Z. Johnson
If you constantly find yourself frustrated about weight loss struggles, food anxiety, guilt and even loss of motivation, maybe it’s time to consider a serious shift in your health mindset. The health and fitness journey should be a pleasurable process to help you achieve a better level of wellbeing. However, modern “dieting” culture has put on too much emphasis on restrictions, calorie counting, body shaming, and food obsessions. Far from helping, this has caused more harm in mental health. Apart from that, excessive stress has caused people to involve in more damaging behaviors like deprivation and or bingeing. Unfortunately, that makes people gain their weight back and feel unhappy. Well, intuitive eating is an approach that helps to get rid of all these negative effects. So, is intuitive eating to get in shape really working? It certainly is, if you understand and embrace it. I’ll explain more in a bit.
What is intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating is a behavior or approach that allows you to tune into your body, enjoying from a variety of foods without guilt or shame, and also identifying which foods work for you and which others don’t in a natural way. It also goes further by helping you to embrace your hunger and fullness signals, developing a healthy relationship with food, while getting rid of the need of measuring or counting calories and macros. Intuitive eating is not really a new thing, it was actually a behavior first promoted by two dietitians in 1995, and now many people are becoming more aware of it. As well, health professionals, like me, are using more of this approach to help others to develop a healthy mindset around food and fitness, have realistic expectations around body weight changes and enjoy the process in a more positive rather than restrictive way.
Intuitive eating to get in shape: Why does it work so well?
This approach works wonders because it really becomes natural to you. Intuitive eating to get in shape is possible. In fact, most of the people who have lost weight and kept it off for good, have in some way learned how to eat intuitively. As I mentioned before about eating smart for weight loss, you really have a different approach towards eating and food that lets your body react in a healthy way. It’s a fact that putting your body under stress by counting calories, measuring foods all the time and being obsessed with portion control only leads you to get into eating disorders.
Intuitive eating to get in shape facts
Intuitive eating to get in shape is a good strategy to develop lasting healthy habits and long term results. It allows you to avoid the guilt and shame associated with “dieting” culture. I’m not saying that calories and macros aren’t important, but focusing on that when you eat can be overwhelming and it’s useless. Trust me, I don’t even count calories when I’m eating or in my everyday life. We should be focusing on other aspects of food, like how it tastes, the smell, the way our body enjoys it, etc. Well, you get the point here. And, as you may notice, it really helps you to get rid of the mental stress around the “good” and the “bad” foods. Instead, it helps you to achieve a healthy balance and accept that it’s totally normal to enjoy eating a salad just as it is enjoying some slices of pizza.
There is no food that by itself will make you healthy and neither is a food that will make you sick. You just learn to make good choices based on what feels natural to your body. It has been proven already that most of the times when you free your mind from obsessions, is when you make better food choices and are at peace with food in general. Then, you naturally start shedding those extra pounds and trimming your waistline. Life is about balance and having the right mindset baby!
Ditching the “dieting” mindset
It’s time to get rid of the obsessive, compulsive behaviors. It’s enough of the restrictive, food anxiety, bingeing, or over-indulging vicious cycle. Intuitive eating to get in shape can work for you if you truly shift your mindset into a healthier reality. As a nutritionist, I’ve seen too many people fall into the trap of trying different types of “fad diets” for a short period of time, only to end up frustrated after gaining all the weight back. The most important thing is that you learn how to eat in a way that works for you and only you. There isn’t a “one size fits all”, as a matter of fact, no size fits all… Everyone’s body is unique, we all have different preferences, and lifestyles.
Falling into the “dieting” trap without proper guidance and supervision from a nutrition professional, makes more harm than good, trust me. That’s why many people have the infamous yo-yo effect. It’s more than just willpower, my friend. But, how can we blame ourselves, if it’s all over the media: the cleanses, the fasting methods, the quick-fixes, the popular dieting trends in your social media accounts that everybody follows… Really? Maybe you should start learning how to tune into your body and identifying how your body responds to your foods. Of course, there are always special needs and exceptions, like if you suffer from allergies, but apart from that, we should stop fearing or obsessing over foods. You’ll notice better lasting results.
