Does this sound familiar?
You are out to dinner at your favorite restaurant and everyone is ordering the most decadent dishes… but YOU are on a diet! As you scroll the menu searching for the “Weight Watchers approved” entrees, your eyes begin to wander to the description for the luscious, creamy mac n’ cheese! Talk about torture! Your friends add fuel to the fire when they tell you to forget your diet and order the fettuccine alfredo or stuffed manicotti. Your mind continues to be tormented with questions like: should you break your diet??
After much debate, you finally cave to your friends’ pressure and order the mac n’ cheese. Since you’ve already blown your diet, you also agree to split dessert and add a martini. Why not? You’ve already messed up your new diet anyway? Plus, everyone else is doing it!
As you finish the last lick of the double fudge brownie, you begin to feel uncomfortably full, and secretly start unbuttoning your top pant button. You head home feeling ashamed and plagued with guilt. You’re already thinking about how many miles you have to run to make up for it. You keep thinking: why does this have to be so hard?
If the scenario above is eerily familiar, then I want you to keep reading. I absolutely know what it means to feel hopeless when it comes to weight loss, but I WILL help you to become your BEST self and you will never have those feelings of guilt again.
At the beginning of week one, I want to introduce a concept that many of you may already be familiar with; natural or intuitive eating. Now, before you blow me off because you already know all there is to know, I would encourage reading about natural eating with a fresh look and really consider what it means. How many of us really allow ourselves to LISTEN to what our body is telling us?
Natural eating is when you are completely mindful of the foods you choose to eat, by tuning in to your body’s natural ability to regulate your hunger and fullness cues. In simple terms: Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full.
While this may sound like it should be second nature, how many of us really know what it means to be satisfied? For some, leaving a meal filled to capacity, with that feeling of being over stuffed, is what we have trained ourselves in to thinking is normal!
The truth is, your body does not want to be “full,” it just wants to feel satisfied. If you leave the dinner table or a restaurant stuffed, that is not listening to your body; if you had been listening, you should have stopped 10 bites ago! When you are listening to your body, it will tell you what and how much it needs at any given time period. Your weight will naturally stay slim because you are not giving your body anything in excess. Calories in, start to equal calories out. As long as you LISTEN to your body, you will never have to worry about weight again! Isn’t this a lovely concept??
In order to put natural eating in to practice, it’s going to take some time. It’s a concept I will be building upon over the next month. This first week, we will start slowly and I’ve provided a list of several key points that I want you to begin practicing RIGHT NOW!! Don’t wait for tomorrow or next week; make the rest of your life start today!! Ready??
- Allow yourself ALL foods. Nothing is off limits. Nothing is GOOD or BAD. Everything is allowed in your diet and all foods serve a purpose. Yes, even that decadent macaroni and cheese!!!
- Ask yourself: what do I want?? Now that we have allowed you to eat anything you would like, I want you to start asking yourself: what am I TRULY craving? Is it a bowl of fruit or a slice of pizza? Listen to your body and eat whatever you feel enticed to eat. The idea behind this, is that when you LISTEN to your body and satisfy that urge for whatever it is you want, you don’t feel the need to overindulge. Like in rule #1, nothing is off limits, you are always allowed to have whatever you truly want. No guilt, no shame.
- Am I even hungry? On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), your hunger level should be around a 6 or 7. So before each meal, I also want you to evaluate your hunger levels. Are you even really hungry or is it just “dinner time.” How many of you do this? Don’t let the clock be your eating guide, use your belly! Who says you have to eat lunch at noon, a snack at 3pm, and have dinner at 6pm. When you listen to your body, maybe you will find yourself hungry for dinner at 4:45pm. Or maybe you will just eat half of your dinner at 4:45pm and finish the rest at 7pm. Make your own rules, let your body tell you what it needs and when! Get away from the structure!
