Intuitive Eating. Another Worth-While Read.

NOTE: I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of “self-improvement” books lately, but not on purpose. I just keep hearing about books that sound interesting, and then, of course, I have to add my two cents and share with the rest of the world. I’m so grateful there are oodles of good books to read.

I actually read the 2nd edition published in 2003.
I bet this 2012 edition is even better.
I think everyone should read it (hence this post about it),
but you'll have to decide that for yourself.

My latest read is called Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. In a nut shell, this book is “a bridge between the growing antidiet movement and the health community” (p. xix).

We were all born with an ability to intuitively eat—to eat until we were satisfied and then stop, only to return when our bodies reached hunger again. But somewhere between infancy and adulthood, we’re inundated with all sorts of factors that are threats to our intuitive eating ability, including:

• The way our parents denied or forced food upon us,
• The commercialization of food,
• Our fast-paced, go-go-go society,
• The visualization of bodies in the media,
• Etc., etc., etc.

Dieting is another big factor that does all sorts of things to our bodies (the book explains some of that scientific research in words you and I can actually understand and relate to), but perhaps more importantly dieting messes with our subconscious ability to trust our body and what it needs and wants. Dieting more often than not causes over eating; they explain why people gain more weight than they had lost after dieting; and much more interesting facts.

This book is not about “eating whatever you want” exactly. It’s about a journey back to our intuitive eating abilities, to feel and eat better overall.

I don’t remember ever being denied or forced food by my mom. Whether she intentionally cultured intuitive eating or not, I grew up being picky but enjoying lots of food, especially homemade baked sweets. I’m not a perfect eater, but I never feared eating a cookie just because it would go to my hips.

I have definitely been one to eat without thinking about it (while doing homework, watching a movie, in the car, at my desk while working, on the go, to stay awake, etc.), and to eat and eat (and way overeat) because I think I’ll never again see that delicious chocolate mousse cheesecake (or bag of Doritos or batch of freshly made cookies…). 

The book walks you through 10 principles of intuitive eating. These nutritionists took years in recognizing and cultivating these principles, based on their own training and experience working with all kinds of people—mostly those on-and-off-again dieters. One of those principles is Make Peace with Your Food, which basically is coming to an understanding that we are surrounded with food and will never go hungry. We will and can have the chance to eat again. 

"If you truly don't believe that you can eat whatever food you like, you will continue to feel deprived, ultimately overeat, and be blocked from feeling satisfied with your eating" (p. 86).

What if I had 10 of those chocolate mousse cheesecakes in my freezer? Or 20 bags of Doritos in my pantry? Would I stuff myself with them each time I saw them? Probably not. I know they are there and that I can have them whenever. That is one of their first principles, because if you don’t truly believe that, the rest of the principles won’t get you very far back on track to eating intuitively. The authors flat out tell their clients to eat what they want (following the other principles) and sends them on their own journey of making peace with food.

There’s enough information in the book to help guide us back to our intuitive eating skills. It’s a journey that is different for everyone. They talk about the different “voices” we use about food, and how those help or hurt us, and how those voices will change.

Eating to satisfy your hunger is another portion of the book, citing examples where one will avoid the cookie, and eat everything else in the house—way over the calories of the cookie—trying to avoid the cookie, but never being satisfied because the cookie is really what they wanted. Honor what you really want to eat. This may take time to master.

The book guides you through challenging the food police (that can include athletic coaches, what your parents said or did, your own perceptions about spending money on food, etc), and really feeling your fullness. I think this is where I can most improve. There’s a great list of tips to help improve your ability to feel your fullness.

• Pause in the middle of meal/snack for a time-out. 
• Taste check: how does it taste?
• Satiety check: what is your hunger or fullness level? Still hungry? Satisfied? Hunger going away?
• When done eating, ask about your fullness level now. Use fullness scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is empty, 2 is ravenous, 9 is stuffed and 10 is sick. 
• Discovering your fullness level will help identify your last-bite threshold, which is where we know when to stop and are satisfied with our last bite.
• Don't feel obligated to leave food on your plate (and don’t feel obligated to not leave food on your plate).

But it’s not just your fullness that matters—pay attention to the satisfaction factor. What really tastes good to you? Why eat what doesn’t? I’ve cultivated a greater understanding and practice of this, due largely to the influence of Sam.

My husband has taught me a lot about mindful eating, particularly with feeling your fullness and the satisfaction factor. While I pop chocolate one after another in my mouth, he slowly keeps one in his mouth, savoring the melting deliciousness for a LONG time. I could eat the whole package in the time he savors one piece. And he stops eating when he’s full. Like always.  He’s taught me a lot, and much of my eating habits have changed in the last 7 years because of him.

I know I sometimes eat because of emotions—good and bad emotions. There’s a great section on finding ways to cope with emotions without using food.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T is another principle. Respecting your body. We come in all shapes and sizes, and that’s the truth. Love yourself. I blogged about my personal experience with respecting my body once upon a time. 

The authors discuss exercising not to burn off the fat or to punish yourself for eating the cookie, but to really feel the difference. That’s why I exercise, and boy do I feel a difference. I can greatly attest to the importance of this one. Not only will you feel better, but it makes it easier to have FUN while exercising. Don’t exercise to lose weight or burn fat—do it to feel better (and, coincidentally, those other benefits will likely come).

And, of course, they talk about honoring your health with nutrition, and give a great summary of eating healthily. Studies show when we are exposed to a variety of foods, our bodies will want and crave that which is healthy. But they really do suggest that we take the time to honor our hunger, feel our fullness, and recognize our satisfaction factors with whatever food you are craving. And I believe that is what helps heal our eating habits. Denying ourselves will generally back fire. We really just need to allow ourselves food, and then learn to really taste, enjoy, and feel hunger and fullness. 

Once I realize that I will see an ooey-gooey chocolate mousse cheesecake again, I can savor the taste and texture until I’m satisfied. Occasionally (especially at the beginning of my intuitive eating journey), that may mean I eat the whole piece (or cake), but it won’t always mean that.

While there were sections I skimmed quickly in this book, I overall gained insight into my eating habits and ways I can improve. It’s been a week since I finished it, and every day I notice things I’m improving because of the book. Some days, however, I notice and ignore...and then feel lousy. But I’m making progress, and that is exciting.

Although it wasn’t any kind of emphasis of the book, I realized how important it is for me to honor hunger and fullness and intuitive eating for my little toddler. There’s much I can do, and a whole mindset of food I can adopt and incorporate in order to help Winston learn to trust himself when it comes to food.