Intuitive Eating: So Far So Good

So I've started reading (and practicing) the concepts in Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works. So far, I like it and I can agree with its early premise.

According to the authors, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, we are all so weighed down by mixed messages about food, that we no longer can recognize our instincts about what and how much to eat. Some of us were told when we were children to finish our plates, regardless of whether we were still hungry or not. Others of us were berated for eating too much, or taking in too much sugar. Most of us have learned to listen to outside opinions about food rather than our own inclinations.

So one of the first steps to reclaiming our 'eating intuition' is to just eat what we want to eat. The reasoning behind it: Often we binge on foods because we've been forbidding ourselves from partaking. As a result, when we get a taste of the forbidden foods, we can't stop eating. The book suggests that we keep the forbidden foods around because that shows us that we can have those foods whenever we want. Eventually the allure of the forbidden foods diminishes. And even more importantly, eventually we'll get in touch with our eating impulses, which will lean toward foods that are life-preserving once we correct the imbalance we've set up through years of ignoring our natural food urges.

I told you about my Reese's Peanut Butter Cup craze - particularly the miniature cups. The other day, I bought some and consumed them within a couple of days. So in the spirit of Intuitive Eating, I went right back out and bought some more of the candy. Logically, it made no sense and I wondered if I was being ridiculous to buy more candy, but I did it anyway. This time around, I haven't been as interested in the candy. Yes, I've had a couple of pieces, but I haven't gobbled the candy up as if it were my last supper.

More on Intuitive Eating...

So as I’m on this food kick, trying to eat more intuitively without restricting myself, I did a Web search on intuitive eating and came up with some helpful information. Since I know there are a lot of people out there trying to lose weight or eat more healthy, I thought I’d share.

A lot of what I read talked about paying attention to the way foods make you feel. Also, notice what you’re craving because there may be something your body really needs (and a healthier substitution you can make). For example, if you’re craving a hamburger, it may simply be your body’s way of craving protein. A piece of cheese may do the trick.

This weekend, I'm also going to pick up a copy of Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. I'll let you know how it works for me.

Here are some sites around the Web that deal with the topic of intuitive eating. Eat Up!

About.com Alternative Medicine Guide to Intuitive Eating

Intuitive Eating Blog

Intuitive Body Blog

IntuitiveEating.org

My Intuitive Diet Plan

Yesterday, I was listening to a friend talk about all of the foods she was cutting out of her diet for the new year. She was frustrated because she’d been wanting to lose weight and improve her health for years and could never seem to do it. As she rattled off about the latest diet plan she was trying, I couldn’t help but think that her approach seemed counter-intuitive.

Diets are so focused on what we’re not going to do. They’re restrictive and all about contraction. I think of intuition as a form of expansion. It helps me to determine what step I’m going to take. It helps me to move closer to what feels good. In fact, one of the ways I know my intuition is speaking to me is that the choice makes me feel good – I feel lighter and a little more clear.

I wondered if she would have more success if she placed her focus on what she was going to eat, rather than what she was not going to eat. If she made a plan to eat an extra serving of fruits and vegetables each day, rather than worrying about cutting out sweets and carbs.

I thought about it so much that I decided I would try it. After all, if I’m going to live intuitively, I need to follow through on my own ideas, rather than looking for the best diet plan somebody else came up with. Like most people, I have that handful of pounds I’m trying to lose every year, and I could stand to eat more fruits and veges and drink more water. My weakness is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and whenever I go on a health kick, I vow to cut them out of my life. So I decided this year, I will allow myself to eat as many Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as I want AFTER I’ve fulfilled my daily fruit and vegetable requirement (five servings) and my daily water allotment. Yesterday, I was so focused on meeting those healthy-eating requirements that by the time I’d finished, I left the peanut butter cups alone.

Intuitive Action Item: Think back to a time when you knew someone’s approach would be all wrong for you. Were you right? Did you act on your intuition? Next that it happens, you’ll know what that feels like.