What Intuitive Eating Isn’t

How do you want to feel around food?

Most of the women I work with want to feel confident and empowered when it comes to food. They’re exhausted from years of trying to “eat clean” and following strict, unrealistic food rules, but they don’t trust themselves to make good food decisions. 

Unlike prescriptive diet-and-lifestyle programs that tell you what to eat, how much, and when, intuitive eating is a philosophy that gives all the power to you when it comes to food...which can feel a little scary, I know!

In today’s blog, I’m clearing up some common misconceptions about what intuitive eating really is—more specifically, what it isn’t—so you can get more clarity around how you want to feel about food.

Intuitive eating isn’t filling up on “off-limits” food and feeling shitty afterward. 

You probably have some memories (maybe even very recent memories) of anguish after stuffing your belly to the brim with doughnuts or polishing off an entire party-size bag of cheesy poofs.

If you find yourself in this kind of situation often enough, you’ll develop a story along the lines of, “I can’t trust myself to eat what I want. Look what’s happened in the past!”

But, this tendency to overdo it with off-limits food isn’t intuitive eating. This is called binge eating, and needs to be addressed as such, because it’s usually a physiological response to either food restriction (aka dieting) or emotional distress.

Intuitive eating isn’t just, “Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full.”

You’re not a machine. You’re a living, breathing animal with complex social systems, ever-changing environments, and overwhelming stressors that are intricately woven into your relationship with food.

Yes, food is fuel, but it’s so much more than that. Any food philosophy that fails to take your creature complexities into account can be labeled as soulless eating. Separating your soul from your belly is simply not sustainable.

Intuitive eating isn’t eating without regard for what’s healthy for you.

“I’m afraid if I let myself eat just what I want,” my clients have told me, “I’ll eat nothing but cereal and ice cream every day.”

This kind of eating could more appropriately be named impulsive eating, because it doesn’t factor in the critical process of self-inquiry (which includes questions like, “how will my body react after I eat this?” and, “what does the science say about this kind of food?”).

Intuitive eating isn’t easy...at first.

Once you learn to trust yourself and honor your body’s communication with you, you’ll wonder why you spent so much time fighting yourself when it could’ve been this easy all along.

But, when you first begin to explore intuitive eating, your mind will do everything in its power to stop you from trusting your gut and your heart.

Your inner mean girl will come out swinging. She can be cruel, persistent, and persuasive, so I never recommend battling her by yourself.

Exploring new stuff is way easier (and more effective) with education, tools, community, and support. And of course, just like with all the other new things you’ve learned in life, practice makes confident! 

Now you know what intuitive eating isn’t—hopefully it’s a little less scary! 

And if you’re wondering what intuitive eating is, you can learn more here.

Curious about making the shift?

Wanna learn more about anything in this post?

Schedule a free session with me to chat about how you want to feel about food.