Many of us have ventured into various dieting approaches, be it for shedding or gaining weight, detoxification, or enhanced energy levels. However, how long did these diets truly last? Did they merely endure for a predetermined period of a week or month, after which you reverted to your prior habits? Or have you perhaps stayed committed until now, a reality that might resonate amongst us vegetarians.
Weight loss diets, on the other hand, the focal point of this discussion, present a challenge. Sustaining a calorie deficit and abstaining from our favorite foods and treats can be back-braking and often proves unsustainable.
Initially, there might be noticeable changes in weight but often the body resists further weight loss after a few weeks of the deficit, hindering further progress or even prompting the body to retain fat.
Moreover, stringent diets lack long-term viability. The more we deny ourselves what we desire, the more likely we are to give in. Painful adherence to a sugar-free, low-carb diet and succumbing to a piece of cake can leave us feeling like everything we've worked for is undone, leading to a relapse. While this isn't universal, many can relate.
So, what's the alternative?
Intuitive eating.
Intuitive eating, unlike traditional diets, is not about rigid food rules or strict calorie counting. It's a philosophy centered around listening to your body's natural cues, trusting its signals of hunger and fullness, and cultivating a healthy relationship with food.
Rather than focusing on external cues like meal plans or calorie restrictions, intuitive eating emphasizes internal cues, allowing your body to guide your eating choices. It encourages mindfulness, understanding the difference between physical hunger and emotional triggers for eating, gradually guiding us toward an intuitive approach to food selection that prioritizes optimal nourishment.
This approach promotes the idea of enjoying all foods in moderation, without labeling them as 'good' or 'bad.' By honoring your body's signals, you can cultivate a more sustainable, balanced, and joyful relationship with food, ultimately leading to a healthier lifestyle and positive body image that isn't bound by stringent dietary rules.
I've experimented with numerous diets before, often fixating on eating healthy and compensating with extra exercise if I didn't comply. However, despite these efforts, I constantly felt like something was missing, lacking real connection with my body. Since embracing intuitive nourishment, which includes a more generous approach to eating and allowing occasional treats, I've never felt more aligned with my body, stopped obsessing over which foods I should and shouldn´t eat, and feel an abundance of love towards my body.
While the concept might be straightforward, putting it into practice might be hard to implement, therefore the following present some practices to ditch dieting and eat more intuitively:
Mindful eating: Engage in mindful eating by dedicating your attention solely to the food in front of you. Avoid distractions like phones or television, allowing yourself to savor every bite. Slow down by consciously putting your cutlery down between bites and recognizing the sensation of fullness, enabling you to better gauge your body's cues during meals.
For in depth insights on mindful eating refer to my blog post: https://www.m-poweredhealth.com/post/the-art-of-eating-mindfully
Honor hunger: Respect your body's hunger cues by honoring and acknowledging them. Rather than sticking rigidly to set meal times, eat when you genuinely feel hungry, aligning your eating patterns with your body's natural signals.
Fullness awareness: Tune into your body's signals indicating fullness and satisfaction during a meal. Take breaks to evaluate if you've reached a point of contentment, regardless of the amount of food left. Stop eating when you're about 80% full, even if it means putting some leftovers back in the fridge, which brings us to the next point:
Portion control: Portion control has become increasingly challenging due to the significant rise in portion sizes over time, significantly affecting our eating habits and making it challenging to manage weight and avoid overeating. Larger portions often lead to consuming more calories than needed, which is why it´s important to start with smaller portions and taking a break before considering seconds can help foster mindful eating.
Respectful eating: Respectful eating or eating for satisfaction revolves around acknowledging and embracing the pleasure associated with food. It involves choosing foods that not only nourish the body but also satisfy the senses and emotional aspects of eating. Often, we're encouraged to eat certain foods solely because they're deemed healthy or label foods as “good” or “bad”, disregarding our personal preferences and cravings. However, mindful and respectful eating emphasizes the enjoyment of meals without guilt or judgment and deriving satisfaction from our meals.
Body awareness journal: Creating a body awareness journal serves as a beneficial tool in allowing for a deeper connection with oneself. This practice involves writing down observations about how different foods make you feel, your emotions surrounding eating, and physical sensations during and after meals. By documenting these details, you become more attuned to your body's responses, aiding in understanding personal triggers, patterns, and preferences.
Check-in before eating: Checking in with yourself is also a practice to nurture body awareness and can simply mean taking a moment to check in before indulging. Assess physical hunger levels and emotional cues to gain insight into genuine hunger signals rather than eating out of habit or emotional triggers.
Cope with emotions: Recognizing how emotions influence eating behaviors is essential. By acknowledging when you turn to food as a way to cope with stress, sadness, or other emotional states, you can cultivate a more balanced approach to eating. Incorporating alternative strategies like mindfulness, meditation, or engaging in activities that provide emotional support beyond food helps in managing emotions without relying solely on eating.
Nutrition education: Understanding the fundamental principles of nutrition is pivotal in cultivating a healthy relationship with food and involves gaining knowledge about macronutrients, micronutrients, food groups, and their roles in the body. It will allow you to make informed choices, interpret food labels, and comprehend dietary recommendations. Enhancing your knowledge increases the likelihood of making food choices that promote health, even without giving it too much thought.
Mindful grocery shopping: Approach your grocery trip with intention and awareness and prioritize foods that make you feel good and satisfied, while applying your nutritional knowledge on what nourishes your body. Choose a diverse range of foods that align with your body's cravings and needs.
For a more detailed approach on how to grocery shop for a health promoting diet, refer to one of my previous posts: https://www.m-poweredhealth.com/post/grocery-shopping-done-right
Celebrate the freedom and learn to understand your body's unique needs and step away from the cycle of unsustainable, rigid diets, meal plans and harsh “No´s”. Approaching this method takes time and mindfulness, but it leads to a beautiful bond with food and self-care, allowing for a less rigid and more instinctive approach to eating.
If you're struggling to navigate your journey towards becoming an intuitive eater, consider joining my "12-Week Master Intuitive Nourishment" program for personalized assistance and guidance towards your holistic well-being journey.
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