Today is all about Intuitive Eating Principle 1 – Reject the Diet Mentality. In case you missed it, I am doing an Intuitive Eating series here and on my Instagram page.
What is Intuitive Eating? Read my Introduction to Intuitive Eating post.
Intuitive Eating Principle 1 – Reject the Diet Mentality
The snapshot of Intuitive Eating Principle 1 is: “Throw out the diet books and magazine articles that offer you the false hope of losing weight quickly, easily, and permanently. Get angry at the lies that have led you to feel as if you were a failure every time a new diet stopped working and you gained back all of the weight.”
Whoa. What?! Give up dieting rules?! How is that even possible?!
Depending on your dieting history and how much diet rules and restrictions have played a role in how, when, and what you eat, throwing out all the rules can be a VERY scary-feeling concept.
What People Are Saying About Intuitive Eating
As some of the individuals in my online Intuitive Eating Focus Group are saying:
“I definitely resonate with the fear of not being able to stop eating. Especially being at home all day in lockdown, my mind always seems to wander to whatever food sounds good even when I am not necessarily hungry. I also relate to the idea of not knowing how to eat. I feel like I have let calories dictate my intake for so long that I don’t even know where to begin.”
“When I was trying to control my food intake, I couldn’t stop eating but it is still scary to give up the safety of “the rules.”’
And one person who is further along in their Intuitive Eating journey wrote:
“I am with you on the not knowing how to eat part. It was definitely a struggle for me too when I first started intuitive eating. I still am not sure if I know how to eat, but I just try to eat what feels good. Sometimes it’s eating leftovers because it’s already made and it feels good not to waste food. Sometimes it’s a specific thing I’m craving or just what is available when I feel hungry. It’s such a process but I’m trying. Trying to trust my body and brain.”
So remember, Intuitive Eating is a PROCESS. And it is not necessarily a linear process. There will likely be ups and downs, ebbs and flows, moments of doubt and uncertainty; but it IS possible to give up dieting and get to a way of eating that feels good for you without the worry, guilt, shame, and stress that often accompanies dieting.
At first, when giving up dieting, there may be a time when you do feel out of control or like you are eating ALL THE THINGS. This is because dieting (restricting) leads to overeating. So all those foods you’ve deemed “bad” and tried to limit in the past are now completely unrestricted and it feels amazing but also scary! It will likely take time for your body to learn and TRUST that those foods are going to stay available. Once this happens, the intense drive for eating will decrease.
Rejecting the Diet Mentality is not an easy thing to do. It can feel like giving up, or can feel like a loss of control for some people. It can feel like losing your dieting friends and community. And in a society where dieting, diet talk, and diet culture are so prevalent, it can be hard to stay the course when you are constantly bombarded with messages around dieting.
There are some key steps to help guide you to rejecting the diet mentality:
- Step 1: Recognize and acknowledge the damage that dieting causes
- Step 2: Be aware of diet mentality traits and thinking
- Step 3: Get rid of the dieter’s tools
- Step 4: Be compassionate toward yourself
This blog and Instagram series I am doing is not meant to be a replacement for reading the Intuitive Eating book or working through the Intuitive Eating Workbook. Rather it’s to provide an overview of the Intuitive Eating concept and principles to bring more awareness to the fact that there is an alternative to dieting and restricting.
INTUITIVE EATING SUPPORT GROUP FOR WOMEN
If you have been hearing about Intuitive Eating and wanting to learn more, or you’ve been doing some learning on your own and are ready to have the support of others on the journey with you, I have the perfect resource for you:
An 8-week small group coaching experience to help you heal your relationship with food and your body, ditch dieting for good, get back to trusting yourself around food AND enjoying the foods you actually like!
Group will be held live via online video >> Thursdays at 6:00pm CST (recordings will be sent out if you are unable to attend live). The group runs quarterly. FULL DETAILS HERE.
Follow Along on This Journey
Stay tuned as I continue this series on the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating here on this website and also on my Instagram page. You can follow along and comment with your thoughts that way as well.
As always, if you need additional guidance and support via individual nutrition coaching or counseling, please reach out and/or join the waitlist for my next Intuitive Eating small group.
For More Intuitive Eating Resources
Download my FREE Guide – 5 Steps to Stop Obsessing About Food and Your Body
Individual Nutrition Coaching – if you’re looking for more individualized support, check out my options for working together one on one.
Intuitive Eating Support Group for Women – if you’re interested in learning more about Intuitive Eating in a supportive, small group environment, this is the group for you!
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