TOP 6 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU START INTUITIVE EATING
Intuitive eating can feel complex, complicated and intimidating. I get it.
We are so used to restrictive rules: ‘eat this, but do not dare eat that’.
We unfortunately are more comfortable with what our diets recommend: regimented eating schedules + meal plans, measuring food + tracking our intake, constant trips to the scale for reassurance and even obsessive thoughts/behaviors to change or grow our bodies to fit the ideals of Instagram.
Intuitive eating is not like that. In fact, for you, it may feel way out of your comfort zone because you now have to rely on yourself to make decisions about food + exercise, rather than on what others suggest, recommend or expect.
Intuitive eating (IE) is how you CHOOSE to eat based on how you feel and what your body (and mind) is craving. Sometimes it can feel like we aren’t doing it ‘right’ and it can be a challenge to NOT seek that same reassurance that our diets once promised.
In this blog post, I am sharing with you the top 6 things to do when you first start intuitive eating so you can stop over complicating it, stop seeking for the next quick-fix weight-loss strategy and avoid turning IE into a diet:
Focus on one thing (or concept) at a time
Create your Forbidden Food List
Ease into exercise
Pause halfway through your meals
Read this book
Talk to someone
So if you’re struggling to get started (or even continue) with intuitive eating and you’re looking for ways to help ground you and make this feel just a little easier, I’ve got you!
Here’s how it helped me:
When I first started intuitive eating, I actually had more guidance than I thought. There were a few IE experts that I used to receive weekly emails from. They’d share tips here and there, personal stories and even client experiences that really helped shape me and my IE journey.
The tips I’m reviewing with you today are my organized version of what worked for me as I navigated this new way of eating.
My goal is that they will help you feel less overwhelmed as you get started and more confident about the direction in which you are headed and to hopefully reassure you that you’re not alone.
Sometimes, gentle reminders are exactly what we need to keep moving forward whether you are just starting or in need of a little IE reset.
TIP #1. Focus on one thing (or one Intuitive Eating concept) at a time
If you’ve ever read the Intuitive Eating book created by the founders, you might have read it straight through and felt overwhelmed by all the things OR you may have read a few things that resonated with you and just shut the book. Either way, it’s all good. It’s a really great book, but it can be a lot.
So, that being said, I highly recommend working through one concept at once. Give yourself time and grace to “master” it, but keep in mind the difference between mastering and perfection. There is no perfect way to approach IE.
If you are really hoping to improve your fullness cues, just work on that and be patient. Read + review the suggestions from the book and see what resonates WITH YOU. They’re not meant to be rules, but rather, information. It may take you a week or may take you 6 months and that’s okay. We’re all different and we all may be uncovering things that have a bunch of dust and cobwebs as we navigate through this journey.
TIP #2. Create your Forbidden Food List
Your Forbidden Food List is a list of foods that you avoid. When we diet or restrict, 9 times out of 10, there are things we avoid either because that’s what the diet prescribes, because we ‘have to’ or because we’re afraid it will make us fat or be ‘too toxic’ or is not clean enough etc etc.
So what are some foods that you avoid? It can be foods that you naturally avoid when you’re following a particular diet OR foods you avoid when you’re not dieting because x, y or z.
I recommend writing down all the foods you avoid and then, when you’re ready, to start introducing them into your lifestyle one at a time. You may feel the urge to eat it daily or for every meal. Keep in mind, this could also be a drink item or even an ingredient (butter, salt, sugar etc). Below, you can get my free template so you can get started today!
GET my FREE FORBIDDEN FOOD LIST TEMPLATE
TIP #3. Ease into exercise
As a new intuitive eater, lots of questions about exercise can come to mind, which is totally normal. If you have a current routine that you enjoy, keep doing it, but do it for the right reasons (mental clarity, coping with anxiety or for performance).
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the idea of exercising, ease into it. Sometimes when we exercise we tend to feel hungrier and since we are now supposed to be navigating hunger on our own, exercising can feel a bit scary.
A great way to do this is through gentle exercise, like walking, dancing or slow flow yoga classes. Fitness doesn’t have to look or feel so formal (HIIT, running, biking, lifting etc), but if you are craving some intense exercise - honor it.
TIP #4. Pause halfway through your meals
It’s easier to have too much food in front of you than to not have enough. I know this sounds crazy especially for the types of eaters that have been told to ‘finish their plates’ all their lives.
When I first started out, a great way for me to practice self-trust and honoring my hunger was by creating a meal, but pausing halfway through and checking-in to see how I felt. It was an opportunity (and still is!) to decide if I was still hungry, if the food still tasted good and if I reached my satisfaction point.
Somedays, it was hard especially in the beginning because I couldn’t trust myself around food and pushing food away was like me losing a limb.
Keep in mind, this concept is not a rule, it’s a discovery tool. Sometimes you’ll feel hungry and want to eat the whole thing and sometimes you’ll feel like you’ve had enough halfway or ¾’s of the way through. Every single day is different.
With IE, you can have as much food in front of you and once you reach your point where you’re comfortably full, you truly do not want (or need) anymore food. AND we have the power to get a to-go box or put it in a plastic container to save it for later, that way you don’t waste any food and that way you don’t overfill yourself to a point of no return.
TIP #5. Read this book
Anytime I needed a reset or a food reality check, I like to pick up the book called, The F*ck it Diet. In the book, she does mention about how IE is similar to a diet (but it’s truly not) and that’s one thing that’s kind of bothersome to me, but other than that, it’s a great reminder that food is just food at the end of the day and that you are in a lot more control than you think. And she makes you laugh, if you enjoy dry humor (like me).
TIP #6. Talk to someone
This could be your therapist, your friend, your mom or your significant other. I think one of the hardest things I’ve been confronted with when starting out, is being around people that always talked about their food (rules, calories, fat grams, amount, taste etc). And you may find this to be true for yourself, too.
The best way to NOT feel so alone and confused while learning all these new IE concepts, is to talk to someone about what you’re doing. We need to feel supported and if you have to tell your husband to start saying neutral comments about food, then do so. I’m also here if you want to chat or vent :)
GET MY FREE FORBIDDEN FOOD LIST TEMPLATE
As you ebb and flow in this journey, I think it’s great to have a little file folder (hard copy) in your desk to store all your intuitive eating notes, journal entries, brain dumps and documents like my Forbidden Food List Template. It’s great to have it when you look back to see how far you’ve come.
Just the other day, I found something as I was unpacking things into my new office space and it kind of broke my heart. What I knew then is not what I know now, but I was patient with myself for the first time in my life because of THIS.
I used to be SO hard on myself and would constantly compare myself to others and I truly believe my life would look much different if I didn’t come across Intuitive Eating.
So, don’t make this stressful and honor the struggles, but also know that it won’t always feel like this as long as you keep moving forward.
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