Intuitive eating is not a new concept and it certainly is not a diet.  It is a simple way of eating where you basically make peace with food.  We all have to eat.  Eating is a big part of life, so I believe we should enjoy it.

Intuitive eating makes you the expert of your body and its hunger signals. It is the opposite of a traditional dieting.  It encourages body acceptance, as you eat to satisfy your health and hunger not to manipulate your weight!

To eat intuitively, you may need to relearn how to trust your body. To do that, you need to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger:

• Physical hunger:  A biological urge tells you to replenish nutrients. It builds gradually and has different signals, such as a growling stomach, fatigue, or irritability. It’s satisfied when you eat any food.
• Emotional hunger: Is driven by emotional need. Sadness, loneliness, and boredom are some of the feelings that can create cravings for food, often comfort foods. Eating then causes guilt and self-hatred.

Eating should satisfy physical hunger without causing guilt

Be mindful when eating and monitor your hunger.

Give yourself unconditional permission to eat.  Honour your hunger and respect your body regardless of weight or shape.

Get physically active for enjoyment and health not just to burn calories or lose weight.

Stop weighing yourself – that is not the measure of your health

Resist the next popular diet.  Remember chronic dieters always get stuck in a weight gain/weight loss vortex.  This can result in decreased metabolism and a higher weight level in the end.

Remember, no matter what you look like we all have bad days and good days.  So, find you neutral point, so the bad days don’t bother you as much.

Let us know what you think of if we can help you.