Intuitive Eating Mini Series - Part Two
- Mik
- Aug 12, 2018
- 6 min read
I uploaded part one of this series about a month or so back, and I apologize for the delay on part two, BUT WE BACK & that's all that really matters!! Feel free to go back and re-read part one before continuing if yah need a refresher or haven't had a chance to read it already!
Alright, lets get into it! There's always a consistent trend that seems to "take over" for a brief period of time (generally speaking about the fitness industry). For a while it was clean eating, then macro tracking, and as of lately it seems as if intuitive eating is the new hot topic. I am a firm believer that intuitive eating should be the end goal for each and every person. Every individual should work towards a long term goal of listening to their body and providing it with what it wants and needs at any given point in time. Intuitive eating allows food freedom, the ability to stop fixating on calories, it alleviates the obsession with weighing out every piece of food, it allows one to gain flexibility with eating out, and creates an overall well balanced lifestyle in the long term.
Is intuitive eating for everyone? Absolutely not (at least in the beginning). If you are someone that has dealt with a past of restriction, if you are someone that's struggling with food, if you are someone that can't let go off an obsession with calories, or someone that may not have general knowledge regarding what your body needs, proper serving sizes, etc., than intuitive eating may not be the best starting approach for you. Please note: I used the term "starting approach" because if you are struggling with any of those things, intuitive eating could possibly be detrimental for you in the beginning. In order to eat intuitively, you MUST be in a good headspace, you have to have a CLEAR understanding of how much food or fuel your body needs to function properly, and you have to be KIND to yourself and your body.
With intuitive eating, listening to your body is CRUCIAL. However, that doesn't mean neglecting the fact that your body needs fuel regardless of whether you may be hungry or not. That sounds contradicting Mik??? It sort of is, but it's not at the same time. Our bodies are amazing and really good at giving us signs and natural signals of what it wants or needs. However, it won't always be 100% accurate & you are going to have to use general knowledge in these types of circumstances. This is where being educated about what your body needs comes into play. This is where learning about YOUR body is really important. Some days you wont be as hungry, sure. Thats okay (even though I can't relate LMAO - I'm always hungry), but even if your body may not feel hungry, you still need to fuel it, ESPECIALLY, if you are an active individual.
You also need to be aware that things like stress, general emotions, sleep, daily activity levels, etc. can all play a role in your hunger cues and your bodies ability to signal you. For example, maybe you are someone that loses their appetite completely when they become stressed, OR maybe you are on the other end of the spectrum being someone who overeats when they become stressed. My point being, you need to learn how to differentiate between these things and thoughts. You need to be able to acknowledge that you may be stressed, but still need to eat (or not eat that certain something if you are someone that overeats). Your circumstances ARE NOT an excuse to avoid fueling your body.
You can reach any goals you have with intuitive eating. I promise. Whether that goal be weight loss, weight gain, or maintenance. You can do any of the following as long as you have taken the time to learn about YOUR body first. This means having a clear understanding of the amount of food your body needs to maintain, how much you may need to eat in order to gain weight, and the amount of food you need to eat to lose weight in a maintainable and sustainable manner.
Intuitive eating is not a way to cope with food struggles. It is not an excuse to eat less or to not take care of your body properly. You still have to eat an adequate amount of food and you still have to be mindful of the things you eat. Once again, you have to be in a GOOD mental headspace. Bad body image day? You have to fuel your body regardless. You cannot let your mind intervene with what you know is right (and NECESSARY for overall health). You can't let your mind twist a bad body image day into "not being hungry." You are hungry. A bad body image day is tricking you into thinking otherwise. Eat the food!! The bad body image day will pass. Practice HEALTHY HABITS.
Intuitive eating means ordering the burger if that's what you are genuinely craving. It doesn't mean saying no to the burger and ordering the salad instead because you are having a bad body image day or not feeling your best. Do you want to become successful with intuitive eating and understanding your body? If you are reading this, you likely answered yes and you are probably wondering how to reach that end goal, SO LISTEN UP friend. Order the burger when you are craving it. If you are eating intuitively and honoring your cravings frequently, your body will know that it can have that burger whenever it wants. So lets say you order the burger, but you become full halfway through. Stop eating the burger. You don't have to finish it!! If you are no longer hungry and have that satisfied feeling, you've successfully given your body what it wants and your body now knows it can have another burger whenever it wants. See what I am saying? Your body is SMART. Treat it that way. Listen to it. You will reap the benefits if you do it the right way.
Scared to listen to your body? This is something that is becoming SO common. It breaks my heart. It hurts every single part of me to see people become so consumed by food. It hurts me to see people missing out on life because they can't take a step away from calories, tracking, irrational food thoughts, the food scale, etc. NEWS FLASH: THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE THAN THE FOOD ON YOUR PLATE OR HOW YOUR BODY LOOKS!!!! Have you ever sat on the beach and acknowledged how beautiful the sunrise/sunset is? Have you ever looked around to see how peaceful it is before that huge storm rolls in? Have you ever just sat there and thought about how blessed you are to be alive, to be surrounded by incredible people, to have a roof over your head, to have access to healthy drinking water and copious amounts of food? THOSE THINGS MATTER. Those are the things worth living for everyday.
I want you to know that absolutely no one cares what your body looks like. No one wants to see you restrict food or lessen your quality of life for the sake of having a nice body. Let me tell you something else, regardless of what you may think, your body is not going to change that much from intuitive eating. Wanna know something else? WHO CARES if it does. Your appearance is such a small part of you and it's not a good enough reason to avoid finding freedom with yourself and food.
Are you exhausted of caring so much yet?? MAKE A CHANGE. Fight for yourself. Fight for your happiness. Fight to learn about you and your body. Let go of all the unnecessary stress and burdens that worrying so much about food and your body brings. STOP FIGHTING YOUR BODY & WORK WITH IT. Start working on listening to your body, finding that positive mental space, and treating yourself with respect and grace. You will never be successful in outgrowing negativity if you don't take the step towards positive change.
Intuitive eating is seriously incredible. If you think you can't live happily eating intuitively than you are mistaken. If you think life revolves around food or your body, you are missing out. If you are sick of letting irrational thoughts dictate your lifestyle and ability to live happily, GET EDUCATED AND MAKE A CHANGE. Don't ever stop fighting for what you want, what you know is right, or what is best for you and your overall well-being. You can do it, but only if you dig deep enough and believe so. Stop standing in your own way. It's always you versus you.
Part two ended up being a mix of intuitive eating & tough love, but I think that everything discussed is something everyone could benefit from hearing. The tough love aspect is also a very crucial step in understanding intuitive eating itself, so I think it was a good way to slowly dig back into the topic. Stay tuned for part three which will be more intuitive eating talk discussing listening to your body, how to navigate your bodies signals, etc. DM me or email me with any questions you may have - I would love to know what YOU want to hear/see so that I can utilize that in future posts for this mini series.
-Mik <3