5 Signs You’re Turning Intuitive Eating Into Another Diet (And Why That Might Be Unhelpful)
Written by Emily Lovell, RD
Intuitive eating is one of the many frameworks that inform how we practice at TNC. We work with our clients to improve their relationship with food by establishing a pattern of eating that works well for them individually. We believe that an optimal eating pattern for overall health and wellbeing is one that is thoughtful, flexible and does not limit or restrict.
When someone ventures down the road of ditching diet culture and exploring a new way of looking at food, like Intuitive Eating, it can feel so easy to slip into the same old diet habits without even realizing it.
Here are some signs that intuitive eating might be veering into “diet” territory:
You are “only” eating when you’re hungry: we have seen intuitive eating described and turn into a hunger and fullness diet more times than we can count. If you’ve spent years following rigid rules and strict guidelines, it makes so much sense that your brain tries swapping out old rules of restriction for new ones. For many reasons, eating in the absence of hunger can actually be a very supportive part of healing your relationship with food.
You are trying to practice permission, but not eating enough: after years of being told to eat less, it can come as a shock when clients hear from us that they need to eat more. A core principle of intuitive eating is unconditional permission and it is often depicted as the cliche of “just eat the donut!”. We feel there is a crucial step before fully jumping into that principle, which is making sure you are eating enough. It’s normal for unconditional permission to feel scary. After all, these are foods you have not been allowed to eat for so long. That experience may feel even more scary and likely feel more chaotic if your body is also in biological need for nourishment.
You are preoccupied with choosing the “right” foods: this is a form of policing your food choices, and placing moral value on foods. If you are placing foods into specific categories such as “good” or “bad”, you are still influenced by diet rules. True intuitive eating embraces all foods, allowing room for every form of nourishment, without labels or restrictions.
You are feeling stressed about portions: you may be beginning to connect more with your body’s cues, but still feeling preoccupied with portion sizes, counting, or controlling what and how much you eat. We invite you to instead consider what feels satisfying to you, without getting bogged down by constant calculation. This process can take time, be gentle with yourself, and consider a self-compassion practice.
You feel like intuitive eating is not “working” because you haven’t lost weight: practices such as intuitive eating, attuned eating and mindful eating are not about changing our body size. These practices are about connecting you to your internal body wisdom and repairing your food relationship, regardless of your size.
At its core, intuitive eating is about embracing curiosity, challenging rules that you’ve learned from diet culture and cultivating a more supportive relationship with food. If you’re still feeling like you need to follow certain rules or that food choices often come with guilt, it’s worth getting curious about your approach, or reaching out for additional support.
You are worthy of nourishing yourself in a way that brings you a sense of liberation and comfort.
If you are looking for additional support in your food relationship, we’d love to hear from you, let’s connect.
