Intuitive eating: the ideal solution to lose weight?
Here is a dietary principle that is more and more talked about: intuitive eating. At a time when obesity is increasing inexorably among the population, and where nutrition advice and miracle diets abound, this philosophy is positioned as the alternative to finally have a soothing relationship with food and, ultimately, lose weight. Focus on intuitive eating.
What is intuitive eating?
It is not a diet, but rather aprinciple of eatingbased on the idea thatthe body intuitively knows what it needsand especially knows how toinform us, as long as we know how to listen to it. The goal is very simple: to achieve a peaceful relationship with foodand, in extenso, with one’s body. It is therefore contrary to weight loss diets, which are based on deprivation – restricted calories, discarded food classes, eliminated meals.
Intuitive eating is not a new philosophy: it was first mentioned in 1995 by two American nutritionists, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. In their book Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works, they discuss thelimitations of diets and their harmful consequences on the body, weight and general eating behavior. But they also evoke the need toreconnect with the signals sent by one’s body: hunger, satiety, specificneeds for nutrients. This intuitive listening, too often neglected, would allow thereturn to a peaceful diet, without restriction or compulsion.
What’s the point of starting intuitive eating?
Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch have been saying for almost 20 years: diets are dangerous for physical and mental healthand, in addition, are one of the causes of the increase in cases of overweight, obesityand eating disorders.
It is clear thatthe health authorities agree with them. Thus, ANSES, in a report published in 2010(1), based on the work of scientists and nutrition experts, shows that weightloss diets, practiced without recommendation or follow-up by a health professional, do indeed present health risks. These include harmful effects on certainorgansand bones, psychological disturbances (including anorexia, bulimia, hyperphagia) and a disruption ofmetabolism (via the yoyo effect) leading to increased overweight and obesity.
The main interest of intuitive eating is that it invites us to detach ourselves from arbitrary weight data and instead see food as a vector of good mental and physical health. Thus she does not set up thinness as a goal – weight loss is rather a natural consequence of the intuitive way of eating, which would allow you to reach and keep your healthy weighttag. Thus it places itself in opposition to the doctrine of diets and encourages people tostop any toxic behavior with regard to food, which will inevitably have negative repercussions on weight.
Intuitive eating in practice
Get into reading
The first is undoubtedly to read The Official Book of Intuitive Eatingtag. It clearly outlines thetenets of the doctrine, but also promises to help:
- to detach definitively from the culture of the regimes and to get rid of their underlying ideology;
- better understand their Emotions and thus treat themselves with kindness;
- be being satisfied with one’s food choices , whatever they may be;
- put an end to eating disorders ;
- respecting your body rather than forcing yourself to love it or change it;
- make peace with food .
Get coached
The second is to enroll in intuitive eating coaching. The official website(2) offers two alternatives:
- obtain theworkbookdeveloped by the two founders, which provides a flexible program to follow, as well as practical exercises that can be integrated into daily life and access to video coaching;
- Usesupportvia videoconference, for 3 months, at the rate of 20 sessions of 2 hours, provided by an intuitive eating coach, a psychologist or adietician.
Building on the principles
It is also possible to draw inspiration from the principles of intuitive eating, rather than really immersing yourself in the hard work of the program. What are they?
- Stop all diets and no longer follow the doctrines that require banishing certain foods;
- Honor your hunger hunger, that , that is to say, eat when the body demands it and sends clear signals of hunger – rumbling stomach, fatigue, headaches, yawning…;
- Make peace with food and and thus, not forbid any food, but learn to savor with pleasure and benevolence;
- Stop categorizing food as good or bad, because this categorization poses prohibitions and generates food obsessions and inevitably, irrational cracks;
- Respect your satiety , , that is to say reclaim the signals of satiation sent by your body and stop eating accordingly – without feeling guilty if, from time to time, you go beyond this threshold of satiety ;
- Take pleasure in eating a eating variety, , because eating does not consist of absorbing calories or nutrients, but is an act of pleasure and sharing;
- Understand your emotional hunger , by becoming aware of the automatisms of “compensation” by food for negative emotions. Accepting one’s emotions rather than running away from them makes it possible to attenuate the automatisms of compensation and gradually, to get rid of them;
- Respect your your bodysuit, that , that is to say accept it as it is and be happy to have it, rather than dwelling on your bodily dissatisfaction and trying at all costs to change it;
- Move on a daily basis , , in pleasure, without experiencing Physical Activity as a punishment or an imperative to be forced to lose weight, because the purpose of sport is not to lose weight but to feel good about yourself;
- Take care of your health , , without being obsessed with healthy food, but rather from an intuitive perspective – this food does me good because it corresponds to my desires, to the needs of my body and to the pleasure that I withdraw from it.
Finally, intuitive eating does not mean eating what you want, when you feel like it. It would then be easy to eat a plethora of chips or ice cream and then claim that the method is wrong. It is, once again, a question of respecting one’s hunger, satiety, needs and the pleasure one derives from it, without excess.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.