderate amount. Sit back, relax, enjoy it and you might just find that it was all you needed. And no, it doesn’t mean you have to do an extra 30 sit-ups.
Honour your body
Make food choices that honour your body and provide it with the nutrients it needs to thrive. Understanding different nutrients, what foods provide them, and how they work in your body can help a lot with understanding the food you’re eating. You’ll learn what food makes you feel good and what doesn’t. Take the emphasis off calorie restrictions and/or counting and focus on the nutrients the food is providing you.
Enjoy movement
Find movement that you enjoy and notice the intrinsic benefits of it. How does it feel to move your body? Does it make you feel energized or happy afterwards? Shift the focus from extrinsic benefits such as how many calories you are burning. Find something you enjoy doing and you’re more likely to stick to it long-term. For me - I dislike going to the gym. In my whole life, I have had a gym membership for about 1 year and whilst it lasted short-term, I soon found I was dragging myself to the gym. Now I focus on aerial silks, yoga, surfing, beach walks and so much more. However, if you happen to love the gym, working out or running then go for it! Whatever gets your body moving.
Be kind to yourself
We experience a lot of emotions throughout our life. Anxiety, depression, anger, loneliness, and boredom each have their own trigger and everyone has their own way of dealing with them. Emotional eating won’t fix these feelings long-term. Instead, look at solving the problem at its root cause or through other measures such as yoga, meditation, or talking it out. Be kind to yourself and find ways to nurture, comfort, understand and resolve the emotions.
