Intuitive Eating
Sick of dieting? Frustrated with your body? In a pattern of overeating or starving with restrictions? Feel guilty over eating certain foods? Do you desire to find a different way to relate to food, eating, loving your body with kindness rather than criticism?
You might be a candidate to learn more about the principles and practices of Intuitive Eating. Intuitive Eating is defined as a flexible style of eating in which you largely follow your internal sensations of hunger and satiety to gauge when to eat, what to eat and when to stop eating. With the restrictions and negative consequences of learning certain foods are “bad” or “off limits”, there is a psychological mindset that encourages a distrust between a person with her body. Through the practices of Intuitive Eating, trust is rebuilt, body sensations are relearned, and confidence in knowing when and what to eat is restored. The old judgements placed around foods turn neutral, therefore stripping them of their power and perceived desire.
When my daughter was born, she cried and cried often. I felt so helpless and nothing I did seemed to help. My sweet mother-in-law saw my struggle and said to me, “God gave you every instinct you need to mother your daughter. You don’t need anyone else’s help, advice, suggestions, or opinions. You know your daughter. You grew her inside your body. Just listen to her and you will figure out what she needs.” I felt so empowered after hearing those words that I was able to relax and confidently know that I could be a good mother without all the books, advice, and thoughts of others.
The same is true for your body. YOU have every instinct you need to feed yourself well. You have all the tools inside you to eat healthy, to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, to allow yourself a treat, and to speak to yourself with kindness no matter what goes into your mouth. Unfortunately, diet culture makes us believe that we don’t know what we are doing, we don’t know how to feed ourselves, and someone else has to tell us what is good and bad to eat. Frequent dieting tells us to ignore our hunger cues, to shut down, to find alternatives to curb hunger, and weakens the brain-body connection. It’s got to stop.
Intuitive Eating incorporates three mind-body dynamics: instinct, emotion, and rational thought. As I mentioned, our skills have been dulled by years of listening to experts outside ourselves who have no idea what satisfies YOU or what YOUR BODY actually needs. Intuitive Eating helps you to gain body attunement, those hunger and fullness cues that have been dulled. Being attuned to the information your body tells you regarding both your physiological AND your psychological is the way you are able to meet your own needs. Removing the rules of should and should not eat, as well as the I should look this way and not that way, are vitally important.
The health benefits of Intuitive Eating are so vast, Intuitive Eating is now embraced by health departments, college health programs, employee wellness programs, and other organizations that promote health and well-being. The dynamic integration of Intuitive Eating connects inner attunement with external values in order to promote authentic health. Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, have partnered to offer a fantastic resource in The Intuitive Eating Workbook. I will take groups of women through this material as a way to hold each other accountable, see and hear each other through the struggles of relearning to listen to our instincts, and celebrate together as we begin to find our way to finding freedom in harnessing the power of our personal intuition when it comes to what our body needs.
We have every instinct inside of us to take care of ourselves, nurture our bodies, and listen to what we need, and fill our needs with gentle nutrition. I hope you will join me on this journey.
If you are interested in joining the Box Canyon Bodies Intuitive Eating Group Coaching Program, please email me at dodidarrow@gmail.com or, hit the button below to sign up today!
