Intuitive Eating Mini Series - Part One

Sick of food dictating your thoughts? Sick of being so hard on yourself? Sick of feeling restricted? Are you someone that's been wanting to switch to a more intuitive lifestyle/relaxed approach but doesn’t necessarily know how? Unsure of the steps to take? I've gotchuu friend!! First things first though; intuitive eating - what is it? Intuitive eating is essentially learning to listen to your body and its natural hunger cues/signals. It involves honoring your body's cravings and not restricting any certain foods. It requires learning about your body, in the sense of fueling it when it’s hungry & stopping when you feel satisfied/full. In a general sense, it’s learning to work with your body and not against it. 

Disclaimer: This blog post is not meant to say that intuitive eating is the “right” way or the “only” way to eat. It’s not to shame other styles of eating. Not one lifestyle is better than another. The right style of eating or lifestyle is the one that works best for YOU. It’s about finding something sustainable and maintainable for YOU. This post is intended to inform and educate those who want to take an intuitive approach, but don’t feel fully comfortable doing so quit yet on their own. KK now that we’ve cleared that up for all the potential haterzzz, let’s jump right into this!!!

Learning to live an intuitive lifestyle can be tough for a lot of people initially. Becoming in tune with your body and its natural signals isn’t always easy. However, intuitive eating isn't meant to be easy, especially in a society that idolizes unrealistic standards, revolves around diet culture, and the idea of being in control 24/7. However, it is 100% possible to learn/reteach your body to be more intuitive if you are willing to put in the time and effort. I think that a lot of people begin to feel frustrated or angry when they don’t understand what their body needs right off the bat. We live in a society where everything revolves around instant gratification. We want quick fixes and search for short term solutions. I get the frustration, but you need to understand that this isn’t something that’ll happen overnight. You could spend a lifetime studying your body/learning to understand it and still not know everything!! The human body is SO complex. Our bodies are constantly changing, adapting, requiring new things, etc., so lets be patient!!

First off, I want you to stop thinking of food as the enemy. I want you to stop over analyzing and overthinking it. Why Mik?? I’ll tell yah why!! Food is fuel. Your body needs food to survive. Without food, your body will starve. Without food, your brain cannot function. Your body needs food whether you’ve exercised or not. Your body needs food regardless. That is why. Why over complicate something so crucial to your survival? Not to mention, food is delicious!!!! Stop letting those irrational thoughts build mental barriers.

Next up, I want you to think about why intuitive eating may scare you? Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Make a pros and cons list. Write down anything that may be running through your brain regarding intuitive eating. Just get your thoughts out on paper. Now you can visually see them right in front of you. Maybe you are scared of not having control? Maybe you are nervous to let go and eat intuitively because you’ve been tracking or counting your intake for so long? Maybe you are trying to re-learn how to eat “normal” after struggling with food and restriction? Whatever it may be, let go of those fears and have faith. Trust yourself. Trust that you can do this because YOU CAN. Trust that you aren’t going to gain a ton of weight because YOU WON’T. Trust the process. That’s such an important step of this. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy or that you won't screw up because you probably will (scratch that, you will). Just being honest. Intuitive eating is going to be trial and error at first, just like anything else. You have to push through those uncomfy days and the moments of doubt. You can’t give up when things get tough or when you feel like you are at a standstill. Quitting is not an option. Give things time. Have patience. Remember, NO QUICK FIXES. Keep going, this is for the long term. This is for you. We keep pushing forward for the things we truly want. Good things don’t come easy, but they are always worth it. Pushing through the uncomfy always pays off.

Okie, another thing!!! “Free meals, treat meals, un-tracked meals,” yada, yada, I’m sick of those terms. When we start viewing food as “good or bad”, “healthy versus unhealthy”, or “cheating,” we begin to associate food with guilt. Not only is food fuel, but food is meant to be enjoyed. Feeling guilty for eating something you wouldn’t normally choose to eat is NOT OKAY. It’s not okay to label things or to create rules surrounding food. You should never EVER feel guilty or upset with yourself for eating something, something that you most likely very much enjoyed at that point in time. Pizza, pasta, salad, chocolate, bagels, bread, ANY & ALL FOOD, it is FUEL. Stop calling your protein oats a cheat or a treat. Stop feeling bad for eating a burger and fries with your friends. Don’t feel bad for drinking some margs on the beach. STOP FEELING GUILTY FOR LIVING. “Food rules” create an unhealthy stigma. They are not only detrimental to you and your mindset, but to those around you.

