The first principle discussed in the Intuitive Eating book is Reject Diet Culture.
Why is rejecting diet culture a necessary prerequisite to becoming an intuitive eater?
It is scary for many (most, I’d say) to work on intuitive eating when they think (fear) that it may very well lead to weight gain.
This is perfectly normal, since we’ve been conditioned to believe that being thin is necessary, important, right, for so long.
The answer, though, is not to go on “just one last diet to lose a few pounds” and then embark on becoming an intuitive eater, as many people (understandably) wonder. Rather, the initial work should be focused on understanding why the desire to be thin is so strong, where it stems from, what it’s serving, etc.
Before someone can (re)become an intuitive eater, they need to feel certain that dieting is harmful to their physical, mental, and emotional state. Often, they know this intuitively on some level, but it’s helpful to delve deeper into the science and psychology behind it.
Why?
Because, as I’ve said before, becoming an intuitive eater is not without challenges. It’s an upward downward backwards forwards dance; there will be days when you honor your hunger and respect your fullness and feel, “I’ve got this!” And there will be days where you polish off a cake and think first, “uch” and then “maybe this is all wrong and it’s time to try cutting out carbs or not eating past 7 pm”…
The key to sticking to the journey is to get past those thoughts to the thoughts that actually help: the voice of the Food Anthropologist that gently asks you, “What was it about tonight that made you choose to ignore your fullness?” And then, “Lesson learned.”
If you’re not certain why diet culture is harmful and have not come to reject it, often those initial thoughts push through and the diet cycle begins again: restrict (sometimes lose weight, feel successful), binge (gain it back, feel like a failure) and onward and onward … And then perhaps you think, “Maybe it’s time to start working on intuitive eating again”.
Rejecting Diet Culture is the foundation upon which you can stand your ground through the turbulent process that is rediscovering your inner intuitive eater.
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