WHAT IS THE BEST WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM
EAT WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY = INTUITIVE EATING
It sounds simple enough. Intuitive (mindful) eating is listening to your body when you eat, noticing how you feel, and changing your mindset about food.
You make many food choices throughout the day but often don’t pay attention to them. Since food can stimulate serotonin production, a feel-good neurotransmitter, you may reach for it to boost your mood as opposed to eating when you’re hungry. You need to identify the triggers that might lead to emotional eating and substitute an activity for the food. When you find other alternatives to boosting mood, such as exercise, social connections, breathing exercises, or meditation, you will move towards eating only when you’re hungry.
Since you’re foregoing comfort foods, you should replace them with high-quality whole foods (natural, fresh, and flavorful) and healthy fats. These nourish and support you while suppressing cravings.
When you eat mindfully, you eat delicious food and know what foods treat your body right. Your self-motivation improves as you realize you are in control. When eating well is a choice instead of a directive, your odds of success increase.
GUILT-FREE MEALS
Intuitive eating is about allowing yourself to indulge without feeling guilty. When you’re in tune with your body and its internal signals, you’ll learn what foods “trick” you into liking them while not providing you with the nutrients and satisfaction you require. You'll eat foods that make you feel good all day long, provide you with sustained energy, and don’t make you bloated.
You’ll naturally gravitate toward healthy whole foods and avoid the constant cycle of guilt and shame from making poor meal choices.
HUNGER HORMONES (in simplistic terms)
Ghrelin = Tells you when to eat
Leptin = Tells you when to stop
It’s overly simplistic to say overweight people are lazy or lack self-control. If your hunger hormones are out of balance, cutting calories or depriving yourself will not work.
Calorie restriction leads to elevated ghrelin, increased hunger, cravings, and weight gain. Even though you’re trying to do the right thing and eat “right”, you are undermining your efforts from the start when you cut calories.
Leptin is a hormone released by your fat cells that tells the brain to start burning fat. Leptin resistance occurs when there are persistently high levels of insulin in your blood. This results from constantly ingesting fast-burning carbs. Processed foods can also lead to insulin resistance by tricking the body into craving more and leading you to overeat. Leptin resistance stimulates appetite and cravings leading to obesity.
Normalizing these hormones is crucial in reaching your optimal body composition. Focusing on whole foods and eating intuitively is vital to this process.
WEIGHT OBSESSION
Are you unhappy or obsessed with your weight and body image? Eating intuitively/mindfully doesn’t mean you drastically cut calories to hit your goal weight. You simply eat foods you enjoy that also treat your body right. There is no calorie counting or low-fat restrictions. It’s a successful long-term alternative to temporary diets that have let you down in the past.
When you cheat or indulge, black and white thinking often leads to complete abandonment of the diet regimen. On the other hand, when you tap into your feelings of hunger and satisfaction, you’ll feel empowered and kick guilt to the curb. You stay the course because you are now in charge. (Read why meal planning is vital to staying on track here)
BENEFITS OF MINDFUL EATING
Intuitive eating is about tuning into your hunger signals and reconnecting with your body. When you remove junk from your diet, you are more attuned to your body's signals when you reintroduce foods. The simple change of eating when you’re hungry has been linked to improved body image and increased self-esteem.[1] It also leads to fortified willpower, better sleep, higher energy levels, and improved stress management.
INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
It takes time to adopt an intuitive eating approach. Two steps forward and one step back is acceptable. In the future, when you indulge in something sweet or overeat, you’ll accept it and move on with no judgment or beating yourself up.
I can help you with the necessary strategies to put intuitive eating into practice. You can enjoy variety at meals, stop stressing about what you eat, and create a more positive relationship with food. I’ll show you how.