Key facts about intuitive eating
Some of the principles, I already mentioned them throughout this post, but overall, I will summarize the key facts about intuitive eating.
Honor your hunger and fullness levels
This is very simple and it applies especially to intuitive eating to get in shape. You eat whenever you are naturally hungry and stop eating when you are full. It’s important to keep your body nourished the way that feels right in order to avoid falling into deprivation and later over-indulgence. That way, you’ll ensure your body is getting the nutrients and right amount of calories it needs.
Be at peace with your food
This is probably one of the most important facts about intuitive eating to get in shape. There’s no war between your mindset and foods in general. No “demonizing” of foods is done. You understand that there are varieties of foods, each with its own composition and health benefits. Then, you develop a healthy relationship with food that allows you to make healthy decisions in a natural way. You enjoy variety and balance.
Discover your satisfaction
Who doesn’t enjoy eating food? That’s the idea behind intuitive eating to get in shape. That you learn to embrace different kinds of foods for your body and still be healthy. There is that sense of feeling good when you eat without feeling guilt or shame. This pleasurable experience will automatically help you identify when “you’ve had enough”.
Respect your body
Sometimes we are so quick to judge our own bodies, that we forget to embrace the good that we have and that we are all in a process to improve to a better version. Remember, developing healthy habits takes time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Therefore, we should love ourselves just as we are in the present moment, while working towards our future goals that will make us feel even more successful.
Exercise according to your body’s needs
This one is really important here. Now that the fitness industry is booming, we should take advantage of the different ways we can exercise. Just as with food, there is no specific pattern that works the same for all. Focus on learning which types of exercises you enjoy doing. Discover what are the workout routines that work best for you and give you results. It’s your body, it’s about you. Find professional guidance if need be.
Honor your feelings without using food
We’ve all been through those times when we feel anxiety or stress over a specific issue or event in our life. Or maybe, we are just hormonal and feel like eating that ice cream that we crave. Especially us ladies! We can all relate to that phase or those days! Emotional eating can be normal sometimes. But, don’t let it rule your life! Avoid getting to the point of relying on food to get comfort. I know you may be saying it’s easier said than done… Well, the truth is that we should identify our feelings and deal with our emotions/ problems by not thinking about food. Going overboard with emotional eating can simply turn things around and make you fall into eating disorders.
Getting started on a new healthy eating perspective
So, what’s next? How can I get into a better eating approach?
Well, it all starts with having the right mindset. Releasing the fears around eating healthy and food in general is the breaking point towards a wellness lifestyle. Intuitive eating to get in shape is not a diet. Is not something that you develop overnight or a quick fix, like a “fad diet”. Instead, it is behavior that overtime will make you develop positive emotions around eating, food and preparation. Intuitive eating is a natural way to nourish and train our body according to what it needs in order to stay in constant balance and harmony. You will learn how to get lasting results without fear of “falling off track”. Because you get rid of the restrictive mindset and/or the bingeing to feel good, you will start nurturing healthy habits that you can stick to in the long run.
As usual, if you are struggling, I always recommend that you go with baby steps. Don’t follow what others are doing, just go with what works for you. Educate yourself on the importance of eating a variety of foods, not only for your body, but also for your mental health. Stop demonizing foods and labeling them as good or bad. Identify that each food has its unique properties and benefits for your health. You will also notice that, if you listen to your intuition, your body will accept certain foods in more proportion to others. The same thing happens with exercise. Eating and exercising should not be a burden or punishment for your body. You should enjoy each experience as way towards achieving a better health.
Finally…
If you are looking to improve your health in a natural way, start by identifying your own needs. Set goals in a realistic way. Get into the habit of pampering and loving yourself more. Look for proper guidance and assessment if you’re still struggling. I’ve got some cool strategies and resources that will help you get where you want to be, without obsessions! Share this with your friends, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
