Intuitive EatingThe anti-diet

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bObjXY24Ei4

Eating personalities•Careful•Unconscious•Chaotic unconscious•Refuse-not•Waste-not•Emotional unconscious•Professional dieter•Intuitive Eater

Principles1. Reject diet

mentality2. Honor your hunger3. Make peace with

food4. Challenge food

police5. Feel your fullness6. Discover

satisfaction factor

7. Cope w/ emotions w/out using food

8. Respect your body9. Exercise – feel the

difference10.Honor your health

w/ gentle nutrition

Hitting diet bottomSymptoms Reality• Just the thought of a diet

brings on cravings• Little trust in self w/ food• Social withdrawal• Sluggish metabolism• Use caffeine to survive the

day• Last supper/celebration

binge• One last diet trap

• We don’t fail at diets, diets fail us.

• DIETS DON’T WORK• Proof:

▫ Paradox▫ Promote eventual

weight gain!

Honor your hunger2nd-guess biology Alice• Diet rules

▫ Is it time▫ How much▫ Do I deserve it?

Work out in the morning large breakfast skip lunch

Busy at work don’t eat all day ravenous after work overeat at night feel uncomfortable/guilty

Make peace w/ food give yourself the unconditional permission to eat what you want, when you want.deprivation Molly and Shirl• Should/shouldn’t• Leads to

overeating/compensating

• I can’t control myself• Cake is my weakness = I

can’t have it• Stop the food fight – you

may surprise yourself!

Challenge the food policeHalf -empty Half-full1. I had a terrible week2. I overate so many times3. All I ate was sweets4. I feel so fat5. I’m such a failure

• I had some success this week

• I had many times when I honored my hunger

• I had more sweets than I wished, but I had lots of healthy foods, too.

• I’m feeling better about myself

• I’m doing better, little by little.

Feeling fullnessChallenge Find it• Habits• Diet rules can’t

recognize it• unconscious

• Eliminate distraction• Say “no, thank you.”• Choose something

satisfying

Discover satisfaction1. What do you really want to eat?2. Pay attention to your palate3. Enjoy the experience4. Don’t settle5. Check in

Cope w/ emotions w/out foodWhy we do it Alternatives• Comfort• Distraction• Sedation• Punishment

▫ Bored/procrastinating▫ Reward▫ Frustration▫ Stress▫ Connect w/ others▫ Relax

• Seek nurture▫ Massage, hug, meditate,

garden• Deal w/ feelings

▫ Journal, talk to someone, cry, punch a pillow

• Different distractor▫ Read, watch a movie,

take a drive, clean, play a game, nap

Respect your body Respect = treating w/ dignity and meeting basic needs.

• Get comfortable (buy new underwear!)

• Change body assessment tools (chuck the scale and skinny jeans)

• Quit the body-check game• Don’t compromise for a

big event (there will ALWAYS be one!)

• Stop body-bashing (replace w/ a positive statement)

• Don’t engage in “fat-talk”

• Respect body diversity (especially yours!)

• Do nice things for your body

Exercise – feel the difference!• Separate from weight loss• Avoid mind-games

▫ it’s not worth it▫ No time to spare▫ Couch potato denial▫ No sweat = doesn’t count

• Make it fun!• Make it a priority

Gentle nutritionJulia Child, Resetting the American Table (1980’s)In matters of nutrition, consider:Taste – we don’t have to just “get used to it.”Quantity – portions, eat enough – not too littleQuality – fruits & veggies, fish, fluids (water), less

processed

Make informed food choices

• “It’s never been true, not anywhere at any time, that the value of a soul, of a human spirit, is dependent on a number on a scale. We are unrepeatable beings of light and space and water who need these physical vehicles to get around. When we start defining ourselves by that which can be measured or weighed, something deep within us rebels. We don’t want to EAT hot fudge sundaes as much as we want our lives to BE hot fudge sundaes. We want to come home to ourselves.”

Geneen Roth, Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

Challenge1. Don’t engage in any “fat

talk” this week.1. Check in on Facebook

next week since we don’t have a meeting.

2. Replace one of your negative self-talk phrases/thoughts with a positive one – use it this week!

3. Eat more mindfully1. Less distraction2. Don’t settle