This brings me to my next point. The goal of an intuitive eating lifestyle is to find freedom with food. It allows you to enjoy all foods in moderation. Nothing is off limits. You are not creating food rules or labeling things as good or bad. You are not restricting. Zero food guilt. That sounds too good to be true Mik!! How the heck can I eat all the foods and not feel guilty for it?? When you don’t categorize food, when you don’t label it as good or bad, when you don’t view food as a cheat or treat, healthy or unhealthy, you don’t have to feel guilty for enjoying the food (whatever it may be)!! When you allow yourself to eat foods that make your body feel well nourished and energized, in addition to foods that make your heart and soul happy, you won’t feel the need to binge, restrict, overindulge, etc. We feel the need to do those things when our body feels like it’s being deprived or restricted of something. Your body is SO smart. The more you tell yourself you HAVE to eat kale, the more you are going to DREAD eating kale. The more you tell yourself you CAN’T have that donut, the more you are going to CRAVE that donut!! It’s simple psychology. The more you tell yourself yah can’t have something, the more your mind is gonna tell yah you want it. If your body doesn’t feel  like it’s being deprived, it isn’t going to feel the need to eat the whole pack of oreos, the whole bag of chips, or the entire pizza. If you are honoring your body and its hunger cues/signals on a regular basis, you will get to a point where a few oreos, a handful of chips, and a slice or two of pizza will suffice and satisfy you. Honor your cravings. Respect your body. It will pay off, I promise.

With learning to honor your body and it’s hunger cues comes trial and error. Learning to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full won’t come easy and it won’t be something you learn to do all at once. This is where patience is key. It is crucial. You must understand that it’ll take some messing up.You’ll probably overeat a few times, maybe even under-eat. That’s OKAY. It’s 100% normal to do both of those things at first and even when you become in tune with your body, it’ll still happen!!

My Advice to You:

Give Yourself Grace - don’t be hard on yourself for over-eating or under-eating. Don’t get discouraged because you “mess up.” It’s a learning process. Just because you have a tough go at it for a few days or a few weeks, it doesn’t mean it’ll be tough forever. You didn’t gain a ton of weight for overeating once or twice. You didn't lose a ton of weight for under-eating one day. It will be okay. Stay consistent, have patience, have faith in you and your journey, & you WILL be successful.

Eat Slow - take smaller bites, fully chew your food, and savor the taste of the meal you are eating. Sounds silly right? I know and I thought so at first too, but remember intuitive eating is training your body to eat when it’s hungry and stop when it feels satisfied. If you are chewing your food slowly and enjoying/savoring each bite, you are giving your body the opportunity to recognize its hunger levels. If you eat your food super fast and inhale it all at once, your body doesn’t have the chance to recognize if it’s hungry or full. Make sense? I hope so! Something that helps me with this is eating with baby silverware. Yes, yes, call me crazzzayy, but smaller silverware means smaller bites and more time for my body to recognize what it’s in taking!!

REMEMBER...Nothing is Off Limits - steer clear of the restrictive mindset and tendencies. Be mindful and really try and pinpoint what your body is craving. Focus in on those natural hunger cues. If you truly want the pasta, order the pasta. Eat until you are satisfied. You don’t have to finish the entire thing. Your body will recognize that it can have it again whenever it wants because you are honoring its cravings and listening to its cues. If you are genuinely craving the salad, order the salad. Same deal for any other food friends. No restricting = a happy body & a clear mind.

Focus on YOU - stay in your own lane!! Do what’s best for you. If you are so hyper-focused on what he/she is doing, you are hindering your own success. It doesn’t matter if he/she is tracking macros, it doesn’t matter if he/she weighs out every ounce of food, it doesn’t matter if he/she has a coach, it doesn’t matter if he/she is counting calories, it doesn’t matter if he/she only eats veggies, chicken, and rice, what matters is that you are taking the steps necessary to do what’s best for YOU. If you’ve read this far, it’s safe to assume you are genuinely interested in learning how to intuitively eat. STOP letting other people dictate what's best for YOU or steer you away from something you want for yourself. Comparison is the thief of joy my friend.

Okiiieee this post is already SOOO much longer than intended, but that’s okay because I’m actually going to make this a new little blog post mini series. This will be “part one” of however many I decided to write!! If you have further questions/concerns regarding intuitive eating - shoot me a DM, email me, or ask me a question under the “ask me anything” tab on my blog (these are anonymous btw). I will include them in my upcoming bloggy-blog posts for this intuitive eating mini series. If you have a question, there is likely someone else out there with the very same one. No question is a stupid question so don’t feel embarrassed, nervous or silly for reaching out!! I am hear to help in any way that I can!

And that's a wrap on “part one”… see yah in the next one friends!!

-Mik <3