5 Reasons to Stop Intuitive Eating Asap: Pt 1

I’ve been thinking a lot about Intuitive Eating lately. Sometimes, it feels like EVERYONE is jumping on the bandwagon in the hopes of healing their disordered relationship to food! But there’s SO MUCH left unsaid about it…

Here’s part one of two:

In the summer after graduating college, I was a Patient Advocate for an Intuitive Eating retreat in Vermont that specialized in helping women tune into their bodies and stop bingeing on food.

Set in the heart of the Green Mountains, the retreat was its own little oasis, complete with a dietitian, a therapist, a group exercise coach, and a chef, ALL dedicated to helping these women listen to their bodies.

So, why were so many women repeat customers? And how the heck did I relapse there??

Here’s the thing:

Intuitive Eating is amazing at explaining how women who already have a healthy relationships with food behave.

HOWEVER, it’s a terrible guide for helping women whose relationship to food is anything but.

Here’s why:

When we withhold proper nourishment from our bodies, they make us eat more food to compensate for it. In fact, the protective drive to eat is so primal, that you’ll probably want to eat past the point of physical fullness.

Which brings us to the bottom line:

You can’t practice intuitive eating when your body’s still starving.

The retreat ultimately failed because no amount of eating pre-portioned meals in a silent dining hall using cue cards to tune into your body will cure a physical drive to live. Just like no amount of pausing between swallows and “checking in” will make your body finally whisper those magical words to “stop eating.”

The problem with teaching Intuitive Eating principles to women who binge is that they internalize the advice as:

“I must be eating too much, because I can’t listen to my body.”

When what they really should be thinking is this:

“I can trust my body, even if it scares me.”

If you’re struggling with control around food…

I see you. And I have felt every fear, and every pain that you do.

And I know:

You can make it through this. Trust your body. It’s the soundest wisdom you’ll ever get. And it will never steer you wrong.

♥️

Maria

P.S. Still waiting for those five reasons? Read part two here.