- Leave a little on your plate. Let yourself be okay with not cleaning your plate. I realize that a lot of people grew up with the notion that they were not done until their plate was clean. I’m saying, FORGET THAT RULE! Get it completely out of your head! The other half of your sandwich will still be there in an hour if you are hungry for it, so why finish it if your body says: I don’t want it. Remember: nothing is off limits! So even if you treat yourself to ice cream, it’s ok to place it in the freezer and come back later, if you are satisfied after a few bites! You can have whatever you want after all!! No guilt, no shame.
- Don’t be distracted. Shut off the TV, get away from the computer, and put all other distractions on hold; it’s meal time. You will be much less likely to over eat if you are sitting at the table and being mindful of the foods you’re eating. Savor the flavors of your hummus or super fudgy brownie. When you take the time to appreciate your foods, you are much less likely to eat too much!!
- Enjoy the pleasures of eating! Eating is one of the best experiences throughout the day. Nothing is better than a cool piece of watermelon on a hot summer day. However, how many of us really have time to sit and savor our food? Well, make time! When you allot yourself even 20 minutes, you are that much more likely to enjoy your meal without over eating! Take pleasure in the sights, smells, and tastes of your food. Really appreciate the flavors and take time to make a plate that is appealing. You are worth it!
So that’s it. Six simple steps to get you started with eating naturally. You are on your way to being your BEST self! Don’t worry about measuring out portions or counting calories, just TRUST in your body that it knows what it needs! This week is not about weight loss either…in fact, don’t even look at the scale. We are just training you to rethink how your body eats!
I don't think she's too worried about eating that cone. She's just taking pleasure in savoring the moment!
One last thing, to get in tune with your body, I would also like you to briefly write down your hunger and fullness levels after each meal.
- Is your stomach bloated and uncomfortable or are you feeling completely content; no belly bloat.
- Are you still looking for food? This might be because you are still hungry or because you did not truly eat what your body was telling you! Remember, even if it’s something small, satisfy that craving!
Also, don’t forget to check out today’s ”Your Best Self” Recipe! On the menu today? Eating Well’s Tijuana Tortas!! (Black beans, avocado, cabbage…all between 2 slices of multigrain bread!)
OH! and don’t forget about my FREE 30 minute phone consultation give away!! Check for details!!
Tune back in tomorrow for week one’s exercise advice!! This is a total package program!! Can’t forget the activity!!
[...] At dinner, I ordered exactly what I wanted: Crab cakes and fresh veggies. I left simply satisfied, listening to my body, and that was that! I ordered the veggies without butter or oil and ate almost two crab cakes. [...]
[...] The FIX: Use exercise as a way to reduce your stress and increase endorphins. The reduction in stress will help to decrease those PMS cravings because you won’t feel so terrible. Also, try to eat small portions of chocolate throughout the rest of the month. When chocolate is no longer considered a “forbidden food,” the cravings will calm. Remember: no foods are off limits! [...]
[...] changing habits is HARD. I have had many comments, emails, and questions recently about trying to eat mindfully but still not feeling satisfied until that plate is “clean.” The only answer I can [...]
[...] point of natural eating is not to induce even more anxiety and stress about food. The philosophy behind eating naturally is [...]
What do you think about people that have to gain? Do you agree with the eating constantly despite absolutely no hunger and a full-bloated belly? And what are your personal markers if a person wonders if they really do need to gain or not?
[...] want you to cope with your emotions in a different way this week. Living by the principles of natural eating, when you are on an emotional high or low, avoid turning to food as your solace. Don’t use [...]
[...] Write down your thoughts and feelings after each meal! Trust me, this will help you learn to eat naturally! [...]
Fantastic information! It’s all about changing the way you look at food and tuning in to your body. If you want it, eat it–but enjoy it fully and in moderation. Love that concept! Thanks!
[...] Your BEST Self: Week 1-Natural Eating [...]
