The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Intuitive Eating

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve been on a diet at some point in your life. And you’re not alone. Studies suggest that over 90% of women have attempted to control their weight through dieting. But they also suggest that 95% of those diets fail. The truth is that restrictive dieting and diet culture only serves to make us miserable and destroy our relationships to food and our bodies. There’s got to be another way!

Intuitive eating is a phrase that’s been thrown around a lot in the past few years. But it seems like most people aren’t entirely clear on what it means. Does it mean that you can eat whatever you want? Yes. Can it be part of a healthy lifestyle, and help you to heal your body image and relationship to food? Absolutely. But what is it really? And how can you implement the principles of intuitive eating in your everyday life?

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or dietician. The information contained in this article comes from my personal experience and professional sources. If you’re in need of medical or dietary advice, please seek help from a trusted health professional.

This post includes affiliate links. That means that if you decide to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

My Dieting Story

Like most of us, my body image issues started before I was a preteen. It doesn’t take long for little girls to learn which body types are desirable and which are reserved for “before” pictures in weight loss ads. My body was always healthy – but being in the upper end of that “healthy” range made me insecure. I tried numerous diets in my teens, but those periods of restriction always lead to binges.

The Diet Cycle

When I started university, I gained the freshman 15… And then 15 more pounds on top of that. I was incredibly stressed – and eating had become my emotional outlet. Gaining so much weight so quickly had a drastic impact on my self esteem. I started working out, but my workouts were inconsistent, and they came from a place of shame and self-hate. It was a very low point in my journey. I tried dieting, but I was trapped in an endless cycle of restrict – binge – feel guilty – restrict again.

In 2018, I tried the keto diet (low carb, high fat). In 3 months I lost 25 pounds. I was ecstatic! But it wouldn’t last. A few “cheat days” on vacation turned into a cheat week, then into a cheat month… I gained all the weight back in less than half the time it took me to lose it. While I was on the keto diet, I insisted to concerned friends that this was my new healthy lifestyle. But is it really a healthy and happy lifestyle if you’re that desperate to “cheat” on it?

Finding Balance

Fast forward to 2019. I realized that change in my body had to start from the inside out. I started learning to interpret my body’s hunger signals and use that as my guide rather than any strict rule book. Working out became a hobby – something I did for fun rather than a punishment. Most importantly, I started learning to love my body (you can read more about my relationship with my body in my “Letter to My Body” post here.) When I stepped onto the scale for the first time in months, I was shocked to discover that I had lost weight. I always thought that once I lost weight, I would love myself. But the truth is, it was loving myself first that helped me reach a healthy weight for my body.

What is Intuitive Eating?

The basic principles of intuitive eating are simple – eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you feel full. Enjoy a wide variety of foods, and learn to appreciate and savour the joy of eating. But it’s much more complex than that. When you’ve spent years actively ignoring your body and prescribing to diet culture, it can be hard to tune in to that internal compass. Here are the guidelines I followed that helped me begin my intuitive eating journey.

Respect your hunger

When I was dieting, I saw hunger as the enemy. But hunger is an important signal from your body that you need to acknowledge. Not eating when you feel hungry often leads to overeating when you finally give your body the fuel it needs.

There is more than one type of hunger. Sometimes what we call hunger might actually be thirst, boredom, or a desire to emotional eat. Being in tune with the different types of hunger you feel will make it easier for you to analyze those feelings and deal with them appropriately.

Likewise, our fullness signals are important messages from our body that we need to learn to listen to. Do you remember being forced to eat all the food on your plate as a child? That rule doesn’t apply anymore. As you eat, take time to check in with your fullness levels. You might discover that you don’t need to eat as much as you thought to feel satisfied.

Keep mealtimes sacred

I think we’re all guilty of sitting in front of the TV with dinner, or scrolling Instagram while having a snack. But when you practice intuitive eating, it’s important to dedicate all your attention to your food. When you concentrate on eating, it’s easier to listen to your body’s hunger and satiety signals. And rather than dividing your attention, you can completely focus on savouring and enjoying the food that’s in front of you.

There are no “good” or “bad” foods

Keeping track of what foods diet culture categorizes as “good” or “bad” can make your head spin. Food comes in and out of fashion faster than low rise jeans! But at the end of the day, food is food. And all foods can have a place on your plate.

If you forbid yourself from eating certain foods, it will only make you want them more. And when you do give into your cravings, it often leads to binges and feelings of guilt. A balanced diet includes lots of nutritious foods, but also cake, pizza, and cookies. Removing the labels not only removes the forbidden temptation factor – it increases your satisfaction and enjoyment of these foods when you do choose to eat them.

Honour your body

Despite what the diet industry would have you believe, we can only do so much to change our weight. We all have a genetically predetermined set weight that works for our bodies. It’s definitely possible to have fluctuations up or down from this point, but if we’re living a healthy, non-restrictive lifestyle, our weight will always trend towards our set weight.

Diet culture encourages you to change your body into something it’s not meant to be. Maybe your set weight is what society deems “desirable”. But maybe it’s more than that. And that’s okay. As long as you are healthy and caring for your body, it shouldn’t matter. Intuitive eating can help you find your perfect weight, and learn to love and honour your body at whatever that might be.

Change the way you think about exercise

Once upon a time, I saw exercise as a punishment for overeating. All I cared about at the gym was the infamous “calories in, calories out”. My negative thoughts surrounding working out made it hard for me to commit to an exercise routine, or to find the joy in movement.

When you practice intuitive eating, exercise should become another form of self love you do for your body and mind. Focus on how strong, energized, or confident you feel when you exercise. Learn to find the fun in movement again!

Looking for more exercise motivation? Join me on my 10,000 step a day challenge! You can read about that experience and my Make the Habit series here.

Other Resources

Interested in learning more about intuitive eating? Here are some of the books, websites, and videos that helped me on my journey.

Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works – nutritionists
Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch literally wrote the book on intuitive eating. This book has helped people reconnect with their bodies for over two decades. If you want to learn more about intuitive eating, their book is a wonderful place to start.

Intuitive Eating – intuitiveeating.org is also run by Evelyn and Elyse. It includes a helpful forum, as well as a counselor directory for people seeking professional guidance on their intuitive eating journey.

Becca Bristow – YouTuber Becca Bristow is a registered dietician who makes fun and informative videos about food and life. In this video she shares some amazing insight into intuitive eating!

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Thank you so much for checking out today’s post! What do you think about intuitive eating and diet culture? Have you ever wanted to try it? Let me know in the comments below!