In a way, the intuitive eating hype has replaced the dieting hype for many people.
What started as a really great approach ended up as just another way to look for weight loss solutions.
Instead of counting calories, many people now obsess over only eating when they’re hungry without being able to bend the rules. Some of my clients are in just as bad a guilty condition as they were before they jumped on the intuitive eating waggon.
Here are some tell-tale signs that show you went from being obsessed with diets to being obsessed with your body’s exact signals.
1. You feel guilty all the time.
Do you still hear that nagging voice that’s telling you when to eat and when not to eat? Does it tell you that you don’t know your body’s signals yet and that there’s still so much more to be aware of? Can you not go to bed without feeling guilty about what you’ve eaten and spend your day worrying about what’s good and what’s bad? If so, you’re caught in the bad side of the intuitive eating approach.
2. You cannot eat when you’re not starving.
Do you wait until you almost faint because you’re scared of eating before you get super hungry? Do you believe that if you bend the rules once you’ll never be able to go back to “being in control”? Yes? Then it’s time for an intervention.
3. You cannot enjoy social occasions.
Do you worry when you go out for dinner with friends that you won’t be “sufficiently” hungry to eat when everyone’s eating? Are you not able to have a dessert because it simply looks divine – even if you’re not extremely hungry? Are you unable to simply eat a piece of pie or even an apple because it’s not time to eat just yet? Another big no-no!
4. You still think about food ALL the time.
If you constantly worry about your hunger levels and your body’s signals, you’re not free and you’re still caught in the dieting trap – it’s just another form of being trapped in certain beliefs.
So, what can you do instead?
You can choose to eat MINDFULLY.
What’s the difference you ask?
It’s a big one.
When you eat mindfully, you’re aware of what you’re eating. You’re slowing down. Taking pauses in between bites and actually really notice what it is you’re putting in your mouth.
Eating mindfully means that…
1. You are aware
When you eat with awareness, you can eat whenever you want. There’s no rule telling you that eating when you’re not at a level 4 or level 2 or whatever number you’ve chosen is BAD. Instead, you can eat that biscuit you just saw and you eat it with pleasure and gusto.
2. You have fun
When you eat, you have fun with it. You choose different colors, you choose different tastes. You choose chocolate from time to time and bananas on other occasions. You can go out with friends and have a yummo cocktail or a hefty steak. It doesn’t matter because food is fun and brings you joy.
3. You make deliberate choices
Part of mindful eating is to make choices and own them. If you choose to eat a muffin, own it. If you choose to eat a salad, own it. Own it in that moment and then move on.
Yes, you still listen to your body – of course you do. But it’s the choice that makes the difference. Intuitive eating sometimes turns into allowing your body to bully you. And as much as I respect our bodies, I don’t like bullying of any kind.
4. You are free and guiltless
There’s no more guilt when it comes to food. Instead, you experience a freedom that you haven’t felt before. You feel nurtured on all levels. If you’ve eaten a little bit too much, it’s totally fine and if you’re still hungry after dinner, you have a snack. There’s no gravity to your food choices anymore and you don’t feel like a prisoner of your own mind and body.
5. You live your life
You don’t think about food 24/7 and food isn’t the major player in your daily life. Instead, you create a life that’s full of joy, love, meaning. Food is a part of that, yes, but it’s not everything.
6. You totally eat emotionally
And you’re fine with it because you’re aware of it.
The problem with intuitive eating is that it takes the emotional aspect out of it and that’s not doable because when is eating not emotional? If we only ate for fuel, where’d be the fun in that? Let’s face it: eating emotionally is the only way to eat because eating is inherently emotional.
By eating mindfully, you accept and respect that and you learn to make peace will all of your beautiful emotions inside.
If you thought that intuitive eating was the answer to all of your problems, but it’s turned into another trap, try being more mindful in all of your life and see how you slowly detach from the gravity that an obsession with food and your body is.
