What I learned from “Intuitive Eating”     

 

A year ago I set out on a journey that I can still hardly believe I have made. I decided that it was time to lose weight and become healthier. Weight Watchers was part of my plan (a guide for good food choices). Another tool I used was a concept called “Intuitive Eating.”

 

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA was the basis for a class I participated in for 10 weeks.  Here are a few concepts that helped me:

 

1.  Honor hunger, meaning to eat when you are hungry, eat slowly and enjoy every bite, and stop when you are satisfied (not stuffed). At the cellular level my body doesn’t know there is a well stocked refrigerator at my home. I have to tell it by feeding it when it wants to be fed. Otherwise I’m more likely to over eat when I pass the threshold from hungry to “starved.”

 

2. There are no bad foods. Foods don’t belong on a pedestal. A treat now and then helps to satisfy cravings, and after a few bites I may have had enough, or I decide that it wasn’t that good after all.

 

3. Honor feelings/emotions without using food. Food is often used for comfort, boredom, loneliness, etc. Its effects are fleeting. It is better to deal with the source of the upset or find a healthier form of distraction.

 

4. Exercise: I liked that the instructor thought that sitting at the sewing machine was good exercise! I was doing something that didn’t involve eating! Walking was even better (of course) and once I got into it, it got easier and more enjoyable.

 

Intuitive Eating is just one tool. It is something I can use every day, because I don’t want to diet forever.

 

 

Blessings,  Linda