Your play-by-play used to happen to me a lot when I was “dieting”. It happens from time to time, but it’s definitely something I’ve worked on. Social situations have always been my pit fall, and it is hard! But your 6 steps are exactly what have helped me. I’ve tried to adjust my thinking, too. Say I order something “healthy” off a menu. While I might really want that mac ‘n’ cheese…I’m not thinking about that mac ‘n’ cheese after leaving the restaurant. We need to stop putting food on a pedestal…it’s food! I’ve never “behaved” at a restaurant, been walking out the doors and thought, “Man, I wish I would’ve had a martini and dessert! I’m not feeling stuffed enough!” That’s ridiculous, no one would think that, and I’ve gotten better about not talking up food and keeping the situation in perspective. Great advice!
I loved reading this post. Very informative and helped me to think about how I often am in that type of situation. Now I just need to take your advice and stop letting my stomach do the talking.
Awesome advice! I think most people restrict themselves too much while on diets so that when they DO indulge, they let loose and go crazy. In my experience, having mini treats throughout the week helps me to stay in control and not overindulge.
Great things to think about!
i totally agree but sometimes find it hard to live the practice all the time……thank you for such a great post!
What a fabulous post! I always like to talk to my clients about intuitive eating. I recommend the book often, even though I myself have not read it….hehe, oops! I have it though, I will read it soon. I like to tell people to eat like they did when they were a kid (like the girl in the picture!). As children we only thought about food when we were hungry, and then we ate to fuel and enjoy our food, not to STUFF ourselves! This technique really works wonders.
Great post!!
Im all about eating whatever you want. Having foods that are off limits only makes you want them more. I found that when I started letting myself eat whatever I wanted, I didnt crave the sweets anywhere near as much as I used to.
This is wonderful information – I love it! I’ll be on/at the tweet-up tonight!
Such good advice. And you’re so right it takes mindfulness and even discipline – how many times have I eaten something even when I know I’m not hungry . . .
I totally agree! Since I first read about intuitive eating I’ve been hooked. Such a simple yet effective concept!
Fantastic advice! GREAT post. Thank you so much! This is exactly the journey that I’m on.
Hey Erin (great name!) Thanks for visiting my blog! I’ve been on a hiatus for a while now so I appreciate comments that bring me back to my posting
I love your posts and your advice on IE! I’ll be stopping by tomorrow, for sure.
I love this post!! It is so helpful
This is so helpful for so many people, including those that think they know about intuitive eating. Very valid points about making sure you are truly hungry. If you were slowing down and feeding your body the right way you don’t have to worry about feeling guilty because you couldn’t walk away. great, great points.
GIRL! I just found your blog and am SOOO happy I did! I just spent about an hour going back and reading your posts. You definitely bring things to reality for me.
The best thing I’ve learned lately with natural eating is to take a bite, put the fork down, chew, and savor. It has made me eat slower, consume less, and really truly enjoy my food. Since I started working on that I have become more excited about healthy foods.
Can’t wait to read more
I love this post, thank you!
I’m still trying to learn IE. I went from counting literally every gram of food that went into my mouth to the struggle of trying to figure out what my body wants — a portion isn’t the amount listed in the jar or the wrapper. It’s what it would take to satisfy you, and only if you really want it.
Great post! I’d love to eat more intuitively and this gave me more information about it and great tips
Yes! I struggle with intuitive eating…I tend to want to plan everything out. But I think this is a much healthier way to go about eating. Wonderful advice, as always.
This was fantastic information, and I’m actually going to try it! I am going to be checking out a few other posts here later today…thanks for stopping by my blog – I’m glad we found each other and look forward to getting to know you!
Great post!
Great post! I think the Intuitive Eating principles are the best eating guidelines out there!
Love the post! But you’re right- this is definitely something that takes time and mindful practice! I’m so awful at it… but at least it’s helped me to slow down a little and be more aware when it’s time to sit down for dinner.
Wonderful post!! I just read the book “Intuitive Eating” and loved it. Once you really get the concept and put it into practice, it’s awesome!
Great post! I really think natural/intuitive eating is the key to healthy weight loss. I’ve been really trying to switch my mind to this type of thinking/eating. The big thing to me is to have the mindset where nothing is off limits, because as soon as something is.. I obviously want to eat it and won’t stop thinking about it until I do!
As usual…fantastic post!! I love all the advice you have!