Finding Balance Through Intuitive Eating
by Chantal Collette, MSW, & certified personal trainer
A key concept of Intuitive Eating (IE) is developing interoceptive awareness, which encompasses enhancing body awareness and being able to respond to your unique body cues. When you are aware AND act on your body cues you will be more able to honor your hunger, respect your fullness, and find satisfaction with eating. Below are a few ways that IE promotes a balanced approach towards nourishing yourself.
Intuitive Eating Allows You to Become Habituated with Food
Have you ever had a great meal that you just savored only to get literally fed up with its leftovers a few days after? This is a classic example of becoming habituated. Our palate enjoys diversity! If you eat the same thing, even if it’s your favorite food, it will eventually lose it “yum” or “wow” factor. When you don’t allow yourself to eat certain foods that you truly enjoy you can never get used to eating them; therefore, they continue to have an allure, an excitement if you will. You may find yourself craving these foods even more. By giving yourself permission to eat “forbidden foods” they become more neutral. If you want to try this, think of a food that you may currently label as forbidden. Say you are banishing all forms of sugar and you really enjoy chocolate. For habituation to happen, pick the same type/flavor of chocolate, plain milk chocolate, chocolate covered peanuts, etc. whatever you enjoy-after some time that play food will lose some of its allure.
Intuitive Eating Buffers Against the “What the Eff” Effect
“What the Eff” effect happens when people believe that they need to be perfect with their eating and that there are foods that “should” and “should not” be eaten. Eventually most people are not able to follow their diet perfectly and end up eating something that is labeled “off limits.” For some who have perfectionistic tendencies it releases the “what the eff” effect which looks something like- I’ve messed up my diet by eating [fill in the blank] so all is lost. What is the point of even trying since I’ve messed up! Overeating tends to occur, weight is gained, feelings of guilt set in, and then the cycle of dieting re-starts. It’s like a never-ending merry-go-round. It’s normal and valid for people dieting to eventually rebel against whatever rules they are being told to follow. People like autonomy which diets tend to diminish by telling you what, how, and when to eat. IE helps to develop the ability to be more in the middle, more balanced, than having “all or nothing thinking.”
Intuitive Eating Removes the need for “Last Supper Effect”
As well, since all foods are viewed as neutral and available, it buffers against what is called “the last supper effect.” Maybe you have experienced this yourself or have seen someone else engage in this type of behavior. It’s when someone is about to start dieting so they have a last meal with all foods that will be eliminated. This can also lead to binge eating because in your mind, you are thinking that you will no longer be able to eat these foods ever again, which can cause you to overeat. As in Intuitive Eater, you understand that no food is truly off limit, and that it will be available for your consumption whenever you want it!
When you truly give yourself permission to eat whatever, you will no longer be afraid that certain foods won’t be available. Depending on how long you have been dieting or restricting certain foods due to dieting, you may go on a “honeymoon phase” where you tend to select more play/fun foods. This is normal! Think of it as pendulum-if you were on one extreme of the pendulum that you only allowed yourself to eat certain foods and were strict with your eating habits, there will likely be a counter shift before then pendulum settles more in the middle.
Being Attuned to Your Body’s Needs
It's interesting how some people’s reaction to IE is that they automatically assume that Intuitive Eaters will only eat “junk food,” or “unhealthy food.” Some believe that food rules are needed! That’s like telling you-you can’t be trusted around food! You need these rules to keep you “safe.” I don’t know many people who love being told what to do. In general, we tend to like having autonomy over our decisions. Interestingly, a study done by Smith and Hawks (2006) indicated that Intuitive Eaters were more likely to eat a wider variety of foods and had a lower body mass index than non-Intuitive Eaters, and that there wasn’t a positive association between Intuitive Eaters and the amount of “junk food” they consumed. Interested about the research behind IE? Click here for a list of studies. However, there’s a fine line between being an Intuitive Eater and “I can eat whenever, whatever, and as much as I want!” Being an Intuitive Eater incorporates being attuned to your body-which includes recognizing and honoring your body’s satiety cues and awareness of your body’s needs. Remember, IE includes developing interoceptive awareness and honoring both your hunger and fullness while practicing gentle nutrition. Are you curious whether Intuitive Eating is for you, or wanting more information? Reach out to me with any questions or to schedule a free consult! Email me at ccollette@papillonwellnesscoaching.com or click here to send me a message. I provide 1-1 coaching to help people become Intuitive Eaters, develop interoceptive awareness, and become more balanced.