10 Principles of Intuitive Eating

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mommamuscles
mommamuscles Posts: 584 Member
1. Reject the Diet Mentality Stop looking for the perfect diet to be the answer to your problems. Recognize that diets have failed you and that you have not failed the diet.
2. Honor Your Hunger-Keep your body properly fueled with enough calories and carbohydrates. Do not wait until you are ravenously hungry to eat. Doing so will most likely trigger binge eating. Since many women who have a long history of dieting have lost the ability to feel hunger, it is important to make sure you are getting in enough calories for your activity level. Confused? Check out this calculator.http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

3. Make Peace with Food- Give yourself unconditional permission to eat when hungry. Stop declaring certain foods off limits.
4. Challenge the Food Police-Stop labeling food as "good" or "bad"

5. Respect Your Fullness-Pay attention to the physical signals that alert you to being full. Stop in the middle of a meal and pay attention to your level of fullness. Eat mindfully and pay attention to how your food tastes.

6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor-understand that food and eating is pleasurable and there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that. Eat the foods that you enjoy. Do you notice you are satisfied with less?

7. Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food Find ways to deal with emotions that are do not revolve around food. Learn to identify your emotional triggers.

8. Respect Your Body Understand that we are all genetically predisposed to a certain body type. Be thankful for the body you have been given and stop projecting unrealistic expectations upon yourself.

9. Exercise--Feel the Difference Do the exercise that you enjoy, instead of focusing on burning calories. Focus on how exercise makes you feel.

10 Honor Your Health--Make nutrition choices that honors your health and your tastebuds.

We will be working through these principles individually. Which of them do you think will be most challenging?

Replies

  • jaeone
    jaeone Posts: 649 Member
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    Oh if I could master #5! That's the one I struggle with, especially at dinner, when I'm at home and can go back for 2nds. Also #7, for me sweets are happy foods, rewarding foods.
  • mommamuscles
    mommamuscles Posts: 584 Member
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    Oh if I could master #5! That's the one I struggle with, especially at dinner, when I'm at home and can go back for 2nds. Also #7, for me sweets are happy foods, rewarding foods.

    Yes I hear ya! Those are my two biggest ones right now too. And I do find pleasure in sweets. Im not sure thats always a bad thing...just when Im using it as an emotional crutch or as a way to medicate certain emotions.
  • woodsygirl
    woodsygirl Posts: 354 Member
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    7 and 8 would be the ones that I struggle with. When the stress kicks up, mama goes into the kitchen! I also have an image in my head of how I wish I could look and it doesn't really fit with how I can look (without plastic surgery anyway...).
  • tracyhutchins
    tracyhutchins Posts: 4 Member
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    4, 8, & 9 seem to jump at me the most. I label all foods as good or bad. Accepting my body type is an on going process. I exercise to burn more calories. I just started back lifting free weights and I love it. I just don't get the same calorie burn as cardio. I enjoy both, but when I don't get in my cardio I miss it. Plus I can tell physically as well. Wow! I have a lot to overcome.
  • FitnSassy
    FitnSassy Posts: 263 Member
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    I identify mostly with the following:

    #5 I always say that I'm a "foodie" because I really enjoy food. However, I feel that I would be more successful at weight loss if I do become more mindful of my level of fullness. I don't have to keep eating until I'm overly full or until all food is gone. I can always eat more later. I need to learn to be satisfied with smaller portions at a time.

    #6 I need to stop feeling guilty about enjoying foods that I like. I do notice that I'm satisfied longer when I eat what I really want and unlikely to continue mindless eating. Sometimes, when I eat only what I believe I should, rather than what I enjoy, I am not satisfied and it leads to continuous eating in search of satisfaction, to no avail. It becomes a downward spiral into the calorie abyss.

    #7 I believe that I sometimes mistake being bored, overwhelmed, anxious, lonely or sad with being hungry. When I eat to soothe, I end up adding guilt to those emotional triggers, a vicious cycle.
  • gonzohazel
    gonzohazel Posts: 10 Member
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    #2... I get busy and don't eat. Then I'm so hungry, nothing satisfies me. I keep picking and pick the wrong stuff!
    #7... When I'm bored or stressed I think eating will make me feel better. It never does. Just makes me feel guilty!
  • terrigrace
    terrigrace Posts: 199 Member
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    #2 and #5 . .. I think I just eat because I think it's time, not because I'm hungry or stopping because I'm full. I've lost track of those hunger signals. time to listen to me again .
  • laurae
    laurae Posts: 115 Member
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    #4 - I do often think of foods as "good" or "bad," but it does not stop me from enjoying the "bad" foods. I just need to learn to limit the "bad" foods to one serving! which leads to my next issue - #5.

    #5 - I need to learn to stop when I am full. I will eat more, even though I am stuffed and may even be starting to feel gross, just because it tastes so good!!!

    #7 - I do often eat from boredom and stress. I should go take a walk or play Wii to add to my step count rather than eat mindlessly.
  • Evelynandchris
    Evelynandchris Posts: 140 Member
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    #4: I have a whole list of foods that are bad. One of them being my all-time favorite food: peanut butter. I feel guilt every time I eat it (even if its with an apple). Crazy thing is that the guilty feelings don't keep me away from it, lol! I do avoid eating hot dogs, ground beef and most processed meats. This is just a desire to avoid nitrates (except for ground beef) and I don't really care for them anyway. Why take risks when they aren't very good anyway?
    #5: Reading the concept while shoveling down my leftover spicy spaghetti from Tin Drum---yeah, never noticed how it tasted. Too busy reading the 10 principles. Oops!
    #7: Sometimes emotions cause aversion to all foods lately, but often it can cause rash choices with food.
  • tbellamy1
    tbellamy1 Posts: 353
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    #7 I love sweets and they do make me happy. I try to bake "clean" sweets but sometimes eat the whole batch of whatever in 2 days. I ate 12 chocolate muffins in 2 days. The serving size was 2! My bad food/body emotions arise once a month because of TOM. But I have identified that and am working on it.
  • Jennacita
    Jennacita Posts: 116 Member
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    # 5. Especially when you get to that point of uncomfortable fullness.
    # 7. Depending on the stress I either eat or starve.. When it's stress that cues me to eat I can mindlessly be out of control, and nothing satisfies it. I also eat when I'm bored.
  • beautifulswan1
    beautifulswan1 Posts: 58 Member
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    4. I'm getting better at not labeling foods "good" or "bad" but I still struggle with it now and then.

    5. It's that whole, don't waste food thing that will make me eat the "whole thing" even when I know I'm full. Also, I really need to learn to enjoy my food (getting better at this)

    7. TOM and stress equal eat all the food. Yea.....a work in progress

    8. Was just talking to hubby about this last night. I need to learn that my body is not the same as someone elses and I need to love the me that I am.

    9. I admit to working for the calorie burn sometimes instead of doing what makes me feel good. Trying to find exercises that I don't dread and doing those. Lifting weights and kickboxing are my favorites!
  • kkzmom11
    kkzmom11 Posts: 220 Member
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    i relate to #5 first, but i need to pay attention to all of them. i do occassionally intuitively eat. when i do, i feel much better. it seems to make the most sense. eat until i am satisfied, then stop. i know there will ALWAYS be food available. LOL. so, i know i won't starve. i know that there are no BAD foods, only foods that aren't as healthy as others.